1978 Lander Graziella 340 Bora Restoration

[sigurd]

Originally Posted by Scamper Linda

Seeing all these pictures makes me very happy about my decision to buy a trailer that has already been renovated by someone else!!
(I realize that we will probably find some issues as time goes on, but hopefully they will be little fixes that won't prevent us from using the trailer).
One thing that we have already discovered is that when we turn on the bathroom light switch we have no light, but the outside marker lights all come on!

Haha well yes this kind of restoration is not for everybody. Thankfully I enjoy it, I like fixing things up.

[sigurd]

So I've rented a garage temporarily to be able to get this thing waterproof.



First thing I did now that I had proper working space was to investigate what was going under the thing. I had mentioned something weird going on with the frame on the right side. It looks like there may have been a crack that got fixed. And for some reason they added some extra support or something between the frame and the shell, it looks like the outside of that support is made out of fibreglass and possibly there is some filler material inside that. I can't tell exactly. On the inside you can see two different types of fibreglass which supports my theory that there was a crack that got fixed.







So I've decided to leave it for now and focus on fixing the seam and windows and small holes, which are the main sources of leaks. I do plan on going over the frame, removing rust and painting in the future though so I will take a closer look at this repair then.

By the way does anyone know what this is? I'm guessing its to attach a tent or something.



Anyway before fixing the seam I wanted to try to bring the wall in a bit since it was bulging out quite a bit. I had cut out a support from the cabinets I removed on the other side of the rv. It's not perfectly aligned, I need to make a new support since the one I made wasn't good enough and I need new L-brackets since I re-used the ones that were in it and they are not strong enough.







Now I started paying attention to the seam again. I have a bit of a problem with it because the top side comes curved out but the bottom has a sharp 90 degree bend out to meet the topside. So I'm scratching my head a bit on how to fibreglass the two halves together. It's such a difficult angle and not much space to sand anything down to apply the fibreglass between the two halves. Any suggestions on how to proceed?

I was thinking about cutting the bends away and making the sides straight but then I looked at the backside and there is a much larger curve than on the sides so it seems it would be harder to make that look good. I still haven't done any fibreglass repairs so I'm planning to practise on the cover for the gas tank and battery that was on the front that has some cracks in it. Then I cam maybe more easily see what I trust myself to do regarding these two halves.

[sigurd]

After tearing foam away and looking properly at the other side it looks much more manageable. I'm planning to sand down both sides a bit and then fibreglass between them. Then I would either use putty in the gap and shape other side to smoothen out the edge. Or just get a new belly band belt to cover it.

I'm not sure what consequence it will have for strength if I don't sand the fibreglass down until the edge is very thin and then put new fibreglass kind of on top of that. Do you guys think that will be strong enough or should I rethink this? I'm still so new to fibreglass work so I'm not sure if there is some danger to doing it like that.

I also started removing the air vent. I've been looking for a replacement since this one is dead to say the least. It started crumbling in my hands when I took it off. I'm hoping to find one the same size, 35x50cm, but I haven't been able to source anything of that size. Anyone know of one?

I also saw something weird on the roof. Looks like part of it melted or something.

[Stephlander]

Hey, I’m new! How’s the repair coming along? We started gutting ours today. Floor is completely rotten, new door seal is needed, and there is a hole where water is getting in near the wheel arch- not sure where this leak originates from.. more investigation needed Tomorrow!

[zgrammon]

@sigurd You may have seen this one already, but this guy removed the belly band on a Casita and filled it.

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ons-59919.html

Scroll down to post #13 to see the action begin.

[sigurd]

Stephlander It's coming along bit by bit, I will lose the garage in a month so I need to hurry up and finish making it completely waterproof. I don't have time to write much about what I've been doing but I'll upload some pictures in case you are interested.

Basically I've finished up fibreglassing over where the bellyband was and I'm finishing up filling the last few holes. I'm getting rid of the fridge vent hole and as I did that the side that was bulging out next to the door stopped bulging so much. I've had to recreate the lips around the door frame that the seal attaches to since it was gone in several areas. The floor was also damaged where every stabilising leg was attached as well as where the frame is attached in the front, so I ripped that all up and and fibreglassed.

