Restoring Our 1972 Boler American, Annotated pictures Options

[Roy in TO]

Sweat equity....gotta love the $$ savings in the purchase.

Looking forward to more pictures too

OK Donna,

Here are some more pictures.
Sorry for the delay, but we've been working on the trailer, camping, trying to keep up with life and generally procrastinating on both editing pictures and posting.

The first picture shows all the cleaning supplies we used to clean the inside for those that are faced with the same task. What you will need most of is "Carol Ann's Elbow Grease", but I'd suggest you find a local source which is packaged under many different labels, since our supply is getting low and is very expensive to ship and store.

A good dose of liquid TSP sprayed on and a scrub brush took off most of the black stuff. That was followed by lot of rinsing and wiping down with water and bleach. The Concrobium can be sprayed on, wiped on or even fogged to get into all the nooks and crannies. Somewhere in all of that we used many of the Simple Green products the manufacturer sent us. It was a process of finding out what worked best for what and where since the dirt and mold was different throughout the trailer.
 SmSupplies.JPG ( 32.02K ) Number of downloads: 101


Here is a before and after the cleaning of the ensolite. (sorry the before picture didn't show, so I posted more pictures below)
And one of the Nuts that filled every storage spot, Scamp must have had some insight to the potential for storage when they called their first trailer the Acorn
[attachment=3997:attachment]  SmClean.JPG ( 16.69K ) Number of downloads: 317
 SmNuts.JPG ( 46.18K ) Number of downloads: 353


The exposed fiberglass and wood were then painted with Kilz. We are in the process of regluing the ensolite with Super77 and painting it with ONE SHOT SIGN PAINT (Thanks to Billy from PEI for suggesting that product)
 SmKilz.JPG ( 12.97K ) Number of downloads: 198
 SmEnsPaint.JPG ( 18.94K ) Number of downloads: 224


The small peice of painted Ensolite that is hanging was not glued yet as I was still working on the FG repairs for the hole in the roof from the fallen tree while I was working on my door fix.
(Those pictures will all be posted later)

This post has been edited by Donna D.: Sep 3 2007, 01:44 PM

[Roy in TO]

And more pictures ...

Before
 SmBefore.JPG ( 23.58K ) Number of downloads: 347
 MoldyInside.jpg ( 21.5K ) Number of downloads: 254


And some in progress showing what the TSP/water mix sprayed and scrubbed is capable of
 InProgress.JPG ( 19.3K ) Number of downloads: 311
 SmBef_AFT.JPG ( 17K ) Number of downloads: 297

[Roy in TO]

I know it's been a little more than a year since I started this thread, I'm finally at a point where I can start posting more of the progress of our restoration.

The first major fix we did was to replace the closet door that was falling apart from getting wet. The hole in the roof was temporarily repaired using duck tape to stop most of the water from coming in. Not the best answer but it was a quick fix to a problem that worked.

I bought some almond melamine pressboard and iron on sides from Home Depot. Using the old door as a template I cut the wood to size and mounted it. It looked good but the door would not stay latched. Back in '72 the thickness of wood was measured in inches, today it is metric. Somewhere in the conversion I got a slightly thicker piece of wood. The problem was resolved by simply insetting the handle a fraction.

We had a big trip planned to the east coast in a few weeks, Yet we still wanted to go to our first ever fiberglass meet, Bolerama 2006. So we loaded up the truck and trailer with camping gear, tools and assorted repair materials and headed off to Emily. While camping we were able to put faces to many of the names we see here regularily - as well as get some work done on the trailer. We were able to install the closet shelves at our first fiberglass meet while the new closet door (done just before Bolerama 2006) and painting the closet wall (done this year) completed the job. This is the final result:

 WebCloset.JPG ( 68.85K ) Number of downloads: 329


I don't regret doing both at the same time. All the people at Bolerama were great and quite willing to share their handy work. In keeping with their spirit I'm posting how I did the shelves in the Mods and Alterations Forum as Wire Closet Shelves

This post has been edited by Roy in TO: Sep 29 2007, 12:42 PM

[Roy in TO]

I know it's been a little more than a year since I started this thread

Well it's 2 years now and I still have not posted the things I did while at Bolerama 2006.
With a big trip planned to the east coast a couple of weeks after Bolerama, I really did not trust the tires that were on the trailer. I bought 3 new tires mounted on rims on sale at Princess Auto on the way up to Bolerama (same price as tires alone). I changed the tires between checking out the other trailers and socializing with a great gang of people gathered at Bolerama.

