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Old 08-22-2020, 05:17 AM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 32.3
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THOR #19929
Sliding door track separated from ceiling; repair suggestions?

Present bathroom door track was suspended by a few screws into the ceiling. The track supports the full weight of the sliding “barn” door. A few miles of driving pulled the screws out of the ceiling and the track separated from the ceiling putting the door on the guide and floor. It also looks like this is a re-occurance of an earlier dealer issue (two kinds of screws are already in the track ). I can put it back the way it was by adding a number of screws at the track into the ceiling luan but is there a better way? My specific questions are these.

1- Should I be trying to find and attach it to the metal framing? Or trying to avoid the metal framing? (Frame weakening or wires therein?)

2- What is the likely ceiling construction of the ACE? Is it luan directly glued to the frame or is it luan foam core glued to the frame? ( I can take apart a vent or AC air box to see but maybe others already know).

All comments appreciated

Jim (SDB)
2020 Thor ACE 32.3

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Old 08-22-2020, 05:26 AM   #2
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https://www.amazon.com/Toprema-126pc...073917&sr=8-17

So easy.
Harbor freight sells a less expensive kit.

Threaded inserts which expand on the back like a rivet.
Use the aluminum ones. The stainless steel aren't needed and it takes a big guy to squeeze the stainless nutsert/rivnuts.

Or

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B078Z...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These flare HUGE and will cut right through the foam. If they're too big around for the track just trim two sides. They're aluminum.

First link allows for easy removal of the door, the second requires drilling out the rivet.

I use both under different circumstance.

But NEITHER of them will be pulling out or loosening.

I'll post pics tomorrow of things I've done with them.
I try to post from experience....
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Old 08-22-2020, 01:28 PM   #3
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Isn't your RV still under warranty?
But assuming that you'd prefer to improve on the strength of that mount: try going with larger screws: and more of them!
I'd also add a layer of a strong adhesive to the effort.
Good luck!
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Old 08-22-2020, 03:33 PM   #4
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THOR #19929
ducksface.. hadn’t thought of that... was focused on wood/metal screws. and I already have the toolS. But this is the first time seeing the “banana peel” rivit though. And I don’t see a reason to make it easy to remove. I’ll have to get some of these for my arsenal.

And I assume from your answer that you would just attach it back to the luan panel and not the frame.

And thanks for the links.. Question though(hijacking my own thread) Doesn’t cutting the side camera trigger wires disable the the side cameras altogether? I want a full time rear view but still keep the side cameras operational. I was considering splitting the rear video input to a dash monitor keeping the Axxera stuff unchanged.
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Old 08-22-2020, 04:02 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
Isn't your RV still under warranty?
But assuming that you'd prefer to improve on the strength of that mount: try going with larger screws: and more of them!
I'd also add a layer of a strong adhesive to the effort.
Good luck!
It is under warrantee with weeks backlog.. I want to use it... and (more importantly) I prefer engineering my own methods and solutions. In this case, the question is luan or frame (not so much rivits or screws) and from your answer I would also assume back to the luan and avoid the frame . Adhesive Would certainly help but sounds a bit too irreversible for me and relying on the wallpaper glue.

I’ll definitely order and add some speedsert/poprivit stuff to the RV tool kit but I have a box of a 100 #10-1” particle board screws that are looking good for now.

Thanks,

Jim(SDB)
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Old 08-22-2020, 04:27 PM   #6
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The side cams are triggered by a control box seperate of the radio head.
There's just one input to the radio head so the radio only sees what the box tells it to.
I've been told older Thor with a Jensen radio isn't like this.
Axerra is.

I couldn't do the split. The signal wasn't strong enough and we got bad vid on the radio and the seperate monitor. There should be a cheap signal booster but I had no reason to run it through the radio... Except I could, so I tried.
To get a full time rear view camera the easiest way is to buy a DASH CAM and mount it in the rear window. We used the dash cam app on an old android $10 phone. You have the advantage of loop recording in case of accident.
But
We abandoned the app because our eonon radio allows a feature which was somehow blocked by the axxera:
Now when the turn signal is on, say we're in a turn lane awaiting a turn, the side camera is on. When we apply brake it flips to rear view as long as our foot is on the brake. This just kinda happened when we switched radios.
So
Going down the road the rear view is always on, and in a turn lane it's on. The only time it's off is during a lane change, and a tap of the brake would swap it during that tap.

On your door I'd put a piece of aluminum strap riveted or screwed to whatever frame I could hit, then rivnut the door mount to that strap.
I'd do this in case anyone fell against the door or grabbed it. The pull would be dispersed across the frame but still have anchors between the frame rails..

People who don't use it sometimes sneer at it, but a slather of jbweld is a fantastic thing.
This would allow any pull to be exactly even across the door mount, them less transferred to the strap then less transferred to the frame.
And
It. Keeps the glue on something substantial instead of the wall paper.
It's still removable by pulling the screws from the frame.
If you have Luan you're lucky. Mine is cardboard.
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Old 08-22-2020, 05:17 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ducksface View Post
......

<clip>

People who don't use it sometimes sneer at it, but a slather of jbweld is a fantastic thing.
This would allow any pull to be exactly even across the door mount, them less transferred to the strap then less transferred to the frame.
And
It. Keeps the glue on something substantial instead of the wall paper.
It's still removable by pulling the screws from the frame.

