Nov  6  2017

The Body:

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Here it is..  in the shop.   The dolly I made worked great.  Rolled right in..  Now we’ll let it thaw out a day or so..  It snowed and it’s cold out.

Naked Boler !

All the windows and lights..  and everything has been stripped off the body and now I’m sanding and repairing.  I tried using paint stripper on the pool paint..  Nope not working..  the sander is the only way that crap is coming off.  This is going to take a week or so..  I hooked the shop vac up to the sander ..so I’ll have less dust.

About half done now..  and found some more ouchies..  But there were fixed properly.

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God only knows how you can do this to a nice little trailer.. but there you have it.  There’s repaired damage to the left front lower corner too.  Most likely a jack knife situation..

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Here you can see the difference the sanding is making.  I have finished sanding the top half of the body.  I’m in the process of filling the unwanted holes and the repairs.  Here’s a new video…

The crack repair turned out good.

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I put a coat of primer on to make sure . It should never crack again.  Because I will have the supports for the upper cabinet.  Now to start the bottom half..  less fun cause it’s down low..

I started at the back..  and by fixing the bottom edge.  It was jagged and uneven.. so I trimmed a bit off..  Looks good now.. This process needs to be done all around the bottom..  Plus!  the paint was harder to remove on the bottom half. I’m using a big sander with 80 grit to get the pool paint off.. then finishing up with the small sander..  which I need to fix now..   I need a part so I’ll clean up and work on the door..

Here’s all the bits and pieces..  nothing to fix here.  The door worked ok..  even locked.   So just the hinge pins and the inside and outside handles are replaced.  And as for the door !

There you go..  it’s in great condition.

Nov 19 2017

I had to go to Kelowna ..so I paid a visit to the fastener store and picked up the stainless steel bolts and screws I would need.  I also picked up a metal polishing kit.. and couldn’t wait to try it out.

Wow..  with a bit of work I now have very shiny hinges.  I did them all.. cause I can !   Here’s the latest video I made ..

Dec 10 th 2017:

Progress has been a bit slow as of late..  lots of distractions.  Also sanding the hard pool paint off is an exercise in patience.  I’m getting there but it’s going slow..  and some days I just don’t want to do it at all..  Today I’ll make a good effort.  Determined to get the last of it off the bottom of the boler.  Then there are a few holes to fill..  a final sanding and I can start with the painting.

This is some of the work I’m doing on the front of the trailer.  I had to reconstruct the opening for the frame. It was in the wrong place.. and I want the front to look proper..  no holes all over.  There was also chunks missing out of the bottom..   So I’ve got that all rebuilt with layers of fiberglass.. and a bit of filler.  Now the bottom edge of the trailer is uniform and smooth.

Here’s the same area with primer on it.  I’m cleaning up the shop and the trailer to get ready for the painting..  I’ll start another post for the painting…

Page 4  The Painting:

Nov  4 2017

Made in Canada..  EH

I was atending an estate sale at a rural property and just looking at stuff..   The camper in the shed caught my eye, and the wheels in my head were turning. I had thought about a camper when I was hunting with my friend Dave and his Brother this fall.  Truck campers are better on the rough roads.. These are places I would never take our fifth wheel. And these are the roads that take you to some very beautiful camping spots.  Free ones ! So the thought of having one just for those weekend getaways, camping / atving trips would be great.

Meanwhile back at the farm…..

Hiding in the shed.. this camper has been kept dry and safe for many years.  So I had a closer look..  And it was in great condition for it’s age.  So I made a low offer and they said sure.. need it gone the property was sold and everything needed to go.. So now I own a camper !  While I was there a friend from the ATV club came and said ” that’s good deal” and I’ll help you get it out of there and home..  Little did he know how long that was going to take. Well it took five hours to load it up..

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Because of the low roof.. and me not really wanting to take the canopy off the truck..  I went and got the “landscape” trailer.  The deck was low so not much jacking / lifting needed. ..  However we had to extend one jack out because the trailer is wider than a truck.  Soooo  like I said ..long time  but I got it home before dark.

Look a new Scooby !

