Belly Band removal Trillium - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-04-2015, 05:31 PM   #1
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Belly Band removal Trillium

I removed the belly band this weekend and I want to thank those of you that posted your removal stories, they were most helpful and thorough.
It was a lot easier than I anticipated.
I won't go over the process as it is very well described elsewhere on the site, but I will add a couple tidbits.
The original band adds almost no strength to the trailer, it just covers the joint made when the upper and lower halves of the trailer are joined. The real strength is the layer of glass the manufacturer put over the joint. After removing the band, I wanted to cover the joint with something waterproof that would hopefully add a little strength. I chose a filler with chopped glass commonly available. It is stronger than conventional body filler, but sands easier than fibreglass. Then I used regular bonds and spot filler to form and smother the join. To my surprise, the inner fibre glass sticks out of the gap in a number of places and if you grind it down, you can grind right through it before it is level with the surrounding gel coat.
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A friend recommended making a curved squeegee to cover the joint with a convex band (see picture).
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That worked really well, added thickness for strength, and minimized finishing. If you apply it well as my friend did in the picture, you only then need a very thin bondo cover and a little sanding and voilà.
Whole job took about 10 hours.


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Old 05-04-2015, 06:12 PM   #2
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Nice. That should work.
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Old 05-05-2015, 07:40 PM   #3
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Do you inow the name of the filler you chose? ("a filler with chopped glass commonly available")
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Old 05-05-2015, 09:14 PM   #4
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Hey Pogophile
Here is the stuff I used. USC Duraglas
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Canadian Tire also has an equivalent I think made by 3M


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Old 05-05-2015, 09:19 PM   #5
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Oh yes, I bought the Duraglas at Industrial Paint and Plastics in Nanaimo.


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Old 05-06-2015, 08:11 AM   #6
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Thanks for the update. Any guestimate of the volume of the Duraglas you used? I really like the idea of the convex shape you've created on the band, and I think I may want to duplicate that.

What are you planning to use as a finish?
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Old 05-06-2015, 08:19 AM   #7
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When I did mine, I started with a curved squeegee, but abandoned it and just put a natural curve (bend) in a straight one to level the filler out. I found it made for a smoother finish, and allowed for the irregularities in width of the belly band, as well as the places the two halves were offset somewhat.
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Old 05-06-2015, 08:36 AM   #8
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I found a fairly large offset on the 1300 I did the belly band on. The 4500 seemed much less irregular.
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Old 05-06-2015, 12:03 PM   #9
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Hey Pogophile
The squeegee had a 6" radius and we cut it to slide on the edge of the band at about a 45 degree angle, which probably makes the band have about a 12" radius, and used about 90% of one can. I used bondo and spot putty to smooth using the same squeegee. Next weekend I will paint with Interlux precoat and then Interlux Brightside. There are a couple of UTube videos showing "roll and tip" which was recommended by the paint store as a painting technique. Interlux was recommended by a number of people on this site. I will report how it works out.


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Old 08-21-2015, 05:06 PM   #10
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After reviewing Scott H."s tutorial of 5/19/11 about removing the bellyband and Doug's review on 5/4/15, I think I'm ready to tackle it on our 1976 Trillium 1300. I wonder how the removal is doing after a couple of years. Also, how were you able to match your paint?
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Old 08-21-2015, 08:15 PM   #11
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Hey M and J
Been down some rough roads and no cracks so I think it is as strong as the original fibreglass. As to paint, I did a full paint after doing the belly band so matching wasn't an issue. If matching is an issue, I'd consider a contrasting colour over the band....sort of make a problem become a feature.


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Old 08-21-2015, 09:28 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by dleverton View Post
I'd consider a contrasting colour over the band....sort of make a problem become a feature.
Doug L
My thoughts exactly Doug! If you can't make a repair completely invisible, make it obvious... like it was done on purpose!
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Old 08-22-2015, 04:58 AM   #13
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I was just looking this up also, since I intend to eventually remove the band on my trailer too, and simply repaint the band area, just like Scott H did:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...and-46424.html

Scott used Omni AE acrylic enamel, Isuzu Parthenon Ivory #91110.

Other paints that apparently match (search the forum for these, you'll find good thread with photos):
General Motors NG GM 338, White Blanc, 40 WA 8554
VHT Rapid Dry Enamel RD-428 Gloss Almond (might not be available anymore as I couldn't find this color on VHT's website).
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Old 06-03-2020, 08:29 PM   #14
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Hi there. I know that this is an old post but I am wondering if you used the roll and tip method and how did it work? I am getting ready to paint ours and am not sure if I should spray or try roll and tip?
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Old 06-03-2020, 09:54 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanph View Post
Hi there. I know that this is an old post but I am wondering if you used the roll and tip method and how did it work? I am getting ready to paint ours and am not sure if I should spray or try roll and tip?


Roll and tip worked very well.
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