Conan Doyle and the case of the dissolving headboard

WilliamA

I'm waiting for the shipping powers that be to deliver my new radio/head unit so until that comes, I'm stuck in the doldrums of working on my maintenance list. Of the things on the list that have camped there the longest, the oldest has been to disassemble the headboard and repair it. My headboard unit started to disassemble itself soon after I got the trailer, but close inspection by me showed that it would be one of those "ship in a bottle" projects that at no point in the job would be fun. The headboard is screwed to the side walls of the trailer with 4 screws on each side, plus it's slid down into the mail-slot like construct below the bed floor. I knew it would probably need complete disassembly to remove and repair, so I did the only reasonable thing and put it off as long as I could get away with. Since Amazon has left me a hole in the schedule and I couldn't think of anything fun to do in the meantime, I put my big-boy pants on this morning and went out to do the job. My original assessment of the work was spot on and it proved to be....well.....let's just say you'll never find that task as an amusement park ride. Here's the deal:

My headboard started getting loose from the side walls soon after I got the trailer. I'm tall and like to lean against it when sitting in the trailer watching TV so for that to work, it needed to be about 3 times stronger than it was. The headboard plastic top cap gave up first by cracking in 3 places causing a larg-ish piece in the middle to just come off. I glued it back on but it was clear it wouldn't stay for long. The factory puts 2 rather comical "stiffeners" across the headboard laterally to keep it stiff, but attaches the stiffeners with about a dozen tiny staples which gave up almost immediately. Since the storage space down there was small and difficult to get to, I just left the bottom one lay down in there and screwed the top one back in place with sheetrock screws "for the time being". The top shelf, when folded down, provided strength across but not enough to keep the side screws from starting to tear and cut slots in the sidewalls.

Here's the offensive detritis pile that I was able to coax out. The only things that went back in were the floor hatches and the filler strip from the bottom of the "cabinet" within the headboard. The rest will go up in smoke for the New Year celebration fire.

Here's a closeup of the offending fasteners used to hold the "stiffeners" (bwaaaaahhhhh!!!!. That never gets old!) to the back side (toward the trailer front) of the headboard.

Just to add to the fun of disassembling the majority of the bed subframe to get the headboard out, I discovered that, once you remove the headboard base, there are 2 more screws into the side walls down at the very bottom of the space where it's nearly impossible to get to once the outside front wall is in place. If you have a screwdriver about 18 inches long with a square bit, you might be able to squirrel them out, but I doubt it. My fix was to get my 1/2" wood chisel and carefully chisel out enough of the headboard so it releases the 2 bottom screws and then pull the headboard up past them. This photo is of the front (trailer front) side of the headboard. The screw I chiseled out are at the very bottom of the cabinet, down in the V.

Persistence having paid off, it's out of there. Now to reassemble the subframe and put the doors, mattresses and bedding back in.

Just to add spice to the sidewall screw challenge, these screws were driven through the subframe and into the bottom of the headboard. The screw heads were pulled in so far that it was impossible to get at them without drilling the frame first so the screwdriver would go in far enough. The left screw in this photo was behind the center longitudinal brace, requiring its removal as well.

You can see the bottom screw hole here is quite torn and caused the whole headboard base to move about, pushing the angled shelf base at the bottom of the headboard up and down like a boat bow. I will get some rivnuts or fasteners of some kind to fill the holes and make it look a bit better. I can pop some plastic covers into the rivnuts and make it look nice.

I'm glad that's behind me. I've been mulling this over for a long time. I had come up with a few potential designs for a different headboard/cupboard arrangement, but now that it's out, I think I'll just let that sleeping dog lie for awhile and see how much different it feels. For sure, there is a LOT more room for me to stretch out in there. I'm 6'5" and it has always been a tight fit without going on the diagonal so I think I'll just roll it for a bit.

As long as I'm working down the "distasteful maintenance" list, maybe I'll start the task of trying to make the front window screen work and not be all wadded up and torn. I've been thinking about that one for a long time but haven't really come up with any good fixes. For me, the way to attack a problem is to take the offensive bit apart and get it out so I can have a good think about it. First steps first....

WilliamA

Oh yeah...the Conan Doyle reference....I was taking my books out of the trailer which is what prompted the whole project...

LuckyJ

Lol.

I have to laught at you report and progress, cause I had to remove the head board when I did my to access himge doors that are level to the matress top, so I know your pain.

The bottom screws came out using a spring extention on a screws driver.

But like what you see in your pics, the rust in the holes made me understand more about the azdel composit panel. This is when I realized that the Azdel panel are only the outer shell of the wall assembly (maybe 1/8" thick). If it would be the hole panel assembly, humidity would not get inside abd rust would not have a chance to be Created. So I really dought that the side walls are foamed injected /Azdel composit panels. Until I see a side cut, nothing will prove me otherwize.

BlueTAG

WilliamA --I just took my headboard out in Nov. I bought the TAG in Nov too. My first visit, when it was for sale, I could not lay in it, since I am 6' 4". I told the person, I am sorry I can't sleep in there--not enough room. I really liked the TAG though, so I called NuCamp and they told me they have taken a few headboards out for tall people and it should be an easy job. I called the person selling the TAG and said I will take it, which was confusing to him because he could see I could never sleep in it. I told him that the headboard had to come out. Well a day later I tackled it. The first three pocket screws came out with ease but that fourth one way on the bottom was a bugger. I messed with that one for two hours and no luck, so i went to Lowes and got a flexible screwdriver that i could put a square drive attachment on it. Low and behold I got it on the screw and ever so slowly screwed it out. Jubilation, but still had the other side to do. What I thought was a 30 min project took me 4 hours just because of that 4th screw on each side. I am sure they screwed those in before they put the top on the TAG. Now, a 6' 4" guy can sleep with enough room. I did finish the end up with a new piece of wood to protect the wires that ran through it and reused that lower bottom piece of wood that came out.

WilliamA

BlueTag,
I AM loooking forward to trying it with my new added length. It's never been a problem for me as I mostly travel solo except when the boys can go. Sprocket's (my youngest. He's 10) mom doesn't like the trailer and Ian (my oldest. He's 37) doesn't often go because of work/life stuff. I need to make some sort of insulated headboard to keep the heat in but that needn't be more than an inch or so thick. I have some concerns about leaning directly on the front wall, causing the corner joint to open up so I will make some sort of support for that.
LuckyJ,
I too am mystified by the contents of the wall cavity. Looks to be some variation of polystyrene and not a more robust (harder) expanded foam. I will drill the screwholes and put rivnuts in, then use the original hole locations to fasten the new headboard in. You guys used the tool I had in mind (long, flexible screwdriver) to get the bottom screw out. I don't have one and, like my V.A. Surgeons, wasn't planning to put the parts back in anyway so I used the carpenter's scalpel (wood chisel). My trailer should recover in less time than I did. Lol...
The dirty deed is done. Now for that pull-down screen. I might break with tradition and just get a new one. Maybe the replacement one will be more robust than the OE job.

WilliamA

Michigan_Mike

Sounds like some of the projects I get involved with here at Linda’s farm house. They never go as planned.

WilliamA

@Michigan_Mike said:
Sounds like some of the projects I get involved with here at Linda’s farm house. They never go as planned.

Feels to me as I get older that plans just give me a good starting point from which to deviate...

WilliamA

LuckyJ

@WilliamA said:

@Michigan_Mike said:
Sounds like some of the projects I get involved with here at Linda’s farm house. They never go as planned.

Feels to me as I get older that plans just give me a good starting point from which to deviate...

WilliamA

Sometime, a project is just organized improvisation.

Meaning that we know the destination, but the way to get there is not absolutely Clear and defined.

BBsGarage

@LuckyJ said:

@WilliamA said:

@Michigan_Mike said:
Sounds like some of the projects I get involved with here at Linda’s farm house. They never go as planned.

Feels to me as I get older that plans just give me a good starting point from which to deviate...

WilliamA

Sometime, a project is just organized improvisation.

Meaning that we know the destination, but the way to get there is not absolutely Clear and defined.

Sometimes the destination is also a little fuzzy as well.

WilliamA

I dug around the garage and scored some foamboard in 1 1/2". Headboard size is 69 1/2" X 24". I had to make a bit of a cutout around the window, then scored the board across to make the vertical sections 8". I cut the exposed edges back 45 degrees and taped all exposed edges to prevent shredding. It fits in nicely. Now to find some sort of covering to put on it.

So far, so good...

WilliamA

LuckyJ

This should help a lot with cold at your head.

But i would be curious after a cold trip to look behind to see if you will find moisture between the TD wall and the insulation.

This is really a curiosity for me, cause It could get me to an tempory insulation projsct for cold weather use. ( i have just spoted the thin aluminium/stryrofoam insulation that goes under floting flooring). Could be interessting for lower walls.

Good job!

WilliamA

Once I get my covering, I will seal the area behind it to prevent moisture buildup. I'll use double sided topper tape and caulk, then glue my covering to the foam.

WilliamA

WilliamA

I'm a big fan of pre-vis in my projects and always like to try and see how things will ultimately look, both in shape and color. I picked up a cheapo set of red sheets and pillowcases to try and get a look at what might be a good color and shape for the headboard. My project didn't start out with a red motif, but I was given the really nice down comforter in the photos and it came in red so I kind of get lead about by my nose on such things.

Here's the pre-vis for red:

It's not my favorite motif....Sort of Bordello-modern...but it is nice and bright. I'll go with it for now.

WilliamA

TomD

SF 49er Football colors. I grew up in San Francisco. Keep the motif.

WilliamA

Tom,
Football? That's the pointy one shaped like my anti-psychotic tablets, right? Made from pigs? Played while wearing a motorcycle helmet and shoulder pads out of a Liz Claiborne sweater?
Conversation with self:
"Me, you don't need to be a reprehensible jerk every day....Take a break..."
Other me (hangs head): "I know, I know...I'm working on it...
Tom, you'd have to travel to Tibet to find someone less interested in sports than I am, but for you, it'll stay... 49ers RULE!

WilliamA

TomD

Those are Tibetan robe colors too!

WilliamA

@TomD said:
Those are Tibetan robe colors too!

"There's no such thing as coincidence,
only the appearance of coincidence."
V for Vendetta

WilliamA

Somemedic

I have considered removing the headboard

Number one because I am at all saintly fellow quiet and peace-loving

Number two because my 2017 headboard doesn't have the 2018 Square Towers at each end with all the power accoutrements so I asked my dealership to look into sending a 2018 headboard and retrofitting it into the camper.

I think I will come up with an easier solution. Taking that sucker out looks damned awful

ontheroad

I personally love the headboard of the 2017...although I would really like the electrical outlets...but the storage in the 2017 works for us... we're on the shorter size too...

WilliamA

Since I am 6'5" tall and need the room, removing it was a good option for me. I do miss the shelf, but it ended up being a catch-all for junk anyway. Before I removed it, I had put in an outlet (110V/usb charger) but I gotta say, the extra room feels giant compared to the "almost enough headroom" I had. Not everyone needs the length though. I certainly don't regret ripping it out and wish I'd done it when I first got the trailer. You're not wrong, taking it out is a bit like taking the ship out of the bottle....

WilliamA

LuckyJ

I can not say It was too much of a pain when I pull mine to make the front hinge panel add on. Not to hard to put back either. What was hard, was figuring out the their was stillan other screew to remove when I coundl'nt see it.

When I installed the usb outlet on the shelf panel, I only had to remove the hinge shelf and the bottom panel on the head board side, but I did remove part of the bed support to find the room the pass the wire from back to front.

Was well worth it in my mind.

tagurit

Cutting and rehinging the headboard shelf and adding a 12 volt outlet on one side and a 110 volt on the other are a couple of the most useful mods we have made to our 2017.

BBsGarage

I like the multi-openings. We always have so much stuff on the top you cant really open that lid and just wastes that space below.

WilliamA

I was out having a photo session with my switch boxes and noticed that I had finished the headboard. I took a photo to prove the job.

I covered it in automotive carpeting. It's much nicer than the bordello look and also is mildew/mold proof. Or so they say...

WilliamA

Sharon_is_SAM

Nice upholstery job @WilliamA! The gray looks sharp.

WilliamA

Thanks Sharon,
I'm really pleased with it and it's proving to be a great upgrade for those of us over 6'4" tall. Seems like it added a foot!

WilliamA