What about this caulk...?

[Dawn Michelle]

Lexel Sealant

I was looking for a clear caulk to use around my exterior marker lights (for the future - the white I used sure stood out against the beige) and was told it's hard to get a water-based latex in clear.  I do like the idea of protecting the butyl tape even though I suspect it's not necessary?  Many of my exterior fittings don't seem to have a sealant.  Anyway saw this and it says it's better than silicone, is paintable, doesn't yello, and gets good reviews from at least one of the guys there at the hardware store for weatherproof longevity.  They said after a couple years it came off glass well, but less well off the auto paint (they used it to seal a windshield) - but no worse than latex.

Any thoughts?

[david craft]

lexel is what i use in clear. have not seen polyurethane in clear. good if you can find it but i have not been able to. elastomeric is water based

[Rich Thomas]

I was mistaken about the clear in polly Dave. It was a solvent based and I used a Dap clear as well it was the elastomeric. the Dap smelled a lot like turpentine and claims to be able to be applied to wet or dry surfaces the solvent based stuff was  by Quad and also had an odd odder. I opened a can of worms with this I am truly regretting. But I will say both clears worked well and still appear clear. That may be because I store the Palace in the garage though and not really a true test of the elements.

[david craft]

took a quick pic. clean the surface with some spirit thinner an a rag so its clean, then it is almost invisible. scrape the excess putty and a little of the black skin first so its clean and then the rag. i cut that corner here to just make it functional.

[Dawn Michelle]

Thanks for additional input!  One of the things I have to admit I liked about the Lexall in additional to being available down at the corner hardware store was that it was in the smaller handheld tube which would be easier to throw in the tool box and not have to worry about a caulk gun.  Course if I'm going to be taking self leveling lap sealant on trips, probably will have one anyway.  Although this is making me wonder if this could be an emergency option, fix it right when you get back home, kind of thing...when you got 21 feet every inch counts!

[david craft]

lexel and polyurethane want a dry surface. otherwise they just ball up and refuse to stick.

[Dawn Michelle]

Lost places to reply properly - lol.  Alrighty.  Definitely need to start a new thread.  And I will do that, hang tight.  May be next weekend.  Gotta switch gears and make classwork a priority.  Behind on some papers.  I'll see about getting more shots around the fuel filter/crimped hose and the carb. 

Not sure what you meant about a dog house between the seats, but reminder I'm on a truck chassis–all my engine is ahead of me.  D350 84 Ram.  Yeah, a stepstool and crawling underneath appear to be my options. 

[Rich Thomas]

 Most class C's are van cut away's and, being such has what is know as a Dog House. Relating that to a truck, it would be the hump or transmission tunnel. In the van version, it is removable creating a huge access area to the motor & transmission. Get your self a good creeper along with a good pair of safety glasses, I prefer a yellow lens, they seem to enhance the lighting situation in low lit areas. IE. Coal mines and under trucks. Have a good day.  

[Rick Faunce]

A D 350 series is a 3/4 ton pickup truck, is yours a slide in? No matter, under the hood it is. They make a platform the hooks over the tire so you can stand on that. Makes it much easier to access the engine. I will see if I can find one and link to it.

[Dawn Michelle]

Not sure what you mean by slide in?  Like a truck camper?  Nope - she's a Class C made by Mallard - but even her owner's manual shows the van so while a couple of people have told me they've seen one of these, or alternatively had a buddy that had one, I can't find anything online that matches her.  I guess maybe they weren't popular or didn't make many of them.  I love the layout, feels well constructed, the roof is aluminum which is why I expect she's survived in decent condition, and they used every inch of space but there are some downsides, ie no a/c in the cab.  I had been looking at the Toyotas, and while I would have liked the gas mileage I have to admit I love the spacious cab and I also still get the larger headroom in the loft - not a coffin up there.  I've got her tarped up now, and seem to be taking detail pics these days - but here's the photo on Craigslist that originally caught my eye:

[david craft]

back in the day, they called those a chassis mount. i had one built on a 65 ford. watch the toyotas. some did not have the full floating rear end.

[Dawn Michelle]

I did have that on the top of my list to watch for when I was looking.  But this one is mine now.  I know, it's an addiction you are going to tell me :-)  But this should take me at least through the foreseeable future!