Our 1971 13' Boler mods - Page 5 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-09-2016, 11:56 AM   #81
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Name: Peter
Trailer: G30 Elite Class C
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Thankyou Johnny M for the info

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Originally Posted by Johnny M View Post
Stude that is a good question. From the factory when the molds are made wood is fiberglassed in to the shell and in components like the original cabinets, dinettes, etc for structural or component support. The factory would rivet these components to the shell or screw them down to the wood strips ("tabs" as they are called) fiberglassed to the shell. Over the years these rivets can become loose and potentially leak, so many here try to eliminate the rivets or at least as many as possible. Initially my goal was to not have any holes in the shell except for the window openings, vent, etc. so I eliminated all of the rivet holes to the body which the upper cabinets are attached, and additional screw holes made by previous owner for the roof a/c I removed, etc. Most of the ones I filled (fiberglassed over) were on the roof itself where there is the most potential for leaks. Some things required holes without any other viable options for re-attaching so I re-drilled the only rivet holes remaining which are the ones that hold the roof vent in place, the gutter above the door, the two side windows, and the hatches for water. electric and a/c vent. I did this because I wanted to make sure the rivets were a tight fit to reduce chances of leaks caused by original holes which may have worn or intentionally made larger over the years.

To answer your question more specifically, on nearly everything else I have fiberglassed additional wood tabs (1x2's or strips of plywood) to the shell to use as anchor points or used the ones left from the factory, either of which I would anchor to with screws. This takes some pre-planning when restoring and more so for modifications as to the placement of any new tabs. Weight is a concern, so you want to use wood strong and/or large enough to provide a good anchor to but keeping it to a minimum at the same time to keep added weight to a minimum. In my mod, the toilet cover shown in my last post above, and the wall of the bathroom, the cabinet for the fridge and our upper cabinets are all anchored to tabs with screws. The plywood wall for the bathroom and the cabinet for the fridge I used a heavy thicker plywood because these provide structural support for the roof and to keep the sides from bowing out (anchored to tabs) most everything else like the cover around the toilet I used the lightest/thinnest plywood I could get away with. Additionally on the bathroom wall and the fridge cabinet I filled any gaps where the wood meets the shell with a 2 part epoxy for additional strength to help further reduce the body from any flexing and for appearance (due to my minor imperfections of making the wood curves fit the body). This was especially important around the door frame. To answer the second part of your question, I used clamps or make shift bracing to hold the wood in place until the fiberglass resin or epoxy cured. By using the tabs we have the flexibility to make changes if our wants or needs change in the future without leaving holes in the outer shell.
:
Great info to have as I would of loaded er up with screws, I trust them way more than Rivets. But the FG idea is way better than the screws, now I just need to learn how to mix and install FG, what kind to use etc. For the floor I would use a Marine Grade 3/4" to 1" Plywood, insulation I would blow it onto the walls, no movement that way and no worry about the glue eating the Foam, one would be surprised what this stuff can cover. I know I want a slightly taller Fridge so I will build that side of the cabinet a little taller and possibly a bit wider to fit it into the spot, it will still be a 2 way as I do not like using a Battery, I drive with my fridge on 24/7 and in the last 17 years have never had a problem doing this as I need to keep my insulin cold.
Where I raised the Fridge I will install the stove on top of the raised portion,
Make a 3 burner and I need to bake Bread I can use my home made oven which we put over the campfire works real good once the heat is set up.
I think u can buy these already made at Joe's place but where I saw it first it was called GI Joe's, I made mine slightly stronger as it almost sits on the fire.
I would find someone to make me a window in side the original frame with smallish window so I can open it to let in air but only after I install a fan in the roof vent this way I can move air to keep a bit cooler during the evenings when it is hot out. That way I know I can get some sleep.
And again Johnny thanks for all the info u gave me and the rest of us who were wondering how to attach wood to FG walls.
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Old 04-09-2016, 01:14 PM   #82
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AC & Porta Potti

