A few questions ... okay, more like a lot of questions!

[shelley w]

I just have to jot these down to ask before I forget them! Sorry that they are all sort of haphazard!

1) Are all belly bands on a Boler put on with the rivets on top rather than on the underside? Seems odd to me that they would rivet the top which you can see so readily rather than the bottom.

2) Do you just reuse the same rivet holes when you put things back together, or should they be filled and re-drilled? Won't the holes be slightly larger than the original after years of jiggling and ripping them out?

3) What kind of paint should I use on the ensolite? Do I need to prime it with something?

4) How would I go about filling in the corners of the dinette windows if I were to buy new radius corner windows? Where can I buy radius corner windows?

5) Do I have to sand down the shiny finish on the exterior? Do I have to totally sand off the paint that was applied to the bottom of my Boler before repainting? It's not marine or autobody from what I can tell.


6) Do I need to remove the housing for the lights before painting? They are riveted on and if I leave them the rivets will be painted over. The PO put silicone all around the housings. I assume this needs to be removed before painting?

7) What do I paint the exterior with?

I think that's all for now!

[RRJR]

Hi Shelly
Looks like you've lots of work ahead. I repainted my ensolite with a flat whire latex, looks good. Yor may first want to do any repairs such as open seams, I used a white latex calk (in a tube). Can't find the ensolie anymore so have to improvise if needed.
As far as the exterior goes if you can get back to the original finish (gel coat) I washed my exterior with VIM to gert rid of the chalky finish, rinsed well and the used "ZEP WET LOOK FLOOR FINISH" 5 very lite coats and it shines like a $$million.
By the way I have a 75 Trillium.
Ron

[shelley w]

Thanks Ron. Yes - lots of work ahead!

The ensolite is all intact and in good shape. I pressure washed all the old peeling paint off so it is in original condition. Definitely going to caulk the seams before painting. Just wanted a confirmation on what sort of paint. Figured it should be latex, but was unsure as to whether I should prime with something first.

Exterior - the PO painted the bottom of my Boler with ... who knows what. They did an awful job - its drippy and sheeting in places, patchy in others. Not sure I could bring it back to the gel coat or not (although it does seem intact where the paint job has come off), but I've already decided I'd like to repaint. Can't afford a pro job so have to figure out how to do it myself and with what. We have FB repairs to do too. The top half has not been painted, but it has completely lost any semblance of sheen and is pitted and discoloured.

[RRJR]

Hi Shelly
Hopefully these pict come thru
Before/after. First washed with "VIM" household cleaner, rinced well and then applyed 5 coats of "ZEP WET LOOK FLOOR FINISH (Home Depot,
$30.) Was really pleased with results.

Ron

[LukeP]

1 & 2: my belly band is riveted from the top too. It was obvious that it's been removed several times as some of the holes look as if they were drilled out pretty rough - some of the holes in the fiberglass were actually completely 'torn' so there's no hole... I used a washer on the bottom side when re-riveting (with larger rivets in a few places). I also used a dab of caulking in each hole.

4. you'd need to fiberglass in the square hole to fit the radius windows. If you do this - make sure to let others who still have the old square Hehrs know - somebody may love to take them for parts or for use! You can google "Hehr" to find distributors.

5 & 6: you'll want sand down to take the clear coat off if wanting to repaint. It should look dull and cloudy at a minimum. Your options for repainting vary tho - use the google search on this site for painting with a roller as some of have done very affordably.

You can also paint yourself with a paint gun - single stage or with base/clear coat - this this will be a bit more expensive. I just bought the paint for a base/clear coat method and the paint/clear coat were about $250+ I believe. And last, taking off everything before painting (and for sure, any traces of silicone) will look better in the end.

Good luck!

[lhanna]

Just an F.Y.I., replacing ensolite and/or trim is an option now as Trillium is manufacturing the ensolite and the trim again. I couldn't find the link but if you search on here you will find it.

[shelley w]

Originally Posted by RRJR

Hopefully these pict come thru
Before/after. First washed with "VIM" household cleaner, rinced well and then applyed 5 coats of "ZEP WET LOOK FLOOR FINISH (Home Depot,
$30.) Was really pleased with results.

Looks great Ron!