1982 Boler remodel, rebuild, restore

[Raff]

Greetings Andrew. I'm sure he would make another mattress. You would just have to bring him a template of what you want. I made the mistake of ordering it too thick and I was too precise with the measurements. As a result it's a very tight squeeze. It's still workable and quite comfortable. If you're interested message me and I'll get you his address. He's around 400 and Finch. I just south of you at the bottom of the 115.


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[Nate R]

Originally Posted by Raff

Now that the bed is basically good to go here's a couple of shots of my slightly narrower closet. It'll have an upper and lower section. Fixed shelves at different spacing up top for a cutlery tray, etc. The top shelf will have a 120v plug to charge phones etc and keep the wires out of sight. I'll also drill a hole the run the wires to a small flat screen mounted on the bed side of the closet.
Comments, questions, suggestions always welcome. Thanks to all, I've borrowed liberally from numerous threads I've been reading here.

How is the closet attached to the shell? Did you just glue the ends of the plywood to the fiberglass, or attach some sort of flange?

We'll also be increasing our bed size on our 1981 Casita, which requires me to shrink the closet. Wondering if it would take less time to create one from wood like you did instead of cutting a few inches out of the middle of the fiberglass one, and then bonding it back together? Any thoughts?

[Borrego Dave]

Martin, your wiring is very sanitary, like it.

[Raff]

Nate, the side of the closet closest to the bed and the top front part of the face frame is attached to blocks of wood that I bonded to the fibreglass shell using the strongest construction adhesive I could find. I cut out the ensolite to match the size so the wooden block, used a generous amount of adhesive, let it set up over night and drove some screws through the side wall of the closet into the block. On the door side, the closet lines up right at the edge of the door opening. I peeled away some old door weatherstripping, carefully drilled some pilot holes through the fibreglass shell and into the plywood of the closet. Seems pretty solid. This is the first RV I've tinkered with so we'll have to see how it holds up after a few thousand kilometres of towing. As for cutting up the original closet and reusing it, you'll also have to modify the door, shelves etc. I'm redoing the entire interior so for me it was an easy decision to just build it all from scratch.


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[Raff]

Dave thanks for the compliment. I like all things mechanical, especially custom cars and hot rods. So I admire the effort and attention to detail that goes into those kinds of projects. Perfect brake and fuel lines, neat wiring are details that might get overlooked but I enjoy looking at them. My work is a far cry from those that I get inspiration from but with every project I hope to get a little better.


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[Roy in TO]

Looking good Martin!

You've come a long way since I saw it. I like the way you have configured the front and tied into the metal bar at the door.

You may have changed my mind on the PD4045, I never thought of installing it upside down. I saw my first one in the new Sidekick installed under the front streetside bench tucked in behind a monitor of some kind. It was a real PITA to get at - you had to get around the door of the unit. Upside down it would easier access to the fuses with the table up or down. The actual location can be seen in page 1 their brochure, http://www.greatwestvans.com/wp-cont...el-Trailer.pdf

Ask your friend if you can post his business details for the matress. It would be nice if we could all access him easily.

[Raff]

Greetings Roy. My initial plan was to put all mechanicals on the sink side but then thought it may be wiser to separate water and electrical. Hence the moving of the convertor next to the closet. I now have anything that may leak well away from whatever may spark. Not sure if it's really necessary but it's done, it works and that's good enough for me. When I rebuilt the front bench I had in mind our conversation about the weakness of the door frame. So I tried to get the bench up tight to the metal brace and drove a few screws through the fibreglass and into the bench. It's very solid now on both the handle and hinge side and the door closes with a nice solid thud. The door is still not straight in the frame. I measured the opening and it's not perfectly square. I measured the door and it's not even the same width from the top to the bottom. The frame may have moved over the years but the door didn't change size over the years. Even if the opening was perfect it still won't look right. When I get to working on the outside of the trailer I'll scribe and sand the door edge to make the gap less noticeable.


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[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Raff

When I get to working on the outside of the trailer I'll scribe and sand the door edge to make the gap less noticeable.

Flapper pad on the angle grinder does that nicely.

