Almost two years ago, I saw this beauty in a yard near my house. Knocked on the door,
asked about it, and was told..."It's yours".

It had been sitting there for about fifteen years and being used as a storage shed.
They didn't want it and I did....worked out perfectly.

I immediately stripped most of the interior. Wet, moldy, wall covering falling down. Took
it all out. There were no rear benches and the table was long gone. Front bunk.....
same...gone. The "kitchen" unit was still there and so was the closet. That's about all I saved.

Anyway, after two more years of sitting in my back yard, I finally pulled it out last week.
I put some 8 inch wheels so it'd fit in my garage. Drilled out all the rivets, pulled out the rotted rear
floor, went to the fiberglass supply place, and here I go.

I'll keep this thread up to date with picture as I go.

Wish me luck.

Brian

WOW! And I when I got mine I called it a 'rolling shell' !! I am very glad to hear you are getting to your reno now after two years. It makes me feel much better about having taken about 18 months to get into mine!!

I'll be very interested to see how it goes.

Good luck!

A complete rebuild. Ah, I remember it well... It took me almost a year to get my Compact Jr. ready for camping after I embarked on the adventure.

Good Luck!

I kinda like the brick pattern on the floor.. go with it...

Looks like you have your work cut out for you. Good Luck and God Speed to you!

Mike

Hey Brian, it looks like I am Just one step ahead of you in our rebuild. Maybe we could share ideas and photos of our progress. here are some pictures of what I've done so far.

Take heart, Brian. I don't see a long project; I see a rare opportunity to make the trailer just the way you want it; to have a trailer that doesn't always need one more thing, and to know exactly that everything is done correctly. With gas prices skyrocketing, the demand for this type of trailer is increasing, as you can see by the prices that tastefully renovated Bolers are bringing. Take your time and enjoy the fun. The only problem I see is stopping after just one trailer....

Looks like a ton-o-fun there Brian (well - half a ton anyway)!

I'll admit though - the "repair" end of thing always interested me a whole lot less than the "reconstruction" end. I think it's a matter of spending a whole lot of time on something that - if done right - you'll never end up really seeing.

Oh well - What are your plans for the interior? Are you going to pretty much recreate the original floorplan or do you have something different in mind?

I'm pretty much going to follow the original floorplan, though I hope to build new cabinets myself. Most of the original pieces are long gone, and the parts that I have are very rough.
As of now, I'm planning on finishing the interior with a spray on bedliner such as Rhino Liner or Line-x.
The side windows are going to be rounded corner sliders which I've ordered from Scamp. Another thing I really want to do is set the rear light "cups" flush with the body. I just dont like them riveted on top of the body. My goal over the next few months is to get the fiberglass work completed, finish the interior walls, paint the exterior and get the windows back in. If there is still some surplus cash on hand, I'll begin the cabinetry.


Thanks for all the well wishes. As I said, I'll keep everyone up to date with pictures as the project progresses.

Brian

Oh! I'm going to like this topic.
We can learn so much from you guys and your total rebuild. Keep the pictures comming.

Hi: Brian... Just wondering if you could drill off the light cups and move them to the inside and re rivet and fill around them with body filla or glass them in so they look stock but customized at the same time. Regards Alf
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

"French" them, you mean?
http://www.truckinweb.com/features/0705tr_...o/photo_01.html

The new floor is in !! Next up, the piece that was under the kitchen.....then I should be all "solid" again.

Hey Brian, What is that indentation along the kitchen side fender?
mine doesn't have that.

I'm not sure. I acquired this trailer full of junk and most of the innards missing.
I've seen pictures of Bolers with what looks to be a heater in that location. Though
I've never seen one in person and don't know if it's slim enough to fit in that spot in the
kitchen cabinet.

Maybe someone else knows for sure?

By the way. For anyone who's replaced a floor. How thick did you go/how many layers
of fiberglass on top of the floor were it joins it to the walls?

Hey Brian, did you take out the fiberglassed plywood "lip" around the perimiter of the shell?
I know you said that you were going to fab most of the cabnetry yourself so, are you going to make the rear section a full time bed or just make a whole new booth?
I am undecided. The thought of customizing the trailer to fit my needs really is weighing on my mind because I would like to take the closet out as well and make a 60"x74" bed. Then I would just make a countertop only big enough for the fridge and a sink. Along the front, I would make a small dinette like some I've seen. Decisions, Decisions!!! I may at one time in the future want to sell it so I may just put it back to normal.

I think a big bed sounds comfy, but be aware that the closet may be part of what is keeping the roof up! Scamp sells completely empty trailers (no bed, no cabinets, etc.) but it does come with a closet across from the door and extra bracing around the door... without it the roof starts to come down. It would be sad indeed if all your hard work created at low ceiling trailer!