The original tires were a 6.00-13 bias tire, a single badly worn one remained as the spare.The trailer came sitting on a pair of P165/70R13 (?) car tires that were on it for a very long time. Everything pointed to the closest current replacement being a ST175/80R13.

I soon learned the 3 sizes were not even close. This picture shows the 3 tires side by side.
The worn 6.00-13 on the left, the car tire in the middle and the ST175/80R13 on the right.

 All3.jpg ( 56.44K ) Number of downloads: 48


Below on the left is the 6.00-13 compared to the ST175/80R13 and the picture below that shows the problem I encountered.

 size_diff.jpg ( 46.72K ) Number of downloads: 29
 no_fit.jpg ( 39.46K ) Number of downloads: 36


The new ST175/80R13 tires would not fit under the body and over the hub without prying the torsion arm down. I was able to move the arm down just enough to get the tire over the hub, using the side mounting holes built into the axle with a tire iron and scissor jack. With the new tires on, I thought we were one step closer to being ready for our first big trip. On the way home from Emily, I could hear the tires scrubbing going over bumps. I quickly learned to slow down and avoid bumps.

 prybar.jpg ( 60.24K ) Number of downloads: 80


Once home, I could see the tire marks on the top of the wheel well. I got the trailer down to my local welder who cut the axle off and welded some 2" x 2" tubular steel between the two. That solved the problem while giving me a better riding height at the same time. Our big trip was still a go!!

 raised.JPG ( 29.19K ) Number of downloads: 72


I am positive we would not have made it through some of rough side roads out east without having raised the trailer. At the end of the second summer I had to replace one tire due to extreme wear from what I now know to be a BAD axle. I replaced one tire and swapped the new spare for the better of the worn tires. The man at Cerka axle took one look at the worn spare and said "BENT SPINDLE".

I've ordered a new axle which will change the original leading arm to a trailing arm with electric brakes. I will be switching tires again ... the axle swap allows me to use a 5 on 4.5" bolt pattern using an ST165R12 tire. This tire size is crucial to obtaining the best results with the axle swap. Luckily Princess Auto has a Carlisle ST165R12 mounted on a 12" (5 on 4.5") rim on sale @ 25% off. Oddly enough this is the closest match in overall size to the original 6.00-13. The original spare tire cover fits the new tire perfectly.

The axle swap will posted much later. I will try to post the fixes in the order they were done. There is more than a years work to catch up on posting first.

This post has been edited by Roy in TO: May 29 2008, 09:02 PM

[Roy in TO]

I will try to post the fixes in the order they were done. There is more than a years work to catch up on posting first.

We raised the axle the day before we left on our 3 week trip. That same day, the same welder added on support for the propane tanks, the battery box and the tongue box as shown below.

 open.JPG ( 22.9K ) Number of downloads: 178
 Cab_over.JPG ( 23.53K ) Number of downloads: 177


A full description was posted as Adding a tongue box in the Modifications, Alterations and Neat Updates forum

[Roy in TO]

I forgot to mention that Carol Ann had made a full set of curtains from a single King Sized sheet prior to Bolerama 2006. We had picked up an almost full set of cusions from the prairies that was better than the ones originally in the trailer. They cost more to ship to Ontario than they did to buy. We loaded up the truck and trailer headed off to Cape Breton Island. Here is a shot of where we stayed in Cheticamp on the Cabot trail.
 cabot.JPG ( 78.69K ) Number of downloads: 172

The bearings felt a bit warm, so I had some bearing buddys installed in Cheticamp as a precautionary measure. We visited family and camped alone in a variety of settings. Meeting Luc and Tina from FGRV and their 13' Boler in wonderful campsite. Oddly enough we were both in a large feild surrounded by trees in a campground where the big rigs were stacked row upon row like a parking lot. It felt great to have all that room with our little trailers looking at the metropolis of humongous RV's.
 PEI.JPG ( 113.45K ) Number of downloads: 84

On our way home, we stopped at the first PEI Glass with Class meet and got a great deal on a nice complete set of cushions. The rest of the way home we slept on a double set of cushions. Circumstances would not allow us to do any more work on the trailer that year other than create a wrap for winter storage. I've described how I did this in the thread Wrapping a trailer for winter, using parts bought in the summer.
 wrapped.JPG ( 87.06K ) Number of downloads: 49

[Roy in TO]

Spring 2007 came quickly and the 1st thing we did was bring the trailer in to have the propane system inspected, connected and tested. We brought the trailer up to Panda Propane Repair in Holland Landing, Ontario. They were originally in the NW area of Toronto. We had discovered them picking up some used window parts that were shipped to us via Greyhound Bus (they were a depot drop-off).