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Got the bed finished up except for trim work and cabinet doors below on Friday so we left for Riverbend Campgrond near Helen and Hiawassee. I thought I would post some pics of how much larger our bed is now vs before.... We gained almost a foot in width. Only we had no hot water on this trip as the water heater leaked..,.apparently I didn't get all the water out of it back in the fall even though I disconnected both in and out lines and let it drain...oh well live and learn. Weather is beautiful but a little chilly....
: I have to assume the AC unit is under the bed and if so and you pile stuff in front of it how in the world does it cool off inside being blocked in that way? the other re PP is I think I would of made it so I can slide it out from the area it sits in as much easier to remove the Pooop Tank to a dump site than lift up the top and reach back down into a hole and lift up 45#'s of slop and if it spills what a mess. I had a similar situation on a old Class B where I could not open the rear doors and had to take it out through the interior of the Van. Finally I devised a plan to take off the top on the bed by putting a water proof blanket on it then putting top there and remove the base not the best way to do it but it worked. Then in reverse when putting back. So much easier to remove out of back door but I had a storage unit for stuff I could not put inside like gen set, extra gas (2gal) for emergencies, tools, extra water, etc.
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Old 04-09-2016, 05:36 PM   #83
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I thought of that Stude but we wanted our bathroom door and shower stall and I could not come up with a reasonable way to make that happen so we went with the lift up design as a next best thing. At some point down the road we may do a mod to have a black tank flush valve for the porta pottie or just change over to a marine type toilet/black tank all together but for now we will see how this works...okay breaks over I got to get back to my cabinet work...more updates to come....
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Old 04-09-2016, 05:56 PM   #84
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Shower and PP

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I thought of that Stude but we wanted our bathroom door and shower stall and I could not come up with a reasonable way to make that happen so we went with the lift up design as a next best thing. At some point down the road we may do a mod to have a black tank flush valve for the porta pottie or just change over to a marine type toilet/black tank all together but for now we will see how this works...okay breaks over I got to get back to my cabinet work...more updates to come....
:
What if shower in corner and PP in middle? I hope you installed plastic on all wooden walls to stop water rot in future.
I did 6 months on the road in a old Class B with no shower just sponge baths which worked out okay and I had to heat two kettles of hot water on stove also 2 burner. But it did the job, I either parked at a friends place, desert, Walmart, Church parking lots, Casino parking lots or where ever I could find a fairly safe spot to spend the night.
Lucky for me I found a lot of service stations in the USA with outside toilets to empty the PP in or outhouses that also worked occasionally. Big problem there was no way to flush system until I got to people I knew along the way with water hookup and to fill my water tank. Gray water I would park over a Drain and let the water out.
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Old 04-15-2016, 10:49 PM   #85
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Enjoying the weekend with our Boler at the Townsend TN KOA, our first rally. It's a beautiful place and we never seen so many "eggs" at one time. Met lots of nice people and quite a few came by to see our Boler some who are planning to attend the Eggs on the Hiawassee we are hosting next month. Got here about 3am as we left late Thursday from working on the cabinets and trim. When I get back I got to work on the cabinet doors...
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Old 04-15-2016, 11:36 PM   #86
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I do envy a good craftsman.
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Old 05-14-2016, 08:34 AM   #87
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Been so busy working on our Boler I haven't had time to update this here...this weekend I have several projects going on to get ready for the 1st annual "Eggs on the HIawassee Rally" we are hosting this coming week. I am working on making the cabinet doors, my wife is hand painting the wood knobs (the interior decor is a Mickey Mouse theme), I am finishing the interior of our door rebuild thanks to an awesome idea from Fiberglass Dave (more on this below), and we are about to apply the headliner today as we have finished the insulation...

As far as insulation on mine, everyone has pretty much said reflectix, and while I realize it would probably have been easier to cut and apply, I felt like the 1" polystyrene board would better insulate our Boler to make it easier for our 5000 BTU to keep it cool in the hot Georgia summers and also a better noise barrier. Most of it went in fine with "Locktite Professional 300" which says works on polystyrene, DAP contact cement worked too but if the plastic was torn on the styrofoam it attacked it so we switched. The round corners (they were a pain in the a**) don't look pretty without the headliner as we had to rough cut everything but filled in the cracks/voids with expanding spray foam and aluminum tape, once we get the headliner in today I think it will look fine. Our goal was to have a seamless headliner, so we are doing one continuous piece from the cabinet by the door all the way around the rear and up the drivers side to the bath room, inside the cabinets will be separate pieces and 2 on the ceiling and 2 in the bath so we should only have 4 seams showing if all goes well.

