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Rust Problems

Yahoo Message Number: 19682
We love our coach (it's our 3rd & best) - had a new '03 diesel pusher 3 slide brand X and sold it w/4k mi on it & turned around & bought our '98 CC Intrigue 2 wks later at a "good" price. The interior looks new and the exterior paint is excellent. I keep it in our back yard on a concrete floor with a metal cover so it's well cared for here in no salt on the roads Texas.

One big problem - It spent too much time up North!!! There is considerably more rust on the undercarriage than I'd like to see.
Obviously the main frame rails and suspension components are too heavy guage metal to be a concern. The main problem is in the square tube outrigger framing behind the front wheels and specially along the drivers side under the bottom of the bay doors. CC apparently plugged the ends of the tubing with dum dum which leaks - then there's no place for the moisture (and apparently salt) to go but stay in the rails and rot away.

I know most of you have newer rigs and the obvious fix for this is to trade up but we love the coach - it's dependable - averaged anywhere from 9 to 11.5 mpg on cruise @ 70mph on a recent 5000 mi trip. I just can't justify the cost of a trade up. Has anyone out there ever addressed this problem? It seems like the damaged portions of the tubing could be cut away (carefully) - used as a pattern and new welded back. I know there's a bunch of quality coaches on the road a lot older than ours that must have similar damage. Nobody knows the rust is there but me (and now you) but I'm an "A" personality that can't stand not fixing everything in sight.
Any suggestions or personal experiences with this kind of problem will be greatly appreciated.

bojangles5169

'98 Intrigue 10616

Re: Rust Problems

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 19683
Not sure how bad the rust really is... but the old standby is "navel jelly". Once used you will have a clean surface to work with and then you can spray on an undercoat that will make the framing look like new.

Lived in the east for years and this worked very well to prolong the life of the undercarriage of many a vehicle.

Russ and Jean
05 Intrigue
11883

Quote from: bojangles5169
>

We love our coach (it's our 3rd & best) - had a new '03 diesel

pusher

Quote
3 slide brand X and sold it w/4k mi on it & turned around & bought > our '98 CC Intrigue 2 wks later at a "good" price. The interior

looks

Quote
new and the exterior paint is excellent. I keep it in our back

yard on

Quote
a concrete floor with a metal cover so it's well cared for here in

no

Quote
salt on the roads Texas.

One big problem - It spent too much time up North!!! There is > considerably more rust on the undercarriage than I'd like to see.
Obviously the main frame rails and suspension components are too

heavy

Quote
guage metal to be a concern. The main problem is in the square

tube

Quote
outrigger framing behind the front wheels and specially along the > drivers side under the bottom of the bay doors. CC apparently

plugged

Quote
the ends of the tubing with dum dum which leaks - then there's no > place for the moisture (and apparently salt) to go but stay in the > rails and rot away.

I know most of you have newer rigs and the obvious fix for this is

to

Quote
trade up but we love the coach - it's dependable - averaged

anywhere

Quote
from 9 to 11.5 mpg on cruise @ 70mph on a recent 5000 mi trip. I

just

Quote
can't justify the cost of a trade up. Has anyone out there ever > addressed this problem? It seems like the damaged portions of the > tubing could be cut away (carefully) - used as a pattern and new > welded back. I know there's a bunch of quality coaches on the road

a

Quote
lot older than ours that must have similar damage. Nobody knows

the

Quote
rust is there but me (and now you) but I'm an "A" personality that > can't stand not fixing everything in sight.

Any suggestions or personal experiences with this kind of problem

will

Re: Rust Problems

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 19684
My friend has a 1999 Intrigue and had a blowout on the rear that did alot damage to the square tubing. He cut out the old and made/installed new tubing for a couple hundred dollars. Of course he had the advantage of having a friend that had all of the right tools to include a pit.

Re: Rust Problems

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 19685
That's encouraging - yes sections will need to be replaced because any "topical treatment" won't stop the internal tube "cancer". I've got a client who owns a body shop - he doesn't want to do it but said he'd have a couple of guys who do that kind of thing give me a call. I'll have to give them the 3rd degree though b4 I let them touch the coach. I'll do all the fiberglass disconnecting and re connecting - all I want them to do is a good job on tube replacement.

Thanks for the response - -

Bojangles5169

Re: Rust Problems

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 19692
My '95 began life in Texas. Then to Colorado. Then to Michigan, where I purchased it 2-1/2 years ago. I am in California. Mine has some rust too. My worst rust is in the bottom structure of the battery compartment. I have plans to replace and modify some of the structure back there because it is rusted clear thru. Like you say....carefully remove and replace with the same or better.

For surface rust, there is a product out there called POR-15 to treat areas that have surface rust. I've seen it used and it works like crazy. I plan to treat some of my suspect areas underneath.
Bought mine from www.por15.com. A little goes a long way.

So...you're not alone. Personally, I don't think that CC's undercoating process, back then, was much more than some cheap black paint.

Good Luck.
Mike

'95 Intrigue 10061 (click on my profile for a picture)

Quote from: bojangles5169
>

We love our coach (it's our 3rd & best) - had a new '03 diesel

pusher

Quote
3 slide brand X and sold it w/4k mi on it & turned around & bought > our '98 CC Intrigue 2 wks later at a "good" price. The interior

looks

Quote
new and the exterior paint is excellent. I keep it in our back

yard on

Quote
a concrete floor with a metal cover so it's well cared for here in

no

Quote
salt on the roads Texas.

One big problem - It spent too much time up North!!! There is > considerably more rust on the undercarriage than I'd like to see.
Obviously the main frame rails and suspension components are too

heavy

Quote
guage metal to be a concern. The main problem is in the square

tube

Quote
outrigger framing behind the front wheels and specially along the > drivers side under the bottom of the bay doors. CC apparently

plugged

Quote
the ends of the tubing with dum dum which leaks - then there's no > place for the moisture (and apparently salt) to go but stay in the > rails and rot away.

I know most of you have newer rigs and the obvious fix for this is

to

Quote
trade up but we love the coach - it's dependable - averaged

anywhere

Quote
from 9 to 11.5 mpg on cruise @ 70mph on a recent 5000 mi trip. I

just

Quote
can't justify the cost of a trade up. Has anyone out there ever > addressed this problem? It seems like the damaged portions of the > tubing could be cut away (carefully) - used as a pattern and new > welded back. I know there's a bunch of quality coaches on the road

a

Quote
lot older than ours that must have similar damage. Nobody knows

the

Quote
rust is there but me (and now you) but I'm an "A" personality that > can't stand not fixing everything in sight.

Any suggestions or personal experiences with this kind of problem

will
 

Re: 95 Magna

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 19750
We have finally gotten to the point where we are selling our 95 Magna.
Listed it on the rvonline.com website.
If you know someone interested in this coach, have them check out the website or email me at burdicks@... or call 614-855-3825

Thanks, and seasons greetings

Steve Burdick
95 Magna 5220