Mark from Panda took one look at the fridge and told me that it was originally out of a VW Westphalia camper. He installed all new lines, a change over regulator, pulled the fridge and furnace; bench tested them and repaired almost everything. He said I'd be better off getting someone else to do the other repairs and gave me the following list of things to do.

• Install a divider to separate the fridge from the rest of the sink cabinet and ultimately the inside of the trailer
• Get a metal shop to custom fabricate replacement parts for the furnace venting components that were rusted out.
• Change the outer fridge vents to provide better access and flow, add baffles and fans.

Mark made sure we both knew how to use the changeover, light the fridge and the furnace before letting us go.

To install the divider I used 3/4" tongue and groove pine flooring screwed to some 1x2 strapping on either side. I "toe nailed" with screws wherever possible. I avoided taking out the fridge or removing the cabinets by using the pine flooring. Here are views from inside and outside.

 wallin.JPG ( 22.33K ) Number of downloads: 84
 FwallOut.JPG ( 26.57K ) Number of downloads: 88


The outer furnace flange was rusted out as shown below on the left. I got Athlone Metal Products on Milvan Drive in Toronto, ON to make me a new one as shown on the right. The surface is rusty from being left out in the rain. The rust was removed and painted with some high heat paint before installing.

 oldFurnace.JPG ( 26.22K ) Number of downloads: 47
 newFurnace.JPG ( 37.52K ) Number of downloads: 83


They did not have the right sized tools to make a replacement vent and suggested I just shop around for something stock before paying for a custom job elsewhere. I found a suitable size on the internet and got my local hardware to order it in.

http://www.imperialgroup.ca/product.cfm?navcategory=3&category=27&product=342

 oldvent.JPG ( 20.95K ) Number of downloads: 42
 newvent.JPG ( 16.64K ) Number of downloads: 59


The new vent is an Imperial model RG0569 8" x8" White Sidewall Grill UPC 063467 128236.

It is a very close match for what was needed, but I think I will bend the vent tabs open a little bit more than the way it was fabricated to improve air flow.

This post has been edited by Roy in TO: Jul 15 2008, 03:46 AM

[Roy in TO]

Continuing on with the recommendations of Mark from Panda Propane, I then changed the outer fridge vents to provide better access and improve air flow. Much of this project was done while at Bolerama 2007 at Emily Provincial Park.

That is part of the reason why we have been camping away from the group. Aside from annoying others with my noise, I need some space to work and I don't think I would get much completed if I were in the middle of the group.

Here are before and after pictures.

 outside_ventside.jpg ( 25.23K ) Number of downloads: 96
 after__Custom_.JPG ( 32.58K ) Number of downloads: 120



A more detailed explanation has been posted in the thread Improving fridge venting from bad to "almost good"

Edited to upload pictures that could not be recalled from previous posts.

This post has been edited by Roy in TO: Jul 16 2008, 05:22 AM

[CliveAlive]

Nice work Roy. Looks like you cleaned it up a whole lot while at Bolerama too!

Seriously though ... it also looks like you did something to make a connection at the electrical outlet. Any pics?

[Roy in TO]

Seriously though ... it also looks like you did something to make a connection at the electrical outlet. Any pics?

Thank you Clive,

Yes I did do something for the electrical. I'll post that now because that is a lot easier than prepping my posting for the body/door fix which was a major undertaking. Documenting that will probably take me a few nights to do if all goes well.

Originally there was a 2 breaker panel attached to the inside of the outside wall right about where I installed the divider wall to separate the fridge from the inside of the trailer. The original plug was in rough shape. There was a gap between the plug end and the cable as shown in the first picture. The end of the plug was filled with something like silicone and the connection was flakey at best.

