Replacing hinges on our Boler

[Dianne Dohei]

Hi all - We are new to this forum, but have had our Boler since 2001. Lots of good advice here! Hoping someone can help us out.

We bought the scamp door hinges to replace the hinges on our boler as the door is sagging. I remember reading about others having success with replacing the hinges. If you have replaced your boler hinges with the scamp set, I would appreciate any advice you may have to offer. What to do. What not to do. How to fill holes. Did it fix the sag. Did the door fit properly. How to ensure door is properly put in place while attaching hinges. And any other advice you may have. We do not have an indoor work space, so need to get the job done in one (sunny) day and would like to avoid problems if we can.

Thanks!

[Roy Massen]

> Did it fix the sag. Did the door fit properly.

I replaced the hinges with the Scamp ones on my boler and that helped some but to remove the gap at the bottom of the door I removed and re-shaped the square chrome verticle door support* on the forward inside (put it in a vise and straightened it) When I screwed it back on it pulled the body back into the shape of the door.

[Donna D.]

Hi Dianne, welcome to FiberglassRV..we're glad you're here

Tis the season for asking about door issues, this is the second topic to drop up in three days. Click on this link: 1974 Boler Door Issues for a discussion already in progress...pay particular attention to the links Con provided. You'll find some helpful advice contained within those links.

[Dianne Dohei]

Thanks Donna,

I had looked at those links. Our issue isn't that the door is warped. There is a small gap at the bottom of the door, but not enough to let in any dust or wet. The issue is the door is sagging - or tilting maybe is a better word. There is a space between the door and body at the top right hand corner of the door above the hinge (standing outside facing the door). The bottom right hand corner is tight against the body. So we assume by replacing the hinge and adjusting the ball in the upper hinge, the door will lift to it's correct position. I was hoping to get some advice from those who had already replaced their Boler hinges with the Scamp set. Learn from their mistakes, if you know what I mean. With every fix and/or upgrade we have done with our Boler, we have always tripped over the unexpected. Hopefully someone out there can tell me how their job went when they replaced their hinges.

Thanks,
Dianne

[Chester Taje]

Hi Dianne
On my 13ft Boler the door also was as you discribed.I tried doing the hinge thing and readjusting the door.The more I looked into it I found it was not the door BUT the body had sagged abit.
I did manage to get to a point where I was satisfied with the door.
Good luck with yours.

[Brian B-P]

...So we assume by replacing the hinge and adjusting the ball in the upper hinge, the door will lift to it's correct position...

Unfortunately, I don't think that this is likely to completely fix the problem. New parts will lift the door vertically a bit if the old ones are worn, but I would not expect much tilt improvement.

The Scamp/Boler hinges need to stick out from the body to allow the door to open without interference. As with any door, the top hinge is pulled to the left (for a right-hinged door) by the weight of the door, and the bottom hinge is pushed to the right. If the body where the hinges mount is not completely rigid (and fiberglass has many great properties, but rigidity is not one of them) then the hinges act as pry bars to twist the mounting area and the door sags. I think this is what Chester is talking about.

Sure, new hinges (or just new brass pivot balls) which are not worn will help, but they won't address the body distortion. The wider three-bolt Scamp body-side hinge halves should help reduce further distortion, but I think the body will need to be straightened to fix the problem already apparent.

This photo shows my B1700 hinges, looking down while standing very close to the hinge line. I believe that the bottom shows more twist (counter-clockwise) than the top (clockwise), because the frame of the adjacent window reinforces the area around the upper hinge somewhat.



This was taken soon after we got the trailer; it still had some hack chunk of wood on the bottom of the door, and I had not replaced the hinge pivot balls yet. Sorry about the fuzzy image: the depth of focus was inadequate.