[Raff]

In preparation for our upcoming road trip I thought it wise to get rid of my old weather worn tires. Had the tires removed from the rims, sanded and painted the rims with $10 worth of spray can rustoleum. Three new Goodyears and some baby moons that I got at Vintage Trailer Supply last year.






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[The Swiss]

I'm following your build. It is reassuring to know that I am not the only crazy one starting basically with an empty fiberglass shell. You are doing an awesome job.

Quick question for ya: How do you access the storage area below the microwave?

Originally Posted by Raff

Attachment 74540

[Raff]

Greetings Swiss. There isn't that much room left under microwave. But to maximize any storage space at all I used a 4 inch hole saw and put of couple of openings inside the bench that allow you to reach the area under the microwave. Might be handy for stuffing some odds and ends that you don't need all the time.


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[Raff]

Ask your friend if you can post his business details for the matress. It would be nice if we could all access him easily.[/QUOTE]


Hi Roy. My wife or I will be going to see him in the next few weeks. We'll enquire about posting his business details here. Apparently there is a lot of hand work involved in making a mattress that is oddly shaped. As a result he would have to charge accordingly. I'm to sure how seriously that would affect the cost of the mattress.


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[Raff]

Got a little more work done the last couple of days. Connected the water line for city service. Still have to do the line for the tank.



I used the existing hinges for the gaucho/backrest to make an extra piece of flip up counter space that can be used when necessary. When it's raised it's a bit higher than the main counter but it'll make a handy place to put stuff when not being used as a couch. I think.....



I made the door for the kitchen cupboard and also put together a small flip out drawer to hold sponges etc.




Finally I started making the upper cabinetry. I'm going to try to make a continuous shelf/cupboard that goes right around three sides of the trailer. I've cut out small bits of ensolite, cleaned the fibreglass and used construction adhesive to bond some plywood blocks to the shell. Hopefully the bond between the wood and glass is strong enough to stand up to road travel. We'll soon see.... I then cut a piece of plywood to fit the shape of the shell. That alone took three hours of trimming and scribing!!! I'll post more pics as he work continues.







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[slavandheather]

Hey Martin, your build is looking fantastic so far! Really an incredible job on the cabinetry. Thanks for sharing.

Slav

[Raff]

Thanks Slav. Working with all those curves inside is a challenge for sure. Especially since I am a carpentry amateur. As I am fond of saying, it looks good from far but it's far from good.


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[slavandheather]

Originally Posted by Raff

Thanks Slav. Working with all those curves inside is a challenge for sure. Especially since I am a carpentry amateur. As I am fond of saying, it looks good from far but it's far from good.


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I know what you mean, those curves were a lot of work when I was doing the floor in our Boler.

[Raff]

Cabinet above bed is done just need to install the door. Plus the start of the longer cabinet above the sink. I'm hoping to get the majority of the woodwork done before our road trip in September. In addition to that we're going to try and get some cushions made for the couch. If it survives our vacation I'll put it to bed for the winter. Next springs plans will be to sand, fill, seal and paint the whole interior, put in a laminate floor and maybe tackle the exterior if time and $$$ allows.






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[Timber Wolf]

Looks good, I think you were sandbagging a little in the early posts about your lack of skills. I like your tilt drawer in front of the sink. I need to make a drawer next the sink in my Scamp and might as well do two drawer fronts while I am at it so I can do the tilt also. Thanks for the idea (like I need/want more projects).

[Raff]

Thanks for the kind words. As for my skills, I've been a tinkerer forever. When I was young and poor I could never afford to pay someone to do anything for me so I always fixed my own stuff, cars, houses etc with varying degrees of success. Now that I'm older and not quite as poor I still can't justify paying someone to do something that I think I could maybe do myself. Also I read a lot. So anything I try I've generally done lots of reading about beforehand. As for the Boler, I'm happy and very surprised how it's progressed. There are a multitude of gaps, cracks and mistakes that I can see but others may not. Pictures can be deceiving. Thank God for guy that invented paintable caulk. It'll hide a load of sins before I'm done.

The beginning of the long cabinet over the sink




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[D Davis]

Martin, I love the cabinetry, wow, what a great job. This is what we all need so badly. Wish I had your skills.