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Old 06-25-2020, 11:31 AM   #1
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Name: Alexander
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1300
New Hampshire
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1979 Boler Maintenance Finally!

I have a 1979 boler B1300 that I bought 3 years ago with intention of fixing up. It is usable as is but needs a lot of work. I have done a few things already that had to be done right away like a new axle with brakes. I am going to try to get caught up with what I have done so far and will continue to update as I go along. I will take and post pictures now that I have more time. The plan is to start with external stuff first and then work on the inside. I have already done multiple camping trips and have loved every minute of it. I hope some of what I have done and have yet to do will help or inspire others. Just for the record I have basic skills but am very good at figuring things out.

Let me start with the new axle since pictures really are not necessary.

When I bought the trailer, it still had the original axle on it and it was done and finished. Might have well had solid rubber wheels on a solid axle. A matter of fact, during my first camping trip before replacing the axle, I was driving home and lost a garbage bag full of my bedding when I hit a bump and the door opened (unbeknownst to me)!

I wanted a new axle but had read horror stories of getting the measurements wrong. So I made what some might think was a crazy decision. I decided to do a road trip to Ontario from New Hampshire to get a new axle with brakes from Paul Neumeister. My dad is retired Air Force so we could stay at the Air Reserve base in Niagara Falls. I made arrangements with Paul and rented a covered U-Haul trailer for the axle and away we went.

First off if you haven't met Paul, you are missing something! He was the nicest person I have dealt with in a long time and a wealth of knowledge. He will talk your ear off if you let him. My dad and I spent over 2 hours conversing and checking out his really nice Bigfoot (I think) trailer. One more night in Niagara Falls and on to home.

I had my local trailer shop put the axle on which was not hard, 4 bolts and done. While I was there they had a set of rims with new tires that they ordered and the customer backed out. I got them for a good deal since the old rims were a little dingy looking and the shop wanted to be rid of them. The standard size wheels for boler trailers are not in high demand. What a difference! It didn't feel like I was towing a bucking bronco and the door has not come open yet in 1/2 dozen trips. If you have your original axle, I strongly suggest you replace it. You might find your trailer tows a whole lot better. It isn't that expensive, I ended paying $684 for the axle, installation and two new rims with new tires.

That's it for now. I will post some pictures over the weekend.
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Old 06-25-2020, 12:53 PM   #2
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Where is NH did you go for the trailer work? No immediate needs for me with our Scamp but it would be good to have a reference if needed in the future.
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Old 06-25-2020, 12:56 PM   #3
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Ron's Toy Shop in Manchester. It's right on Elm st.
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Old 06-25-2020, 11:26 PM   #4
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A find

This is the newest Boler thread so I assume that people who like, or would like, Boler will visit here. Just happened on this on Craigslist and thought someone would be interested. It looks like a pretty nice trailer.

https://spokane.craigslist.org/rvs/d...148454333.html
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Old 07-03-2020, 09:39 AM   #5
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Sorry about the delay. I have taken my door off so I can reseal the window and replace the door lock. The previous owner had, instead of removing and resealing, slopped Silicone caulk around the perimeter of the window to stop leaks. So much Silicone on this trailer! I drilled out the rivet heads and used a straight punch to knock the rivets out. Be sure to support the underside of the door just below where you are driving out the rivets. If you don't you will never drive them out since the door flexes so much it absorbs most of the force. I bought new rubber to replace the frame seal and to replace the rubber holding the pane. When I pulled the window out most of the old butyl tape was hardened and no longer sticking to the door, hence all the silicone to stop the leaks. Here is the opening for the window after removal and cleaning. You can see how shiny the protected Gelcoat is compared to the oxidized rest of the door. Taking care of that is also on the agenda:
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I also removed the old Lyster lock. The handle had broken and the previous owner had riveted a metal plate to hold it together. Earlier this year some teens broke into the garage where I was storing the trailer and tried to force the door, causing the repair to fail. I was planning to replace the lock anyway and had purchased a Bargman L400. It will take some modification to install the Bargman since it is larger than the Lyster. Here is the Bargman lock next to the unmodified cutout:
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I plan to get more pictures this weekend, including the new rubber and hopefully the re-installation of the window. I will also post the part numbers and where I got the seals for the window.
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Old 07-03-2020, 01:50 PM   #6
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So not really maintenance but one of my first mods. I found these on sale at Home Depot and they fit nicely in the closet:
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Moderators, please delete this post.
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Old 07-03-2020, 01:54 PM   #7
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So not really maintenance but one of my first mods. I found these on sale at Home Depot and they fit nicely in the closet:
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Old 07-05-2020, 01:51 PM   #8
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Not much done this weekend. I'm waiting for the gasket cement I ordered. I'm also waiting on some acetone my brother is getting for me. Due to Covid and my dad being 85, only my younger brother is doing shopping for all of us. That way if he gets sick, I can take over. This keeps dad from having to go out. So many people without masks running around.

