RV Fender Skirt Replacement

In here I replace one of the broken fender skirts on our 5th wheel

Summary:

After the last trip with our 5th wheel we actually lost one of our fender skirts – I had been having trouble already keeping them in place, but one of them finally gave way. Here I go through the process to replace them, using a new method to hopefully avoid losing them in the future. Note some items below are links to Amazon products – if you’d like to support my efforts, you can do so at no cost to you by buying through these links for items you already might need to purchase.

Parts:

• Keystone Montana Fender Skirt (Icon Direct)
• 3/16″ x 3/4″ Black Pop Rivets
• 3/16″ x 1″ Black Pop Rivets Rivets
• 3/16″ Rivet Washers
• Cap Sealant

Tools:

• Dewalt Cordless Drill Driver Kit
• Dewalt Drill Bit Set
• Pop Rivet Gun
• ABS Saw
• Caulk Gun
• Tape Measure
• Utility Knife
• Black Permanent Marker
• White Marking Tool
• Spare Screws

Detailed Description:

• Start by scoping out exactly what you’ll need for your project
  • Determine what fender skirt fits your vehicle, get it ordered
  • Order any parts you don’t already have on hand
  • What tools do you need to finish the job
• Start by removing the old fender skirt.
• Clean up the area where this old skirt sat – I just wiped mine down with a wet cloth, then used a black marker to touch up any parts of the black aluminum that had rubbed clean.
• Dry fit the skirt – basically here you can determine where you’d like to put it, and if there are any modifications needed to the skirt to make it fit properly. Part of my skirt sat on a slide, so I had to cut the skirt to match this area. I also had to trim the lower back sides of the skirt to get it to properly wrap around the bottom of the trailer.
• Temporarily attach the skirt where it needs to go – I started with drilling a hole near the center and installed a screw part way, just to hold the skirt in place. I then confirmed the fit at the ends before proceeding (had to do some more trimming here). Once the fit is final, I attached another temporary screw on one end.
• At this point, I installed the first rivet (take care to choose rivets of the proper length as you go along – I had two different sizes to accommodate changes in thickness). With each rivet I used one right behind the head, then three between the skirt and the trailer, then one on the very back of the rivet to complete the attachment. I used the cap sealant mainly to hold the washers together as needed. Honestly, you could probably use any type of caulk for what I used it for, as it didn’t really end up sealing anything (or if you’re really good, you probably avoid using it altogether). As I tightened the rivet, I checked to make sure the rear washer was staying as close to the outside as possible, just to make a good connection.
• Once I had this first rivet in place, I went ahead and drilled the remainder of the holes through both the skirt and the trailer.
• From here, I carefully removed both temporary screws, then holding up the skirt at first, I worked from the first rivet along the top, all the way to the other end. Once the first 2-3 are in place, the skirt pretty much stayed in place without issue.
• I had the lower support to drill and install a rivet, as well as the small portion of the skirt I had cut off due to the slide to install as well – and this finished the install!
• Check this one off your list!! 8^)