It's all fiberglassrv.com's fault!!!!!

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Jamie ... a lot's been written about rivet replacement.

But basically ....

1. By its very nature, a "popped" rivet has lost either its interior or exterior retaining collar or head. You can usually use a small phillips screwdriver to "push" the popped rivet out a bit, by pushing on the broken collar side. And then grab it with a pair of plyers and wiggling it out.

2. With an "unpopped" rivet, you have to carefully drill off the little lip on the rivet, using a drill bit sized a hair larger than the rivet's mandral head or hollow tube.

Before you start drilling on your trailer, get a rivet gun and some rivets. Drill some holes in a couple of yardsticks or thin pieces of wood. Rivet the pieces together ... and watch what the rivets do when you pop them with the rivet gun.

Then practice drilling out the rivets. You don't have to drill completely through the rivet ... just enough to remove the mandral head or collar, which will allow you to then push out the old rivet and install a new one.

Once you get the hang of it, it takes longer to describe it than it does to replace a broken rivet.

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I have been spending 30-60 minutes a night cleaning the ensolite in The Love Bug. Between lacquer thinner and Oops the ensolite is starting to really look great. I want to find some T-moulding to match the interior. I have some samples from when I was looking to replace the moulding on a VW Westfalia. It will look very sharp once its completed. I'll take some pictures with the digital this weekend when I have some light. I've been getting home around 8:00 everynight as my lacrosse season is wrapping up.

I think I want to go all out on a Westfalia conversion with the extra stuff I have stored in my garage. I got thinking tonight about adding jalousie windows. My concern is how to make the front and rear window opening smaller. Any advice?

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Well, slowly but surely I am running into more snags. The Love Bug has been painted and I was determined to get a shine on my lil egg. I used stripper to take off the paint and found out why it was painted in the first place. Parts of the gelcoat has come off. Here are some pics.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ebdc822a1e34lb1.JPG/>

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ebdc83c4f871lb2.JPG/>

The pics are a little dark. If I kept the flash on it was too light. I'll take some more tomorrow.
I guess I'll be sanding priming and painting ;0(
I know that dark colors attract heat, but I was thinking a bright red. My 'lil caboose!

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Jamie:

That is why I chose to strip and sand the U-Haul Camper #1. When someone has painted something. Are they trying to hide those unseen repairs? It took about three to four weekends, two orbital sanders, a package of 100 sheets of 80 grit sandpaper, and a lot of hard work from Deb and I to get down to the original gelcoat to reveal a few places that had been repaired with BONDO. I have since made the correct repair with fiberglass.

- Ray

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Here is another pic I just took. It's really overcast here today and it did not come out much better
<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ebebcfadd739MVC-008S.JPG/>
When I sand down the egg, how far do I go?

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I would venture a guess and say, until smooth, and not that far . mine is only 1/8 inch thick, so don't go too far. :lol

What did you strip the paint with Ray. I can't remember if we have talked this before or not, and I think mines been painted too. there is a layer of gray under the cream then another layer of cream. so the tops probably paint, then primer, then original. it sure was a pretty color to start. I want it back!

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Hey folks,
I have been thinking about how I am going to personalize my little egg. I am VW bus addict and I want to put a VW Westafalia touch on The Love Bug. I have spare bus parts lying around ad here is one idea.
<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ec2ee3dc9535lbfront.jpg/>
<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ec2eea18c526lbside.jpg/>

The square jalousies come from early campers and the long jalousies from later campers. This should give lots of air flow. What do you think?

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Windows help brighten up the inside. I really glad my Trill has a front window.:ola