1978 Trillium 1300 restoration

[Steve Hague]

This is how I filled the edge of the plywood against the sidewall and formed a cove with Bondo Hair. I will add plywood strips to the front wall and continue the cove. My purpose in forming the cove is to deny water access to the plywood as well as providing a smooth and continuous surface for the chopped fiberglass mat that I plan to apply to the entire plywood floor and extend it up the wall at least a few inches for strength.

[Patricia Baxter]

Steve, are you using a 2x4 at the top of the jack post, or did you make something to match the roof contour?
Dale

[Steve Hague]

Originally Posted by Patricia Baxter

Steve, are you using a 2x4 at the top of the jack post, or did you make something to match the roof contour?
Dale

Dale, I have used a piece of scrap 1/2 inch plywood above the jack post. So far I have not seen any damage to the Ensolite. I think the piece was roughly 10x16 inches. I've been careful about the amount of pressure that is applied, but that is hard to quantify.

[Steve Hague]

Today I added marine plywood strips to the curved front transition from floor to wall. I used some leftover bidirectional/chopped mat as a base under the strips to add more strength to this vulnerable area. A 2x6 was placed across the exterior and three screws used to assure good contact between the wall/mat/plywood/resin.
additional pressure was applied by wedging scrap wood pieces against another 2x6 that was clamped across the remaining bench.
Next step is to install 3/4 inch marine plywood on the remaining flat area of the exposed front wall.

[Steve Hague]

Here is the 3/4 marine plywood cut and ready to fit onto the front wall along with some scrap bidirectional/chopped mat ready to be wetted in with resin. I had enough mat to do two layers, so I laid them in with the chopped side facing out to optimize the bond to the existing fiberglass wall and to the new plywood.
As before, screws were used to compress the plywood in place.

[Steve Hague]

Strips of fiberglass mat added to finish forming the cove between the floor and wall.

[2morebeer]

Steve,

I'm very interested in what you're doing to the front. Since my goucho is still intact, I wasn't going to cut past the top openings in the goucho so there'd be a 3" or so fiberglass rail still connecting the two dinette seats. I was then going to glass a vertical piece of plywood from the leading edge of that to the floor for strength. I will likely still do that, but may also add as you have. I also want to glass in a couple awning mounts.

I appreciate you taking the time to take photos and write descriptions of your work.

Scott

[Steve Hague]

Originally Posted by 2morebeer

Steve,

I'm very interested in what you're doing to the front. Since my goucho is still intact, I wasn't going to cut past the top openings in the goucho so there'd be a 3" or so fiberglass rail still connecting the two dinette seats. I was then going to glass a vertical piece of plywood from the leading edge of that to the floor for strength. I will likely still do that, but may also add as you have. I also want to glass in a couple awning mounts.

I appreciate you taking the time to take photos and write descriptions of your work.

Scott

Scott,
I don't know why our gaucho is cut up so badly, but I wish that more of it had been left in place, especially that back 3" section. I don't have a firm plan yet to on how to reestablish the dinette seats, just designing as I go. It will likely be a while before I attack the dinette, as the floor is my priority now and the kitchen cabinet next. I encourage you to share pictures as well and would look forward to seeing your approach to this shared dream.
Steve

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Steve Hague

Scott,
I don't know why our gaucho is cut up so badly, but I wish that more of it had been left in place, especially that back 3" section. I don't have a firm plan yet to on how to reestablish the dinette seats, just designing as I go. It will likely be a while before I attack the dinette, as the floor is my priority now and the kitchen cabinet next. I encourage you to share pictures as well and would look forward to seeing your approach to this shared dream.
Steve

Steve, It would be quite difficult, (expensive) to ship, but Trillium / Outback, (https://trilliumtrailers.com/) sells the fibreglass for the front dinette on a 13' Trillium. Not for the 4500 though .

[Steve Hague]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Steve, It would be quite difficult, (expensive) to ship, but Trillium / Outback, (https://trilliumtrailers.com/) sells the fibreglass for the front dinette on a 13' Trillium. Not for the 4500 though .

David,
If we were already travelling to the area, say Glacier National Park, it would be tempting to take a jog up to Outback. Unfortunately we don't have plans to travel in that region in the near future, so I'll probably fashion our dinette similar to others who have posted their renovations. I would be more tempted if I could get the furniture pieces from L'air since their factory is closer to me (340 miles vs 1800 miles).
Our kitchen will be a greater challenge than the dinette as it will require significant repair. The countertop also slopes severely down toward the backsplash and I cannot see a reason or an easy solution.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Steve

[Rick trillium]

Hey Steve,

I am just wondering, now that you have done the floor so extensively, do you think that the floor could be repaired from underneath the trailer? Like say some crazy person had the means to flip it and cut from the bottom?

Amazing work btw.

[Steve Hague]

Originally Posted by Rick trillium

Hey Steve,

I am just wondering, now that you have done the floor so extensively, do you think that the floor could be repaired from underneath the trailer? Like say some crazy person had the means to flip it and cut from the bottom?

Amazing work btw.

Rick,
I considered that approach, but decided to work from above for a number of reasons. Most importantly, there was considerable sag in the floor adjacent to the hinge side of the door and the easy way to correct it was to jack up on the hinge and use the trailer's weight to flex the body back into shape. Also, by working from above, I was able to compress the new plywood firmly into place to assure complete bond during the curing of the resin. After cutting out the floor, I discovered that the upper fiberglass floor had delaminated, which would have made working from below very tricky as the remaining intact fiberglass layer was very thin.
The large area under the front gaucho did not have the fiberglass-plywood-fiberglass sandwich, so had to be done from above anyway.
Steve

[David Tilston]

I also considered doing this from the outside in. My problem was that the material that I wanted to replace the wood with is thicker than the wood. This would have changed the bottom of the trailer so that it no longer fit the frame. I decided that losing some head room was preferable. Getting it flat was also a concern.

