1971 Boler 1300 repairs: door, rivets, cabinet supports, etc

[Cheech00TS]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the boler world, and the FGRV world in general, but I'm very excited to get our new project out to enjoy the benefits of not sleeping on the ground in a tent. I've been through the boler fairly thoroughly now and below are my most pressing issues without obvious solutions.

I've done some searching for information about the bolts that hold the door hinges to the shell of the body and the door itself (the horizontal bolts, not the vertical bolts with the spring and brass ball) and I'm coming up empty-handed so I'm hoping to get some help here.

One of my bolts snapped while I was trying to loosen it (to adjust the door angle slightly), so now I'm looking to replace all of them with a SS option but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. I could try to take the remaining bolts off but they're not moving at all and if I break another one I'll be stuck with the door completely off.

Does anyone know the hinge hole size, thread, and the length of the original bolts? I'd like to try re-using the original hinges (with the addition of the rebuild kit) if at all possible.

As for rivets, is there anything special about the rivets that need to be used to fasten the upper cabinets back to the shell, or are they pretty standard? I haven't done much with rivets but after looking into it they seem like the easiest solution to getting the boler back to good. I have several holes in the shell where rivets used to be and one way or another they will all need to be filled and waterproofed.

Further issues with the cabinets... The PO removed the two black metal supports from the sink side of the cabinets, and on the fridge side there was a very lightweight grease splash guard that was screwed to the top and bottom cabinets providing no structural support whatsoever. What do you suggest that I replace these supports with? I'm not sure what material would be best to be supportive yet lightweight, and I'm also not sure what the original distance between the cabinets was (from countertop to bottom of upper). Right now I have 3/8" difference L (20 1/4") to R (20 5/8") so I know something is off!

Any advice on one or all of these areas would be greatly appreciated, and if I've missed something in my search please just refer me to the post and I can take it from there. Thanks in advance.

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the boler world, and the FGRV world in general, but I'm very excited to get our new project out to enjoy the benefits of not sleeping on the ground in a tent. I've been through the boler fairly thoroughly now and below are my most pressing issues without obvious solutions.

I've done some searching for information about the bolts that hold the door hinges to the shell of the body and the door itself (the horizontal bolts, not the vertical bolts with the spring and brass ball) and I'm coming up empty-handed so I'm hoping to get some help here.

One of my bolts snapped while I was trying to loosen it (to adjust the door angle slightly), so now I'm looking to replace all of them with a SS option but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. I could try to take the remaining bolts off but they're not moving at all and if I break another one I'll be stuck with the door completely off.

Does anyone know the hinge hole size, thread, and the length of the original bolts? I'd like to try re-using the original hinges (with the addition of the rebuild kit) if at all possible.

The bolts are 1/4"-20 also know as 1/4"NC
Length I believe is 3/4"
I highly recommend you use anti seize compound on the threads when you reassemble. On the door bolts try to find the flattest or thinnest head available.

The broken bolt you can just drill out the bolt to the 1/4" size (hole diameter) and use a 1/4" bolt with acorn nut or nylock nut on the outsside

If needed I sell the hinge rebuild kits in Stainless Steel

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

As for rivets, is there anything special about the rivets that need to be used to fasten the upper cabinets back to the shell, or are they pretty standard? I haven't done much with rivets but after looking into it they seem like the easiest solution to getting the boler back to good. I have several holes in the shell where rivets used to be and one way or another they will all need to be filled and waterproofed.

Further issues with the cabinets... The PO removed the two black metal supports from the sink side of the cabinets, and on the fridge side there was a very lightweight grease splash guard that was screwed to the top and bottom cabinets providing no structural support whatsoever. What do you suggest that I replace these supports with? I'm not sure what material would be best to be supportive yet lightweight, and I'm also not sure what the original distance between the cabinets was (from countertop to bottom of upper). Right now I have 3/8" difference L (20 1/4") to R (20 5/8") so I know something is off!

Rivets are aluminum, most are 1/8" diameter and should fit snug in the holes, if the holes are enlarged you can use 3/16"

You can use anything for the upper cabinet support, wrought iron, a spindle, I have even seen a tree branch used(look very cool)

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

Any advice on one or all of these areas would be greatly appreciated, and if I've missed something in my search please just refer me to the post and I can take it from there. Thanks in advance.