[Benny K]

Hi Dianne, have you tried loosening the hinge bolts at the top RH corner of the body....get someone to lift on the lower latch corner of the door when loose and then tighten securely....the possibility is that there is some play in the holes where the hinge bolts go thru the cabin.....if this is the case then tightening the top screws well will work for a time....the elongated hole can be round again with the use of oval brass bushings with an offset hole, but that isn`t normally a feasible solution as the bushing have to be custom machined....another option is to fill the holes and redrill favoring to drill the holes so that the door sits a bit more the other way and will allow some sag over time to a proper fit position......after all that, hope you know what I meant....the holes in my 13' Boler were elongated and allowed the door to tilt somewhat....Benny

[Dianne Dohei]

Thanks all for your great advice.

We took another look at the door and, with the advice on this forum, have decided to not replace the hinges, but rather just the ball and pin (I think they are fatigued). The door actually works well (notwithstanding how it looks) and we don't want to mess that up. It does not allow any dirt, wet or bugs in despite the tilt and the bulging at the bottom. We will also use the ideas in this forum to bring the door back to better shape at the bottom. As well, we will use the info on this site to bring the boler body closer to its original shape and strengthen it on the hinge side of the body to stop the bulging from getting any worse.

So thanks again. If I need assistance with anything else, I'll be in touch.

Dianne

[jeanpierre]

What and where did you find a ball and pin to replace in the trailer? Mine has a slight sag in it so from the top, the door tilts left to right. I just wanted to try new pins or something like that. I was going to go down to Home Depot and look in the nut and bolt bins and see what I could find... Any thoughts? If anyone is in Cypress Hills for August long weekend, there will be a nice boler in progress being pulled by a gold Mazda 6 Wagon. Come sit, talk, visit and have a drink. Best wishes.

Jean-Pierre

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by jeanpierre

What and where did you find a ball and pin to replace in the trailer?

For those in Canada, try here:
Fibreglass RV Parts, Repairs, and Service by Paul Neumeister

For those in the US, try here:
http://shop.scamptrailers.com/p-334-...-nut-bolt.aspx

[Errol Holbrooke]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Unfortunately, I don't think that this is likely to completely fix the problem. New parts will lift the door vertically a bit if the old ones are worn, but I would not expect much tilt improvement.

The Scamp/Boler hinges need to stick out from the body to allow the door to open without interference. As with any door, the top hinge is pulled to the left (for a right-hinged door) by the weight of the door, and the bottom hinge is pushed to the right. If the body where the hinges mount is not completely rigid (and fiberglass has many great properties, but rigidity is not one of them) then the hinges act as pry bars to twist the mounting area and the door sags. I think this is what Chester is talking about.

Sure, new hinges (or just new brass pivot balls) which are not worn will help, but they won't address the body distortion. The wider three-bolt Scamp body-side hinge halves should help reduce further distortion, but I think the body will need to be straightened to fix the problem already apparent.

This photo shows my B1700 hinges, looking down while standing very close to the hinge line. I believe that the bottom shows more twist (counter-clockwise) than the top (clockwise), because the frame of the adjacent window reinforces the area around the upper hinge somewhat.

Attachment 7541

This was taken soon after we got the trailer; it still had some hack chunk of wood on the bottom of the door, and I had not replaced the hinge pivot balls yet. Sorry about the fuzzy image: the depth of focus was inadequate.

Hey Brian from Leduc, How are you doing? I was thinking of getting in touch because you have always been helpful. I was checking on the "door thing" and here you are.

Do you have any ideas where I can find the following items:
Weatherstripping for Boler 1700 Door
Outside Light
Outside Stove Vent 12" x 5"
Window Trim rubber (outside) It holds the glass in. Mine has shrunk and needs to be replaced
Vent for Fridge (outside)

I have actually stripped, sanded, and mechanically removed all the Latex paint off my Boler. I believe you are famiiar with the Boler I bought 9 years ago. Anyway, this has been a "wicked" project, but now its beginning to look good and will be ready for painting next week. If you know where I can get the above items please let me know. I always get good results from you, which beats going through the Forum. Look forward to hearing from you

Errol (Edmonton)