Molded Traveleze

[MelissaL]

New member here! Hello all.

I have been in the market most of this summer for a travel trailer, I wanted something older and not average looking. Over the weekend, I found an interesting looking trailer that needed some repairs and snatched it up. I didn't know much about it other than it was a Traveleze fiberglass trailer. After some research and stumbling across this site, more specifically a post here http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ily-34801.html did I find out what I had actually bought--a limited run molded trailer made from Royalex. Mine needs work, I bought it thinking it would be a good project for my dad and I to work on together, but the more I look at it the more I find I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

Any tips for a newbie? And suggestions on where to find a door (for starters)? Mine has a badly cobbled together plywood/2x4 door. I am torn about keeping it as authentic as possible, making it modern/retro, and just cutting my losses and selling.... Suggestions/takers? The outside front/passenger side has been partially repainted(badly) I wish they had left it alone! It would have looked much better its original teal/cream scheme.

[Joe MacDonald]

RV Doctor George

they seem to have a pile of parts, they might have what you need,

Almost anything is fixable, just need to want to do the work, in the end it's usually worth it

Joe

[Lizbeth]

Welcome Melissa!

You have found a really cool trailer, don't give up before you get started!

As for the door I would suggest looking for a RV salvage yard. I know the one here in So Cal has doors by the piles.

I personally wouldn't worry about keeping it original, especially if it's in bad shape to begin with. I think keeping it retro due to the style of the trailer would be really neat!

The front might be a repaired area that has been painted or?

Post some pictures of it. You will get loads of help here if you decide to tackle the project.

[Raya]

Welcome, Melissa,

I don't know a huge amount about Royalex, but I do know that Old Town and maybe others used (and may still use) it for canoes. Some of these canoes are used on whitewater, and so - although they are tough - they do get damaged. I guess what I'm saying (the long way around!) is that if you need to make any repairs specifically to the Royalex part, you may get some good information by checking into canoeing forums. I think perhaps some sort of plastic welding is used to repair it, but not sure.

As for appliances and other hardware, often times the RV manufacturers sourced those from companies that sold products to many other RV makers, so that may make those things easier (I'm talking about everything from axles, to taillights, stoves, door locks, cabinet latches, and the like).

And... we would love to see photos, if you care to post any! What does a Royalex Traveleze look like?

[Tom U]

Originally Posted by MelissaL

And suggestions on where to find a door. The outside front/passenger side has been partially repainted(badly) I wish they had left it alone! It would have looked much better its original teal/cream scheme.

Melissa,

Welcome! Try "helpful-Links" on the left bar of this page under "Resouces". thee are links to RV salvage yards, parts houses, etc.

My favorite is RV Doctor George

They have a warehouse of doors and windows. Call and they will tell you how to measure and then will get back to you.

As to the paint - there is a current thread in one of the forums on removing paint from fiber glass. Also, There are threads on repairing and gel coating fiber glass. Raya is a great resource on this.

There are a ton of resources here and many who would be glad to help.

Again,

[Robin G]

Melissa, Welcome and Congrats! Sweet find. And yes, we would love to see pic's! Plus they will help others help you figure out your next step. Personally I agree with Joe's statement that almost everything is fixable. And with molded trailers that statement is spot on! And more than worth the effort.


You need to check out the " Show us your trailer" post. You can see tons of cute/beautiful/cool examples of great old trailers. And I can bet you they weren't all in pristine condition when they were bought. Plus you will find a ton of information on how to repair most anything on glass travel trailers within the walls of this web site. My only suggestion would be to make sure it's road safe first, axle? if it's in good shape, grease the bearings? Propane secure and usable? Then take your time to make it comfortable for your camping needs. No matter what, Enjoy it! You have a little gem there! Very rare.



Raya, heres a pic from the link Melissa provided of DaveK's trailer. Cool pic's! But as you said, it would be nice to see her trailer.

[Raya]

That is pretty cool.

