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Cracked seam between cab/bunk, internal waterfall!
I had water dump on me after an RV wash with a pressure washer. I found there was a crack in the painted seam between the cab roof and underneath the overhead bunk where they meet. I ignored it for a while because regardless how hard it rained I never experienced the waterfall or other signs of water again. (about 14,000 miles)
Fast forward now at 33,000 miles, COVID entrapment, and bored to the point I was looking for a good project. Aha, that crack! I got a ladder out and when inspecting it closely I found I could press up under the bunk panel where it meets the cab (above the windshield) and the crack would separate. At this point the crack was nearly 70% across the span. So, I decided to remove all of the factory bead of painted caulk. (PITA!) During the process I found that there are ZERO bolts, screws, clamps or anything else holding the 2 panels together internally. Seriously! I took a pocketknife and was able to run it about three feet (in the center) between the panels without hitting anything that would‘ve been used to secure the two panels together (internally) other than the bead of painted caulk on the outside.
I’ll deal with the internal fastening after I get the outside done. That’s an entirely different project.
So, I removed all of the factory painted ‘seam’ of hardened caulk (PITA!). Cleaned the area really well finishing off with a good alcohol wash. I put blue paint tape on to contain any slip ups. I considered what was available to use for this repair, I wanted something that would be a good adhesive that would dry but still be somewhat flexible so it wouldn’t crack/leak again. I chose to use baseboard adhesive in a caulk tube. I've used it before but I tested a dab and let it dry. And thought this is perfect. I applied a bead making sure it penetrated between the two panels. I left it set for 24 hours. The bead had shrunk down to nearly the shape of the two panels without a bead between them. I then climbed up to check the adhesion between the two panels by pressing up with reasonable amount of pressure under the bunk panel. There was no separation. I decided to add a second bead of baseboard adhesive into the V of the 2 panels to give it a second layer of strength and to hopefully fill the V just a little bit. I think it looks really good at this point. The adhesion & flexibility that I really wanted the most are both there. And it doesn’t look bad at all IMHO. (especially after looking at some really disastrous/hilarious pics of Class C repairs online)
I had ordered a tube of Champaign colored caulk, hoping to come close to matching the Champaign paint on the RV. Tomorrow I’m going to put a layer of it on top of the 2nd layer of baseboard adhesive. -Pictures coming-
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