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Dave’s old hunting rig was a camper on an old trailer frame so it could be towed.. They called it “Scooby” .  A lot of dust blew off on the way home from the years in the shed,  but not enough.  Other than a good bath..  there is only a few things to fix.  And if I’m gonna have a camper this one ticks a lot of boxes for me.  A bathroom  YES, hot water tank,  upper bed with headroom, no leaks,   bonus canopy on the side…  and it appears to have been looked after not trashed like some campers I’ve seen…  Plus it was stored properly so I can assume that everything works.   9 1/2 ft is the perfect size too.  I would just need a short hitch extension to tow my quad on the utility trailer.

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None of the lights are broken..  one jack leaks, but works..  My friend that helped me gave me two spares.  The two 20 lb propane tanks are old ..  and there’s a crack in the right front window ..  All easy fixes.  They could not find the keys.. so I’ll have to change the dead bolt.. The staining you can see on the right rear corner is from the leaky jack.   Degreaser will take care of that.   The decals and stripes are like new !  It says the weight is 909 kgs.  That’s 2000 lbs,  no problem for my truck.

Nov 5 th 2017: Interior Tour…

Well what does it look like in a early eighties camper.. BROWN !  Lots of it.. and wood too.

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If your into wood and brown carpet.. then this is your place.  I kinda like the retro feel ..  just not the carpet.. I think it’s a bad idea in any RV..  But there is lino under the carpet..  and yes it’s brown too.  Still better than carpet.

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At least the counters and curtains are white.  That fridge is in perfect condition.

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Nice stove with an oven..  They don’t make a four burner anymore. please excuse the dead flies.  I’m not cleaning it till spring.

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And gadgets !  Who doesn’t like gadgets ? I’ll be moving the thermostat over a bit to make room for more gadgets.  And that wallpaper is very familiar..  Fugly but familiar.  I can live with it.

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That’s a bunk above the dinette..  that’s also a good cupboard when the bunk is closed ..  cool idea.  There is lots of storage in the camper..

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And how about a nice sink.. with a hand pump ?  What for.. there’s power and a pump.. AND I found a battery!  I was thinking this old of camper would use a second truck battery.  Nope.  Has it’s own.  Bonus!  And just like any good RV when you plug in to 110 v it charges the battery.   But not the one I found.. very old and very dead.

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Lots of room up top.. and a very good ” proper” mattress.  Nice size opening windows for that important breeze in the hot months.

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And no tour would be complete without a peek at the LOU.  A bit tight but all campers are.  No shower in this one.. Never use it anyway.  But having a toilet in the middle of the night is a blessing.

Beddy Bye Time…

Today was cold but dry.  and I got the chance to tarp the camper for the winter.  But before I did that I could not resist running power to the camper and see if it has life.  You bet it does !  only two burnt out lights..  I could hear the inverter working it’s magic. And I tested the pump..  But I did not try the fridge because I wasn’t sure how to turn it on ?  Oh well in the spring I’ll go through all the stuff..   For now I’m making up some blocking for it’s winter resting place…  so Dave can have his trailer back..  No Scooby.

Plans for the spring:

Can’t help myself..  gotta think about my mods and repairs.  The roof needs to be resealed.. that’s a given.  This camper shows no sign of leaks and I’m keeping it that way.  Since the one piece aluminum roof has been ( for the most part) kept out of the weather.  I’ll presume it’s still got all of it’s integrity.  Looks like the vent lids were replaced at some point.  But the two plumbing vent caps are crispy critters.  And the big escape hatch lid is showing signs of it’s age too.  So a parts order will include those.  Plus as always I will install vent covers on the three vents. The fridge vent is metal and still good.  The only other concern is the two front windows. I know one has a crack so it needs a fix.. I’m thinking I’ll remove both and have new tinted glass installed, then reseal them.   That should keep mother nature at bay.  Now for the “could live without.. but I want it anyway” stuff..

This is the panel I made for our fifth wheel.  I won’t bother with the stereo.. but the other gadgets are very handy.  A 12v power outlet, a dual USB charging port, a digital volt meter and a switch to turn them off.  The kind of camping that I’ll be doing is far from power, so knowing the battery level is important.  Charging my phone is too.. even though I’ll be far from service.. It’s my camera.  Changing the lights to LED will save power too.  so that will be done.

