1975 Boler Complete Restoration....my once in a lifetime project! - Page 4 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 11-22-2018, 09:38 AM   #61
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
I created "junction boxes" to be taped over before insulation was sprayed in...
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Junction box 1.jpg   Junction box 2.jpg  

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Old 11-23-2018, 12:11 AM   #62
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Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Past Tents" 2018 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB SuperCrew
Arkansas
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Impressive. Looking forward to more updates and photos.
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Old 11-23-2018, 08:06 AM   #63
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Now to attach strips to the rest of the trailer. I used 1 1/2" wide strips where I knew there would be seams in the panelling and 1" wide strips everywhere else. I planned seams to be hidden inside cabinets where I could and to split the tight radius in the 4 corners of the trailer (the plywood is bendable but not enough to fit that radius without breaking!). The spacing of the strips was determined by the amount of curve in the trailer...the tighter the curves, the closer the strips. The final result was essentially a contour map of the inside of the Boler!
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First layer 1.jpg   First layer 2.jpg  

First layer 3.jpg  
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Old 11-23-2018, 08:12 AM   #64
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
I purchased a 10 gallon fresh water tank so I could plan for the location of the backing to attach the water fill. Final location of the tank will be centered at the rear of the trailer.
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Old 11-23-2018, 08:30 AM   #65
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Now onto the very repetitious process of adding the next 3 layers of 1/4" bending plywood strips. Roll Titebond III onto each surface, pin nail the strip and repeat and repeat.... At least I could work with longer strips but there was still a lot of cutting and fitting where the trailer was curved and around the electrical conduits. "I'm only doing this once, I'm only doing this once..."
As a note, this work is taking place in September and October of this year. I was very determined to finish the strips so that the trailer could be insulated for the winter allowing me to get on with finishing the interior. The minimum temperature required for Sikaflex to cure is 10 degrees Celsius and storing the trailer inside a structure was not an option. It was an unbelievably warm fall and I was very fortunate to get the temperatures I needed!!
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Finished strips 1.jpg   Finished strips 2.jpg  

Finished strips 3.jpg   Finished strips 4.jpg  

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Old 11-23-2018, 08:56 AM   #66
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Every opening and component had to be thought out in advance to insure there was proper backing and strips for attachment. Since the rear of the trailer will be a permanent bed (the trailer is intended for 2 - 3 people and I didn't want a table that had to be made into a bed each night...I'll post interior plans in the future) I decided to add an access door on each side at the rear of the trailer. Now I'll have access to storage that would have otherwise been very difficult to reach. It's all about maximizing space in these little trailers! The access doors are manufactured by Vision Manufacturing in Summerland, B.C. Here are some pics...
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Storage door 1.jpg   Storage door 2.jpg  

City water and 120V inlet backing.jpg   Water fill backing.jpg  

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Old 11-24-2018, 11:02 AM   #67
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
The last construction step before insulation was to cover the tail lights with 1/8" bending plywood. This would have been a challenging area for the insulator to spray foam without a lot of clean up after. Covering it would provide backing and much less work. I made a template from cardboard, fine-tuned the piece of 1/8" bending plywood and glued it in place nailing through small blocks that I removed after the glue dried.
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1:8%22 bending plywood for tail light.jpg   Tail light.jpg  

Covered tail light 1.jpg   Covered tail lights.jpg  

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Old 11-24-2018, 11:09 AM   #68
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
The last step before insulation (yay!!!!!!) was to cover all the strips with duct tape to protect from foam over-spray. No point in using just silver duct tape....
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Duct tape 1.jpg   Duct tape 2.jpg  

Duct tape 3.jpg   Duct tape 4.jpg  

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Old 11-24-2018, 11:13 AM   #69
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Hooked up and ready to tow to the spray foam insulation shop!!
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Old 11-24-2018, 11:23 AM   #70
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Back from the insulation shop! They did a great job! A little shaving of high spots will be required (which I expected) and will do before the panelling goes on but I would rather that than a thinner layer of insulation. Should make for a pretty cozy Boler!
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Insulated Boler 1.jpg   Insulated Boler 2.jpg  

Insulated Boler 3.jpg   Insulated Boler 4.jpg  

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Old 11-24-2018, 11:26 AM   #71
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
That brings my project up to date! I'm currently working on a new door that will fit the curves exactly for a really tight fit. I'll post photos on this and the rest of the restoration as I go.
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Old 11-24-2018, 12:12 PM   #72
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Trailer: 13 ft Boler
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Great thread!! Your tenacity is awesome.
I have bookmarked this thread so I don't miss anything and there is a good chance I may steal some of your ideas to remount cabinets to eliminate bolts and pop rivets through the shell.
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Old 11-24-2018, 12:22 PM   #73
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Lol! Thanks Fred....it has been a project that has required tenacity...physical and mental! You are welcome to "steal" any of my ideas! I was hoping that sharing my pitfalls and successes would help others doing the same or similar thing. My goal is to use the trailer this summer so it will be "head down" until then!
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Old 11-24-2018, 01:16 PM   #74
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Name: Hersh
Trailer: Wonderfully interested
Oregon
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Unbelievable!!!

