Re-imagining a 1948 Boles Aero Trailer

It was finally time to remove the floor in the '48 Boles. I probably could have limited replacement to just the rotted spots in the front and rear but I knew the Kimsul insulation was worthless and the exterior layer needed repair in several spots so it just made sense to replace it all. The floor is made up of the following layers from inside to exterior: linoleum 1/2" plywood sheathing 1" thick wood joists that run between the flooring and the steel frame Kimsul cellulose insulation between the sheathing and the exterior layer heavy roofing type tar paper is the exterior-most layer It appears that they installed the flooring on the frame before the shell was built. The aluminum spars on the sidewalls come right down to the top of the flooring so there is no way you could tip it in. Based on how the materials were stacked and fastened I believe the sheathing was layed on the floor. Then the wood joists were layed out on top of the sheathing and nailed. Then the insulatio...

Newly installed "Gravel Guard" Truthfully I don't know what this rubber overlay was originally called, but I read a post where someone called it a "gravel guard" so I'm taking that as an authoritative source. It's basically an 18" tall rubber mat that runs the width of the trailer starting at the interface with the frame. It overlays the front-most lower part of the aluminum skin. It's about 1/8" thick and looks for all intents and purposes exactly the same as a thin-ribbed corrugated rubber floor mat; the kind that you might find in a wet area of a commercial kitchen to provide traction. I believe the gravel guard on the trailer was original. It was a crumbling mess. Just touching it would deposit a black smear on your finger. Gravel guard before replacement The guard is held on by some narrow aluminum coving that is predrilled about every 1.5". It was screwed through the rubber into the sheet aluminum with 1/2" sheet metal screw...

  The final product With all the water damage in the Boles when I got it I knew I'd have to seal everything up as best I could. 70 years can do in the best window seals and there was some obvious leakage around the windows. The windows in a 1948 Boles Aero are a brand called Air-O-Lite. I've read they used this brand for a few years. There are two panes per window with each pane tipping out at the bottom to provide airflow while deflecting rain if they are open. The sash and frame are aluminum channel. Each pane is held in place buy a small spring/hinge arrangement. They are easy to remove: 1) open the window; 2) remove the cotter pin connecting the window opener to the pane; 3) push the pane to one side and use a screwdriver to pop the spring/hinge out of the retaining hole on the opposite side. Spring/hinger hanger. Push towards the pane to pop it out of the hinge hole in the frame Exterior of pane. Two panes per window. Interior of pane. Note center brace and small weld/sold...

  It was patching day for the Boles. There were two largely unprotected openings to the weather than needed to be addressed. One was factory original: the 3" circular oven vent was covered by a small louvered panel. The second was a large 18" x 16" opening cut into the side of the trailer by a previous owner just to the left of the door. This was also covered, somewhat more haphazardly, with a cooler vent. Both of these vent contributed greatly to the water damage to the trailer interior. The cabinets were in ruins and the floor is toast. The window seals didn't help but I don't think they were the major water damage culprit. The oven vent cover. The water tank also had a vent line that ran to this opening. After the vent cover was replaced I picked up some 0.040" 2024T3 Alclad from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty company to use as patching material. They have a good selection of aircraft construction material, they cater to DIYers, and their "will-call...