[Cheech00TS]

Ian G.

Do you recall how long those supports need to be, or what the original spacing was between upper and lower cabinet? That tree branch sounds like a wicked idea!

As for the rebuild kit, I think I'll take you up on that. It seems like I should go all the way with the hinges and get them working perfectly. How do I make that happen?

With regards to the rivets, should I be looking into a SS version or will standard rivets do the trick?

I'm encouraged by your response because the solutions seem simple, cheap, and effective, which falls in line nicely with my values in regards to this trailer reno!

Thanks!

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

Ian G.

Do you recall how long those supports need to be, or what the original spacing was between upper and lower cabinet? That tree branch sounds like a wicked idea!

As for the rebuild kit, I think I'll take you up on that. It seems like I should go all the way with the hinges and get them working perfectly. How do I make that happen?

With regards to the rivets, should I be looking into a SS version or will standard rivets do the trick?

I'm encouraged by your response because the solutions seem simple, cheap, and effective, which falls in line nicely with my values in regards to this trailer reno!

Thanks!

For the length of the support I would measure the distance between upper and lower cabinet on the right side (stove side) and transfer that measurement to the left.

There is a lot f discussion on Aluminum vs SS rivets, aluminum is plenty string enough and if it i stressed the rivet will break rather than the fibreglass .... on the other hand if your frame is solid and the body fastened to the trailer securely nothing should move in which case SS rivets or even #8 machine screws will work equally well.

[TheRobster]

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

Further issues with the cabinets... The PO removed the two black metal supports from the sink side of the cabinets, and on the fridge side there was a very lightweight grease splash guard that was screwed to the top and bottom cabinets providing no structural support whatsoever. What do you suggest that I replace these supports with? I'm not sure what material would be best to be supportive yet lightweight, and I'm also not sure what the original distance between the cabinets was (from countertop to bottom of upper). Right now I have 3/8" difference L (20 1/4") to R (20 5/8") so I know something is off!

I made my replacement support from an Ikea closet rod kit. Bought it in their salvage department for $5, modified, and cut to fit.
Best part is the rod is hollow steel, so I ran the power line for the LED lights through it.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

Further issues with the cabinets... The PO removed the two black metal supports from the sink side of the cabinets, and on the fridge side there was a very lightweight grease splash guard that was screwed to the top and bottom cabinets providing no structural support whatsoever. What do you suggest that I replace these supports with?

$18 USD from Scamp
Hardware : Cabinet Wrought Iron Support

[Kai in Seattle]

Roy--clever use of materials!

We used scraps of the marine plywood we bought for the new subfloor.

Made the front edges wavy, used the straight back edges to cover small gaps between wall panels and surrounding structures...but no usable holes in anything (except behind paneling) for the wiring!

[Keaner]

For cabinet support you may try something hollow so you can pass wires up to the upper cabinet. I used a length of stainless and a couple flanges to finish it off.

[Cheech00TS]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I will be getting to the supports once I figure out what I want to do with the cabinet in terms of filling holes, replacing lights with LED, and reinforcing holes for remounting to the shell. I'm also trying to track down closed-end rivets so that when its all put back together I won't have to worry about water issues.

I'm planning on using a two part epoxy to fill the small rivet holes left behind from years of mounting various lights etc to the cabinet. Once the holes are filled I'm hoping to sand the entire thing, lay some new mat inside the cabinets to provide a bit smoother finish, and then repaint it all with a marine Tremclad or something similar that is designed for fiberglass.
I'm not sure about using the epoxy to fill the holes that will be used to mount the cabinet to the shell, but the other option would be to wrap the holes front and back with glass mat and try to reinforce the holes before drilling them out for new rivets. On the shell, I think epoxy should be solid enough as long as I rough up the holes a bit and make sure they're extra clean(obviously). Once the epoxy sets, I plan to redrill and reinstall waterproof rivets. If anyone has a better suggestion, I'd love to hear it!

I've already read Dave's thread on fiberglass repair, but I think little rivet holes in the shell will only require a bit of work to ensure they're solid, and the waterproof rivets should finish the job nicely.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

If anyone has a better suggestion, I'd love to hear it!

