Toolbox: Miraculous Makeover

By Malcolm Street

Aluminum sheeting has many advantages when used in caravan manufacture – it’s lightweight, easy to work with and relatively inexpensive. However, there is one distinct disadvantage – usually most noticeable in hail storms – aluminium dents very easily.

Lionel’s mate Murphy seems to make his presence felt quite strongly in hail storms. Toolbox was recently visiting Burpengary in Brisbane where there is a string of caravan dealerships along the Bruce Highway.

Just prior to our visit a particularly localised hail storm had swept through, leaving lots of dimpled caravans and a big repair bill.

What happens when your caravan is the victim of hail? Well, the good news is that the damage is usually repairable and if your caravan is insured then it won’t cost an arm and a leg to get it fixed.

To find out what happens when a hail-damaged caravan needs repairs, Toolbox visited the premises of A-One Caravan Repairs at Penrith, west of Sydney. A-One, run by Alan Cleland and his son Peter, handles all kinds of repair work but hail-damaged vans keep the company particularly busy.

When a van is badly damaged by hail, the first job is to remove every external fitting. Windows, door, lights, moulding, hatches, grab handles and towel rails all have to come off. With most of the above items, care has to be taken as the majority will be reused.

The aluminium sheeting won’t be used again, but it needs to be removed with reasonable care to prevent damage to the frame, insulation and cabling underneath.

When the van is in its bare state, it’s time to arrange extra powerpoints, lights or anything that requires access behind the panelling – you won’t get this opportunity again. Any other wall/frame repairs can also be attended to quite easily at this point.

Another problem solved simultaneously during the repair process is water leaks, should there be any, as during a full repair the van gets a total reseal.

Once everything has been removed from the van, it’s time to start putting it all back, albeit with new aluminium sheeting. In some cases replacing sheeting on older caravans presents the challenge of finding similar replacement material, but it’s not usually a problem.

Step 1
Starting from the top, the first item to be replaced is the caravan roof. Roof sheeting comes in 4ft (1.2m) sections, which means there will be several seams across the roof.

Conveniently, sheeting comes with a pre-bent seam that has to be locked over with the adjoining sheet. But before that happens, a bead of sealant has to be applied into the seam. Another bead of sealant is then applied once the seam is locked. This process is more easily done off the van on a flat surface.

Although aluminium is quite light, lifting the locked, joined sheets is really a two-person and two-ladder job.

Step 2
Once in position on the roof, the sheeting can be stapled down.

Naturally, any holes or cut-outs required are done before the sheeting is fully fixed. Once in position, the roof sheeting can then be cut to the correct width. This is ideally completed before any wall panelling is positioned to avoid accidental damage. 

Step 3
With the roof in position, the wall can be attended to. Wall sheeting is about 10in (250mm) wide and is affixed starting at the top and working down.

Again, the seams have to be sealed as fitting proceeds and all the necessary holes need to be drilled or cut out.

Step 4
Once all the roof and side sheeting is in place, it’s a case of retrofitting all the external fixtures. Items like edge mouldings, doors and windows require special attention, including accurate fitting and careful sealing.

While this might sound like a complex job, once you know what you are doing it is quite simple, but can also be time consuming.

There are various types of sealants, but one that works on metal lap joints, Zincalume and Colorbond surfaces is certainly best for caravans.

Good preparation is also essential. Surfaces must be perfectly clean and any residue from old sealant must be removed.

Shortly after this process your hail-damaged caravan will start to look like new again, and will be ready to drive away.

Worn windows
Here’s an interesting little problem that happened to be sitting in the A-One workshop during my visit. The van owners were keen bush travellers and, as such, the van had been over some rough roads.

The window hoppers on the van were wearing against the window frames and would no longer lock when closed – the slots for the latching mechanism had been worn out. At first glance this looked like new window frames were needed all round.

Instead, Peter Cleland fashioned new metal inserts for the window frame slots, so the windows could latch properly – what a great idea!

Thanks to A-One Caravan Repairs: 3/4 Coombs Drive, Penrith NSW, (02) 4572 7176 or 0404 352 958.