Unexpected, but necessary, delay

20 Wednesday Mar 2013

We had been making very good progress with updating Miss Trilly and were hopeful of getting on the road headed north by the middle of March. Here it is March 20th and we find our Trillium waiting patiently in the driveway as we perform needed maintenance and modifications. We had finished all the new upholstery, made the floor cloth, welded on a new axle, built a battery tray on the tongue of the frame, and removed the AC unit. Clark was sealing up the hole in the roof with a piece of fiberglass. We ordered a solar panel and Morningstar solar controller.

I was looking for something else to do while Clark completed the solar installation. I would cover the underside of the overhead shelves with Sunbrella! The shelves are mahogany door skin material that is coated with some uneven sticky varnish. When I took down the mini blinds, the wood delaminated where the mounts had stuck fast. I asked Clark where the square-head screwdriver was in order to remove the forward shelves. Next thing I knew, he’d taken down the all the components himself and had the Ensolite pulled back from the window frames. Horrors! The wood into which the window is attached to the trailer with screws was rotted through.

We were certain that the windows had never been pulled out, that the plywood had never been replaced. However, we thought we could get away with waiting until next winter before tackling that big project. It was glaringly obvious that the wood needed replacing before we left for points north on our trimaran. So we are delayed.

While I very carefully peeled all the Ensolite away from the rotted wood surrounding the window, Clark took off the front window guard. He then removed the forty screws that held the window in place, laying it on a worktable for me to clean. We were shocked at the lack of sealant! It was practically nonexistent. I cleaned up the gelcoat around the opening.

Clark borrowed a table saw, set it up in the driveway next to the trailer, and cut solid wood for all the windows. We may as well the replace wood and reseal all the windows, right? After two days of cleaning aluminum, which I have grown to dislike very much, we were ready to reinstall the first window. With the new stainless screws and butyl tape (which we held in the refrigerator until ready for use), we are confident that the window is now sealed against the weather. It is no longer another thing that we know needed doing that we didn’t do. It will be done and our minds will be free. After four more windows, that is.

In the meantime, here is a sneak preview of the interior colors and design. (We took the photo before discovering the “window problem”.)

Happy travels!
Clark & 9ah

The Mystery of the Ironwork

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by clark9ah in Miss Trilly

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Tags

interior, Trillium trailer, vintage trailer

CeilingSupportSM

This is a very intriguing mystery, for us at least. Perhaps it will also be compelling to other vintage Trillium owners out there. When we wrote about Miss Trilly’s unique pink-colored ironwork on her Attributes page, we were under the impression that Trillium didn’t have supports between the galley countertop and cabinets or between the countertop and the ceiling. We had never seen even one photo of a Trillium with a support between cabinets. In truth, we felt that the thin, twirly iron supports in Scamps were rather unattractive. Our reaction to the gargantuan structure possessed by Miss Trilly, when we first saw it, was one of distaste.

The existence of iron braces, we believed, was unique to Boler fiberglass eggs, among Canadian-built trailers, and to Scamps. When we visited the Trillium RV factory in Florence, AZ, in January, we asked Tom Young about the ironwork in our 4500 w/AC. Without seeing our Trillium, he immediately responded, “You have a Boler!” He told us that Trillium “never” put supports in their trailers. “They don’t need them because of how they are constructed.” Subsequently, it was our theory that this prominent piece of metal (painted PINK! omg!) had been added by an owner somewhere along the line, perhaps because they’d been concerned about the 82 extra pounds of AC on the roof.

Like everyone who acquires a vintage trailer, fiberglass or not, one begins to seek out other examples of said trailers. So, unable to sleep one night, I lit up our iPad and began cruising through Google® images under the search “Trillium 4500”. To my great surprise, what should appear but another “very rare” 1979 Trillium 4500 with factory installed roof top air on Fiberglass RV Classified Archives. Two years ago, this Trillium was located in Missouri and the seller was asking $7500. As I scrolled down the page, I was amazed to see, revealed in the photos of the interior, a twin (!) of our heavy-duty ironwork, except this one was painted white. Wow. Our theory (and Tom’s assertion?) was derailed. I almost woke Clark to tell him, but restrained myself and decided to wait until he was enjoying morning coffee.

Where does this new revelation leave us? Were these twin supports installed by Trillium as the campers with AC were being manufactured in Ontario, Canada? Or were both of these structures installed by a Trillium dealer? The same dealer would have had to sell both trailers, don’t you think? We inherited a binder containing the paperwork and history kept by various owners of our 4500. The original Owners Manual and Warranty Card (in French), is dated 30 November 1979. The dealer on the card is Camping On Wheels in Irvine, California. We wonder if the 4500 in Missouri with matching ironwork (wondering, too, where the trailer may currently be) was also sold through this particular dealer. All very interesting questions, which serve only to deepen the mystery of the ironwork.

As of yesterday, however, our Miss Trilly has lost some weight. We removed the rooftop AC unit AND her pink ironwork. Yippee! She looks so much sleeker on the outside and roomier on the inside. (The paper towel holder went away, too. Neat.)

Should you be able to provide a clue to help solve this mystery, please let us know.

Happy travels!
9ah & Clark

Higher Ground…

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by clark9ah in Miss Trilly

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Tags

axle, ground clearance, Torflex, Trillium trailer, welding

Clearance, that is!

Miss Trilly has a new axle and a perky posture, standing quite proud as she shows off her higher ground clearance. Her wheels no longer cant outward as they did on the original axle that carried her for thirty-four years. Trilly fairly shines with newfound buoyancy and satisfaction. Her trailer is flashing a fresh black gloss. Even the bolts on her wheels reflect the new attitude.

Here is the story as it played out. First, Clark borrowed two floor jacks and four jack stands, collecting these at the designated place of Trilly/trailer separation. Then, he summoned my help. It took the two of us to remove the eight bolts that held Miss Trilly to her trailer. I gripped the plate and heads of the bolts from inside the trailer, using channel-lock pliers, while Clark applied torque from underneath with a socket wrench. The bolts were very difficult to remove. Two of them, being rusted nearly through, broke completely in half. Only one, the fastener located inside the aft port bin under the drawers, came out with some measure of ease. After we removed all of the bolts, I left Clark to remove the “egg” from its trailer, which he accomplished by himself.

Clark cut and ground off the old axle and then prepped the metal to receive Miss Trilly‘s replacement axle, a Dexter #10 Torflex with -22.5˚ starting angle. Here is a photo of the new 53-inch axle lined up with the rails of the trailer. It is quite a bit heavier and beefier than the original unit.

We found a local welder with a mobile unit on Craigslist. His professional-looking website, thirty years of experience, and $50 per hour quote gave us the confidence to trust that he would do a great job. Howard Whipple says, “Trust the welder. Trust the weld.” We were ready when he showed up on time Monday morning.

We are extremely pleased with the workmanship. The new axle is welded on MUCH more thoroughly than the original. Howard left no joint unwelded.

Clark cleaned up the remainder of the trailer frame, removed minor rust, primed and painted the rails, tongue, and cross members. He applied a clear-coat for additional protection. Trilliums originally had foam tape on the rails of their trailers. We wanted something with a bit more substance. There is a funky metal surplus store in our area called Blue Collar Supply. On our last visit, we saw stacks of neoprene sheets of varying thicknesses, priced incredibly low. Clark picked up a large sheet for less than $6. I cut strips 1.25″-wide, which we spot-glued using Shoe Goo. It is visible in this photo of the freshly painted trailer and axle.

This is the newly refurbished trailer, complete with an updated waterproof electrical box on the port forward rail. It is ready to receive its “egg” cargo.