Roof Seam RE-Seal: The Roof Seams Strike Back

[Stripe]

Ok, so, the first seam was completed and I put a bead of sealant on the leading edge of the seal tape to protect it from dust and debris and keep it clean, it should also keep it from getting peeled when driving..
I'll have to do the same to the aft seam when I get to it.

To this end I used a black sealant. Why black, you have a WHITE roof, you say?  Well, I figured, that if or when it cracks, I will see the white underneath easier than if I were to use a white or clear sealant.

Here is a look at the finished product.


Now, on to the reason for the Subject title.

The first seam was the easy part..  Here is a look at what I have to replace next.
This is taken from about amidships looking forward.

Most if not all of that grey mess needs to go.  And As you can see I have a searchlight, a COMMS antenna and a vent sitting in my way on the centerline seam. To the left is another COMMS Antenna and Signal Horns(which by the way, only work when THEY want to). Then of course the Environmental Control Unit.

Next shot is looking aft of midships..

As you can see here I have another vent and a external cargo pod(I will most likely be removing the pod to apply the tape). Then I will deal with the refer exhaust, rail and ladder posts, waste water vent pipes and the last two vents.

Next up, "Roof Seam RE-Seal: Return of the Roof Sealer

Fred "George Lucas" ric

[M & J]

Use some Force Luke.

[moonlitcoyote]

Id like to know how that cargo pod is attached

[Stripe]

Dave: "Open the Cargo Pod Door, CoachmanM500..."

CoachmanM500: "I'm Sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that...  Pfft, hehe, just KIDDING! Okay, here you go, opened!!"



It's bolted to the roof MJ...

[Oz]

...

[Stripe]

Hehehehe...   Yep, that's where I was going with that..

[moonlitcoyote]

it's bolted right to the roof not some sort of stand off? I wanted to put mine on the roof but not if it means putting holes in the roof

[Stripe]

It's bolted on.  It's a permanently mounted pod.

here is a pic of one of the bolts.


I don't know about your roof, but I wouldn't want a temp solution on mine as I really don't think it would be worth the hassle.

Here is a photo of the hole where my Target Acquisition and Lighting System (TAaLS) wires go through the roof. As you can see it's over an inch thick, so there are two layers of aluminum for the bolt to grab on to.



Fredric

[circleD]

How about an update on this. Did you use a heat gun? Did you use Eternabond tape around the edges of the fixtures or put goop back down?

[TripleJ]

Did you use a tube of kitchen and bath silicon and hope for the best??

[Stripe]

Well bugger me for a lark....  I forgot about that...

I indeed did finish remounting and sealing the light. First I used the same putty strips used on the vents, then for added extra security I put a bead of marine caulking around the base. I dunno where I uploaded the pic to, but here is a zoomed in view from when I took pics of the solar panels when they were up on my roof...

Here it is.

It's also where I put my IR capable Wireless camera for my Electronic Periscope setup.. Oh, and my paper towel tube missile launchers... W%
Here is a link to the video of the proof in concept video for the "E-Periscope"..  http://youtu.be/3lWxk2Tr0DE

Thus far in the rainy weather of sunny Seattle I have had no leaks...

[M & J]

You never did get the laser sight  or NVS mounted did you?

[circleD]

Putty strips? I thought I could use E-tape then some Dicor caulk. Then maybe a few months later put some cool seal on it with the rest of the roof. Maybe? But yes I like your results!!

[Stripe]

circleD, absolutely you can use eternabond, I just used the putty tape cuz that's what I had close n convenient and double sided sticky. The e-tape I had was one sided sticky. Just get a short roll and make sure it's the narrowest one Eternabond sells.

[circleD]

Alright ! I'll cut my tape in half to "2 wide and go around edge the Dicor the edge. Great job man. OH! Did you have to heat up the old gunk and scrap it too bad?

[Stripe]

I did..  The old stuff pretty much had no flexibility left and didn't have any give or take. Once I heat it up enough without warping the aluminum roof I used a plastic scraper to take off as much of the bulk as I could and then used a brass wire brush to finish up the smaller stuff after that I used a green meanie and washed up the area with windex.

[circleD]

Well I did another Stripe inspired project and here's how I did the same type of area with Eternabond tape cut into 2" wide stripes. I WILL go around all edges with Dicor self leveling caulk when it arrives and do the edges of the front seam and the light. I used silicone around the very edge of the base and pushed it in before I put the tape on. What I learned  is that it was 85 degrees and low humidity which made the putty easier to cut but still had to utilize a heat gun. YES! I USED A RAZOR blade to get the top part of the gunk off and take your time.
I used the hard rubber roller to push on all of the tape because it formed around the rivits.

[Stripe]

Nice work, I likes..

[legomybago]

Thats definitely not going to leak!! Fancy cut work!! Hopefully you never have to pull the unit out to work on it!!

[circleD]

Overkill YES! Do I want to worry about it later NO. Soon I'll be doing the air horn area like this.