Nov 6 th 2017

Today I moved things around ..BOLER  into shop,  and the camper into position where it will stay for the winter.  I thought I’d replace the leaking jack..  the oily corner of the camper was bugging me.

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Not any more.. I wasn’t going to mount the clean jack to a dirty camper..  so It now looks like this.  Nice!  Tomorrow I make some horses to hold the camper.

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Hate those Camper steps !

With a passion..   so my brain went to work and I thought of this idea.  I see it on new campers..  regular RV folding steps.

So I got on Paint and put my thoughts to paper.. well screen.  A light weight platform and folding steps.  Why not !  Gives a place for a tool box … and a railing / handle.  We need these things as we get older.  Those accordion style steps are killers.

And That’s That:

All put away for the winter.  Will start a new post in the spring..

But I can’t resist doing a few small jobs.  Like the hot water tank cover was very rusty ..and that bugged me like the jack.

I made it all pretty again.. close match color too !   I have an order coming for RV stuff..  The vent covers, new interior switches, LED lights and little bits needed to make the camper perfect..

Nov 22 2017:

All my parts came.  And I stashed them in the camper.  Who knows I may feel like doing some of that work before spring.  Just not the roof stuff.   Yesterday I was showing the camper to my friend Dave.. so we plugged the power in and tried a few things..  Also turned on the propane and lit the stove..  and fired up the furnace and fridge.  All is in good working order..  I switched the fridge over to electric and left it overnight to see just how good..  The freezer was ice cold this morning.   The furnace started to warm the camper up nicely too.  Wow..  we have a winner.

Just couldn’t leave it alone…

So I made up the “panel”  .. yes the one …or version of.. what I like to have in all my campers..  12 volt power..  USB ports.. and a nice easy to read volt meter..   All on a beautiful gold panel..  ..

And here’s the gadget center…  installed but not hooked up to power yet. I’ll do that when I change the light.

Update:  Summer 2018

When our fifth wheel came out of the RV port..  the Frontier camper went in..  and that was 4 months ago.  Other than installing some LED lights and doing some cleaning ..it’s been left alone .   When we moved it I use my truck.  It was realized that this camper is just a little bit too wide for the tailgate opening of the truck.   So I’ve come up with the idea of making a new “Scooby”  ( that’s a camper set on an old travel trailer frame) Like I mentioned earlier in this post.    Now you can tow the camper !  I was given a free 18 ft trailer that was damaged and had leaked.

It’s been sitting for many years… So we stripped all the useful parts and wrecked it to the frame.

And that I brought home … with the floor still attached ..  But we removed that too.   It’s the perfect size for making a scooby.  I have flat deck registration and a plate for it so we are set.

Here I’m working on the mods to the frame to make it camper friendly.   The camper will sit 12 inches forward of the rear bumper.. so I’ve meshed in on either side of where the rear step will go.  And I’ve added 13 inches out from the frame for fenders and to better fit the width of the camper.  Plus a few more cross pieces to better hold the deck.

Here’s my right side fender..  all done even painted..  in fact I’ve painted most of the frame now..

A complete change of color..   Gloss black is the new choice.   The wiring is done too..

With a new box , brake a way switch, but used good salvaged wire from the wrecked out trailer.   I’m thinking I would like to start a new post for the continued work on this project..

Page 2  Frontier Becomes Scooby:

Oct  20  2017

The Frame:

Yesterday I started the process of lifting the body off the frame..  Not too hard to do…   I’m working alone.  Just need a floor jack and beams..  After taking out the rusty screws.  It started raining heavily so I had to quit.    Today I’m back at it…

Had to remove the wheels so I could lower the frame more to clear the wheel wells.  So I put two 12 ft 4×4’s under the frame and pulled it out with the tractor..  All went well till I bumped one of the jack stands and the body almost fell to the ground..  But I sorted that out and ..  the frame came out and the new wheels went on.   One of the old wheels had a leak..

And there you have it… one SAD boler frame.  Yes it’s light..  but it’s very flimsy too.   Never mind the rust..  it’s cracked behind the left wheel…

Apparently this is common..  and it’s only one of the reasons why you want a new frame.  Usually the tongue has broken too and someone fixed that..  wow

Look at that ! they even jammed a piece of wood in there..   Let’s just say that this was not a “road worthy” frame..  and build a new one.   However first thing I want to do is construct a cradle for the body so it won’t have to sit on those jack stands any more.

