angela
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Post by angela on Jul 1, 2014 18:53:33 GMT -8
I have no experience with trailers, and just purchased my first one this past week, a 1972 Komfort Trailblazer, which I have been able to find very little information on. The corners are coming unattached from each other on the door side (is that the curb side?) in the front and the back. From what I can tell, there is no overlap, and the joint is just covered up by that aluminum trim that screws on has the rubber strips that slide into it. (Sorry, don't know the names of all the stuff.) I think this probably means there is rotten wood behind there. The previous owner tried to do a lot of patch work with silicone, and something that looks like expanding foam. Please advise on how to tackle this issue. I figured others had had this same problem, but I haven't been able to locate anything when using the search function on this site. Please direct me to any resources. Thank you in advance for the help!
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Jul 1, 2014 19:30:47 GMT -8
You are in for some serious structural repairs. They will take much time (as in hundreds of hours), and materials/tools (as in thousands of dollars) to repair correctly. You need to review your resources before you tear into your trailer. A covered, secure work space that the trailer can be "leveled on" is a must. All the skin needs to be removed first, before you can find the all of the rot, which will be extensive. I might question the value of investing this much time and material into a 1972 (newer) trailer, but that's your call? It's much easier to recoup your investment in a early trailer.
This entire site is based on "stick and tin" trailer's "with wood rot". Every page has some version of the wood rot, and previous owner poor repairs problem. Just go back 50 pages and start reading, and you will have a plan by the time you done reading.
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cheri
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1967 Vanbrook Trunkback
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Post by cheri on Jul 2, 2014 2:13:23 GMT -8
Hi Angela,
I am newbie at this also, but I would suggest taking off the trim and opening up the corners on one end of the trailer to see what is going on. Mine was separating because the framing, front and center under the window, was rotten. If there is a lot of damage, you may need to take off the roof, especially to fix the ceiling, as the panels may be sandwiched into the frame. Take a look under the skin. Removing and replacing the screws takes time, but it isn't hard. You can take out just enough screws to lift it away from the body. If it looks like there is a lot of rot, I would suggest working on one section at a time. Mobiletechs videos show you how to do this. Once you have specific questions, the people on this forum are extremely helpful.
This can be a very rewarding project, (some on this forum call it "fun"), and most of it can be done by one person. My one big investment was a pancake compressor with finish nailer and stapler, but we already own some tools. It does take a whole lot of time. I know that there are people pulling trailers with bandaid type fixes, but after digging in to my project, I will not be one of them.
Best wishes
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angela
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Post by angela on Jul 2, 2014 20:10:48 GMT -8
Thank you for the encouraging response, Cheri.  And for the helpful info on the tools I will need. |
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lakewoodgirl
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1954 Lakewood
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Post by lakewoodgirl on Jul 4, 2014 9:19:49 GMT -8
They only true way to assess the years/decades of damage is to remove the outside panels, aka "the skin". I had to do this and have replace most of my framing and have in turn returned my trailer back to its sturdy condition. And made a few improvements as well. Trust me, you will feel much better if you do this!
I'm a newbie also, but with a little more experience under my belt now. I will respectfully disagree with it will take "thousands of dollars to repair correctly". I think that will all depend on how much you want to do and how much you have to replace. Wood for framing is not expensive, birch panels are not that expensive, only buy the tools you need when you need them. This can be done without spending thousands, trust me! And, I do not skimp on quality! I figure anything worth doing is worth doing right. So PLEASE don't let that one statement scare you into not accepting this challenge!
However, with that said, if you bought this trailer so that you could go camping/Glamping right away, perhaps this may not be the trailer for you. From what you described, I see you in the same spot I was in last year and I'm still in restoration/rebuild! I'm hoping to have enough complete by August to take mine out somewhere but it looks like that date may be pushed back.
Best wishes!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Jul 4, 2014 22:08:05 GMT -8
They only true way to assess the years/decades of damage is to remove the outside panels, aka "the skin". I had to do this and have replace most of my framing and have in turn returned my trailer back to its sturdy condition. And made a few improvements as well. Trust me, you will feel much better if you do this! I'm a newbie also, but with a little more experience under my belt now. I will respectfully disagree with it will take "thousands of dollars to repair correctly". I think that will all depend on how much you want to do and how much you have to replace. Wood for framing is not expensive, birch panels are not that expensive, only buy the tools you need when you need them. This can be done without spending thousands, trust me! And, I do not skimp on quality! I figure anything worth doing is worth doing right. So PLEASE don't let that one statement scare you into not accepting this challenge! However, with that said, if you bought this trailer so that you could go camping/Glamping right away, perhaps this may not be the trailer for you. From what you described, I see you in the same spot I was in last year and I'm still in restoration/rebuild! I'm hoping to have enough complete by August to take mine out somewhere but it looks like that date may be pushed back. Best wishes! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Your exactly correct, wood for framing and birch paneling is really not expensive. But when you add up all of the materials, and all the receipts from the store your in for some serious money if your going to repair a trailer with extensive wood rot correctly. If a trailer has the walls separating, it's EXTENSIVE! It's not a big deal, as long as your prepared for the ride.
My current trailer is a single axle 17', with a toilet installed, and a couple of nice upgrades. Its a nice trailer, but not what I would consider a "over the top" type restoration. I have stopped counting at 550 labor hours, and $13,000 of materials purchased "out of pocket" during the restoration. Was it worth it, sure I would do it again. Only the owner/builder can decide what they want in a restored trailer.
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Post by bigbill on Jul 5, 2014 6:37:44 GMT -8
Yes as John says you can put a lot of money into your trailer or you can spend much less depending on the final result you will be happy with, but don't go into it thinking that four or five hundred dollars will result in a safe clean trailer that you can take on vacation. Probably the least you will spend will be a couple thousand,but spread over a year or two that isn't bad. Too get by at a low dollar figure you have to do a lot of hunting and make a lot of the things to put it back together. Also the final price depends on how nice you want it to be when finished, if you want it all natural matching wood inside it cost more. If you are content with a lesser cost paneling and painted you save money, if you want all the best in original parts and pieces the cost goes up. New upholstery can get very expensive to have done but if you can do it yourself the price goes down. Good luck and have fun fixing your trailer to what you want it to be.
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And for the helpful info on the tools I will need.
