Some Pictures

More pictures, this time of the ID markings of my Boler.

Hmm. I wonder if I can polish this up at all.

It's difficult to read at this angle, but the date on the plate is 7, 72.  The grill on the left is an oversize one for the fridge, and the grill on the right was for a furnace vent, although the hole had been patched over with a metal plate.

Likely, I'll make a photocopy of this and either keep it in a file onboard or affix the replica somewhere inside the cupboards once they're done.  The original will have to stay attached to the old door, which I'll keep somewhere at home.

And this ugly thing... I don't think it needs preservation.

Yeah, I know this posting isn't much of a blog entry.  I just thought I'd add it to the mix.
LT

Awnings

AWNINGS
It's time now to talk about design features for the Boler.  This post is about awning choices.  I've seen three basic types so far.  One kind seems to be a basic tarp extending from the awning rail out to a couple of corner poles, with guy ropes pegged to the ground.

This is the awning track on my Boler.  It's  about 7 feet long.

I don't like the way this type of awning sags in the middle, and how they require the guy lines.

Another kind I've seen provides support for the middle and sides of the awning as it extends from the trailer.  There are support rails that run back to the wall of the trailer.
These pictures show the support rails.  I like how this Scamp awning looks flat on top, and the side supports look like they detach for storage.  The 17-foot Boler here has side supports that do not detach, meaning they must catch a certain amount of wind while travelling.

This is my old trailer.  It was great for our family because we have 4 kids.
The Boler is our "just the two of us" version trailer travel.

I think I want something a little more compact.  My former trailer, a Coleman tent trailer, had a conventional "bag awning."  It had 3 rails that extended outward to support the awning fabric and keep the far end rail in position.  Because there was an end rail, you always had a nice straight edge.  There were two support poles that went straight to the ground, and they didn't necessarily need guy lines -- so long as there was no strong wind, everything stayed in place.

Here is a page from a standard online RV parts supplier.  It's probably the route I'll take.  It's just that the colours they offer don't match the classic Boler scheme that I want to maintain -- olive green and a creamy white.  The narrowest awning on this page is 8.5 feet, which is too wide for the Boler.  I'm looking for a 7-foot awning.  I'm wondering if I'd be able to make the support poles work -- I like the idea of them mounting down low on the wall of the trailer, although poles running straight down to the ground would be fine too.  If anyone reading this blog knows of another source that could furnish something like this in a better choice of colours, please let me know.

Portable Shelter

Gimme Shelter!
Here is my Boler's new shelter for the winter:

72 Boler in its winter den

I had some sheets of 9/16" Aspenite, full and part sheets or scraps, that I put down on the ground, over top of a polypropylene tarp.  This has given me a pretty nice floor for the inside of the shelter.  I've done this once before with a previous shelter and it kept the level of moisture down considerably through the winter.  I also ran power out to the shelter, and now I have a duplex outlet, light switch and light.  I have absolutely no idea how many jobs I'll be able to get to over the winter, but I'm hopeful!

72 Boler on axle jacks

I've taken some of the load off the new suspension -- I cranked the tongue jack down to the bottom, put axle jacks below the back end, and then jacked the front up 'til the trailer was level again.  Maybe it should be up a little higher, but I'm sure that taking even a little of the load off will help.  If I have to move the trailer inside the shelter at any point, I can do it easily.  In the photo you can see that I've also got the original trailer jacks under the "bumper" section, too.

Original Boler jack

Here's a shot of the original Boler jack, taken before I did the work on the frame.  At first I thought I would install modern crank-down stabilizer jacks like you would find on a new tent trailer -- like the kind I had on my '03 Coleman tent trailer.  But then I got thinking about which parts of the Boler could or should be kept original and which parts might be updated.  They would have cost a little over a hundred dollars to buy a complete set, and then they would have had to be welded to the frame.  I wasn't sure how to go about positioning them because the bottom edge of the fiberglass wall extends past the steel frame.  My former tent trailer's frame was below the side wall, and access to the crank /screw was easy.  So, I decided to keep the old jacks. They have character even though they don't provide any lateral stability.  I'll clean them up and repaint them.  They'll go on my winter list of jobs that can be done indoors where it's warm.

Photos of things to change

Okay, I'm back at it! I'll start this posting with a couple of pictures taken before I began my restoration work. This one was from just over a year ago:

The picture below was taken this past spring:

I moved my Boler into a brand new "portable" garage/shelter today. It's one of those cheap ones from Crappy Tire, but I think it will allow me to get a few jobs done over the winter. My list of jobs this year includes making a new counter top and matching table, making new door fronts, refinishing the jalousie windows, and repairing the ensolite seams. I also want to check out my options for water and electrical fittings for the sidewalls, and for power converters and interior lights.

Here is the original water inlet and the 110 volt power outlet. Both need to be replaced. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with an inlet that has a screw cap. Yes, it would be a more authentic restoration if I continued to use this one, but I'm not crazy about that lid thing.
Below is the 110 Volt connection. I'll see if I can get a new unit of the same design. The Coleman tent trailer that I owned until last year had a power cable that pulled out of a port in the side wall -- the cable was always connected to the power converter.

I don't suppose I'll have any trouble finding a standard hose connector.  I'm not sure if there's anything wrong with this old one, but it's not like it's a distinctive design that has to be preserved.

And here are the sink taps. The one on the left is connected to the hose inlet. In the seven years that I had the Coleman tent trailer, never once did I use the "city water" faucet. I always used water from the tank.  The hand pump faucet here was made by Coleman. I'll probably replace it, and install a pressure-activated 12-volt electric water pump.