Done!  I built it to hold the floor and the two ends.. My wheels are a bit wimpy but it’s all I got .. and they should help when I need to move it into the shop..   Now I stare at the frame and wonder where to start.  Some have built the new frame on top of the old one..  so as to get things aligned properly.   One thing I need to figure out is just how different the suspension will be.   The factory axles are Dexter Torflex.  And still available..  but costly to ship.  I bought the ones from Princess Auto..  made by the same company but they say 22 degree angle..  and the boler axle should be 10 degrees up and pointing forward..  A strange thing for sure.. but successful.  However the old axle IS the same as the new one at 22degrees.  Soooo I will flip the new ones ( they don’t say you can’t) and I will mount them an inch lower..   not much of a gain in height.. but still something.

Here’s the old and new..  for comparison..  The mounts are different ..but then the whole frame will be anyway.

One thing for sure ..this sag won’t be there !  That’s the new frame tube on top..  I’m kicking the old frame outside .. and cleaning up the new pieces..  everything is measured and the plans are drawn.   Here’s the first frame video…

Well I did kick the old frame out and made a jig on my saw horses to build the new frame..

The debate in my mind still goes on which way to mount the axles..  I’m tending to favour the rear configuration..  it will lift the trailer by 4 inches.. but I’m thinking that’s good.. cause I saw damage to the old frame from hitting things.  There was about 8 inches of clearance under the trailer.

Oct 22 2018  

I’ve decided to have the arms up and leading the axle.  And for a bit of extra height I’m adding a 1- 1/2 ” block between the frame and the axle.  I should be within 1 – 2 inches of the factory height.  This makes the door sill proper height.. you won’t need a step.  And that’s the way boler’s should be.

I now have my four cross pieces welded in place .. That’s four more than the old frame had.  The frame has been squared and corner braces added

The C – channel I used is from the Tent Trailer frame… light but strong.  I’m cutting the tubes to build up the 6 ” drop for the floor pan.  but since I’m working upside down it’s up…

I will cut the door opening after I have the frame braced.  Oh..  and the old frame is no more.. I cut it up to use some of the better pieces.  Would have been nice to keep it intact so I could show a side by side comparison..  but I don’t want to buy metal.. ya I’m a bit cheep.  Re-use and Re -cycle.. that’s the way I roll.

It’s coming along nicely..  There’s the door opening.  Used some bits from the old frame for this too.    Lot’s of welding going on here..

Got to have a place for the propane tanks..  And a battery in front of that.  Plus all this helps brace the frame.  The down side is the weight..  I plan on weighing it when I’m done..  and I expect a few hundred pounds more.  The up side is that this frame won’t need the body for support..  So the body is simply carried.

Here’s my new rear bumper..  it’s a work of art using pieces from the old frame.   Also it’s longer to protect the width of the trailer.  still needs a spare tire mount and the rear stabilizer jacks will be mounted too.  I will make this slide into the frame and bolt in place.  If I welded it that would make it harder to roll the frame under the body.

Oct 30 th 2017 

It’s looking like I’ll finish the frame earlier then I thought.   I got all the welding done.. cleaned up … and painted the bottom of the frame today..

Here’s the axles on..  and the two supports for the floor..

And now most of it is shiny black.  I turned the heat up to dry the paint better too.   Then I thought of a way to estimate the weight of the old frame. ..  by weighing the bits.   I estimate it to be 230 lbs.  + / – 30 lbs.   But at least I will know how much heavier the new frame is.

Nov 1 2017  

Well I rolled the frame out of the shop.. parked it next to the body..  I’m so nervous thinking I got the sizes wrong..  But it looks like a fit .  I want to take it and weigh it to see just how much heavier it ended up being.

