re-hanging Trillium door?

[Anne MP]

Hello,
As happens, the door on my 1974 Trillium has sagged and needs to be re-hung. In searching around I did find a post where an intrepid person peeled back the ensolite, cut holes in the fiberglass column and may have put metal plates on the inside to secure the hinges to the body (can't quite remember exactly!). Darn if I cant find that post again.
Does anyone know of this post? I bet there are people out there that do.

thanks for your help,
Anne

[stefman]

This may be the link you are looking for

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...air-47624.html

Most people drill the holes out bigger from the outside, fill with resin or epoxy or wood or combination of, and rehang the door. The door is very light and is easy to reposition. Remember that your door will never 'line up' 100% with the body mouldings. They were off at the factory. Look at any picture of any Trillium and you'll see what I mean. Make sure the door 'sagging' problem is not being caused by worn hinges.

stef

[Anne MP]

Thanks Stef, Thank you! That is exactly the post I was looking for. And, yes, I have read about drilling out and filling with epoxy, or other materials. Think I am going to go with metal plates backing the hinge. Maybe some new hinges eventually?
Much appreciated!
Anne

[David Tilston]

I am one who has drilled out and filled with epoxy. Since my door is sagging again, I have to conclude that my approach was wrong. Next time it will be a plate on the inside. Not sure of the details yet though.

[stefman]

David, did you drill out the hole and epoxy in a wood dowel? That's what I did and it seems really solid. Mind you my trailer has only moved about 15 kms in the 4 months since I made that repair, going from one of my 'working areas' to another. Time will tell I guess.

stefan

[Anne MP]

Hi David, Good to know. Recently, as I was on the highway going about 65 mph, the trailer door swung open. Scary. Got off the highway and bought white duct tape which did the job in getting me to Jersey. The latch fix that I had professionally done the day before failed!
I will never have that happen again. Ever. If I can help it.
I am having welders fashion backer plates for the hinges, and alloy (bendable) metal covers for the holes in the fiberglass column. They can be removed if the door needs to be tightened in the future.
Now onto the frame.
Was it you that identified 4 absolutely necessary and inevitable fixes for fiberglass trailers?
1. Door sag
2. Frame safety
3. Resealing windows with butyl (sp?) tape
and one other.... hmmm....

I agree and am prioritizing those fixes so there's no sweat on those basics in the future... of course, there's always another project just for the fun of it...

Happy, and safe, camping,
Anne

[David Tilston]

Add:
4. Belly band

to that list, and yup that's me.

[Jim Bennett]

I have yet to mount the door on the Trillium I am working on, but will be very soon. I gouged and cleaned out the holes real well, and filling with fiberglass reinforced filler. I can't see it letting go, but we'll see.

When you do the through bolt thing, do you do the door as well? Those screws were as bad as the ones into the body on this trailer.

[Colleeno]

I will try to attach a Word doc that I just put together on how I did this. My Trillium door fell off on a camping trip. We taped and bungied it closed to drive the 400 miles home. Then I fixed it by opening up the back of the column, using new screws and washers and sealant to hold the hinge screws, then making removable covers for the hole.

Colleen

PS I can't attach the Word file as there is a upload file size restriction of 19 KB for doc files. I'd be happy to send you the doc if you want it

[Colleeno]

trying again . . .

[Island Claire]

Originally Posted by Colleeno

trying again . . .

Hi Colleen, what are those made of. did someone make them for you, or did yo make them.

[Colleeno]

Sorry it's taken SO long to reply. I used a product called Apoxie Sculpt. It's a two part clay-like material. I made the little doors a bit at a time. Started with a layer that fit over the hole with enough overlap to be able to screw them to the finished door to the fiberglass. Also, I made a bit of a lip on the inside so it was snug in the opening. Then I made a band from the same material, about a half inch wide and an 1/8 inch deep that I fit around the outside of the little door and placed that all the way around the door so it stood proud around the whole outside of the door. I also made a hole with an awl to accomodate the screw for installation. I smoothed it as much as I could before it dried. When it dried, I carefully sanded it, made sure it fit, then painted. Then installed. It ain't real pretty when you look real close, but nobody does that, so we're good.

[thrifty bill]

#6: body to frame bolts. That’s the only thing holding the trailer on the frame. They pretty much always rot out,

[Kommander]

What is the procedure when rehanging door? Do you mount hinges to body first and make sure the hinges are parallel and inline? Then put door in frame and shim into desired position before swinging the hinge onto the door and drilling holes in the door?

The wood in my body and door still seems completely solid so I am puzzled as to why the door settled.

[stefman]

Your door might be fine if all the wood inside is still solid. If your door opens and closes and seals well, then it is fine. The 'raised area', where the belly band goes, does not ever line up properly on the door compared to the rest of the body. All you can hope for is the same gap all around the door and a good seal.

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by Kommander

What is the procedure when rehanging door? Do you mount hinges to body first and make sure the hinges are parallel and inline? Then put door in frame and shim into desired position before swinging the hinge onto the door and drilling holes in the door?

The wood in my body and door still seems completely solid so I am puzzled as to why the door settled.

Until you pull the hinges, what “seems completely solid” may not be. Wood under the body section is often rotted. In my case I found one hinge was cracked too. Not obvious until I pulled it.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Kommander

What is the procedure when rehanging door? Do you mount hinges to body first and make sure the hinges are parallel and inline? Then put door in frame and shim into desired position before swinging the hinge onto the door and drilling holes in the door?

The wood in my body and door still seems completely solid so I am puzzled as to why the door settled.

The bolded is what is necessary. It all depends on what has come loose or worn. I used the best as a guide while replacing or fixing the worst. I think the body is usually worst.

Originally Posted by stefman

Your door might be fine if all the wood inside is still solid. If your door opens and closes and seals well, then it is fine. The 'raised area', where the belly band goes, does not ever line up properly on the door compared to the rest of the body. All you can hope for is the same gap all around the door and a good seal.

Agree 100% with @stefman.

[clyle]

You might check the post: “trillium sagging door repair”. I repaired and rehung a door a year or so ago using info from several previous posts on this site plus a few tricks of my own.

[billiam1969]

I cut into the body to expose the wood embedded in the fiberglass behind the door pilar, aligned the door and braced to hold in place, drilled through the hinge all the way through the block of wood in the interior, then used flush stainless bolts and lock nuts with over sized washers. The door side was done the same way. Our door is now very stout and wont move at all. After it was done, the door now even latches much better and a new door seal made this workout VERY well.