So, where will I go with the blog this fall? In addition to documenting the "research" that I've been doing regarding replacement parts and design ideas, I will provide detailed coverage of the repair work as I get to it. I think the first job I'll tackle will be the table mounting cleat:

The plywood has swelled and de-laminated. The metal strip should be fine, though. I'll have to see if the fiberglass work can be done in cool temperatures. Hmm. Maybe I'll have to rig up a heater inside my new Crappy Tire shelter.

Planning

It's been several weeks since I have posted anything new on this blog.  The summer holidays are over, and I have just a few more things to do to the Boler before winter.  I know that I won't be able to do any major work on it until next spring or summer when I have saved enough money.
At present my Boler body is sitting on the newly rebuilt frame, but I haven't yet fastened it.  I'm thinking about inserting a half-inch pressure treated plywood sheet between the old floor and the frame.  While this would add a bit of weight to the trailer, it would give a little strength to it, too.  The original plywood floor isn't in really bad shape, but it seems like the spruce plies are really dry and they've de-laminated in places. It will be tricky lifting the body and sliding the new plywood into place because, unlike the first time I lifted the body, I won't be able to push up on the old floor -- the supports would be in the way.  You might be wondering why I wouldn't just replace the whole floor rather than adding to it.  The answer is that the original plywood floor is laminated right into the fiberglass wall, and I don't think I'd be able to extract it and then attach a new plywood floor in its place.  If I'm able to get the subfloor job done this fall, I'll post pictures.
I've also been thinking about what would be the best sequence of big jobs next year.  My original plan was to get everything updated on the inside and then at the very last, get the exterior painted and install new windows and ceiling vent. I was going to replace the old rivets with new ones and then paint over them, just like the originals.  But I have a new plan now.  I'm going to deal with the exterior and windows before making the necessary upgrades to the interior, and here's why -- I've decided to replace the rivets that fasten the cupboards and closet with stainless steel bolts, and I've heard that paint doesn't adhere well to stainless steel.  Which means that for the neatest finish, I'll want to have the body stripped completely bare for the painting.  The interior cupboards will be removed for the body work and painting.  The new front and rear windows will get new gaskets, as will the new ceiling vent, the door, and the old jalousie windows.  This will make for clean lines and transitions -- no paint running onto the gaskets. Once the exterior is painted, and the new windows and vent are installed, I'll use stainless steel bolts to reinstall the interior pieces, and the bolt heads will simply be shiny metal bumps on the outside of the trailer.

The Boler frame is painted

After grinding some of the welds smoother, I painted on the POR-15.  It's pretty interesting stuff; it dries quite quickly, and it doesn't clean up with Varsol unless it hasn't dried at all.  My small can went two and a half times over the frame.  I did two full coats on all surfaces, and a third coat just on areas that I figured might need an extra layer of protection.  Here are some pictures:

I'm pleased with how it turned out.  This frame should be good for another forty years.

Back from the welding shop

Here is my old frame, just back from the welder's this morning. He added steel to the outside of both tongue channels, from the coupling right back to the dropped floor.  The sandblasting made it easier to weld, and it revealed all the possible points of weakness.

Here is a view of the driver's side axle mount, with reinforcement.

This view is of the curb side.

Here you can see the rust perforation in the sheet steel.  This area is just below the closet when the trailer is put together.  It seems to me that moisture and debris get trapped in the C-channel frame because it is closed in by the sheet steel.  You don't see this part when the trailer is together because the fiberglass closet face comes right to the floor.  However in this Boler you do see the steel on two other surfaces -- the rise up to the dinette floor, and the "toe-kick" beneath the lower kitchen cupboards.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to cover them neatly and effectively, or if I'll just leave them exposed like they were originally.

This photo shows the slight curve in the frame.  I'm not sure why it's there -- there's no evidence of any sort of collision from the side, and everything seemed to line up properly beneath the kitchen area.

The curb side has a slight outward bow to match the driver's side curve.  One of the reasons why I chose not to have a completely new frame made up was that I wouldn't know if these deviations were necessary for the body to fit the frame.

 And here are more shots of the welding details.  You can see the rust perforations in the bottom of the C-channel, just ahead of the drop floor.  The frame is upside down here.
Before painting, I took some time to grind the welds smooth in places that would be exposed, and where the excess bead was not essential for strength.

Next job: apply POR-15.  I had to buy it at an automotive supply store, and it cost a fortune.  It was $75 plus tax for one quart, and the instructions called for the use of "Marine Clean" and then another metal primer.  I bought the spray bottle of Marine Clean at $30, but took a chance on not doing the metal prep.  The instructions did say that if old metal had just been sandblasted, then you could just blow the dust off and apply the POR-15 directly.  As I was spraying on the Marine Clean, it smelled just like the BBQ degreaser that I used a month ago.  I'm wondering if a spray bottle of that stuff, or EZ-Off oven cleaner would achieve the same results more cheaply.  Well, considering how much money I've spent so far on buying and shipping the new axle, and then on sandblasting, welding and painting, I can't be accused of being cheap!

This is the first blog I've ever done, and I'm really quite enjoying it.  I'm curious about the statistics and the comments: Blogger shows that as of tonight I've had 211 page views, most of which are from the US, but there have been a few from Russia.  I'm wondering what those Russians might have been looking for and why.  But I haven't had any comments yet. Hmmm.