Re: [SilverStreak] Ken Wilson~new hinge installation procedure

[Keneth Wilson <ke5dfr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Eddie, it took maybe 2.5 hours all total and not rushed.  Your instructions
were good, but not necessairly in the order I followed.  It would not hurt to
use some wood or cardboard shims fitted from the inside and secured in place
by tape.  Then exit and lock the door.  The door ill shift tot he right and
down when the upper hinge is released.
The lower hinge was first and there was
no shift in the door once released.  The upper hinge did allow a slight shift
of the upper right corner to the right and down.  I don't think every trailer
will see this...depends on how tight the door is fitted in the first place.
In
order to drill my rivets, I took a flat file and filed a small flat on the top
of each rivet.  I then used a small center punch to dimple or mark the
center.  The soft aluminum rivets were easily marked and it made starting the
hole easier.  
When the upper hinge relased and the door shifted. I went ahead
and cleaned all of the holes (all 18) and made sure they were clear of
rivets.  The two inner holes (closest to the hinge) on the plug door and the 3
inner holes on the main door could not be cleared of the old rivet due to the
space behind the door.  
I inserted the 8 rivets in the body strap and the 3
outer rivets in the main door strap.  Line up the 8 on the body strap and push
the hinge and tape to the coach and push in all of the rivets.  I set one
rivet on the body strap and then lined up the 3 outer ones on the door and set
the center river there.  I made sure all of the remaining 8 and the other two
were able to be seated and set the others on the main door.  Once these were
all buttoned up, opened the main door and cleared the 3 inner holes and pushed
in the rivets and set them.  Then you install the plug door outer rivets, open
the plug door and set the two inner rivets.
Clean up all of the tape mess from
the trailer and it is finished.
The step drill worked fine, but you do need to
be sure you start your pilot hole on center and drill in far enough to clear
the old hinge.  Once the hinge is off, you can usually push the old river
through, but I did have to use the drill on a few of them.  I used the drill
to clean the rivet holes anyway.
I loved the tape, but man that stuff is a
mess to work with.  I wonder it it might be easier to work if you placed it in
the refrigerator to cool a bit and firm it up.  
I will have to apply a thin
bead of caulk to the body strap on the upper hinge.  The old hinge had a sligh
curve to it where it followed the body.  That hinge is up just high enough to
get about 1/4 of it into the body curve.  The stainless steel did not bend. 
It stands about 1/16 off the body at the top.  
All in all it was not a hard
job at all and i t is easily done by one person.
 Ken Wilson
KE5DFR@sbcglobal.net 
Cypress, Texas

----- Original Message ----

Ken,
You make me tired. You said you weren't gonna install and now
there you go! 
I will go see your forum posting as I catch up from the FMC
from No. Cal. to 
Houston trip.

Please advise your best changes I should make
to the instructions that will 
be really important for installation. What
should be deleted, added, 
corrected? Would taping a paint stick to the
opening to avoid the shift, 
ideas like that be of use?

Did you use my Eterna
Bond Tape? If so, are my cut and affix instructions 
useful, my cautions, etc?
I special order the tape in 30 mil instead of the 
60 mil. Do you think it was
substantially thick enough? This was very 
expensive stuff and I want any
reorder to be correct or corrected.

Did you find the Boeing step bit useful,
speed of drilling, pre-drilling 
with 1/8" bit not supplied?

Did you find the
rivets desirable and premium? I paid a lot for them and 
really do want your
opinion of what I chose. Did you find the expanding load 
spreading type
desirable? Did you find the very close rivet tolerance 
insertion in the hinge
hole too difficult? The hole size turned out a little 
closer to spec. than I
had figured and I know the initial insertion required 
a little wiggling.
Please let us know.

As an engineer, your opinion will be important. Thank you
Ken.

-Eddie- Houston, TX