On that note, and I will be starting a new thread on this, (don't want to hijack Seves thread). Last night I went to look at, and got some samples of, a product that I'm probably going to use, instead of plywood. It is 0.65" thick. So I will likely only loose 0.15" of headroom. At $3/sq. ft. a 4'x8' sheet would be $96 CDN, ($68.57 USD).

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details...dId=1607430721

My goal is to use materials that will not rot. The fact that it is much lighter than plywood is a bonus. I think the honeycomb is made of paper, so I want to test how it stands up to water. The seller provided me with one untreated piece, and one that is coated in resin. Major difference in strength, and I assume, water resistance.

Now all I need is a Trillium that needs the plywood in the floor replaced.

[Rick trillium]

Mine needs a floor…hahahaha. Even got a small, warm shop to work in. ��

[Steve Hague]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

I also considered doing this from the outside in. My problem was that the material that I wanted to replace the wood with is thicker than the wood. This would have changed the bottom of the trailer so that it no longer fit the frame. I decided that losing some head room was preferable. Getting it flat was also a concern.

On that note, and I will be starting a new thread on this, (don't want to hijack Seves thread). Last night I went to look at, and got some samples of, a product that I'm probably going to use, instead of plywood. It is 0.65" thick. So I will likely only loose 0.15" of headroom. At $3/sq. ft. a 4'x8' sheet would be $96 CDN, ($68.57 USD).
Attachment 148429Attachment 148430
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details...dId=1607430721

My goal is to use materials that will not rot. The fact that it is much lighter than plywood is a bonus. I think the honeycomb is made of paper, so I want to test how it stands up to water. The seller provided me with one untreated piece, and one that is coated in resin. Major difference in strength, and I assume, water resistance.

Now all I need is a Trillium that needs the plywood in the floor replaced.

David,
I'm looking forward to following your project.
One thing that I've learned doing my project is that the deterioration of the original plywood allowed the door to sag. It seems that, at least in the door area, the stiffness of the plywood functions to cantilever support the door frame. The honeycomb should provide the compression strength for the floor, but would laminating fiberglass mat above and below give it sufficient bending stiffness to support the door? It would be an interesting bench trial.
Steve

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Rick trillium

Mine needs a floor…hahahaha. Even got a small, warm shop to work in. ��

If you were in Calgary, I might be interested.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Steve Hague

David,
I'm looking forward to following your project.
One thing that I've learned doing my project is that the deterioration of the original plywood allowed the door to sag. It seems that, at least in the door area, the stiffness of the plywood functions to cantilever support the door frame. The honeycomb should provide the compression strength for the floor, but would laminating fiberglass mat above and below give it sufficient bending stiffness to support the door? It would be an interesting bench trial.
Steve

The difference between the resin coated and the untreated stuff is amazing. Once it is coated with resin, it feels as rigid as plywood, but not much heavier than it is untreated. I'm not sure what the strength is though. I plan to do some destructive testing of both this stuff, in a fibreglass sandwich and ½” plywood, in the same sandwich. I would appreciate any suggestions on a test method. I come from a boating background. Foam sandwich construction is a common method. This foam has the added advantage of the honeycomb reinforcement.

I suspect that laminating it with fibreglass will make it stiffer than ½" plywood. Though, the effort that you put into ensuring a good bond between the plywood and the shell would also make it much stiffer than the plywood alone. I got the sense that you were not very impressed with the factory bond.

[Steve Hague]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

The difference between the resin coated and the untreated stuff is amazing. Once it is coated with resin, it feels as rigid as plywood, but not much heavier than it is untreated. I'm not sure what the strength is though. I plan to do some destructive testing of both this stuff, in a fibreglass sandwich and ½” plywood, in the same sandwich. I would appreciate any suggestions on a test method. I come from a boating background. Foam sandwich construction is a common method. This foam has the added advantage of the honeycomb reinforcement.

I suspect that laminating it with fibreglass will make it stiffer than ½" plywood. Though, the effort that you put into ensuring a good bond between the plywood and the shell would also make it much stiffer than the plywood alone. I got the sense that you were not very impressed with the factory bond.

I think you have a good plan to test the relative strength. I don't have the experience or background to explore new materials, I'm just trying to improve on the process using something like the original materials. My only suggestion would be to construct something looking like a diving board with each material and applying weight or force on the hanging end to see which deforms, cracks, or fractures first.

Just the raw 1/2 plywood seems to be holding flat and level in my installation across the pontoons. The next step will be to add bidirectional fiberglass mat and the old section of flooring on top which should provide much additional stiffness.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Steve Hague

Just the raw 1/2 plywood seems to be holding flat and level in my installation across the pontoons. The next step will be to add bidirectional fiberglass mat and the old section of flooring on top which should provide much additional stiffness.

Not exactly raw ½" plywood. It is, after all, glued very well to the outside shell. Since the fibreglass under the plywood would be in tension, when supporting load, you have at least half a sandwich. Maybe more accurately, an open face sandwich.

[Steve Hague]

This morning I'm prepping to reinstall the old fiberglass floor panel.
I have already sanded the new subfloor and the underside of the panel with 50 grit sandpaper. Here I am cutting out a piece of bidirectional/chopped mat. This mat will be wetted-in with the chopped side down to provide the best contact with the plywood.