Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
Well, 4 months after my first post, I finally gathered enough courage to start working on the camper. After removing every screw possible, I decided to start by peeling the ensolite around all the windows.
The front window went well. I peeled off the ensolite pretty far under the window as it felt wet. As expected, the wood is rotten and will have to be replaced.
Then I ran into a problem for the back windows: the above-head shelves. I obviously have to remove them to get at the ensolite and the window frames. I'm pretty sure they're not structurally important. I took out the screws that attach the brackets to the top window frames, but it looks like I have to remove the rivets that attach the brackets to the fiberglass kitchen cabinets and closet. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CONFIRM before I try my hand at drilling out rivets? I would love to avoid it. Not sure those shelves are going to go back up when it's all done. I managed to peel the ensolite under the back window and again, no surprise: rotten wood.
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Drilling out rivets is just part of working on most fiberglass trailers. There are two approaches.
1) Using an oversized bit drill into the center of the rivet till the head comes off, or till you can use a side cutter to cut it off.
2) Drill down the center of the rivet with a bit that is the size of the hole that the rivet is in, (I don't remember what size that is). Once through the head the shaft of the rivet should push through.
Both methods are complicated by the steel shaft in the middle of the rivet. It is difficult keeping the drill centered on the rivet. But, relax, be patient, don't worry, if you destroy the hole in the fibreglass, it is not difficult to fix. Working with fibreglass is like mud pies, (more on that later).
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
Also, thank you David for such a thorough answer to my first post. I've attached a photo of the closet spec sheet to my post. To answer some of your questions/comments:
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You are welcome! And thank you! I will, one day, update the serial number list:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...-56121-29.html
It is worth noting that your trailer is the youngest that I have yet found.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
That comment made me very nervous! I checked and there doesn't seem to be any crack on the door lower left corner or compression signs on top left and bottom right corners of door. Fingers crossed.
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If your roof is flat over the closet, and a straight edge stays flat to the floor, between the fridge door and the trailer door, then you don't have a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
It's an ugly deadbolt that the PO installed. I will remove it when I work on the door.
Thanks for the advice. I removed the added shelf but wonder why you think it's a bad plan.
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It is difficult to mount stuff to the fibreglass shell properly. In my opinion, screwing through the shell is wrong. It causes
leaks, and cracks in the gel coat. However, the damage, if there is any, has already been done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
The different-looking ensolite is not ensolite. It's a dingy piece of open cell foam installed by PO. I removed it today and am looking at ensolite alternative or source.
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What is used in the trailers produced today is something called Reflectix:
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ref...ion/1000167795
Basically, it is tough bubble wrap with a foil coating. This is covered by some type of marine headliner, (AKA Rat fur). Ensolite is better, however they no longer make the stuff with the cream colour vinyl coating. The Ensolite is actually the black, closed cell foam under the vinyl. The black foam can still be purchased, I think. I have considered trying to
paint it with a vinyl based
paint.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
I do have a vent fan, that's what the switch is for.
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Interesting. That would be a previous owner, (PO) mod. I would like to see pictures of the fan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
Good to know. Is it important to have it or is it only esthetic? Also you mentioned in several posts the belly band is one of 5 main issues with new campers. What exactly would the issue be with the belly band? Leak?
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The plastic in the belly band is just to cover up the rivets under the plastic. It is available in other colours. I used a white one, till the belly band started to
fall off:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...tml#post323323
The last picture.
That is one of the problems with the belly band.
I'm about to get boring. Feel free to skip this part.
The belly band is how Trillium joined the top and bottom halves of the shell. They set the top half on the bottom half, separated by some wood shims. The belly band is riveted through the gap between the shells, caused by the wood shims, into some steel plates, on the inside of the shells. These plates are about 1.5" tall and 3/4" wide, with a hole drilled in the middle. The rivet goes in the hole. As the rivet is pulled, it lines up the top half with the bottom half. You can see these steel plates in your picture where you have the Ensolite pulled down under the front window. The top and bottom shells are squeezed between the belly band, on the outside, and the steel plates on the inside. They worked their way around the trailer. More plates typically went in the corners. I guess this was where it really had to line up. It is in the corners that they sometimes used a double plates. I assume that this was for strength. Once the belly band was riveted in, they laid a fibreglass bandage around the inside of the trailer, over the steel plates. This sealed the top to the bottom of the trailer, making it waterproof. However, it also created a pocket around the bottom of the plate. Water gets into this pocket, probably through condensation. When winter comes, the water in that pocket freezes and expands. This rips the fibreglass a little. Over the years this rip gets bigger and bigger, till there is a leak. Also the steel plates will rust and in some cases totally dissolve. This is what happened to my trailer. The rivet no longer had anything to hold onto, so it let go.
I have fixed this twice. Once on a 1300:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ead-58763.html
Once on a 4500:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ead-59580.html
There are probably easier ways to do this job, but I am a bit OCD.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4feet_8paws
I don't see a fibreglass mount on the front wall... however I found what looks like a table-shaped board screwed onto the gaucho fiberglass at the front. What would the dinette pieces look like?
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I have spent quite some time looking for a front dinette 4500 and I recently bought one:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ium-99562.html
Note the fibreglass back splash on the front table. It is screwed to the bottom plywood frame of the front window. It sits on the seat tops as well. The table attaches to it. This way they were able to mount something to the front wall of the trailer, without drilling through the shell.
Your trailer has the seats, but not the backsplash.
Fibreglass Work
As said earlier, working on fibreglass is like mud pies. I cut up little triangles of fibreglass mat. After sanding where you want to put down some fibreglass, you mix the resin and
paint it on the sanded fibreglass. Then lay a dry fibreglass mat triangle on the resin. Next, saturate the mat with more resin. I use a cheep paint brush, like from the dollar store. I cut the bristles to half as long, maybe shorter. This allows me to push the mat around to where I want it, and to pop any bubbles that form. If my cheep brush starts to shed bristles, I try to remove them from the resin, but I don't get worked up about it.
If I have laid down too much fibreglass, then I grind it off. If I grind off too much, then I lay more down.
There is a very good thread on the process:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ass-52498.html
Dave White knows his stuff.
I hope that helps.