What do we do now? H-E-L-P! 1989 Pace Arrow~ Fleetwood

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bbrandli

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Jul 15, 2012
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OK, we did it. We did the research, we had our list of things we wanted in a motorhome, an RV refrigerator, a working generator, working ACs, good engine, a walk around bed and very happy it already had a hardwood floor. Colors and designs were not important because I knew I would change that anyway. We saw that it had been water damaged, but all that we looked at had been. It was either repaired or repairable to my satisfaction. Now it's at home and being fixed up, inside and out. I have been delegated to inside and my husband to the outside. He has come across a few of the rivets, connecting the roof to the body that are loose or the heads are missing. Does anyone know how to correctly remove those without heads and how and what to use to replace. We are thinking rubber grommets and screws.Also I want a new TV on the opposite side of the wall in the bedroom, problem is nowhere to plug it in. We had a MH about 15 years ago, used mostly by our girls for spring breaks.( who can afford to travel with 2 teenage girls?) So we feel like new owners with NO knowledge. We HAVE bought several books and they have been helpful, we can not find any info for these problems.  Thanks sooooo much.
 
Drill the rivits and replace them. You might get away with using screws but be very careful not to penetrate though to the inside. I would just use pop rivits and seal them with some Dicor.

As far as the TV, If there is acess to the wall from the otherside and its a blind area, You may be able to snake a wire to the spot you need. You may have to think outside the box to get power where you want it but in most cases it can be done.

Steve
 
IF they are in fact rivits, I will second Pop Rivets (use bigger ones) Make sure the rivits are the sealed type and add a dab of Dicor sealant to the hole before you POP in.

Mine is all screws.

As for the TV, if there is one there now, NO problem.  IF there is none there and no outlet you have basically two choices. One is even code.

1: Run wires and install an outlet, I have done that in a couple of places in my motor home.. Thankfully there was an easy path from the power distribution panel to the spot where I wished to park the outlet in my case (VERY VERY easy path in fact).

The other is to use surface mount wiring, this is not code.

Oh, a 3rd choice,, If you can find a 12 volt unit designed to run off a car battery there is often 12 volts very close to most everywhere in a Motor home.


IF you are REPLACING a TV, there is an outlet, you just can't see it (likely behind the set,  Might be in the compartment (closet) next to the set)
 
If the rivets without heads that you see are actually rivets, the only way to 'repair' those is to carefully push what remains inwards using an awl or similar tool. You can then replace them with a slightly bigger one as mentioned by Capt Steve. It may take some experimenting to determine the best size and length to use.

Should you wish to remove one with a head, drill it out carefully using a bit a hair bigger than the centre hole and push back the rivet as before.

(They cannot come out from the front  without really damaging the materials because of the 'bulb' in the back and the lack of grip from the front)

As well as the Caulk suggested by john, I would suggest you try and inject some  "Git Rot" or other wood hardener into the space and let it harden before applying a new rivet.
 

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