I did get around to replacing the seal around the small door window. I got the material at Vintage Trailer Supply. It is the Hehr Standard Glass Seal item VTS-195 and is the grey color. Here is a closeup picture of the end of the seal and what the window looks like after installation. Just remember to leave a little overlap in the ends so if the seal shrinks you don't get a gap. Install the seal with the two ends meeting in the bottom center:
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It was really easy to put on and no more rattling window due to a missing seal. I removed the hinges from the door and cleaned the oxidized gel coat off with Barkeeper's Friend. Once I have the window and lock installed, I will use my polisher and polish the door. Then it will be one window down, 4 more to go!
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Old 07-09-2020, 07:21 PM   #9
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The Bargman L400 is in! I had to do some cutting of the original hole to get it to fit since the Lyster lock was shorter. I put blue painter's tape over where I was cutting and drew my cut lines on the tape. I also took some wet paper towels and stuck them inside the door under where I was cutting. All the dust and pieces were captured by the paper towels. I also wiped the dust from the surface where I was cutting. I used a jig saw for the cut with a 21 TPI blade. I found the secret to cutting the fiberglass easily was to run the jigsaw as slowly as possible. It cut through pretty quickly and the blade didn't overheat. I found the blade was a little deep so I had to use a spacer between the surface of the door and the jigsaw.
Here is the hole right after I finished cutting:
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Here is the lock in the hole:
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The cleaned up hole:
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Here is the back of the lock after mounting:
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Here is the front of the lock after mounting. If you look carefully you can see butyl tape sticking out. I will trim the excess again after a couple of days:
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Hopefully this weekend I'll have the window riveted back in, sealed with butyl tape and the hinges put back on with new stainless steel bolts!
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:31 AM   #10
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1979 Boler Maintenance Finally!

Nice! I like the bins. We did the same in our Scamp. Works great, very lightweight.
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:59 AM   #11
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I couldn't have built shelves for what I paid for them on sale. It really was a no brainer.
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Old 07-28-2020, 07:56 PM   #12
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More progress! I have put the window back in with new Butyl tape and closed end rivets. Hopefully no leaks!

