Before and After - 74 Boler

[sanderssc]

Just some updates I've been working on


First change was the cabinet lights. I swapped them out for LED.
They are about the same size, but with 24 LEDs =) You would think this would make the Boler look like a scene from close encounters, but it actually provides just the right amount of light. AND they are marine lights so they are sealed and corrosion resistant.

Sorry the before pic isn't that great. I really need to take more pics during this process....

[sanderssc]

I really was planning to keep the original stove, but I saw this stainless one from Suburban and really thought I NEEDED it.

[sanderssc]

OK I can't take credit for the red and lime green color scheme. I saw an amazing interior online and wanted to do something similar. It really brings some color to the interior. My sister also thought it might be clever to make the entire interior reversible (with the exception of the upper bunk) so we can roll with all stripes, all red, or any combination of the colors.

The stripped fabric is duck canvas used for beach chairs (it's mostly poly and has water and stain resistant qualities). The red is a heavy cotton canvas.

The green is also a heavy cotton canvas. I learned how to make the piping from my sister. Overall the interior took 70 yards of green piping all made by hand. It's a good thing she has some tricks to speed that process up. When we started this project I thought piping was something you could just buy on a bolt and sew it in....

[sanderssc]

Don't really have before pics for most of these, but I added the princess auto tail lights...I didn't even have to drill holes. That must be the quickest update so far! I also added a lens to the license plate light for a little extra something...

I also rewired the trailer from front to back and added new running lights.
I had 3 red and 1 amber for some reason. And none of them worked, so I swapped them all out for LED. Can't miss this little egg in the dark!

[dylanear]

Nice upgrades!

Tell me about that classy looking fan? 12V?

[dylanear]

And while I'm asking questions, how easy was it to swap the old style SD2 stove for the new style? Was the propane connection in the same place? Close enough to bend the existing tubing into place? Or were new flair fittings needed?

I have the old style stove, I have a stainless stove top replacement on order, but who knows when that will actually get delivered. I could Amazon a new one like yours quite rapidly.

[sanderssc]

LOL I wish that fan was 12V! I got it at target a few years ago. Really helped to keep the air moving when working in the Boler. I plan to install a fantastic fan (In fact I already bought it, just a little intimidated when it comes to cutting a hole in the roof)

The new stove is exactly the same size as the old one. I had to sink a couple screws to hold it in place, but otherwise it was not too bad. The gas line was about two inches too long and wouldn't bend like I wanted so I just cut it to fit and re-flared it. (this was my first time doing any kind of propane fittings so I had to You Tube some reference material =)
The new stove has several punch out holes at the back so you can run the lines through the sides or through the back. It all lined up perfectly. Connections were the exact same size so I didn't even have to buy new fittings.

One thing to note though. My old stove was rusted pretty bad and it's not that easy to get to the gas line (I had to take out the burner assembly on the old stove to disconnect it) The new stove is really easy connect though.

Here's a pic of what the connection looks like. (I got to know this thing really well. I did the first connection with white Teflon tape, then talked to a guy at Home Depot and redid it with the heavy duty yellow stuff)

[sanderssc]

This change I mulled over for a long time. I had a 3 way fridge (original and nonfunctional) and I really wanted to replace it with another three way.
I actually got one from someone on Kijiji classifieds, but the measurements were a bit off and it stuck out really bad.

SO - off I went to Home Outfitters and got an electric fridge. Fits great int he hole and is MUCH bigger on the inside. Guess I can always us a cooler for those non-electric sites.

Just need to cover up the screw heads on the trim...wood work is really not one of my stronger skills

[sanderssc]

I picked up a tongue box from Canadian Tire.

I wanted to install one for the propane and the battery, but they are hard to find and expensive here in Canada. I setup a sale reminder on their website. It went on sale for $40.00 off so I got it.

The full Boler shot is behind my garage. I eventually moved to the driveway to work on it though....much easier to get around.

[Red Fox]

Any chance of getting the mfg name and or the demensions for the batt/pro Box.. Looks real clean. Did you exit plumbing out the back or bottom? Bob

[sanderssc]

Originally Posted by Red Fox

Any chance of getting the mfg name and or the demensions for the batt/pro Box.. Looks real clean. Did you exit plumbing out the back or bottom? Bob

Sure thing Bob. Here is a link to the product at Canadian tire but it looks like you are in Oregon? I also see the same one on Amazon looks like the same part number so they should be the same item.