[Steve_N_Janna]

Sigurd you have an interesting little trailer there - and a really big project.

A few years back I did some fiberglass work on a Scamp 13, and redid the interior cabinetry as well. Early in the project I discovered that a good source for info on working with fiberglass is the boating world. I'd nose around on the net for boating forums that discuss fiberglass repair - or better yet - connect with someone who has had some experience with it. It is a speciality skill in its own right. I definitely made multiple beginner mistakes as I got into it -- had to learn as I went along.

I suggest you purchase plenty of roving - maybe a 3" wide roll - and good quality resin. Most of these trailers are built with poly resin. Epoxy is better, but more expensive. Use acetone (or a product specific for fiberglass work) for final surface prepping before laying down any new material.

Voids can be filled - and then sanded if necessary - with BONDO automotive body filler. This may be what you were referring to when you mentioned 'putty'. Do not use real putty. You can also use powdered plastic mixed with epoxy. You mix it to the consistency of dough. The fiberglass folks refer this to as 'fairing'. This is stronger than the BONDO and might be a better choice for patching the seam or any work around the door. A marine supply should carry it.

Consider pulling out the window frames and resealing them with fresh butyl tape. Same for the roof vent. They may be another source of the water leak.

I have limited experience with floor problems, but based on the pics you shared I'd consider replacing the entire floor with plywood. Seal both sides with paint or resin. Fill any voids. Pay extra attention to the edge of the floor where it meets the side walls.

If this link works it will show you some of what I did with the Scamp. There is a follow-up thread with the final results somewhere on this site, but I couldn't track it down. Good luck. Keep the faith and enjoy the journey. Steve

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ate-50069.html

[sigurd]

It's been a long while since my last update. I unfortunately documented less and less as I continued working on the trailer. The first few photos show the last days I had my rented garage as I needed to finish the shell of the trailer so I could take it outside without it leaking (it still leaked though).

The area next to the door had such thin fiberglass that I could barely touch it without going through it, which is why you see a very large hole which I then patched up.

I fixed the frame supports and put new steel.

Unfortunately there was some misunderstanding with the color, I wanted to make it baby blue, however it turned out quite a strong blue color. Oh well, at least it looks better than it used to before I started. I also didn't do a good enough job of painting, but I learned a lot.

Someone posted in another thread about their floor issues in a similar trailer so hopefully this helps them a bit, I didn't take proper pictures but what I essentially did was replace the rusted frame fittings. Then put new foam into the bottom where I had removed the old foam, I did leave a lot of the old foam since there wasn't anything wrong with it, but I put adhesive glue on those areas. Then I simply put new wood planks on top and applied pressure with some heavy things like tires I had lying around among other things and left it to dry.

I then put new foam in the areas of the wall which I had fiberglassed the two shells together. Unfortunately (I've been saying unfortunately a lot haven't I?) I struggled to get that new foam very flat, I didn't find a good technique to do so and as a result when I then put a new wall cover on top, it was showing a lot of uneven surfaces through the new cover. One day I will probably fix it but for now the cabinets cover a lot of it, and then we have cushions and things like that anyway so it's not that obvious. there is no proper pictures of that since I hated it so much, haha.

I've then been building a wardrobe from scratch, again without proper tools but it worked out alright. And I bought kitchen cabinets from ikea and fitted inside.

[sigurd]

This is then the end results, I'll try to take better pictures later if you guys are interested.

[alan H]

Very nice
Like the color as well even though it wasn’t what you were expecting
Nice job

[sigurd]

Originally Posted by alan H

Very nice
Like the color as well even though it wasn’t what you were expecting
Nice job

Thanks!

It's funny, it draws insanely much attention to it, whenever I stop I see people taking pictures and others come approach me and ask me if it's for sale or if they can look inside. So I guess even though I can see all the things I did wrong and don't like about it, then maybe it doesn't matter so much at the end of the day

I even had people somehow find out my phone number to call me and make me offers. One person wanted to make it into a "food truck"

[Cor]

good to see you posting again. Like to see you're pics.