I have all the new "LED" lights installed and with the insulation up it is really nice and bright inside. I have got the wires hid inside the cabinets, and the porch light installed (got to get an led bulb for it). Got to do a few minor adjustments on the plumbing setup. Other than that my wife is working on a better setup for our shower curtain and I would like to get another coat of paint on before the rally but not sure that is gonna happen or not. Then all that is left is to put the belly band, gutter, and door trim back on...gonna be a busy 2 days...

More about the door - if you have read previous posts, our door interior was mush (all the wood rotted from water leaking in the door's window) so it would not hold its shape and I had to tear it down and rebuild it and in the process the inner skin was not reusable. Now I decided not to put wood back inside the door to lighten the weight (filled it with 1" styrofoam sheet insulation) and glassed over the window opening. Then I made a hand bent metal frame I epoxied to the inside of the outer door skin to retain its shape (worked very well, used metal conduit and was easier to work with than the 1" square tube I tried on the 1st attempt). The conduit frame flexed a little, but once epoxied to the door it was incredibly strong and should last at least 3 times as long as the wood filled door and is less than half the weight. Now for months I have pondered on how to finish the inside without disturbing the insulation with resin which would attack it. Thanks to Fiberglass Dave here, he suggested I turn the door outside face up and cover it with wax paper and wet out 3 layers of mat. It worked perfectly giving me an exact matching skin for the inner door (now why didn't I think of that!). After it cured I pulled off 2 of the 3 layers of wax paper but the one in the middle didn't come off - I think the paper may have been waxed on one side only , so we got as much as we could off the new skin. Then I trimmed it to fit the door and screwed it to the frame. Cut the door lock opening and began glassing it to the frame. I really took my time with this as I have learned though this camper project that you don't need a lot of resin to wet out the mat but it does take a good bid of stippling it in the mat with a chip brush and you get a strong but thinner and lighter weight piece of glass. Today I will remove the screws and glass over those areas then fill, sand and paint. Paint is not necessary on the inside as we are gonna apply headliner over the door interior but either way I think it will look nice when done.
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Old 08-07-2016, 11:04 AM   #88
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Been so busy have not had a chance to update...

First, we were nearly complete on the interior but the headliner glue issue had been a disappointing set back, although we have used the Boler anyway for several trips in spite of the head liner falling down.

After extensive research and not finding any suitable glue for our styrofoam insulation and marine headliner combination. So me and my wife discussed it and decided it was time to take a different approach. We have since decided to glass tabs to the interior shell, place the styrofoam sheet insulation between the tabs with construction adhesive (similar technique used in home construction), and then apply Polypanel wall covering over that and secured to the tabs with fasteners (most likely will be screws with snap caps but are considering velcro and open for suggestions). I got the idea from a boat restoration video in which they did the exact same thing, except the use formica for the panels and glued the marine headliner to them and installed the panels with heavy duty very wide strips of velcro which allowed the panels to be easily removed for servicing any wiring, plumbing etc. behind the panels. I thought this was ingenious and it looked really good, and would be a perfect solution for our Boler and in a sense give it a "2 hull design". So we are currently working on this in hopes of having it completed by Labor Day weekend.

The inside shoulders of our new tires had excessive wear after only a handful of trips since last fall. We discovered that the axle was worn out and had been flipped over from its original leading arm installation to a trailing arm by a previous owner (most likely to compensate for wear). So I am about to order a new Dexter #9 with Ian G.'s specs for $243 with a bolt on design and 2000 or 2200 lbs as opposed to the original 1200 lbs capacity of the Ingersol Rub R Rid original. I decided on the weight after weighing our trailer and it came up to 1420 pounds with all our gear minus water in the tanks, our clothes and food. Getting the correct weight was a fiasco (see my other thread My Boler weighs 720 pounds???)

Due to an error on my part during last years installation of new floors and remount of the body, I decided to fix the door opening which was about 1/2" wider at the bottom than at the top. This involved removing the lower floor and cutting the curb side upper floor from the body and trimming it, pulling the body together at the lower door frame, reinstalling/re-glassing the upper floor. In the process I had to disassembly my wood work of the refrigerator cabinet and the bathroom walls and remove them out of the trailer. While I had them out I decided to weigh all the components to get a total weight of the refrig cabinet (44 lbs) and the bathroom walls and shelf (69 lbs) which was a total added weight of 113 pounds to the unit, considering the weight I took out of the fiberglass fixtures I am comfortable with this added weight as they both serve as structural support for the roof and shape of the door side body. Both are constructed out of 3/4" plywood with a 1x2 door frame for the bath. Almost all of the refrigerator cabinet is over the axle so the bath adds minimal tongue weight to the unit. There was some caution posts over my design early on about added weight stressing the unit but with my design an layout I believe most of the added weight is over the axle including the permanent bed and upper cabinets.

Removing the lower floor was a blessing in disguise as I discovered upon looking at the previous owners axle mod that they had welded the axle to the lower floor frame for additional support (I guess) so I went ahead and cut those additional unnecessary welds free as I would not have been able to remove the axle with the lower floor in place.

Another thing is I am going to try my hand at glassing a shower pan to convert our shower stall (utility tub) and shower curtain combo to a wetbath.

And last but not least I am not entirely happy with my cabinetry. The 1x2 supports of the shelves are poor by my own design and I don't like the way they are held together with angle brackets, but the face frames look real nice! So with the tabs for the insulation/wall covering redo I may fix the bases of those cabinets and built them more like a residential cabinet. We'll see how that goes.

Well, time to get back to work. Sorry for no pictures, not much to show in progress right now, but I will post pictures of the new axle and install when I get to that point and also the cabinetry when I get it finished.
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Old 08-07-2016, 11:59 AM   #89
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Trailer: G30 Elite Class C
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Headliner Glue

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny M View Post
Been so busy have not had a chance to update...

First, we were nearly complete on the interior but the headliner glue issue had been a disappointing set back, although we have used the Boler anyway for several trips in spite of the head liner falling down.

After extensive research and not finding any suitable glue for our styrofoam insulation and marine headliner combination. So me and my wife discussed it and decided it was time to take a different approach. We have since decided to glass tabs to the interior shell, place the styrofoam sheet insulation between the tabs with construction adhesive (similar technique used in home construction), and then apply Polypanel wall covering over that and secured to the tabs with fasteners (most likely will be screws with snap caps but are considering velcro and open for suggestions). I got the idea from a boat restoration video in which they did the exact same thing, except the use formica for the panels and glued the marine headliner to them and installed the panels with heavy duty very wide strips of velcro which allowed the panels to be easily removed for servicing any wiring, plumbing etc. behind the panels. I thought this was ingenious and it looked really good, and would be a perfect solution for our Boler and in a sense give it a "2 hull design". So we are currently working on this in hopes of having it completed by Labor Day weekend.

The inside shoulders of our new tires had excessive wear after only a handful of trips since last fall. We discovered that the axle was worn out and had been flipped over from its original leading arm installation to a trailing arm by a previous owner (most likely to compensate for wear). So I am about to order a new Dexter #9 with Ian G.'s specs for $243 with a bolt on design and 2000 or 2200 lbs as opposed to the original 1200 lbs capacity of the Ingersol Rub R Rid original. I decided on the weight after weighing our trailer and it came up to 1420 pounds with all our gear minus water in the tanks, our clothes and food. Getting the correct weight was a fiasco (see my other thread My Boler weighs 720 pounds???)

Due to an error on my part during last years installation of new floors and remount of the body, I decided to fix the door opening which was about 1/2" wider at the bottom than at the top. This involved removing the lower floor and cutting the curb side upper floor from the body and trimming it, pulling the body together at the lower door frame, reinstalling/re-glassing the upper floor. In the process I had to disassembly my wood work of the refrigerator cabinet and the bathroom walls and remove them out of the trailer. While I had them out I decided to weigh all the components to get a total weight of the refrig cabinet (44 lbs) and the bathroom walls and shelf (69 lbs) which was a total added weight of 113 pounds to the unit, considering the weight I took out of the fiberglass fixtures I am comfortable with this added weight as they both serve as structural support for the roof and shape of the door side body. Both are constructed out of 3/4" plywood with a 1x2 door frame for the bath. Almost all of the refrigerator cabinet is over the axle so the bath adds minimal tongue weight to the unit. There was some caution posts over my design early on about added weight stressing the unit but with my design an layout I believe most of the added weight is over the axle including the permanent bed and upper cabinets.

Removing the lower floor was a blessing in disguise as I discovered upon looking at the previous owners axle mod that they had welded the axle to the lower floor frame for additional support (I guess) so I went ahead and cut those additional unnecessary welds free as I would not have been able to remove the axle with the lower floor in place.

Another thing is I am going to try my hand at glassing a shower pan to convert our shower stall (utility tub) and shower curtain combo to a wetbath.

And last but not least I am not entirely happy with my cabinetry. The 1x2 supports of the shelves are poor by my own design and I don't like the way they are held together with angle brackets, but the face frames look real nice! So with the tabs for the insulation/wall covering redo I may fix the bases of those cabinets and built them more like a residential cabinet. We'll see how that goes.

Well, time to get back to work. Sorry for no pictures, not much to show in progress right now, but I will post pictures of the new axle and install when I get to that point and also the cabinetry when I get it finished.
: John did u use a 3M product for this job if you did not u should be looking into it as my wife used a 3M glue but right now she cannot remember the name of it.
U have to spray the glue onto the Styrafoam and the headliner let it almost dry the put it up and it is not easy to do with one person 2-3 people would be
easier.
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Old 08-07-2016, 02:29 PM   #90
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stude View Post
: John did u use a 3M product for this job if you did not u should be looking into it as my wife used a 3M glue but right now she cannot remember the name of it.
U have to spray the glue onto the Styrafoam and the headliner let it almost dry the put it up and it is not easy to do with one person 2-3 people would be
easier.
stude
We tried all the 3M's super 77, 90, 80, and auto headliner & trim (the $20/can stuff). All of them either attacked the styrofoam, failed under 90+ degree temps or both. Same for Dap contact cement. Locktite 300 spray did not attack the styrofoam but didn't hold up to the heat with the headliner. We decided this 2nd plan would be a guaranteed way to use decent insulation and a durable yet attractive wall covering that should last for years. Also tired of wasting materials.
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Old 08-07-2016, 09:07 PM   #91
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Well in that case for me to get styrofoam to stick to my metal roof

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We tried all the 3M's super 77, 90, 80, and auto headliner & trim (the $20/can stuff). All of them either attacked the styrofoam, failed under 90+ degree temps or both. Same for Dap contact cement. Locktite 300 spray did not attack the styrofoam but didn't hold up to the heat with the headliner. We decided this 2nd plan would be a guaranteed way to use decent insulation and a durable yet attractive wall covering that should last for years. Also tired of wasting materials.
In my old truck I did like u and it fell down to and the foam was all eaten away so I talked to a few people and they told me water based glue so I bought a 1 gallon can of it and got a paint scraper and stuck it on every where , but before this as I was doing it all alone I made a jig to hold it all up when I walked away from it, then stuck it up and put the Jig in place and left it over night.
Reason for putting Foam on inside of roof was so I could sleep in the back of the truck without getting soaked from my breathing on in there on a cold night when out out hunting or what ever else one does to have fun in the back of the truck. Man it worked great did not fall down ever and I had that truck for 20 years, did same in my 75 Suburban worked great.
Have u tried a headliner Glue that they use in body shops for holding up headliner. Maybe go to a auto body shop and talk to the guy who does this work and see what they say.
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Old 09-14-2016, 06:57 PM   #92
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Figured I would update the progress I have made over the last few weeks. I do apologize though as my time was limited and I forgot to take pictures of some of the work. I bought and installed a new Dexter axle (#9 - side mount standard profile bolt on trailing arm) and stayed with the same mounting mod underneath the lower floor that the previous owner did to the original axle. We discovered that the old axle was badly bent which was causing the tire wear. The trailer weighs just over 1400 lbs with no food or clothes but all our other camping gear we would normally take so we went with a 2200 lb capacity axle allowing for future batteries and solar setup. I also made a final adjustment to the body to get a perfect fit of the door but now I think it may be a tad too tight as I can't close the door with the bulb door seal in place. I made some adjustments to the bathroom to accommodate a sink and convert it to a wet bath. Now I just have to make the shower pan. We decided to scrap the foam insulation and marine vinyl and go with reflectix and indoor/outdoor carpet over that. It was easier to put up overall and so far seems to be staying put with the contact cement and it looks nice. Now I am trying to refine my cabinet making skills on the upper cabinets and the finishing of all the wood work. I will get some more pictures of everything this weekend.

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Old 02-05-2017, 02:55 PM   #93
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I have got pretty slack on my thread here about posting pictures so I will try to do better. I completed the driver's side overhead cabinet back in the fall and realized today I didn't take any photos of that part of this build. So here they are.

I was not happy with my first attempt on the cabinets, so I started over. I used 1x2s of select pine to make a square box to support the shelf. I used dowels to hold it together. I added two stiles and a top rail attached to the front side of the box, again with dowel joinery so no screws showing. I then ripped a 1x2 and screwed it to the inside of the box for a solid lip to support the shelf and added strength overall. For the shelf I used thin plywood, a little less than 1/4" thick. The cabinet is solid, lightweight and supports the roof well. The rear left frame is screwed to a 1x2 that runs curb side to driver side above the back window which is glassed in to the shell in the corners. The front right frame is screwed to the front bath room wall. This cabinet runs the full length of the drivers side rather than just over the original kitchenette. It is also a couple inches taller and deeper allow for more versatile storage.

I know part of the doors are stained as I reused those 1x2s from my original attempt, once I complete the cabinets over the rear window and the curbside window I will stain them all to match.

My other major project I am currently working on is converting our bathroom to a wetbath by ditching the utility tub with shower curtain which worked but it was a pain in the butt to use and we still had to worry about water getting outside of the 2 shower curtains needed to go all the way around the shower tub. Everything inside the bathroom with be glassed and painted with a waterproof 2 part epoxy paint. I got my inspiration for this from this thread here:
Wet Bath Conversion

I still have some other less major projects to tackle including:
• Trim wood work around the bottom of our beds and toe kick areas
• Re-work the face frame for our vertical kitchenette that holds the fridge & toaster oven
• Minor body work to hide some imperfections
• Finishing work to the inside of our door rebuild & new Scamp hinges (on order)
• Prime & paint

Weather permitting, I hope to have the majority of this done by May 18th for our 2nd Annual Eggs on the Hiawassee Rally (see the May Calendar), but the cabinets, wet bath and exterior paint are top priorities.

We bought this in March 2015 and this turned into way more of a project than either of us ever imagined, with lots of learning curves of what to do and what not to do, but we are finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel with what we envisioned in our vintage Boler slowly becoming a reality.
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Old 02-05-2017, 11:39 PM   #94
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On the very back cabinet over the window I had a really difficult time trying to figure out how to secure the "shelf" to the compound curve, keeping it level and not using fasteners through the shell. I tried tabs but they just did not work in those spots to my satisfaction, and they would be somewhat of an eyesore underneath the shelf, or require fasteners from underneath if I put tabs inside the cabinet. So, I had some aluminum channel laying around that I intended to use for something else on the Boler that got changed. I came up with the idea of bending the channel to fit the curve of the shell and epoxy it to the shell and sliding the "shelf" inside the channel. I already had the shelf board contours cut, but in 3 pieces (left middle & right). This made bending the aluminum pretty easy as you can see here. Epoxying the aluminum channel to the shell was a challenge but easier in the end that glassing tabs for this part, and it is stronger as the channel runs the entire width of the curvature of the shelf.
I used PC-11 Epoxy - mix part a & b equally, very strong stuff and is still holding well. I am considering re-cutting the shelf so that it is one continuous piece of wood rather than 3, but I think that one piece may be difficult to impossible to slide in the track of the channel and still clear the front 1x2 of the front face frame. I ripped a 1x2 the same as I did for the side cabinets and screwed it to the back of the face frame 1x2 making a lip for the front edge of the shelf to rest on.

If I had to do it over I would definitely make the channel 1 continuous piece instead of three, as this would have made installing/epoxying much easier than trying to level out 3 separate pieces, oh well, live and learn.
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Old 02-06-2017, 12:29 AM   #95
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Trailer: '71 Boler, '87 Play-Mor II
Deep South
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I did another thread about this axle separately but don't think I ever update it upon completion so here goes...but I am catching up:

Last season we discovered excessive inside shoulder wear on our new tires. Upon further examination looking from the rear of the trailer at ground level and from a little distance I could see the tires were leaning in pretty good. After searching the forum reading all about the Boler axles and examining our own, I discovered that not only was our axle the original Ingersol Rub R Ride from 1971, but that it was also not in its original place!

For some reason unknown to me, one of the previous owners had cut the leading arm torsion axle from the frame in its original location under the dinette right behind the step up and turned it over re-welding it underneath the lower floor as a trailing arm axle. Why the did this and not just replace it is beyond me. In the pictures you can see the configuration of the old axle and where they even cut a notch out in the frame under the lower floor to accommodate it.

So, luckily I had a Dexter Axle plant right around from the house, and they were somewhat helpful in my quest for a new axle. But I had to spec it out, they would not do that but they told me what my options were. So with some help of Paul Neumister by phone and some PM's with Ian Giles I was able to figure out what I wanted. I decided to keep it in its current location as a trailing arm as the axles were designed to be that way. I learned from Paul that Boler installed them backwards as a leading arm because of the rise in the dinette floor.

So, with all the changes we had made to the interior I needed weight specs. I knew we removed a lot of weight but put a good bit back in with our new layout. I took it locally to have it weighed with a metal recycle facility. Their scale said 750 lbs. At first this seemed about right as the original trailer plate said 850 lbs with a max. gross weight of 1250. But the weight of the tow and the trailer didn't add up per the manufacturer specs on the tow. Next day a local grain silo in my town showed it weighed 1420 pounds without the tow. So the recycler is duping folks, I won't use their scale again or sell them any of my scrap.

Now with a good dry weight, I added in for batteries, water weight, and our normal gear, food, clothes etc. and gave a little extra leeway just in case to prevent overloading

I came up with these specs:
#9 Dexter Torflex torsion
2200 lb capacity
63" hub face
48" outside bracket dimension
original style 4 bolt tapped hubs
low profile standard brackets
side mount
10 degree up start angle (not adjustable)

I had to buy a piece of "D" channel to weld to the frame that the axle brackets would then weld to in order to get the correct height as the bracket on the Dexter #9 was much different than the original Ingersol Rub R Ride.

With the help of a friend who is a better welder than me we got the new axle installed and it pulls great, and we have some piece of mind that comes with the new axle.

I forgot to take pictures of the new axle but will try to get those posted tomorrow.
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Old 02-19-2017, 10:37 PM   #96
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Trailer: '71 Boler, '87 Play-Mor II
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Not much time to work on things this past week but I did manage to get the bathroom storage shelves completed between last weekend and this afternoon. Now I just have to cut the front face and openings. Once that is done and attached I will begin the work of fiberglassing the shower pan.

The hardest things about this project to me has been (1) gluing the insulation and wall covering and (2) cutting the wood work to match the compound curves of the shell. And the latter of the two is the most difficult. I have tried a variety of ways from cardboard templates to foam molds to scribing with a compass. The scribing with the compass is something I read about on a boat building site for making bulkheads fit boat hulls. I have had difficulty with all three methods, no matter how much I take my time, my cuts never seem to be right. Maybe I am to much of a perfectionist but I want it to fit perfect.

Also my new hinges came in from Scamp over the last week. I talked about these in another post but I thought it was worthy of mentioning here also for anyone following this thread. Check your hinges when you get them to make sure they are drilled correctly. As you can see in the photo one of the two was way off. Scamp said they would get one out the same day. I asked the guy if he wanted the bad one back and he said no I could keep it. When the replacement came in it was 2 new ones, and drilled much better.
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Old 03-03-2017, 07:02 PM   #97
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Name: Mike
Trailer: 1996 16' Casita SD
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Johnny, I just read this thread. Good work! (And lots of it!)
I'm in the middle of refurbing an 85 UHaul 13'r. As with you, mine turned into more work than I initially wanted - but less than yours- but I'm having fun!

Could you show what you're talking about with those tabs?
I think they would be what I want for my ceiling.
Thanks - Mike
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Old 03-05-2017, 09:16 PM   #98
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Trailer: '71 Boler, '87 Play-Mor II
Deep South
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Finished up the storage shelves for the wetbath today. Got to finish the threshold then will be ready to lay the glass. I am very happy with the design/layout of our bath as this project has evolved over time.
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Old 03-05-2017, 09:18 PM   #99
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Trailer: '71 Boler, '87 Play-Mor II
Deep South
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Quote:
Originally Posted by itlives View Post
Johnny, I just read this thread. Good work! (And lots of it!)
I'm in the middle of refurbing an 85 UHaul 13'r. As with you, mine turned into more work than I initially wanted - but less than yours- but I'm having fun!

Could you show what you're talking about with those tabs?
I think they would be what I want for my ceiling.
Thanks - Mike
Yes Mike I will get some pictures tomorrow so you can see.
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Old 03-06-2017, 08:43 AM   #100
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Was asked on a Facebook group for a layout diagram so I updated it.
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