One thing to note. My 20Lb tank just fits through the opening on the right side of the box (it's so close I had to take the label off my tank), but it fits and the box does have a little give. The box has a small gas spring lid lift on the left that gets in the way so that's where I located the battery.

I ran the battery and propane lines through the back and trimmed out the hole with a bit of snap on cable protector.

[sanderssc]

The new windows are in!

I ordered the beading and lockstrip from Scamp intending to put these in on my own. I ended up chickening out and having a local auto glass company install them. It was a really good choice though. They installed the windows using Lexan. Apparently this is much more durable than plexi, but 2 days after the install the front window had a small crack in the lower left corner. I'm thinking this was possibly from the window being too tight?
Or from the weight of the upper bunk when I reinstalled it?

I took it back and they replaced the window. The second install looked even better than the first....well practiced?!

At any rate - they are in - they don't leak - and they look great!

[Ms. Gayle]

I love the curtain with the big red flowers!! Very festive!

[sanderssc]

Thanks! We made a couple sets of curtains so we could switch up the look. I found this fabric at Hancock fabrics (this link is for the fabric itself) . It's an outdoor fabric so I'm hoping it holds up to the sun / moisture.

[D Davis]

Oh I love your colors! They are so cheerful! You did a great job on the upolstery, and curtains.
Were the windows exspensive? They look nice. I need to get my windows done also, am putting it off till winter. The repair people here charge $65 to $75 dollars an hour and can't tell me how many hours it will take to redo windows.
Also like your stove. Nice job! Thank you for sharing and great pictures of the before and after.

[sanderssc]

Originally Posted by D Davis

Oh I love your colors! They are so cheerful! You did a great job on the upolstery, and curtains.
Were the windows exspensive? They look nice. I need to get my windows done also, am putting it off till winter. The repair people here charge $65 to $75 dollars an hour and can't tell me how many hours it will take to redo windows.
Also like your stove. Nice job! Thank you for sharing and great pictures of the before and after.

Hi Diane! Thanks! I have been a bit Boler obsessed these days!

The windows were expensive. I think the total came to $280.00, then around another $40.00 for the beading and lockstrip. I was just looking around for the receipt...but can't seem to find it at the moment .

They only charged me $100.00 for the actual install though. The rest was for the Lexan. I'm told it won't yellow or crack over time. Hopefully they are right.

[sanderssc]

I picked up a power converter from Vintage trailer supply. Its a progressive dynamics 9245 with charge wizard. I'm kind of new to this stuff (I read a couple books) Anyway - I installed it in the old porta potty cabinet under the couch. All seem to be working great so far.

I do notice a very slight buzz from the converter though. I looked it up online and a lot of users are mentioning a No Load Buzz

As soon as I turn on something that draws power the buzzing stops. Problem is all my lights are LED (except for the porch light) so when I turn on all the LEDs it stops or when I turn on just the porch light....maybe there is a fix for this??

UPDATE: This was because it was in "Boost" mode. Normal mode is silent...good thing

At any rate here are the before and after photos.

There is a bit of water damage at the back of the box. This area does stay nice and dry though. I think that must be from this cabinet's days as a porta potty storage...

[Robin G]

Great work! Love the pic's, thanks for shareing......................

[sanderssc]

Here are the pictures of the cabinets. I removed the furnace because it was just a shell....no guts. So rather than trying to locate a new one I figured there is always a space heater....provided we have power.

I had to replace the florescent light with a smaller one. When I got the Boler it had a 24 inch light there that was causing the power conduit to be crooked.

I made a new cabinet door to cover the furnace hole. It was basically the same size as the other door so I used that one as a template.
My wood working skills are not so great....I gut it out of MDF and rounded out the corners with a sander.

I've replaced all the pinch latches with new ones from Vintage Trailer Supply. The old ones would fly open when on the road...not good
I really wish I could have found them in silver though. They are antique brass.

[sanderssc]

I saw another user add a porch light with a switch and just thought it was SOO cool I had to have one!

No before pic for this one.. getting into all NEW stuff!

Also a picture of my closet with the ikea shoe boxes for storage. They really work great in this space. (sparing us all a separate post for the closet redo ) The shelves were already installed when I got the Boler but they are perfect.