I've already read Dave's thread on fiberglass repair, but I think little rivet holes in the shell will only require a bit of work to ensure they're solid, and the waterproof rivets should finish the job nicely.

Epoxy putty sticks
Epoxy Putty Sticks | J-B Weld

[Cheech00TS]

Thanks Roy, I'll see if I can find those!

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Cheech00TS

Thanks Roy, I'll see if I can find those!

You are welcome.
It does not have to be that brand. Just about every hardware store, home depot and canadian tire has something similar.

If I recall, Alf S has done a few posts on how to use it. Basically cut a small slice off, mix it by kneading and push into the hole. Before it sets hard cut off the excess with a razor blade. Once set sand smooth.

Somebody has posted which one dries almost the same white as our trailers.

[Borden]

We used closed end rivets as they can not leak unlike regular pop rivets.

[Borden]

original 78 boler windows

[Cheech00TS]

I'm going to track down some closed-end rivets when everyone gets back to work from the long weekend (Happy Canada Day!), as I've heard the same about them being waterproof.

It looks like I'll be doing a window rebuild too, much sooner than I had anticipated. I remember seeing the YouTube vid on the process, but does anyone near Edmonton, AB know where I can find the rubber trim/gasket/seals that I'll need to get these windows water tight again? I may just remove the existing seals and take them to an RV shop to see if they can match what I have. I'll post my source and some part numbers if/when I find what I need.

Thanks for all the great suggestions and advice. It's really made this project a lot less intimidating so far.

[Borden]

[QUOTE=Cheech00TS;595790]Hey everyone,

I'm new to the boler world, and the FGRV world in general, but I'm very excited to get our new project out to enjoy the benefits of not sleeping on the ground in a tent. I've been through the boler fairly thoroughly now and below are my most pressing issues without obvious solutions.

I've done some searching for information about the bolts that hold the door hinges to the shell of the body and the door itself (the horizontal bolts, not the vertical bolts with the spring and brass ball) and I'm coming up empty-handed so I'm hoping to get some help here.

Would drill out the broken bolts as the curved door and side do not work with a flat style hinge that is why the ball system.

Does anyone know the hinge hole size, thread, and the length of the original bolts? I'd like to try re-using the original hinges (with the addition of the rebuild kit) if at all possible.

They have a repair kit with the ball available we got one for our trailer.

As for rivets, is there anything special about the rivets that need to be used to fasten the upper cabinets back to the shell, or are they pretty standard? I haven't done much with rivets but after looking into it they seem like the easiest solution to getting the boler back to good. I have several holes in the shell where rivets used to be and one way or another they will all need to be filled and waterproofed.

Closed end rivets are water proof to 500 psi and the bolers used 3/16" rivets.

Further issues with the cabinets... The PO removed the two black metal supports from the sink side of the cabinets, and on the fridge side there was a very lightweight grease splash guard that was screwed to the top and bottom cabinets providing no structural support whatsoever. What do you suggest that I replace these supports with? I'm not sure what material would be best to be supportive yet lightweight, and I'm also not sure what the original distance between the cabinets was (from countertop to bottom of upper). Right now I have 3/8" difference L (20 1/4") to R (20 5/8") so I know something is off!

Our support is wrought iron but lighter materials are available.

[Borden]

Spaenaur in Kitchener Ontario has closed end rivets.
Hanson Rivet also has them
Closed End Blind Rivets 3/16 X Grip range we got 3 different lengths using the longer ones only lol

[Cheech00TS]

Thanks for that pic. I was able to track some closed end rivets down at an industrial supplier, since big box stores don't seem to stock them. They seem to work well, although initially I got the wrong shank length. Turns out, I needed them for a new water fill inlet for the curb side anyways. Hopefully I'm able to get the upper cabinet hung tomorrow, and possibly post some pics of the renovations.

[alishawayward]

Lots of stuff here for the boler

Vintage Trailer Supply - parts and supplies for vintage travel trailers and campers!

I found hinges and hinge repair kit here

Stainless Steel Boler Scamp Door Hinge Repair Kit

[Borden]

Boler Parts - Boler-Camping
hinge bolts, springs and new balls

Vintage trailer supply has window and door seal samples available for .50 cents each we purchase about 12 to test what works on our trailer.