Here is the end of the new window gasket. It goes around the two sides and bottom of the window frame. The groove is where the window frame edge goes in:
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Here is the gasket cement I used to hold it in place:
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Here is the rivet gun I got on Amazon for $19.99:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Here is the new gasket that I notched using a straight razor. You have to notch it to fit around the bottom two corners. Not my best work:
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I put on the gasket cement in a thin layer all around the frame only on the side of the frame that will be towards the door. Do not put cement on the top part of the frame towards the window:
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Then I put the gasket on. Here is one of the corners:
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After putting Butyl tape all around, I put in the pop rivets one by one and barely tightening them. To get the rivets in, I had to use an awl to punch a hole in the gasket. To do that you peel back the rounded top part exposing the hole in the frame being very careful to not remove the window frame from the groove and then push the awl through. I put all the rivets in before I started tightening them down:
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I then went around in as much of a pattern as possible. Tightening each rivet one pull. I tried to do opposites. So opposite corners then opposite across. You can see the Butyl squeezing out:
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I tightened the rivets over an afternoon. The next time I do it, I will heat the Butyl tape up a little bit and tighten the rivets oven a couple of days. That should give the Butyl more time to flow.
Here is the finished window with Butyl still being squeezed out even after cleaning the next day:
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I cleaned up the hinges and put Butyl tape to seal them. I also bought stainless steel quarter inch, 20 thread in a 5/8 inch length to replace the rusted steel screws. I also got them in a Truss head which has more surface area:
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Here are the truss head screws on the inside of the door:
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Here is what the hinge looks like mounted. Note the Butyl being squeezed out. I will check the screw tightness tomorrow and clean up the extra Butyl:
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When I had everything removed from the door, I went over it with Bar Keeper's Friend to remove the oxidized gel coat. Once I got the lock and window in, I then used a random orbital polisher with a wool bonnet to apply 3M Marine Restorer and Wax. It came out about how I expected it. I'm going to research the polymer coatings before I commit to anything more. For now the 3M stuff is good enough. I will get a picture of the door mounted so you can see the difference between the prepped and waxed door and the rest of the trailer. I hope to do the whole trailer this year when I have time.
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:41 AM   #13
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Here is a picture of the first fix I did for my trailer. I got one of Ian's hinge repair kits and installed it:
https://www.campingtreasures.com/pro...ge-repair-kit/
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:53 AM   #14
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Finally, I got the rear window removed so I can replace the seals. To remove it, I went into the trailer and removed the screws from the metal retainer. Then with some careful prying I removed the retainer. I then had to go outside and use a plastic putty knife (I went through 2) to break the silicone caulk seal and then the Butyl tape. Again, with a lot of careful prying and a lot of use of the plastic putty knife, I got the window to come out. Be very patient and careful. The shell will flex and crack if you pry too hard. The window is made of Aluminum so don't bend it when prying. A steady small pressure works better than a hard yank. Also put a microfiber rag underneath the prybar so you won't scratch the side. I then sealed the opening with a contractor grade trash Bag and painter's tape. I will be putting the trailer back in the garage by next weekend since we are getting rain. That will give me a chance to finish cleaning and waxing the trailer. I will be rebuilding the window over several weekends.

Here is a picture of the window opening from the outside with the curtains hanging down:
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Here it is from the inside:
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Here is the opening sealed:
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I will get pictures of the window and retaining ring once I start working on it. I will probably have some questions.
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Old 09-20-2020, 10:14 AM   #15
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Before I put the trailer back in the garage, I am cleaning off all the oxidized Gelcoat and putting some polish on it. I am using Bar Keeper's Friend with microfiber cloths to remove the oxidations. I got a bundle of cloths at Harbor Freight with a coupon. It takes a lot of elbow grease! Once I removed the oxidation, I used Acetone to clean any residue. To finish it off I got 3M Marine Restorer and Wax and applied it with a dual action polisher using Wool bonnets.
I got the Wax, Polisher and bonnets from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The end result looks pretty good. It doesn't have that "Mirror" finish but it looks decent enough for now. Eventually after more research, I will get something Shinier to use.

When I had the door off the redo the window and the lock, I used the above technique to clean and polish it. Here is a picture that shows the polished door, the upper half of the shell after going over it with Bar Keeper's friend last year and the lower half which is un-touched. Look at the difference!:
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Here is the front showing the upper half having been cleaned last year and the lower half which was untouched:
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Here is the rear. If you look carefully you can see the green of moss growing around the taillights:
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Here is the bottom edge of the rock guard showing the original condition to the left and the condition after cleaning:
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Here is a shot of the roof where you can see the difference between the half that has been cleaned and polished and the half that has not:
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I will take more pictures as I progress, stay tuned.
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Old 09-21-2020, 03:16 PM   #16
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I've cleaned and polished everything above the seam. Here is a picture that shows the difference between the cleaned and polished part above the seam and the part below the seam which has been cleaned with Barkeeper's friend. If you look at the upper right hand corner of the trailer you can she where the sun reflected by the polish "blew out" the camera CCD:
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Old 09-21-2020, 07:56 PM   #17
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Another improvement done earlier. I replaced the old jack with a new BAL 1,000 pound top-wind jack and caster wheel. The only concern I have is the new jack sticks down further than the old. I remove the wheel after hitching up. This combination lets me push/pull my trailer in and out of the garage I store it in by myself without too much effort!

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 03-12-2021, 10:37 AM   #18
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The gasket in post #12 is from Vintage Trailer supply. It is the Hehr Standard Backframe Gasket VTS-199.
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