How do I fix this? Cracks, visible seams in side wall, hinge

[grr067]

Hi! New here, so apologies if any of this is not correct process!

I bought this 'new to me' teardrop and would like to do some restoration.

I noticed some issues where the hinge meets the side wall. See photos below of each side. What's the best way to fix these cracks and the seam? Also, the hinge does not extend past the sidewall. It looks like the previous owner had covered it with tape and I'd like to do something more permanent. I'm considering extending the metal trim under the hinge and replacing the hinge with a slightly longer one, but if there's an easier way then I'm all ears.

Separately, can you tell what material the side wall is? Is it painted wood?

Thank you in advance! Really appreciate any help as I jump into the teardrop world!

[swoody126]

IMHO, what you are calling CRACKS is actually DELAMINATION of the roof panel

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yes cutting the hinge too short is a major factor

i see a rear hatch removal in your future to determine the extent of the damage

in my reading here and on other "home made trailer" sites this is not uncommon

folks just butt their joints and hide them under aluminium trim to be forgotten which obviously isn't adequate

once you get the hinge n hatch removed you will be better able to evaluate your situation and then formulate your direction

any time you leave the edge of plywood unsealed this will happen over time

¿time? this depends a lot on use and storage patterns

trailers n boats suffer the same issue and glassing over plywood edges with fiberglass set in epoxy(not "fiberglass resin) has become the standard for prevention of this issue

yes this process is time consuming AND more costly than just smearing some pookey over the edges and hiding them under aluminium trim

further pics will be needed

BON CHANCE

sw

[tony.latham]

As swoody says, pull everything, and fix the damage and then install a proper length hinge.



You might have to get as much epoxy as possible in the delaminations.

Tony

[grr067]

what you are calling CRACKS is actually DELAMINATION of the roof panel

Thank you! This is really helpful for me, so I can start googling with the right verbiage

pull everything, and fix the damage

When you say "pull everything," do you also mean the metal trim on the left side of the photo (opposite direction of the hinge)? [Sorry, I don't quite know all the right terms yet.]

Thank you, again!

[tony.latham]

When you say "pull everything," do you also mean the metal trim on the left ...

Yes, pull the hatch, pull the hinge, and the trim.

Tony

[twisted lines]

That for a foot at least.

[grr067]

Thank you! Really appreciate all the help!

[swoody126]

what you are calling CRACKS is actually DELAMINATION of the roof panel

Thank you! This is really helpful for me, so I can start googling with the right verbiage

pull everything, and fix the damage

When you say "pull everything," do you also mean the metal trim on the left side of the photo (opposite direction of the hinge)? [Sorry, I don't quite know all the right terms yet.]

Thank you, again!

grr067, YES ... HINGE HATCH AND ALL TRIM

fix it all at this time and it will likely be a while before you have to address this issue again

since the trim wasn't installed to my standards i'm suspecting the rest of the edges will sooner than later have similar issues

sw

[pchast]

If you can at this time, I'd pull all the trim on the top edges and
reseal it before reinstalling the trim. Just to be certain...