I'm a production "Cabinet guy" in Oregon and have built a few trailers with none being fiberglass. TOOO ITCHY!!! Seriously though, I have always thought why not just do rebuilds on them and only do minor repairs on the FG parts. After watching all the work you have put in I still believe the idea of a serious rebuilder could work... that is... IF there was a market for these small trailers.


The question I have for you is, what do you think the total man hours has been thus far and how many more do you see it taking to finish? I have seen plenty of "production" trailer builds at factories and LOVE the idea of possibly doing some with a few of my key employees on an after hours/swing shift plan.



I'm wondering if just setting up a "New Line" of trailers is the profitable answer, rather than rebuilds. Sometimes finding a replacement part can drive many of us crazy...


You are doing a fantastic job and I think all of us are thankful for all the pics along the way.

Keep at it...
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Old 11-25-2018, 09:30 AM   #75
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Hi Hersh,
Thanks for your kind words and encouragement! And...I feel the same way about fibreglass as you do!! It has lots of great qualities, but it is smelly and irritating to work with!! Yuck!
I'd have to say I chuckled thinking of how many hours I have put into this restoration. I can say if I charged by the hour...NO ONE COULD AFFORD THIS BOLER!!! It would be hundreds of hours from the start to where I am now. As for how many more hours to finish...very likely a few hundred more. For the 3 mm plywood panelling, there will be lots of pattern making, cutting, priming, filling and painting to get a finished liner. Then onto cabinets which will be constructed from baltic birch plywood of various thicknesses (as thin as possible to keep the weight down)...not straightforward cabinet making with lots of curves which is so time consuming (for me anyway ). I'll be hiring someone to prep and paint the outside.
If you look for threads by Robert Johans (1974 Boler Resto. Oops, I did it again... and 1971 Boler Custom renovation—Let the fun begin!) that might give you an idea on the commercial end of restoring these trailers as a business. There are also other small fibreglass trailer companies now such as Armadillo Trailers in Armstrong, B.C., Happier Campers and Escape Trailers.
Hope that helps Hersh
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Old 11-25-2018, 11:35 AM   #76
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Here's some interior design plans. The bed pullout refers to a pullout that will essentially make the bed dimensions 6' wide by 6' long....very comfortable for 2 people! I will have the pullout on heavy duty full extension drawer slides and legs that fold down to support. The mattress will be stored underneath the pullout. Still room for a pullout drawer underneath that. I've also changed the table design in that it will be a fold-down top rather than one supported by a centre pole. The support is "L-shaped" (very skookum) so it will provide more leg room under the table as well as more room to get in/out of bed. There will also be a small porta-potty under the dinette seat on the door side.
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Boler Interior Design Galley.jpg   Boler Interior Design Rear.jpg  

Boler Interior Design Dinette.jpg   Boler Interior Design Door Side (1).jpg  

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Old 11-27-2018, 07:38 PM   #77
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Well, so far this week I've been able to make a frame for my door and a template for the outside face of the door. To make the frame, I placed pieces of 1/8" plywood next to the door frame on the trailer and traced the shape of the curves on the right and left side as well as the top. Once these curves were cut, I used them as templates to cut the 3 pieces for the frame from 1" baltic birch plywood (2 1/2" pieces glued together). I will use pocket screws to attach the top to the 2 sides.
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Frame template and pieces.jpg   3 piece door frame.jpg  

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Old 11-27-2018, 07:50 PM   #78
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
To ensure even spacing between the door jamb on the Boler and the door frame, I temporarily attached plywood spacers to the outside of the frame and clamped the frame in place. I then cut 3 cross pieces to fit and screwed these in place. The angle at the top of the side pieces had to be tweaked a bit to bring the top piece flush to the door jamb. Really happy with the fit and the even reveals at the sides and top!
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Door frame fitting.jpg   Door frame reveal.jpg  

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Old 11-27-2018, 08:14 PM   #79
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Name: Shannon
Trailer: 1975 13' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 229
Getting closer to having a door again! I decided on a 1/4" space between the edge of the door and the edge of the frame on the Boler. Hot melt glue is a wondrous thing and worked well to adhere small pieces of 1/4" plywood to the trailer. Now just a matter of laying 1" wide strips of 1/8" bending plywood next to the spacers, cutting curves to fit the corners then more hot melt glue to adhere cross pieces to maintain the width and shape of the template.
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1:4%22 spacers.jpg   Corner detail.jpg  

door face template 1.jpg   door face template 2.jpg  

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Old 11-27-2018, 09:24 PM   #80
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Name: Rob
Trailer: 1975 Triple E Surfside
Alberta
Posts: 194
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Wow.. good work.. But what happened to the door ?

And it looks like you are not using the old cabinets.
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