 Gap.jpg ( 51.05K ) Number of downloads: 63
 End__Custom_.JPG ( 35.56K ) Number of downloads: 63


I picked up a HD contractor 3' extension cord with 3 female plugs on it on sale for less than the cost of a new replacement male end. I cut the 3X female end off and ran the sealed male end through the old opening attaching it to the breaker box I had relocated on the dividing wall. I installed a large box beside that and put a single GFI outlet in it, from there I rewired the 120 for the trailer.

 wall.JPG ( 44.17K ) Number of downloads: 64
 GFI.JPG ( 37K ) Number of downloads: 68


I've attached the wires to the trailer with nylon cable clamps since the picture was taken. Everything is protected by the 15 Amp breaker, then by the GFI.

I retained the original connection to the fridge, cabinet outlet and under cabinet lighting. I added two new outlets. The one you see under the cabinet that can be used for charging things out of the way and one under the rear curbside bench that I eventually want to bring to the outside. Right now I'm hunting for a small single female outlet that can be put on the outside. I'm sure I've seen something that would would be suitable on an 18 wheeler, but have yet to find a source. Any suggestions?

[Roy in TO]

New tires and rims went on this summer when I swapped the axle. I'll post the axle swap later.

Princess Auto had some ST145R12's on sale mounted on a 5 bolt rim. I found the ST17580R13's to be a little too big over the original 6.00-13. I bought the ST145R12's then I ordered the new axle.

The first picture shows the ST145/R12 in the foreground, the original in the middle with the ST17580R13 in the rear.

 tire_face.JPG ( 66.56K ) Number of downloads: 32


The second picture shows the profiles, with the ST145R12 on the left, the original 6.00-13 spare in the middle and the ST175R8013 on the right.

 tire_profile.JPG ( 59.94K ) Number of downloads: 29


Though the ST145R12 is a little smaller than the original, it is a lot closer to the original size than the recommended replacement (ST17580R13). IMO it looks a lot better on the trailer and I don't have to worry about getting it over the hub when I need to change it.

This post has been edited by Roy in TO: Sep 1 2008, 09:06 PM

[Kenny H]

Looking good, gives me hope on my project, I started ripping it apart yesterday. (I'll be posting pics when I take some)
Will Kilz paint/primer cover smoke/fire damage? I know it's good a covering up stains etc.. While ripping apart the walls/ceiling I found more smoke/fire damage than expected (I was told it was next to a trailer that caught fire, judging by the damage (Black all over) I'm thinking they had a minor fire inside.

[Roy in TO]

Will Kilz paint/primer cover smoke/fire damage?

Thanks Kenny,
Kilz should cover it, you might want to try 2 coats. A little soot goes a long way in providing pigments to paint. Kilz has also come out with some premium products you might want to look into.

The pictures in post #16 of this thread show the difference with 1 coat of Kilz and 1 coat of 1 Shot sign paint. If I were to do it again, I'd use a 2nd coat of Kilz before the final coats.

[Roy in TO]

After almost 3 years of planning, making, fixing and finishing I can finally post the results of my door fix. The complete and lengthy post documenting the fix / mod can be seen on this thread here.



I took the sagging door with stress cracks and broken connections, added an aluminum frame to the body and did some fiberglass repairs to complete the job. I also changed the balls using the kits from Scamp trailers.


 before.jpg ( 18.3K ) Number of downloads: 56

 Frame.JPG ( 31.72K ) Number of downloads: 68

 after.JPG ( 33.26K ) Number of downloads: 97


The door now opens and closes as it should and no longer opens while travelling. The gel coat still needs to be repaired. You can see the new ST145/R12 tires installed on the last picture, I really like how well they ended up fitting the wheel well and body.

This post has been edited by Roy in TO: Sep 6 2008, 07:33 PM

[Tony O]

I've been asked by a few of the members here to start posting pictures.

Hi Roy

I'm a newbie on this forum having spent the past two months researching fiberglass campers. Two days ago I purchased a 1973 13' Boler. Yippie!

On your very informative series on restoring your Boler I noticed in one of your pictures that you have what appears to be a two or three way refrigerator installed. My Boler has an ice box that is in poor shape and I want to replace it with something similar to what you have. I'm not sure if the original camper has the wiring required to retrofit a new fridge but I'll be poking around and looking into that today.

Question: Is yours a retrofit or did it come with the trailer?

Many thanks in advance for any response from anyone on this fine forum. I'm looking to learn as much as possible about how you all have done such fine work resurrecting and reviving these great little trailers!

Holiday regards to everyone!