If you have Luan you're lucky. Mine is cardboard.
I hate the Axxera but not ready to make a swap.. but definitely need a full time rear view.. the side cameras are fine but want both

I use a lot of JB and others too. And as far as Luan vs card board, was assuming Luan.. the wall partitions seem to splinter like Luan.. haven’t checked the ceiling.
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Old 08-22-2020, 05:25 PM   #8
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Get a 40 dollar dash cam as rear view camera and a 10" android tablet as a monitor.
The YI cameras we use in the rv have their own wifi system built in. No need for an internet connection to use them wireless.
The tablet will.also.do waze.and Google maps and Iexit and 20, 000 othe things besides being a full time rear view Camera. Mine was $100 and lives in the house iving room as a weather map when not in the 24. 1.
We like the YI cams for their app.
We also have RexKing dash cams. .
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Old 08-22-2020, 09:49 PM   #9
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I got a couple of unused Faleemi’s and I know it will connect to my iPhone (for setup) so maybe I can use one of these with an old 9.7” iPad. The Faleemi I have is a bit overkill with pan-tilt-rotate and I know I can connect them to my network.. just not sure about being their own network except for setup... I’ll have to read the 32 page “quick start” manual (seriously..actually 32 pages)..
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Old 08-22-2020, 10:20 PM   #10
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If they won't network on their own a cheap wireless router of any sort will let you put the cameras and the phones onto its wifi.
I, and I assume others, forget often that wireless routers don't need internet. They're routers and switches.
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Old 08-22-2020, 10:47 PM   #11
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YThe pictures are of the nutserts.
What you're seeing is the backside, the part that will be inside the ceiling.
The front side is all but flush.
I ran a bolt backwards through the nutserts so I could have a stud on the other side of the fender.
The stud holds the knife and has handknobs so it'll easily come off and attach to my belt.
This works very well for other things you might want a stud for. A light in the closet, a phone mount on the dash.
Ilminenis a complicated use. Basically you drill a tight hole, jam one of these in it, expand it with the tool and have a threaded hole stronger than the material the rivnut was put into.
I could have ran the bolt through the front, but then I'd have to align the holes through the sheath possibly wet or in the dark.

The last pic is those big shrapnel rivets. That fender flare isn't going to come off by itself and it spread the clamping force across a greater surface area. A regular rivet would have cracked the plastic.

Edit
I remembered I had a test piece used to get the hole as tight as I could without needing a hammer.
Heres pics of a rirvnut front(flush) and back.
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Old 08-23-2020, 01:02 AM   #12
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ducksface.. lots of modifications.. I’m not much into modifying at this point, maybe later. It’s more about repair and restoration. I do use nutserts though for a lot of repairs, although the stuff I have is quite small#6 #8 and #10. I don’t have the right kind on hand that will work for this door track repair. The another reason is I’d either have to completely remove the track or drill oversize holes through the track to install the nutserts (then use washers with the bolts to install). The particle board screws are calling...

And good point on the router.. I probably got an old one in a safe place where I can’t find it.
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Old 08-23-2020, 04:40 AM   #13
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Video amplifier

Video Distribution Amplifier, Enhenstre Video Splitter Box 1 Input to 4 Output for DVD Signal,Video Monitor System Used in Bus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089SPDMX9..._jlFqFbAT0YDF2
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Old 08-26-2020, 08:22 PM   #14
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Door track loose.

My ACE 30.3 gas a door on each side of the bath area. The one in the bedroom came off, held by a few screws into the ceiling with nothing in the ceiling to screw into! I drilled pilot holes horizontally through the piece of wood at the top of the track and put long screws through to the frame member at the top of the wall. It has held for 3 years now over some pretty rough roads. The rear ac thermostat is on the wall just past the door opening. The locks that hold the door in place are not very good so once on a really bumpy curve the door slammed open past the lock stop and broke the thermostat right off the wall! I fixed that with an emergency stop on that side so that can't happen again.
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Old 08-26-2020, 11:47 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaceMan View Post
My ACE 30.3 gas a door on each side of the bath area. The one in the bedroom came off, held by a few screws into the ceiling with nothing in the ceiling to screw into! I drilled pilot holes horizontally through the piece of wood at the top of the track and put long screws through to the frame member at the top of the wall. <clip>....
That may be the next option. for now I just put about 6 #10 wood screws through the track and its 1" backing-board into the ceiling panel. I did hit a frame on one end (and skiipped it) and may go back an put a screw there, but I don't see that I have a frame beside the Track for any horizontal attachment. It is outside the bathroom, and I could go into the bathroom wall and that would be more secure (in shear rather than tension). I did buy some ceramic magnets to find them and they are in weird places (to me)

Lots of dumb stuff left to get to. Nothing big, just stuff that isn't going to last or like your thermostat, likely to move and cause an issue. And sometimes you need to make a tool to avoid disassembling half the coach. The barn door has a screw into the top track slider. it vibrated loose dropping the door. Got it reassembled with my fingers, but had to make a bent 3/8" end wrench to get it back up where it belongs. Will now put some wicking thread locker on it so it doesn't happen again.
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