Camper brace self-disassembly issue

GENERAL DISCUSSION
1

The brace gusset plate/bracket at the rear of the camper shell seems to have unbolted itself over time. I’ve lost one bolt and one is trapped behind the stamped gusset. The bracket-to-plate bolt must be loctite’d in (?), because it started to strip the head out immediately and didnt even crack loose during my attempt to get it put back together.

Any thoughts on how to repair this?

It also appears that the 1/4-20 fasteners are tapped directly into the extrusion wall, which seems mighty thin to me to hold a coarse thread…

IMG_1960.HEIC
IMG_1960.HEIC3024×4032 3.35 MB

2

I have had both my rear ones rattle loose but caught it before I lost a bolt. You could always drill out the fastener to get access, but wonder if you could unbolt it from the top end and get enough movement to do what you need?

3

Do you know if there’s a chance a Loctite was used on that bolt that holds the plate in? Either red or blue? I couldn’t get it to budge, had good purchase with the allen on a ratchet, and it stripped without a hint of movement. I’d rather not go at the top bolt if the same thing is going to happen…

4

I don’t know maybe @Thayne can chime in. May just be the steel bolt going into aluminum and corroding itself in.

1 Like
5

I don’t think they use loc-tite on those screws. IIRC mine loosened easily when My frame shifted and I had to readjust and tighten everything back down. @jedgar is probably right about the corrosion

@aeevard have you filed a service request?

6

I did send in a request, but it being Friday as I was heading out for a trip, I figured I’d ask if to see if anyone on here had encountered a similar issue. Didn’t expect GFC would be able to respond before the weekend. I’ll have to address it when I’ve got access to a better set of tools again.

7

Thanks for the tag @jedgar!

@aeevard, if you haven’t yet, can you submit a Service Request Form as soon as you get a moment? Before I make any recommendations, the CX team will want some eyes on it to get this fixed on the quick. We stand behind these being going fast 'n such, so don’t be scared to share any details around when you think this might have happened/ noticed this issue, even if it was from some more aggressive off-roading.

8

Thanks @Thayne, I sent in a service request last Friday and got an email today from Jake with some direction and guidance for a fix.

I’ve got just under 20,000 miles on the camper now, and some of that was some not so friendly desert washboard.

9

Washboard roads are never fun, but those shouldn’t be an issue for our frame assembly. Good to hear Jake is taking care of ya already with a solution though.