Overland Hadley
on a journey
Where did you buy the SS roof latches from? This is something I would really like to change out to keep the nice feel of the camper intact.
4WheelResto
- Thread starter resto
- Start date
resto
Pacific Northwest
Thanks, I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow showing some examples of how I will use them.
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resto
Pacific Northwest
L Track Uses
I find hanging items to be a great way to store a lot of my things. The above pics are a few ways to use L track to do this.
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Here is the lantern sitting on the stainless steel shelf. It can also be used as a flashlight. 180 lumens on high (8 hrs.) or 50 hrs. on low. It is rechargeable, and has a usb outlet to supply iphone etc
I find hanging items to be a great way to store a lot of my things. The above pics are a few ways to use L track to do this.
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Gear line:.
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Here is the lantern sitting on the stainless steel shelf. It can also be used as a flashlight. 180 lumens on high (8 hrs.) or 50 hrs. on low. It is rechargeable, and has a usb outlet to supply iphone etc
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transporterjr
IsLost
First, really nice job on execution and your philosophy.
The St-Stl latches having the backing will be fine. For the screws, I would avoid St-Stl in contact with aluminum - I am sure it is more of a concern out here (East) with salt in the winter and salt air in the summer. Simple zinc coated screws should be avoided, they have at best 72 hours Salt Spray Test resistance, while some zinc-aluminum organic finishes have 720 or even 1000 hours NSS resistance.
McMaster Carr does sell these with 1,000 rating http://www.mcmaster.com/#tapping-screws/=vs29vx but I am not sure if they are really right for your application and the point length is likely long. My main point is that there are finishes out there which will work well for your application, as they are used by the auto manufacturers for good life - the challenge is locating suitable screws that have those finishes.
The St-Stl latches having the backing will be fine. For the screws, I would avoid St-Stl in contact with aluminum - I am sure it is more of a concern out here (East) with salt in the winter and salt air in the summer. Simple zinc coated screws should be avoided, they have at best 72 hours Salt Spray Test resistance, while some zinc-aluminum organic finishes have 720 or even 1000 hours NSS resistance.
McMaster Carr does sell these with 1,000 rating http://www.mcmaster.com/#tapping-screws/=vs29vx but I am not sure if they are really right for your application and the point length is likely long. My main point is that there are finishes out there which will work well for your application, as they are used by the auto manufacturers for good life - the challenge is locating suitable screws that have those finishes.
Redline
Likes to Drive and Ride
resto
Pacific Northwest
What kind of screws does FWC use on the outside?
I will be interested in your experiment , I was going to do the same thing, but too lazy
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#8, galvanized (i.e., zinc coated), type A self tapping screws, with #2 "square" drive (or "Robertson" if you speak Canadian), pan head. The heads were painted black (actually I guess they would have been powder coated). I also used ones with hex heads in places they would not be seen..
Here they are:.
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Trick question—I decided to replace all old screws with new shiny ones of the same type. After all, they were already out and the new shiny ones were inexpensive. Was this such a smart idea???.
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My answer in a following post..
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resto
Pacific Northwest
Short answer: Case Design Hardware. 333 School Lane Telford PA 18969. I had to grind off a piece that allows you to put a padlock on them—I thought it just got in the way. Unfortunately there is a minimum charge, and SS is more expensive. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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resto
Pacific Northwest
Thanks, for the feedback. In a FWC there would be contact from the ss screws going through the aluminum siding and into the aluminum frame. It might not be a big problem to a camper that stays dry, but add water, especially salt water, and galvanic corrosion can occur. Another big problem I failed to mention is that, both FWC and ATC, don't use SS screws, in large part, because they break more easily. Having to remove broken screws at the factory would cause significant delays in assembly. I may in a future build use SS screws (as they have advantages), but will take into account all the factors, and in the end do so at my peril.
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Here is some interesting info from Fastenals' FAQ:What types of salt spray ratings do Hot Dip Galvanized coatings get?
The hot dip galvanized coating does not perform well in a salt-spray test chamber. In order for the zinc in the hot-dip galvanizing to perform as it was designed, it needs to develop a patina layer composed of zinc carbonate. This layer is very stable and non-reactive which gives the galvanizing its desired properties, but in order to form this patina, the zinc must go through wetting and drying cycles such as those that would be encountered in a real world environment. In an ASTM B117 salt spray chamber, the environment is kept continuously wet which basically washes off the necessary corrosion resistant products that would otherwise be produced naturally by the galvanizing. Therefore, the hot dip galvanizing appears to have a poor salt spray corrosion resistance, but this type of QC testing isn't really applicable for hot dip galvanized coatings.
The hot dip galvanized coating does not perform well in a salt-spray test chamber. In order for the zinc in the hot-dip galvanizing to perform as it was designed, it needs to develop a patina layer composed of zinc carbonate. This layer is very stable and non-reactive which gives the galvanizing its desired properties, but in order to form this patina, the zinc must go through wetting and drying cycles such as those that would be encountered in a real world environment. In an ASTM B117 salt spray chamber, the environment is kept continuously wet which basically washes off the necessary corrosion resistant products that would otherwise be produced naturally by the galvanizing. Therefore, the hot dip galvanizing appears to have a poor salt spray corrosion resistance, but this type of QC testing isn't really applicable for hot dip galvanized coatings.
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The really useful info I got from this was about the dulling of the galvanized (i.e., zinc coated) part being necessary to prevent corrosion of the part—don't polish galvanized parts.And to answer the question I asked 2 posts ago, maybe replacing screws that had built up this "patina" wasn't so smart on my part.
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S
Squatchout
Guest
For what it's worth most aluminum boats use SS screws. When I refurbished my Aluminum Bassboat back in 2007 I used either aluminum, or SS hardware and have had no problems. The boat was old and beat. Previous owner was a carpenter and attached all kinds of hardware to the boat with galvanized (or not) wood screws. This aluminum Boat had been used as a crabbing boat in saltwater and put away wet and un-rinsed many, many times. The original SS screws came out easy with a screw driver. They had just a little white fuzz between the hull and screw. Boat is a '93. Everything else had to be cut off with a reciprocating saw and the screws drilled out and the holes welded shut. Hull was a mess but sandblasting cleaned up the corrosion.
Based on that I personally wouldn't sweat using SS hardware and aluminum together. Plain steel and aluminum. Not me.
I love the build. Great job.
Based on that I personally wouldn't sweat using SS hardware and aluminum together. Plain steel and aluminum. Not me.
I love the build. Great job.
resto
Pacific Northwest
Stainless Steel Experiment
I planted some pieces of the FWC in my garden—hoping to grow another Ranger II?
I planted some pieces of the FWC in my garden—hoping to grow another Ranger II?
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Actually I wanted to see how different types of screws would perform in a wet environment. I suspect it will take a while so 1 of the 2 will be dipped into salt water to speed the process..
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Starting materials: aluminum frame, aluminum siding, aluminum molding, all held together with different types of SS and zinc coated screws..
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Assembled with various screws:.
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I also will expose some latches (which I had mistakenly removed the "patina"/rust, oxidation from). The screw section of the latch looks good now but... ..
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One type of ss screw I used is supposed to have poor corrosion resistance as well as being bad for galvanic corrosion. I will post the results later—perhaps much later!.
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Thanks for taking the time to do that. I was sweating the load a bit as I just bought many $$ worth of SS hardware for my Alaskan. My dad reminded me ( as stated above) that SS is used on aluminum boats in saltwater all the time, so I decided that I have bigger things (like making it usable ) to worry about