Maintenance & Restoration

clyle · 08-06-2018, 10:10 AM

Taking the information provided from recent posts I've decided to give it a shot. Thank you posters.
Attached are a few pics. The door hinges are done, just need to finish the body and rehang. Gonna have to be one photo at a time.
First photo: making sure that the hinges are "even" and perpendicular to the door edge before drilling the holes. Used 4mm SS machine screws, 40mm long for the two holes nearest the door edge and a 5mm SS screw for the hole going into the wood.

clyle · 08-06-2018, 10:21 AM

Second pic: butal tape under hinge

clyle · 08-06-2018, 10:25 AM

Third pic: inside door edge. Used a 3/4 inch strip of alum bar stock to hold the door hinges against the door. Door closes fine.

stude · 08-09-2018, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyle

Third pic: inside door edge. Used a 3/4 inch strip of alum bar stock to hold the door hinges against the door. Door closes fine.

:seems you do not have anymore problems since u installed that brace?? Sounds like the amount of FG was to thin in your door area. Also check your hing pins they do wear out.
stude

clyle · 08-09-2018, 09:31 AM

The hinge/pin are good. I reinforced the door more as a preventative measure since I was already redoing the body which was in bad shape. I don't think that either the door or the body was a fiberglass issue although several previous repairs using the time honored "plug" method had taken its toll on the fiberglass". As I see it, the underlying problem is the wood plug/core that the door hinges screwed into. As the years went by water got into the wood via the screw holes and eventually rotted it out. Plugging may give a temp fix, but it doesn't address the cause. I have had to do similar repairs to several sailboats that use the same "wood sandwiched between fiberglass" construction.
In Trilliums case they used blocks of plywood either sandwiched between fiberglass (the door) or encased in fiberglass (the body). Not a good design/construction method in my opinion as once the water gets to the wood it can't get out because of the surrounding fiberglass and the wood either rots or becomes too soft to hold the screws. But it was prob quick and cheap and it did last 40 years so I'm not going to fault them too much.
I'm just into the body redo and will start posting pics soon.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 12:52 PM

Carefully pealing back the ensolite with a putty scrapper. Two cutouts in the exposed inner fiberglass wall (approx 1/8" thick) using a Dremmel tool with the cutting wheel for plastic. Cutouts were a bit large cause I didn't know how much I needed to expose.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:03 PM

The lower cutout showing the glassed in wooden block (about 4"X1 1/2") that the hinge screws into. Note that the wooden block is entirely encased in fiberglass. Once water gets in from the outside like from the screw holes, it gets to the wooden block and there it stays. Wet wood, rot etc.. In the worst case the wood block is so wet/rotted that the standard fix of drilling out a larger hole and plugging it is not effective as the plug does not have a solid foundation.
There is several inches of space between the inner wall and the outer skin of the Trillium. Plenty of space to work in. Have a care though. A slip of the Dremmel and you'll be making repairs to the exterior of your trailer!

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:14 PM

The fiberglass covering partly cut away. Shows the plywood block encased within. Used a Dremmel with a cutting wheel for plastic. Get as near the outer skin as you dare, but you can always do the detail trimming later after you have removed the wooden block. The block is recessed somewhat in a little pocket that is more obvious whe viewed from the outside. This operation took me the better part of a week as I was concerned that I would cut through the outer skin. Care must be taken, but it wasn't near as delicate an operation as I had feared. You can see previous plugging fixes and the dark stained rotted still dampish wood that the plug was trying to get a seat into.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:19 PM

The wooden plug exposed and party removed. A bit difficult in the beginning, but once I got to this point I used a small hooked pick and just pulled the remaining wood out a bit at a time.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:25 PM

The fiberglass cut away, the wooden block removed. The shallow recessed pocket was cleaned out as much as I had the nerve working on the backside of the Trills outer skin. Used a Dremmel with several cutting heads and a steady hand.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:28 PM

Pieces of the wooden block after removal. 3/8 - 1/2 " I'm guessing.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:35 PM

So here's the plan. Form a new, better, thicker fiberglass backing behind the Trills outer skin. Used 4-5 strips of not-thin fiberglass matting. This matting filled up about half of the recession that the original block sat in. I cut new blocks a bit larger than the original blocks using 3/8" I'll call it plastic/nylon wood. Waterproof.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:38 PM

The first strip glassed in.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:44 PM

This is what I used. The West System. Epoxy resin and hardener. I've used it for similar repairs on fiberglass boats and I'd swear by its effectiveness, especially in wet situations. Additionally the pumps provide for an EXACTLY correct resin/hardener ratio. Downside is your'e looking at $80.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 01:51 PM

View from outside (top holes). You can see the new glassed in fiberglass mat strips. The old plug holes will be filled with traditional fiberglass filler which is much easier to work with to fill in holes. You can see how previous plugging attempts were starting to tear out the outer skin.
More pics tomorrow.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 05:52 PM

To continue. Now I glass in the new, I'll call it, plastic block. Just enough resin to hold it to the inside wall. Not encased in glass like the original block. Held in place with a C clamp till it hardens.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 05:53 PM

The new block glassed in.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 06:09 PM

Now for the real change.
NO MORE SCREWS!
I cut a plate from 1/8" alum flat stock a bit larger than the new block.
When the door (already redone in a similar fashion) is reattached it will be attached using stainless steel machine screws (4mmx.7 50mm long).
The hinge (and attached door) will be held using the machine screws against the plate which is against the new block.
I'm using security heads and nylon nuts as additional security against removal of the door from the outside.
In the event that I may have to remove the door for some reason in the future I'll just cut out the inner wall again. It's not that big a deal.
I need to rehang the door and drill the holes for the machine screws. Remove the door. Drill holes through the alum plate using the holes through the block as a guide. And rehang the final time with the alum plate in place. That's this weekend.

clyle · 08-09-2018, 06:24 PM

Midway through this project I'd like to acknowledge and thank jen11o and Island Claire for their recent posts without which I'd have never had the nerve or the necessary information to attempt my own go at it. The responders to those posts as well. It's a great little community!