Belt line leaks

joanne bissell

New member
Dec 31, 2009
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Would there be any reason why we should NOT fiberglass the belt line? I like
a sleek look and it would stop the leaks.

2-4 the road
77 Kingsley 26'
currently N.Little Rock, AR
 
Different materials expand and contract at different rates. Below the
belt line the M/H is fiberglass and the belt line and above is
aluminum. So when the temperature changes something has to give and
that results in a crack. I'm sure someone will say "coefficient of
expansion" is the short answer.

Nelson Wright
Orlando, Fl.

> Would there be any reason why we should NOT fiberglass the belt
> line? I like
> a sleek look and it would stop the leaks.
>
> 2-4 the road
> 77 Kingsley 26'
> currently N.Little Rock, AR
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
 
Every one that I've seen where that has been done, beltline, front and
rear end caps, rear door etc, has cracked. The cracks look much worse
than the factory seams and once the cracks start, the paint on both
edges of the cracks starts to deteriorate.

> Would there be any reason why we should NOT fiberglass the belt line? I like
> a sleek look and it would stop the leaks.
>
> 2-4 the road
> 77 Kingsley 26'
> currently N.Little Rock, AR
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>

--
Steve Ferguson
'76 EII
Sierra Vista, AZ
Urethane bushing source
www.bdub.net/ferguson/
 
The 76 and earlier coaches had an opening underneath the rub strip. The 77
& 78 coach GMC changed to an aluminum extrusion at the belt line. The best
way to fix the earlier coaches IMHO is to use a 2" wide by 3/16" thick
aluminum strip that is glued and riveted to cover the opening the full
length of the body. I have seen several coach that have used this method
without issue. That is how I am doing the body on the 75 Avion that I am
redoing. Using filler or fiberglass does not seem to survive long term
because of the flexing of the body where the upper and lower areas come
together. I personally like the clean lines of the coach and the rub strip
is really useless anyway.

J.R. Wright
GMC GreatLaker
TZE Zone Restorations
77 Eleganza Custom (For Sale)
75 Avion (Under Restoration)
On Location at Florida Space Coast

On Sun, Feb 7, 2010 at 8:11 AM, Steven Ferguson wrote:

> Every one that I've seen where that has been done, beltline, front and
> rear end caps, rear door etc, has cracked. The cracks look much worse
> than the factory seams and once the cracks start, the paint on both
> edges of the cracks starts to deteriorate.
>
> On Sat, Feb 6, 2010 at 9:04 PM, JoAnne Bissell

> > Would there be any reason why we should NOT fiberglass the belt line? I
> like
> > a sleek look and it would stop the leaks.
> >
> > 2-4 the road
> > 77 Kingsley 26'
> > currently N.Little Rock, AR
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > List Information and Subscription Options:
> > http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Steve Ferguson
> '76 EII
> Sierra Vista, AZ
> Urethane bushing source
> www.bdub.net/ferguson/
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>

--