The "lip" was ground flat. I have glassed in the topside of the floor with 3 layers of mat.
When I pull the body off the frame, I'll put some on the underside and coat the bottom with resin..

I'm probably going to try to recreate the original layout(or something like it) I have 2 kids, 6 & 3 who are looking foward to some camping.

Wow....Fiberglassin' sure is fun! Most of the holes that I wanted to fill are filled.
The roof vent has been closed, the floors are all solid, and now I'm starting to fill
the corners of the window openings to accept curved windows. The light "cups" have been recessed.
A little more finish work on them and I'll be satisfied.

In order for me to get to the underside of this thing, I want to remove the body from the frame
and lay the body on its side. Anybody done this? I'm thinking maybe some supports from side to side(which will be up and down when turned 90 degrees). Any idea on how much an empty egg shell weighs?

Some pics of the progress.......

Hey Brian,
How did you get the ceilings so clean?? The ensolite on mine doesn't want to come off! It's grabbing on for dear life!!

When I got it, it had been sitting for quite some time. I don't know if moisture was a contributing factor, but it was leaking, damp and moldy inside for years. It peeled off very cleanly on most of the interior. There are a few spots(mostly behind the kitchen area) that will need a bit more work to get it clean.

I dunno about laying on it's side, Brian. The shell is designed for vertical loads; even with braces, the weight would be on the curved sides. If possible, I would jack it up, drop the frame, and keep the shell vertical.

I now have curved window openings.

Thanks so much for sharing the photos. I'm sure I'll learn a lot from your work. We're hoping to find a small egg in another year or so and I imagine we'll be doing a lot of renovations, too. It's exciting to see the progress you're making. Did you use marine grade plywood for the new floor?

There is really no need to spend the extra $$$ for marine grade ply. All that makes marine different from AC plywood is that the marine grade has all the small voids in the inner layers filled. Otherwise they are the same.

Hi Brian
Looking real good!..
It's nice to see an other American Boler.
How do you do such a nice fiberglass work?
You're changing the side windows
Are the old windows for sale.
WE are looking for a side small window
for our American Boler .Let me know
Keep up that real nice fiberglass work.
Hope you keep on posting pictures of your project for us. Jean-L

Jean,

Did you get my message? You can have the two side windows for free if you want to come get 'em.

I too am very impressed with your glass work.
I have done some of what your up to and have
a couple of ideas for you.
The side marker lights are frenched, did the same
as you on the tail light housing and added a polished
aluminum ring on the light, also closed the body
in around the frame which really cleans up appearance.
The most obvious change is the wheelwells, a little
change here can set it apart nicely.
Keep the posts coming, can watch someone
do a good job all day!
Fred

Wow, I love the lip around the wheelwell! How did you do that--build it up with Bondo, or wood, and then fiberglass over it?

Donna D., I don't remember seeing anything on Scamp's website about selling empty trailers. Do you know about how much they charge for them? Do they come with a finished floor and walls? Thanks.

Thanks , really it would be simple for you with the talent you have already displayed.
Normal prep of the area, shape the opening, I tried to match the wheel oprnings of
the car I towed with. Then used 2 sided tape and cardboard to create the lip height
and wraped it in glass, a bit of bondo to smooth it out, paint.
It's been in use for several years with no cracking, the volume inside the glass
actually makes the panel stronger.
Fred

Pamela, I only know about it because we had a member that bought one. It had been used on a construction site. His name was Dan Landt and we lost all the pictures in the Hack. I did find the topic:
Scamp 16' Modifications If you're interested in a "Blank Slate" trailer, you should talk to someone directly at Scamp.

Today was the day for what my friend calls the "Saucer Separation".
The body is lighter than I thought it'd be.

I finally got a good look at my crack today also.

Saucer Separation

Just got the trailer frame back from the welder. I had 1 1/2" angle iron welded the entire length
of the frame as well as the crack repaired and some plates added at the "failure points".

The welder suggested I seriously consider replacing the axle. His reasoning was that when he lifted up on the frame, the suspension should have dropped a bit. I don't know if this sounds right as
the frame has no weight on it(well, not much) and the torsion arm is in the unsprung position.
If I bounce on top of the axle, there seems to be some movement. This is definitely the original axle.
Being over 35 years old, should I replace? Or, is there any possibility that it's still usable and safe?

If I do need to replace it, I want to keep the leading arm setup that is there now.
I don't want to add any more height.
Does Dexter still make this leading arm configuration?

