I wanted to start a post regarding rust on V1 space frames as from my research I haven’t seen anyone with the work needed that my camper does. I have camper #442 (I think) that I picked up in 2019 and have driven all over the country.
I live on the coast in NY and I understand that climate plays a huge role in oxidation but in 8 years of working on all sorts of cargo ships on the ocean I have yet to see corrosion like this through a powder coat. It almost seems like a bad application but after almost 5 years it was expected to have some maintenance.
Before anyone asks, I reached out to GFC and they sent me ideas and price range for restoration but I was wondering if anyone had gone through the process and if they have any tips or tricks.
@RoxyTaco
Wow that is more than I’ve seen on this forum. Not sure if there are folks that have rust like your’s that don’t post. I have a V1, but I live in NM and its dry here. It seems to me that a frame swap to V2 would be best. Not even sure if that’s possible, but steel sure doesn’t seem to agree with your NY climate. Best advice I can suggest is work with GFC. I believe that they will take care of you. Good luck.
Peace.
Thanks for your response! Glad to hear it was well received and you’ve been considering some options. We don’t currently offer a V2 to V1 retrofit option, but it is something we are actively exploring. Furthermore, we do not currently offer a V2 trade in option, but are exploring this as well. Out of curiosity, what do you feel would be a fair trade-in value for your current V1?
Regarding cleaning up the frame - I’d recommend you use a wire-wheel or abrasive nylon wheel, and re-coat with a heavy-duty paint or aerosolized bed-liner (which offers excellent durability and a textured finish similar to powder-coat). After coating, I’d recommend using the CRC-06026 to provide additional protection to the those areas, and anywhere else you’re experiencing or anticipating corrosion! Additionally, while you have the tent off the frame, I’d recommend replacing the fasteners that bind your upper frame to the lower through those access holes (Grade 8 5/16-18 x 2.5"), and cleaning up the rust present in those bosses with a small wire-wheel brush. After cleanup, consider spraying them with CRC-06026 which is a HD Corrosion Inhibitor, which unlike Fluid Film, actually dries into a waxy film and is more effective in mitigating corrosion. Upon reinstallation of the bolts, be sure to apply a thread sealant (Gasolia or similar) to the threads to reduce or eliminate water intrusion in this area.
Let me know if you have any additional questions and I’d be happy to provide any guidance or insight that I can!
Powder coat holds up decent, but there is definitely a reason there is zero powder coat on any OEM parts on vehicles. If you go though that much work to disassemble, it would be worth at least pricing out some automotive paint too.
Also, if you decide to paint or bed line yourself see how much just sandblasting would cost as it is usually really cheap and saves you a ton of time cleaning.
This is the same plan I have for this summer as my V1 has alot of corrosion also. Dismantle the frame, get it sandblasted and recoated with a better coating and make some minor tweak while the frame is bare.
I believe I heard the orange powder coat had an unfortunate tendency to fail sooner than other colors, do they stopped offering it as an option. I also have an (originally) orange V1 (#220). I was starting to see pretty serious corrosion under the powder coat around the top mostly but also in a few other places. Not quite as bad as yours though. I contacted GFC and they were helpful with information and options. And they also sent me replacement door hinge hardware at a reasonable cost. Ultimately I chose to do a full disassembly, sandblast, and powder coat. I’ve been meaning to make a full post about what I did…
I removed the tent myself, wire brushed and primed the bottom of the aluminum tent frame where it was showing signs of corrosion, then dropped the steel frame and forward and aft grab bars at a local powder coat shop to be sand blasted and coated. (I think that changed $450 or so.) When I got it back I resembled with all new zinc flake coated grade 8 hardware (the most corrosion resistant option I could find on McMaster -Carr) with the recommended gasoila sealant on the threads. I also sprayed the inside of the bolt cavity and as much of the inside of the frame tubes as I could access with Corban35 (nasty aviation corrosion inhibitor that works really well, just don’t breath the stuff). I added rubber gasket material around the perimeter where the frame meets the tent so there’s no metal on metal contact and rubber washers around the bolts to help seal. Then applied the recommended Locktite 5510 sealant around the perimeter. So far it looks spotless.
Side note: GFC effectively told me not to remove the grab bars. I considered that option then removed them anyway… I just loosend the side screws on the frame after the frame was separated from the tent and tapped the sides apart gently with a rubber dead-blow hammer. Similar process to reassemble after powder coat and am internal layer of Corban35.
Overall, a little time consuming but totally worth it in the end as I plan to keep using this tent for several years.
Good idea! I’d love to see a step by step. I’ve been meaning to do a step by step instruction myself but here it has been almost a year since I did mine.
Feel free to PM me with questions if you have them, I’ll try to respond as quick as I can.
