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Damage to Birchaven [message #73361]

Tue, 09 February 2010 14:57

mike miller

Messages: 3576
Registered: February 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon

Karma: 0

Senior Member

My Birchaven is being used as a lifeboat for the family of my wife's friend. (Their house had a fire and is being refurbished.)

The drywall contractors let a scaffold get away from them in the wind and it banged the coach. Driver's side about midship. It only hit the drip-rail. I am looking to see how much others have paid to repair similar damage, so I can ask a fair amount. (I do not believe in soaking others for obvious accidents.) Wife's friend did take it to an RV repair facility and got a quote that I think is a bit high... (about $850.00) But as I try and do as much of my own work as possible so I do not truly know how fair it is.

I have posted pictures here:

<http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=5401>

The coach has original Imron paint... not perfect but pretty good. (Other than the front hatches.)

Thanks in advance for any input.

Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Boo' http://m000035.blogspot.com

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Re: Damage to Birchaven [message #73363 is a reply to message #73361]

Tue, 09 February 2010 15:11

GeorgeRud

Messages: 1380
Registered: February 2007
Location: Chicago, IL

Karma: 0

Senior Member

Ouch!

That's a shame, but it looks like it is only the drip rail. You might want to contact Jim K @Applied GMC to see if he has any ideas. At least he's on the left coast.

If they have to remove, repair, and repaint the drip rail, that estimate doesn't seem all that out of line (unfortunately). If I had to repair it myself, I would probably just try to bend the rail back as well as I could, and not bother disassembling everything. I'm not sure how well the Imron can be repaired (I think that current EPA regulations definitely don't like Imron and some of these older paint formulations).

George Rudawsky
Chicago, IL
75 Palm Beach

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Re: [GMCnet] Damage to Birchaven [message #73456 is a reply to message #73361]

Wed, 10 February 2010 13:30

Wayne Newland

Messages: 75
Registered: February 2004

Karma: 0

Member

Mike

It looks like the damaged rail is where you would mount an awning. There is
a tool that is used to repair this. It slides into the rail and has an arm
sticking out of the side that you use a hammer to open the rail as you go
from one end to the other. I don't know what it would to the paint.. I'm
sure that any RV store would have or could get the tool.

Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Sebastian, Fl where it is 59
degrees

-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike Miller
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 3:57 PM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: [GMCnet] Damage to Birchaven

My Birchaven is being used as a lifeboat for the family of my wife's friend.
(Their house had a fire and is being refurbished.)

The drywall contractors let a scaffold get away from them in the wind and it
banged the coach. Driver's side about midship. It only hit the drip-rail.
I am looking to see how much others have paid to repair similar damage, so I
can ask a fair amount. (I do not believe in soaking others for obvious
accidents.) Wife's friend did take it to an RV repair facility and got a
quote that I think is a bit high... (about $850.00) But as I try and do as
much of my own work as possible so I do not truly know how fair it is.

I have posted pictures here:

<http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=5401>

The coach has original Imron paint... not perfect but pretty good. (Other
than the front hatches.)

Thanks in advance for any input.
--
Mike Miller
`73 26' X Painted D.
`78 23' Birchaven
Hillsboro, OR
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Re: [GMCnet] Damage to Birchaven [message #73457 is a reply to message #73456]

Wed, 10 February 2010 13:38

Luvn737s

Messages: 1106
Registered: June 2007

Karma: 2

Senior Member

The drywall contractor should pay for it.

Randy
1973 26' Painted Desert
Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ

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Re: [GMCnet] Damage to Birchaven [message #73473 is a reply to message #73456]

Wed, 10 February 2010 18:43

emerystora

Messages: 4442
Registered: January 2004

Karma: 13

Senior Member

On Feb 10, 2010, at 12:30 PM, Wayne Newland wrote:

> Mike
>
> It looks like the damaged rail is where you would mount an awning.
> There is
> a tool that is used to repair this. It slides into the rail and has
> an arm
> sticking out of the side that you use a hammer to open the rail as
> you go
> from one end to the other. I don't know what it would to the
> paint.. I'm
> sure that any RV store would have or could get the tool.
>
> Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Sebastian, Fl where it is
> 59
> degrees

No, that is not an awning rail. It is a drip rail that runs along
both sides of the motorhome.
It may not have been on the eariler models such as Wayne's 1975.

There is not tool for it such as for the awning rail.

It should be quite easy to just lay a metal rod of the right diameter
(perhaps a drill bit) inside the rail and use a small hammer to
straighten it.
The rail is aluminum and should form quite easily.

It also could probably be formed back by using a vise grip pliers.

Then a little filing and/or sandpaper and paint should make it all
better.

This is really not a very big job to do.

Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Santa Fe, NM

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Re: [GMCnet] Damage to Birchaven [message #73508 is a reply to message #73473]

Wed, 10 February 2010 21:50

GMCWiperMan

Messages: 1248
Registered: December 2007

Karma: 1

Senior Member

The tool Wayne's talking about is nothing but a piece of steel rod with OD
slightly less than the ID of the rail. Tapering on the end allows it to
spread the crushed rail. A flange/wing/tab is welded to one side of the rod
to extend out the slot in the rail where it can be hit with a hammer.
Simple and easy to make.

Of course, it is also necessary to strike the outside of the rail when it's
over-expanded or distorted.

Ken H.

On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 7:43 PM, Emery Stora <emerystora@mac.com> wrote:

>
> On Feb 10, 2010, at 12:30 PM, Wayne Newland wrote:
>
> > Mike
> >
> > It looks like the damaged rail is where you would mount an awning.
> > There is
> > a tool that is used to repair this. It slides into the rail and has
> > an arm
> > sticking out of the side that you use a hammer to open the rail as
> > you go
> > from one end to the other. I don't know what it would to the
> > paint.. I'm
> > sure that any RV store would have or could get the tool.
> >
> > Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Sebastian, Fl where it is
> > 59
> > degrees
>
>
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Re: [GMCnet] Damage to Birchaven [message #73511 is a reply to message #73363]

Wed, 10 February 2010 22:01

jimk

Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA

Karma: 9

Senior Member

Being it is aluminum, the work is not that easy and to do it right
will take lot of time.
I would think that it will take minimum of $900.

On Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 1:11 PM, George Rudawsky <GeorgeRud@aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> Ouch!
>
> That's a shame, but it looks like it is only the drip rail. You might want to contact Jim K @Applied GMC to see if he has any ideas. At least he's on the left coast.
>
> If they have to remove, repair, and repaint the drip rail, that estimate doesn't seem all that out of line (unfortunately). If I had to repair it myself, I would probably just try to bend the rail back as well as I could, and not bother disassembling everything. I'm not sure how well the Imron can be repaired (I think that current EPA regulations definitely don't like Imron and some of these older paint formulations).
> --
> George Rudawsky
> Chicago, IL
> 75 Palm Beach
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502

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Re: Damage to Birchaven [message #73515 is a reply to message #73361]

Wed, 10 February 2010 22:50

Harry

Messages: 1888
Registered: October 2007
Location: Victoria, BC CANADA

Karma: 3

Senior Member

Take a case of beer and call it a day.

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