Coleman AC cover - Mine blew off. :(

[buswarrior]

So, for those of us with ancient AC covers that have managed to not fly off yet...

What might we do to them to strengthen them up?

Coatings? Treatments? Reinforcements? Add a retaining strap?

Size of washers under the fasteners?

Mine are getting closer to 30 years old than 20...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Lin]

BW, As mentioned earlier, I think that coating is important.  They won't last forever, but keeping the UV off of it will sure push the end out.  If upon inspection you find that the shrouds are really deteriorating and don't want to replace them, I would guess you could reinforce them with fiberglass.  Even the attachment points can be reinforced if need be.  There was this 30 or 40 story building in New Orleans that needed the air intake on the roof replaced because it was rotted out.  The bids to do the job were very high.  Some guy offered to save them a lot of money.  He cleaned up what was there and used it as a skeleton for his fiberglass.

I am not an expert on this type of work but would think that one may not even need to use polyester resin to cover an AC shroud; just some webbing and a good thick roof coating.

Anyway, back to the original post.  I'm sure I have seen sheet metal AC covers.  A shop could certainly do one.  I wonder it there are even plans available somewhere on the web.

[luvrbus]

There were metal replacements a few years back but the powers that be Dometic, Coleman and others put a stop to the guy making those he was selling metal replacements shrouds cheaper that the plastic junk

[boxcarOkie]

There were metal replacements a few years back but the powers that be Dometic, Coleman and others put a stop to the guy making those he was selling metal replacements shrouds cheaper that the plastic junk

Maybe he refused to move the business off shore so they shut him down.  One of the things I absolutely hate to do is wash the roof of my old hoopie.  It is a pain, but it has to be done every now and then.  

So once a year, I get up there and do a number on it, at the same time, I look at all of the covers and inspect them, this is of course, the time to do it, not after they blow off.

Nothing worse than standing at the refrigerator in hot, humid, Houston and saying to yourself, "It sure is bright in here" and then looking up and noticing your roof vent is now long-gone and you have a new square hole and clear view of the summer sky.

That really sucks.  We are now officially hotter than you Clifford and have humidity to boot.

BCO

[lvmci]

Hi All, on the original subject, Sahara RV & Vegas trailer supply in LV, both have older model shrouds for replacement projects, if your near Las Vegas, even tho they're black, the ABS shrouds seem to last longer in LV then the thinner & lighter PVC like originals, nothing will last as long as the metal replacement. I fabricated a thin strip of aluminum into a piano hinge like strip, slipped it over the bottom of the delicate bottom of the air shroud, put on some fridgid king foam/foil to insulate the top, fastened down with foil tape and I got several more years out of the old shroud. Lvmci...

[Van]

Hey Chaz, just put one of these on, you go to the races don't ya? It'll look sporty 
http://www.vfnfiberglass.com/aeroscoops.htm

[Chaz]

Yeah, but I like the "cowl" style more than the snorkle.            

[Melbo]

My replacements came from Camping World about 5 or 6 years ago and seem to be holding up well

Melbo