mntrailer66
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Post by mntrailer66 on Aug 22, 2015 23:41:59 GMT -8
Hello everyone,
I was talking to a vintage trailer owner on another internet site and mentioned that we were using some diamond plate as siding after our repairs and all of a sudden I felt like I had arrived at the first day of school in my pjs..... silence and then multiple comments " we do not use diamond plate", I think I am kicked out of the club. Not a huge loss but it did get me thinking. I know most of the members on here are live and let live kind of people so I thought I would pose the question. What is wrong with diamond plate? A little background, we have two Shastas, an older canned ham and a toaster, (my avatar). Our toaster came to us years ago to camp in and that is what we use it for, it has the blond paneling and is just too much restoration work so we have made it safe for camping and a little cute and our planning to redo the older one when I am done with some more schooling. On the camping one there was damage to the skin on the lower areas and some rot needing attention underneath so recently my husband pulled up the skin, fixed the rotted areas to make it safe and we decided to put diamond plate around the bottom all the way around. I did have a few reservations but it was for the most part the shiny finish and that will fade so he is in the midst of putting the metal on this week. We thought it would be tough enough to stand up to kids, pets, rocks and anything else that damages a camper and not be as temperamental to work with as new skin. So what is wrong here? I know it is not the most attractive metal but I have seen some interesting applications. Will it look cheap? Will it be ugly? Tell me what your thoughts are please.
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SusieQ
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'62 Shasta Compact
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Post by SusieQ on Aug 23, 2015 1:40:57 GMT -8
First of all welcome!. And second of all, you did the most important part by fixing the rot. I also have two Shastas, a canned ham and toaster. The canned ham, '62, has thicker skin than my toaster shape '65, nothing official to document that, just my observation. My toaster has some rot at the bottom and the swelling has caused splits and tears in the skin in some places, so I understand your problem. Sorry the other group gave you a hard time.
There really is no "proper" way to fix damaged,split or torn skin other than replacing it. BUT some of the purists with bottomless pockets don't understand that some of us have to look for alternatives to replacing skins to make our trailers campable, and not trying to win a blue ribbon. I do see a couple of problems with diamond plate. First of all, the diamond pattern in it will make it a very obvious "fix". Some people like that look. My teardrop, not vintage, has diamond plate on the lower front and back and is factory. Second issue with diamond plate is that it is heavy and more rigid. You might consider using smooth aluminum instead and painting it to match inconspicuously, or dealing with the damage in another way. If it's just banged up and dented, I would just live with it; much better than covering it up. A factory "fix" for my teardrop for another problem was to replace the bottom trim with angle aluminum. Our vintage trailers generally do not have a trim at the bottom but just roll under at the bottom edge.
But as one of our members says, "It's your trailer, do what you want."
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stanley
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still eager, not yet jaded!
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Post by stanley on Aug 23, 2015 6:21:16 GMT -8
You're the one who has to use your trailer so do what makes you happy. Everyone else can do the same with their own trailers. If everything looked the same then it would be a very boring world.
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Post by bigbill on Aug 23, 2015 7:35:03 GMT -8
I have a most important theory on this matter. If I am paying for your trailer then you should do it exactly as I want no questions ask. If you are paying for your own trailer then I should keep my mouth shut about it, only making suggestions when I am ask. One of the great things about this site is you can get advise on building your trailer at any finish level you prefer or can afford. The only thing you will find everyone here agreeing on is repair the structural part to a safe secure condition, then finish as you prefer. We encourage everyone to bring their trailer to a point where it is totally safe to tow and use.
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Post by vikx on Aug 23, 2015 21:13:59 GMT -8
I don't like Diamond Plate at all. It's just not my cuppa.
That being said, a friend is doing diamond plate all around the bottom of their trailer at least 2' worth. She loves it, I hate it. Another friend did a very tasteful lower plate (about 12"?) across the lower front that tied in really well with her vintage look. I like that installation.
I agree that it does appear to cover up bad metal, and also is hard to seal. In other words, if not sealed properly, water can get behind it and cause things to multiply...
Lastly, "Floppers", who love to hide damage, often use diamond plate as a cover up. There are many who believe all diamond plate is done for that reason. Not so, but looks suspicious.
We are here for you. If you want to put diamond plate on the roof, we'll try to help with advice.
Welcome to VTT!
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Ten
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70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
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Post by Ten on Aug 24, 2015 5:49:41 GMT -8
"Diamond plate on the roof"... Damn, why didn't I think of that?  |
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Post by vintagebruce on Aug 24, 2015 6:03:56 GMT -8
If you claim to be restoring your camper back to it's from the factory look, and you start cutting the patterns for a diamond plate skirt around it's bottom edge...expect the kind of criticism you got from the other group. If you decide to put a diamond plate skirt around the bottom of your toaster and seek advice about choice options, application, sourcing and different pattern "diamond" plate. You have come to the right place, we may not be the Planet Fitness of vintage camper forums (no judgment zone), but I think we come close to being able to claim we could be considered Planet Vintage (camper).
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mntrailer66
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Post by mntrailer66 on Aug 27, 2015 22:25:05 GMT -8
Thank you for the responses everyone. I appreciate the fact that no matter what a person wants to do to their trailer you guys will help them do it the best way possible and the safest as well. I also appreciate the candor of those who told me what exactly they do not like about diamond plate, that is what I was wondering about. It seems like the biggest issue is the use of it to do a patch job or to cover up issues, I get it. I am glad that it is about the perceptions of why people are using it versus the technical function of it. I was worried that there were multi problems there. Some issues were pointed out, the difficulty sealing it, I am not worried about that, he took the lower skin off completely when he did the new framing and is overlapping and sealing it with the upper part. I do have some concerns about the lack of flex in the metal, we will see if this is an issue. And no, we will not be putting any on the roof! HaHa, Thanks again!
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Aug 29, 2015 12:21:42 GMT -8
Just read this thread. mntrailer66 - WELCOME! And we can very proudly say that these are the kinds of answers you can expect here. Sometimes folks strongly disagree with each other, but even when we do, it's mostly "to each his own." It's unfortunate that so much of the rest of society can't respectfully disagree.
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kirkadie
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'69 Serro Scotty Hilander
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Post by kirkadie on Aug 29, 2015 20:52:39 GMT -8
I'm not a fan of diamond plate but can understand it's use for protection, but a cheaper and less obvious method might be mud flaps on the tow vehicle. If the original skin has road rash, not wood rot, flaps will protect it.
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teacherman
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Post by teacherman on Sept 18, 2015 19:10:56 GMT -8
I chose to put a 14" piece of diamond plate across the bottom front of my 65 Ideal. A PO put a cheap piece of roofing metal there and it was not only dented and ugly it didn't come close to matching the original look. I looked into getting a piece made that would match the original pattern on the rest of the skin but it would have been well over $200 with shipping. The diamond plate cost me $25. My cargo doors were also damaged with dented and torn metal. I liked the looks of the diamond plating enough on the front bottom that I did the cargo doors in them too. I just attached them over the existing metal. The cargo doors on mine are near the front. I think they look great. As well as looking great, they are more solid and functional. The cargo doors seem to enhance the look of the front piece.
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