Diamond plate mod's

[don bowman]

I have been working on my '87 Casita 16'LD.
I got a digital camera today and started a pic album at

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/texsita/my_photos

Check out my diamond plate back splash and exterion window rain guards.

I wish I would have taken some before pictures. I will on my next mod's to the lower kitchen cabinets and the closet.
Plus, I have to finish my dog house to toy box seat lid mod. This has been so handy and made all the room under there available. No more getting on hands and knees to see what is under there.
The LED rope lights have been nice, they run from inside the closet across the ceiling through the storage a cross the ceiling into the bath and loop back into the storage above the kitchen. And they are on a dimmer.

Check it out

[Roger H]

An Industrial-Strength Casita! Pretty cool!

Roger

[Christi V.]

Looks very classy!! great job!

[Lizbeth]

I'm fond of diamond plate too. The cubby hatches I put in are DP and I backed up the door lock with it. We will probably make a tongue box out of it too. I love the drip gaurds!

[Rick and Shannen]

Great mods, Don! Keep us posted as I can't wait to see what you do with the cabinet doors!

[don bowman]

Thank each of you for the compliments.

Thanks, Lizbeth! Nice "Bling Bling" on your Boler.
Thanks, Roger H.! We think our egg looks like it went through the "Monster Garage".
Thanks, Christi V & Rick and Shannen! Hope to make the other mod's in a couple of months.

We are enjoying our egg. My friend ribs me and calls it a "rolling port a potty", he says he is looking for a "Occupied/Unoccupied" slide to put on the front door.......... but, he will bunk with me when we go on our spring turkey hunt.

Nice camping weather.
Enjoy the spring!
don

[Roger H]

My friend ribs me and calls it a "rolling port a potty", he says he is looking for a "Occupied/Unoccupied" slide to put on the front door.......... don

Don, tell your friend that you take that as a compliment! You do know that the original idea for the Boler was from a fiberglass septic tank?

Roger

[don bowman]

You do know that the original idea for the Boler was from a fiberglass septic tank?

Roger

Roger, that's funny. I had no idea. My bud will get a kick out of that.
Thanks for sharing,
don

[Roger H]

The beginning of the story, from the Bolerama site:

The Boler Story: An interview with Ray Olecko
Contributed by Jamie McColl
I met this week with Ray Olecko, the designer and original manufacturer of the Boler Trailer. He seems to have been an inventor of several products,and proud, but modest about his many accomplishments.

He was selling cars,when he became fascinated with the potential of fiberglass,and his first invention was a fiberglass septic tank. His design was light weight and easy to ship by comparison with the steel and concrete tanks of the day - a quality later to be evident in the Boler developement. His patented design quickly became an industry standard. It was while camping with his family ,that he started to envision a lightweight trailer,and his design was based on his own family's need -2 adults and 2 children -hence the small bunks. He says that he never made any drawings, but carried the design around in his head, and when it came time to get down to work with the mold maker-Sandor Dussa - he simply drew out the basic lines of the trailer on a large piece of cardboard mounted on the wall, and said ' Make it like this!'.

He was looking for an unusual name for the trailer, and thinking that it looked a little like a bowler hat, he decided on Boler!

[don bowman]

Just got back from my Spring Turkey Hunt, empty handed.

My bud's visited my camp at the KOA in Junction, TX and thought I had a pretty good set up. They asked about staying with me and for an additional $ 5.00 the two of them could stay 3 nights. So I made out the California King bed, put three sleeping bags on it, the outside two heads to the front and middle head to the rear. Everything worked just fine.
I only kicked my bud twice and quit after he punched me after the second time.

PS, new photos on my pic post
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/texsita/my_photos

[MyronL]

Don, your album pix of the exterior storage hatch door really caught my eye. Very neat! Did you buy that, or how did you make that door? Also, those white hinges. Never seen anything like it. I'm particularly curious because I wanted to do the same thing when I removed my bummed-out refrigerator vents, but could not find a replacemnt door or hatch that fit. Would rather have the door, but ended up glassing the holes over.

[don bowman]

Myron,

My brother-in-law customizes sleepers and trailers, in Muleshoe, TX. He owed me a freebie, so I took my trailer to his shop and we did a makeover on it. We removed the side vents and covered them with smooth aluminum and the access door is in the location of the old water heater. My brother-in-law had the door in his storage, he had made it for another project but never used it, so I put it to good use.

My hindges and all bare aluminum were sprayed with a special primer that etches aluminum so that paint will stick. I can ask him for a product name, but most auto paint stores will know. The fiberglass was sanded, primed and painted with a two part auto paint "Dodge White".

Special NOTE: The paint will seperate durning painting at ALL CRACKS. Make sure all cracks are sealed with bondo before painting.

We are very happy with our little egg.
Thanks for the compliment.
don

[cyndi H]

What did you attatch the metal backsplash with? Looks great!

[don bowman]

What did you attatch the metal backsplash with? Looks great!

We used SS carriage bolts and acorn nuts with nylon inserts to attach the cabinets and back splash.

Hope this helps,
don

[cyndi H]

It's all greek to me. Did what you use have to pierce the shell of the trailer, as i'm trying to avoid that.

[don bowman]

Yes, the carriage bolt is inserted from the outside in.
I can't remember if we use 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch SS bolts.

I used these, because I had them and everything was closed for Christmas.

Hex jam nylon lock nuts

but these would look better.

Acorn nuts

[cyndi H]

Wow, detail drawings too! So how do you prevent water from coming in where the bolts are? Did you silicone around them or anything?

[Pete Dumbleton]

We used SS carriage bolts and acorn nuts with nylon inserts to attach the cabinets and back splash.

I'm infering here that you did pierce the trailer walls -- How did you put square holes in the fiberglass (or are the acorn nuts on the outside?)? -- Or did you bend the diamond plate at top and bottom to attach to the fiberglass cabinets?

[don bowman]

We bent the diamond plate on a brake to fit next to the wall and over the fiberglass at the cabinet and sink.

The carriage bolts that we used had a gnarled round edge, not square.
There is an awesome product that WILL NOT collect dust and is an excellent sealer. It does run if applied to thick. This stuff will stretch and stretch.

Repair Adhesive

New RV GOOP adhesive and sealant promises to make quick work of fixing rips, tears, cracks, and breaks in and around the coach. Referred to as a "toolbox in a tube" by the product's manufacturer, all-purpose RV GOOP dries to a clear, rubbery consistency for repairs that require flexible adhesion. It will permanently stick to a variety of surfaces, including rubber, leather, wood, glass, fiberglass, vinyl, and many other common surfaces. It is water-resistant immediately upon application and can be painted. According to company literature, when fully cured RV GOOP can be exposed to temperatures from minus 40 degrees to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can purchase it about anywhere.

My Casita had a lot of cracks around the belly band. I put on a coat of Goop and we painted. That has been nine months now and no cracks. Note: On something like this, you have to put it on fast and work it with a wet finger. It sets up pretty quick.

I only use Silicone where dust is not a problem and I need a thick covering.

I could not have done this diamond plate project if it were not for a Brother-in-law that is a master with it and did I mention that it was a pay back on work that I had done for him. Sweet deal!!

Side note: Home Depot and the such, sell a real thin diamond plate that would be easier to work with and you may be able to pop rivet it on.

I'm rambling, but we took the carpet down and installed the foil double bubble insulation behind the diamond plate.