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Old 04-14-2022, 06:19 PM   #1
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Join Date: Sep 2021
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Best screws for fastening a rear camera to Azdel Panel

I have a 2022 Minnie with a pre-wired rear camera connector. The connector is behind a water-resistant cover that is screwed into the Azdel with four small screws. I want to install a different brand of rear view camera and I want to reuse that cover.

I've removed and reinstalled the cover a couple of times trying to figure out how I will mount the new camera, but now the screws seem like they are barely holding in the Azdel.

Is there a better type of screw for fastening things into Azdel or is it just that Azdel is just not a great material for securing things to?

Thanks!
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Old 04-14-2022, 06:58 PM   #2
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After several removals and replacement, screws are going to lose their holding power in any thin panel whether or not it's Azdel, Lauan or something else but, from what I've read, Azdel's screw holding ability isn't very good.

I suggest filling the holes with epoxy and drilling new holes. I'd use as large a diameter stainless steel sheet metal screw that will fit the cover. The coarser threads should give more holding power in the thin material. Use a good, adhesive sealant (coat the threads as well) and you should be OK.

Alternatively you could use some sort of insert but I don't think this is necessary.

Another potential solution is to use 3m VHB tape along with your screws but this assumes you won't be removing and reinstalling it all the time. I used this to mount solar panels on my van's fiberglass top and also the cover for the solar wire input fixture. It's holding ability is far beyond that of the typical double-sided foam tape. RV manufacturers use it to secure body panels to frames. It's not cheap but, once you have it, you'll find all sorts of uses for it. Good surface prep is essential:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=vhb+3m&gc...l_8qqt9zocb8_e

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Old 04-15-2022, 06:23 AM   #3
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Great tips Bob! Thanks very much for the reply. I'll try one of these solutions.

Russ
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Old 04-15-2022, 07:44 AM   #4
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Good luck. I should have mentioned that I used the VHB tape without screws since there were no screw holes in my fittings to to fill.
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Old 04-15-2022, 10:35 AM   #5
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Always good to have an alternateplan in mind, so a second suggestion toconsider. It may not be any better than what hasbeen suggestedso far but just a different way when pastic/fiberglass gets too damaged.

There are timws when some form of expantion fastener like toggles or mollies are needed to make a really wide grip on the back side of the material. They both come in a wide range of thickness and length, so some checking first for sizing is needed.

These are often the only way to get things reattached on sheetrock after something gets pulled off and they do work great but with some care.

First one has to consider how deep the open space behind is and on Rv, that is often plenty if we only need and inch or less as the void is oftenjust foam of some type but sticking something like a wire into judge the depth before deciding is vital!

Since you have a pretty lightweight item to mounted, probably the smaller ones would be plenty strong but since the material may be a bit brittle, some care in how type to pull the attachment may savebreaking a bigger chunk out.

There are times when we need a really short molly due to lack of space in the void butwe need a much longer bolt to go through what we are mounting, so we can often use the molly screw to set it in the wall and then if we need something much longer togo through the item we are mounting, we can change out the bolt to a much longer one.

If that seems confusing, think of wanting to mount a two inch thick item on a wall with only 1 inch space inside and we don't want to punch clear through to be seen on the other side. So we use a short molly, like 3/4 long, runn the thread in enough to expand the molly on the backside without punching too far. Then back the 3/4 screw out and use one long enough to go through our 2 inch and catch the molly threads but not long enough to ruin things on the far side?

Like this, only bought local and just a few:
https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Find-Fas...347048846&th=1

Keep in mind of course that these will need some form of sealer to keep water out.

Just a differtent way if all else seems wrong.
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Old 04-15-2022, 02:17 PM   #6
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How about something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Self-...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If you coat them with epoxy before setting, I bet they will hold great on Azdel.

David
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Old 04-15-2022, 03:30 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidM View Post
How about something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Self-...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If you coat them with epoxy before setting, I bet they will hold great on Azdel.

David
Those were recommended in this site:

https://askthervengineer.com/insider...of-modern-rvs/

My concern is that they take a pretty large hole that, depending on the size of the fixture, might extend beyond the edges of the fixture. In any case, they'd need careful sealing.
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