Any input or pics of your installs/replacements would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

Hi Brian, By the look of the second pic your syspension is in about the same condition
as mine. A little tough! I just make sure the bearings have grease and aren't loose.
I think your torsion bar is tired but if it's not falling out and maintains toe-in while
going down the road your only problem would be ride. With no travel the bumps place
a lot more load on the frame and body structure. I haven't seen any posts that discuss
a replacement of the leading arm setup. Anyone else?
Fred

It seems to be functioning O.K.. I just dont want one of those arms coming off on the road.
I am just not experienced in this area at all....I'll wait to see if others have any thoughts.

No. Dexter only makes trailing arm axles now.

Go visit their website, take a look around.

http://www.dexteraxle.com/products___literature

(Isaac posted on Mar 26 2008, 02:57 PM) Hey Brian, What is that indentation along the kitchen side fender?
mine doesn't have that.


That is it exactly Brian.

It is great to find another Boler American owner, we are a rare breed.

Brian, for the little it costs in the grand scheme of things I would replace it. Especially at this stage of the game. Mine looked OK like yours, seemed to tow OK.

But ...

I've worn out a brand new tire in 2 summers with a max of 6000 miles. The outer edge on my curbside was worn off while the new tire nibs are still everywhere else. What did the original tires look like? Here is a picture of my tires. The one on the left was the original (spare), the middle one was the car tire replacement and on the right, the closest trailer size I could get.

Click to view attachment

Even if the alignment is OK, your rubber suspension is getting pretty poor. (think of a 36 year old elastic band). I had to use a hydraulic jack and pry bar to lower the torsion axle enough so the new tire would slip under the body and the rim would go over the hub. There was just not enough flexablility in the axle to even change the tire. I'm thinking the lack of flexibility may have something to do with your frame crack. Others have posted how they have gone from leading arm to trailing arm. For many reasons I am planning on doing the same. Hope we get a chance to talk before you make a final decision on the axle.

Roy

I'm going to take a closer look at my axle. I just don't want to open another can of worms right now.
I suppose I can always replace the axle later if I sense a problem.

Been busy sanding and filling and sanding the exterior, so no pics lately.
Today I fiberglassed in the new front gaucho. I suppose I'll cut some access holes in the top for
storage. As soon as I get a warm enough day, I'm going to roll a coat of resin
on the underside of the floors and get this thing back on the frame where it belongs!

Looking good Brian.

The original came with 2 holes in the top and a divider in the middle. I can't tell you the number of times we wished there was a drop down or sliding door on the face of the gaucho bench (on the side closest to the door).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching the work you're doing to this thing! Keep us posted as it rolls along. I'm just beginning a reno myself (very minor compared to this), but I'm always excited to see what others are doing. Nice work so far.

Hello all,

I haven't posted any new pics lately. Summer is here and family obligations
have kept me pretty busy. But here are the rear benches that I've been working on.
After the interior is "Rhino Lined", which is still my most likely course of action, I
will cut holes and install some hatches for access.

Next, I tackle the door. It needs a considerable amount of work and I'll post some pics as I go.

Brian

Hey Brian I have been where you are going. I took the complete shell off of the trailer and set it on the ground and my wife drove the frame out from under it as me and my son held it in the air!. Do yourself an favor and have the frame sandblasted and frame painted. It cost me $200 to have the frame blasted and my wife and son painted it for about $20 for a gallon of frame paint at your local auto parts store.. What I did is I glassed the floor in 1/2 inch plywood and got 12" strips of fiberglass cloth and put 6" on the wood and 6" up the side of the inside trailer wall. make a good foundation and all will be ok I bought my trailer for $300 on the 4th of oct 2007 and we used it on its maiden voyage for 5 day and 4 night on Memorial dat weekend had a blast!

This is what I was thinking about doing as well? LineX - the interior - - Would be a nice texture in the inside, curious if you've done this yet, or have thoughts about how to re-attached the cabinets? New rivets - or stainless screws through the entire camper?

are you going to Rhino the exterior as well??

I have a 1970 Boler American -
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

I haven't had the interior sprayed yet. I still have a bit more prep work to do before it's ready.
As for the cabinet attachment, I'm not sure yet. I might fiberglass some strategically placed blocks on the inside.
I'm getting a bit tired of fiberglass work, so the other option is stainless srews from the outside.
Just not too sure yet.

As for the exterior eventually it will be painted. Rhino in and out would start to add a signifigant amount of weight.

Things have slowed down a bit due to lack of finances, but I will post more pics as the project progresses.

Brian

Hi Brian,
We have been following your progress with interest! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Nice to know of other Bolerites on LI. We just lost our Scamp in a fire, and were really lucky to find a replacement right away (in East Hampton). A 1977 Boler, which needs some work.
When you get to the outside, let us know, we can have a painting party.
Marjie and Rick in Sea Cliff