And off to the scales and the landfill.   And wouldn’t you know it !  Lighter than expected !   330 lbs on the nose.   That’s approximately 100 lbs more than the old rusty frame.   Right on target..   I’ve still working on the rear bumper.. but the frame will stay outside now..  Like any good trailer.. 🙂

It’s done now on to the   BODY #3

Sept  14  2017

This Post will have 7 pages:

• 1  Introduction  You are here

• 2  The Frame

• 3 The Body

• 4  Painting

• 5  Exterior Re-Assembly

• 6  The Cabinets

Introduction:

This summer a few of us were “talking projects”..  and what was worth the time and money.  The boler trailer always topped the list.  I said I should just do RV’s .. because I have lots of parts and a resource for new parts.  Well I bought one..  cheap enough to spend some bucks on it.  First I need to get the LeSharo RV running before starting on the boler.  And then I park it till spring.  but let’s get the blog going anyway.

And this is mine..  a bit of a mess.  been stored for many many years.  But it’s mostly there.  It will likely need work on the frame first..  and then the body has way too many holes..   I plan to strip it down to the shell and start over.. The list of things to do is long..  however this trailer is still in good condition for it’s year.  And so we begin..  with a video..

There’s a few things I forgot in the video..  like new suspension as well as wheels..  So it’s going to be like pulling a new trailer.  Plus this is like a blank slate for colors and décor.  We are already talking about those things..  And I’m thinking of ways to incorporate some of the parts I have.  Also how to bring it up to date with things like LED lighting,  power monitoring and better fabrics.  All while trying to keep a bit of “nostalgic” ness to it.  But the frame on these is always been the weak part.  So if it’s never been replaced then you have to start there.

Frame: (problems under there)

How fortunate that there are lots of folks who have built new frames ..and shared their designs on the net.  So I’m taking their ideas… and my ideas, and making a whole new frame.  I’ll be using the main part of the Colman tent trailer frame that I was about to use for a new utility trailer.

This ( above photo) is a beefier frame  2″ x 3″ box steel compared to the factory boler frame 1-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ box steel.   As well the bigger frame is bent not cut and welded to the angle for the hitch.  I plan to add a third piece in the middle and have the hitch mounted to that.

I like this frame,  mostly the body mounts.  But I will add a few more pieces..  Adding a little weight here will not matter.. just means no problems down the road.  The original boler design was to have a light frame and use the combination of a fiberglass / plywood sandwich floor to ADD strength to the frame.  So they both need to be in good condition to work.  Over time things would sag..  and weaken.  And that’s the case with the frame under there now.

Yes I crawled under to see what’s up and shoot some photos.  Above is the rear floor.  And sure enough the left side has sagged.  Someone welded a angle brace … but that’s not a fix.  I’m surprised to see no other framing … just the two little beams.

And here’s the middle floor .  ( where you stand and walk ) again it seams like no support..  That plywood / fiberglass is very strong !  It does not flex when I walk on it.  And I really doubt that rusty bent piece of angle is doing much.

So looking toward the hitch it’s obvious that the frame was repaired.  Long time ago judging by the rust.  All these problems and the torsion suspension is very much wore out..  That’s why it came home on a trailer.   I know I said I would not be starting this project for a while…  but I’ve got a little spare time and just can’t leave it alone.  I lifted the whole trailer off the ground.

Supporting it with my jack stands.  Interestingly this took the sag out of the frame and show me that the whole back of the body was not tight to the frame anymore.  Wow..

This is the floor under where the dinette cabinet was.  The body is attached to the frame with these screws and washers.  They were pulling out of the frame !  So when I lifted the rear they popped up..  This is NOT how I do things..  Those skinny little screws are most likely rusted and at some point would fail.  That is why my frame will have mounting flanges and carriage bolts to mount the body.

Yes I had some fun removing stuff from the interior.

All the cabinets have to come out anyway..  They need repairs and will be repainted.   May leave the closet alone.. it’s mounted very nicely with cap bolts.   The rust that you see ..  I believe was caused by moisture inside the trailer.. not leaks.  If you close these fiberglass trailers up, then they condensate inside..  best to leave vents and windows open a bit.

Well everything is out..  Real easy to get at the mounting screws now.  It can sit like this till I’m ready to tackle the frame.  I got new suspension on sale..  so that’s another big part of the frame.

These will be joined with heavy angle iron before becoming part of the frame.   For this blog I’m going to divide the work up into three more parts / pages.   Most of my projects have more than one page ..cause I don’t like long posts.   Next page will be the Frame.  Then the Body..  and finally the Interior.

#2 The Frame: