Maintenance & Restoration

Nelmes · 05-29-2013, 07:04 AM

With moving I haven't had much time for the trailer, however assembly is fast and I've had some help.

Once they were done screwing on the insert supports to the bottom closet shelf it was time to install it. The supports are thin pieces of plywood covered in carpet. This allows us to access the storage under the bottom shelf in the closet.

I drilled a hole to make it easy to lift up the insert and also gave a place to start the jig saw when cutting it out.

It seems you can't fix up a Boler without adding Ikea bins to the closet

The pine shelves turned out well and tie in nicely to the rest of the trailer.

Nelmes · 05-29-2013, 07:05 AM

I then attached the couch back with a piano hinge. The counter going to the front creates a little nook to store the boys bedding during the day.

Adding the hardware the wrap around counter and bunk beds (depending on what we need) where done.

The hardware to keep the bunk up. I hope that putting the hardware undert he top bunk will help give the bottom bunk a more open feel and keep everything attached making less to store or lose.

I put together the lights for above the sink and counter. In the picture it looks like carpet is in between the wood, however these are mirrors. It matches the closet door and will hopefully help candle lanterns provide more light in the trailer. In the center I will mount the roof support. It is sitting on the counter here, waiting for the outside to be painted to be installed.

I plan to have the table fold in half to make the inside of the trailer larger. So I built this support. The table leg attached to it, and it extends to support the second half of the table when needed.

Tomorrow looks to be the hardest day in the garage, as I will have to pack my tools and resist the temptation to work on the Boler.

GMike A · 05-29-2013, 07:32 AM

I would be interested in some of the YT links that you were using for some of your other carpentriwizardry. Even in a PM would be fine. As mentioned I am not a carpenter whiz and usually end up measuring 3 times, cutting once and then going and getting more wood cause it was wrong.

I was able to master FGing thanks to Dave Whites goading me on so I should be able to get my journeyman badge in wood.

KevinPete · 05-29-2013, 07:38 AM

Nice work!

Nelmes · 05-29-2013, 07:48 AM

Hi Mike.

The video I used was

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m--wxoE2CM

and it is easier than it looks. If I was to do it again I think I would build the cabinets and doors like this, not just the doors. Instead of a plywood insert I used hardboard (or a mirror I cut up from Ikea, another YouTube on how to cut glass) and it worked well. I used pine boards for the frame.

I find the fiberglass work much harder than wood.

Thanks Kevin

Nelmes · 05-29-2013, 08:51 PM

In BC the 4 digit VIN was good enough, but in Alberta I needed a new VIN. They work fast and came, inspected and assigned a new VIN. I can now move the trailer. With the move in 2 days this is good, and with it needed paint I can now travel and paint it

kootenaigirl · 05-29-2013, 09:00 PM

Beautiful work and you seem to get tons accomplished in a short time -must be your helpers!

GMike A · 05-30-2013, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nelmes

With the move in 2 days this is good, and with it needed paint I can now travel and paint it

I would stay under 5 mph/8km while traveling to prevent runs and overspray. Anything faster is looking for disaster and will draw attention by the RCMP.

Nelmes · 05-30-2013, 06:21 AM

kootenia girl - Thanks, it is so much fun when they want to help. Building was slow, assembly is fast and fun

Mike, I will keep that in mind

Nelmes · 06-07-2013, 09:02 PM

So we moved on the weekend, so the trailer hasn't been moving forward as the move was priority, until today.

I installed more trim under the front couch.

I installed the cabinet doors. The green will match the green on the bottom outside of the trailer. The porta-potti doors are mounted flush, with an overlap in the middle to hide the toilet. Handles were used to avoid anything catching on them when sitting on the couch.

For the other doors knobs will be used. This will make it easy to use a hair tie to keep them shut when driving (that is if the hinges don't do a good job of that).

On the overlapping porta-potti doors I used felt where they rest together. And on the backs of all the doors small round felt stickers were used to hopefully keep them quiet and from rubbing.

D Davis · 06-07-2013, 09:10 PM

Looking good!

David B. · 06-07-2013, 10:17 PM

Very nice work and utilization of space. Keep the pictures coming.

Nelmes · 06-08-2013, 04:01 PM

Today I installed the closet door.

The mirror still needs to be cleaned, but I like how it is turning out. I was going to put knobs (though hooks might be a bit sharp to catch yourself on in such a small space) above the door to hang jackets as the closet now has shelves, but figured that would make it hard to open the closet. Instead I mounted them on the top of the door, and since I plan on occasion to sleep 5 in the trailer, a place for five jackets. I installed it as high as possible so it would be less likely to get caught on the bedding.

I still need to put the felt on the back of the doors.

These lights will go above the sink and counter. A bar matching the curtain rods will also attach to it to support the ceiling. The handles are the same used on the porta-potty door and are to handle tea light lanterns from. The mirrors in it match the closet door and should make the candles light a little brighter in the trailer. The LED's are brighter than most I have found and run on 3 AAA batteries. With this I have no need for a battery on the trailer. The plan is to use solar batteries and charge them as needed in the sun. A very low cost solar system. The same will be done for the fans in the trailer.

Nelmes · 06-08-2013, 11:06 PM

With the boys losing interest in building their trailer I had to move away from the garage, so I grabbed the vent and started planning out a fancy mount for the fan, stained wood, tricky cuts.

Every option seemed to reduce air flow and draw attention to the vent, with the finished side of the computer fan facing down a couple little screws and it was installed.

Then to the computer and someone else on the forum posted a similar mod, I hope the little fan I am using moves enough air.

The goal is to run this to a switch, then off a very small solar set up only big enough to power the two fans (a smaller fan is going behind the fridge).

Nelmes · 06-11-2013, 10:03 PM

I shifted back to the outside, as it is the biggest part of the project holding up our camping adventures.

I test fit all the windows and vents and with a metal file adjusted the fit.

I taped up all the windows to keep the inside clean while I work on the exterior. I then scraped off some body fill that was used over a year ago, but never hardened (I am sure it was operator error.) I then added a couple layers of fiberglass to the patches on the outside. I cut the vents for the 3 way cooler. With the fiberglass dry it was time for the Bondo.

You can see the Bondo and the vents for the cooler. A hatch was cut out of this side to serve coffee out of this trailer, which is a lot of the Bondo work.

The cooler vents from the inside of the trailer.

Test fitting the cooler, it has lots of clearance behind it and room for the vents and fan.

Put the tongue jack on, the old one was seized and the top was missing or bent. The wheel makes it easier to move it in and out of the garage.

Nelmes · 06-12-2013, 11:05 AM

Finished the LED for over the dinette

Plastic trim ring for the roof vent.

Added wood veneer to tie it in with everything else, and I prefer the wood look to plastic.

Added screen to the vents.

Nelmes · 06-12-2013, 06:29 PM

With a break in the storms today (and our first tornado warning, didn't know I had to watch for those), I decided to install the bunk railing.

With a custom setup I could not find the bracket I wanted so I set to work making one. I have no experience with metal work, but was much easier than I expected to make.

I started with a piece for fence construction, drilled a hole, that I used to cut out a square hole that the piece holding the bunk up can slide through.

Next I cut it to fit the bunk railing.

Dipped it in black rubber paint and screwed it onto the bunk railing.

The boys approve

If you look at the left side of the bunk railing you can see a black line, that is the bracket. The other side rests against the wood piece beside the door, I will get something to hold this in place, but as it is no one is falling off the top bunk.