One thing I should mention (and Melissa may already know) is that Royalex is not fiberglass, and repair methods would be completely different. You know the plastic canoes that were advertised in the 1970s by dropping them off a building and they just deformed, bounced, and then popped back into shape? Those were Royalex. I believe it is an ABS type plastic.

Raya

PS: Okay, of course I had to go look it up. From Backpacker magazine, Feb-March 1981 issue (which was about canoes and the various materials they are made of, one of which is Royalex®):

"A thermoplastic laminate produced by Uniroyal, Royalex® consists of rubber-like Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) sandwiched between layers of closed-cell foam and vinyl.... Royalex® canoes [now to paraphrase] have good impact resistance and memory, and are tough to puncture and recover from dents.

Weaknesses are susceptibility to tearing and excessive flexibility."

I have canoed in Royalex® canoes. I found them to be much as the article states: Maybe a little bit heavy (compared to Kevlar/fiberglass), a bit slippery to sit in, and fairly "deformable"; but, on the other hand tough and "reboundable," quiet, and with a nice ability to slip over rocks (not that you will be doing that with your camper!).

What are the inside walls like? I was thinking that since the layers of plastic surround an inner foam layer, maybe that is the insulation, and it has the plastic skin on both the inside and outside of the walls?

[MelissaL]

The same skin is inside and out. Inside is a bit more slick but I am sure that is due to being somewhat protected from the elements.

[MelissaL]

I will try to get pics up this week, I start work this weekend. You guys have me all excited about fixing it up now, Thanks! I will look through the resources and thnks for the heads up on RV Doctor George...I will have to drive over one weekend. My first trailer, my first project...I will definitely post updates.

[MelissaL]

[Robin G]

Originally Posted by MelissaL

I will try to get pics up this week, I start work this weekend. You guys have me all excited about fixing it up now, Thanks! I will look through the resources and thnks for the heads up on RV Doctor George...I will have to drive over one weekend. My first trailer, my first project...I will definitely post updates.

I am glad to hear your excited about it. Now when the re-fab gets tough, just remember the tough get going ! You will truly have a treasure when it's all said and done. Enjoy it!

[Bruce Thomas]

I'd like to see pics also....esp inside it.
I'll bet they make some glues that'll make fixing anything on that easy....Bruce

[Pam Garlow]

Cannot see the pics from Melissa's post (#10). Even when I right-click, show picture, the little red X just sits there. I can see all the other pictures on this site. My curiosity is killing me!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Pam Garlow

Cannot see the pics from Melissa's post (#10). Even when I right-click, show picture, the little red X just sits there. I can see all the other pictures on this site. My curiosity is killing me!

Looking at the properties, it's trying to link to her Google Mail. Since e-mail is password protected, we can't see the pictures.

[Pam Garlow]

Ah! thanks, I never thought to check the properties.

[MelissaL]

I downloaded the pics from my email onto the comp HD and uploaded. I will try again later. Any tips to post pics here? DO they need to be hosted on an outside site such as flickr or photobucket?

[MelissaL]

Exterior - Grey is awful repainting job the faded green/ivory is original


Interior - rear facing view


Interior - original tile backsplash


Interior - back big bed

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by MelissaL

DO they need to be hosted on an outside site such as flickr or photobucket?

No they don't need to be hosted elsewhere. In fact, once they're uploaded here they'll stay part of the post forever. Unlike if one of the free sites goes away.

Once you get the reply window open, below the "Submit Reply" you'll see Additional Options. Click Manage Attachments.


A window options where you can upload up to four pictures at one time. Browse and find the pictures on your harddrive. Click Upload.


Now your pictures will show at the bottom of the post. If you want them to appear within text, such as I've done here. Click the Paperclip in the toolbar


Hope this helps.

[Pam Garlow]

I can see them now! Melissa, you got a whole lotta fun work ahead!

[Lizbeth]

Wow girl you have yourself quite a project!

That said, I have fixed worse. So I know you can too!

First things first. Make it safe and weather tight. Then go to town making it a beautiful retro usable piece of camping history!