Trade blue trim for red trim

Garyrr50

I’ve got a crazy idea! Just last month, after 3-4 years of wishing and dreaming, we were finally able to buy the T@B we were hoping to have one day. It’s exactly what we wanted: a 2019 320 cs-s Boondock Lite. We love it! We weren’t really going to be that picky about colors, but then we found a deal on a TV that we couldn’t pass up: a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4x4 Off Road...and it’s red! Our new trailer is silver with blue accents. Now, don’t get me wrong, we can be very happy with a red pu and trailer with blue accents. But I was just thinking...I wonder if there’s someone out there that has a T@B like ours, only with red accents, and they would prefer blue...and they live near enough central Oregon that we could negotiate a trade — of just the fiberglass accents, not the trailers. If you’re the person I’m talking about, I’d love to hear from you.

4ncar

Why not just wrap the taco? Might easier, and quicker.

Marceline

I think that some people have repainted the trim pieces. 

4ncar

Marceline said:

I think that some people have repainted the trim pieces. 

Thats even easier AND cheaper!

Tampakayaker

There was a FB post where they repainted the yellow trim into blue.

Removed the pieces, scrubbed them, sanded lightly, washed again, then used spray paint made for plastic.

Came out really nice.

Other alternative is to remove a piece and take it to a body shop to see if they can paint plastic.

If they can, remove all of them and take them in.

Garyrr50

Thanks for the suggestions about painting. I thought I read on this forum that the colored pieces are made of fiberglass. So, I went to our local body shop and asked them if they could paint fiberglass, and they declined, saying that the last time they tried to paint fiberglass it didn’t turn out well. They said the paint cracked because fiberglass is flexible. I can’t imagine that it is much different than the plastic that today’s cars are made of. I was planning to paint them myself, but when the professionals declined, I thought I should try another avenue. Hence this post. I’ll investigate further.

Garyrr50

Tampakayaker, I don’t understand why you would say “easier and cheaper.” If I find somebody to trade with, it costs me nothing but a trip in my trailer, which I am eager to do, and there are only 60 screws to remove and replace on each trailer, which I would have to do if I removed the pieces for painting. What am I missing?

Bayliss

@Garyrr50, if you are considering re-painting the ABS trim, here's a discussion that may be of interest to you:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/136631#Comment_136631

Click on the link that @pjabbott posted about his painting project.

Denny16

From what I have read, the trim pieces are ABS.  This and the plastic (which is polycarbonate) is colored in the manufacturing process, not painted.   Fiberglass can be painted successfully with paint designed for fiberglass, and is normally is two parts and mixed.  This is done in the boating industry all the time.
cheers

Tampakayaker

Garyrr50 said:

Tampakayaker, I don’t understand why you would say “easier and cheaper.” If I find somebody to trade with, it costs me nothing but a trip in my trailer, which I am eager to do, and there are only 60 screws to remove and replace on each trailer, which I would have to do if I removed the pieces for painting. What am I missing?

I didn't say easier and cheaper, that was someone else.  I only stated that someone had painted theirs and were happy with the results and it was an alternative if you can't find someone willing to trade.

ckjs

We have a red  2018 CS-S are are interested in the swap. Blue would work better with our silver Subaru. And, the LOML likes blue better anyway.  Ours doesn’t have any boondock features, so I hope the sizes are compatible.

The clamshell hatch T@B badge is red and appears glued on. That could be a problem.  


Our wheel well trim might be different too. The screws are about 10 & ¼" apart.


The screws along the bottom of the side trim are 8 & 5/8" apart.


(We’d deal with our red ABS tub separately.)

Denny16

Yes, Gary’s TaB has the BoonDock fender flair with a arched wheel opening, where your non BoonDock TaB has the original standard fender flair with a less arched wheel opening.  Both work, but the standard fender flair is harder to get a BoonDock wheel off and on, which is the reason for the change.  Also the fender flair is sealed on with RV caulk, which would need to be redone.
cheers

4ncar

@Garyrr50: I'm the easy & cheap guy!😅

Easier in the sense that I would venture to guess you won't find someone to trade, straight up in any reasonable period of time.  That is compounded by the limiting factor of a specific color...

Cheaper relative to the original suggestion that I thought of in wrapping the taco.  Removing the plastic bits is easier enough, plus the cost of a couple of rattle cans and some prep time...

Ya, great if you can find someone to trade.  Keep in mind they may have personal attachment(s) to the inside that they have customized to their personal taste...

ckjs

Thanks, @Denny16. I’d hoped that the Lite Boondock version would have compatible fender sizes. Alas.  It’s good to know in any case.

Denny16

Yes, nüCamp didn’t change to a Boondock style fender flair until 2020 production I believe.
@4ncar the discussion was to just swap the trim bits, not the entire trailer.
cheers

4ncar

Denny16 said:

Yes, nüCamp didn’t change to a Boondock style fender flair until 2020 production I believe.
@4ncar the discussion was to just swap the trim bits, not the entire trailer.
cheers

Good thing!😬

Garyrr50

Denny16, I’m a little confused by two of your comments RE fender flares. You said: “ Yes, Gary’s TaB has the BoonDock fender flair with a arched wheel opening, where your non BoonDock TaB has the original standard fender flair with a less arched wheel opening.” But then you also said: “ Yes, nüCamp didn’t change to a Boondock style fender flair until 2020 production I believe.”

So, if I have a 2019 Boondock Lite, then, according to what you said, I DON’T have Boondock style fender flairs, and mine are then the same as the 2018 non-Boondock fender flairs. How can I know for sure, since I can’t tell the differences in the pictures?

Garyrr50

Ckjs, if we can establish that the fender flairs are indeed identical, and if your parts are in good shape, we’re interested in making a trade. I noticed that you’re in Santa Cruz...is that correct? We’re in central Oregon, but are headed to Tahoe (California) around the end of May/beginning of June. Does that timeframe seem workable to you?

I don’t want try to remove the T@B insignia on the hatchback. I would be satisfied with the fender flairs, the window trim, and the handle escutcheons. Let’s see if we can discover if the fender flairs are identical sizes, or not.

Denny16

@Garyrr50.  I looked at your photo of the wheel and  fender flair.  Your fender flair covers the top of the tire, and the top opening goes from a radius to a somewhat flat profile as it goes across the top, then arches back down.  The Boondock fender flair is arched the same radius across the top of the wheel opening, and you can see the top of the tire tread.  I am not sure when nüCamp added the new Boondock fender flair, but it was after the 2019 Boondock was introduced during the 2020 production runs.

That said, you can still use the standard fender flair on a Boondock axles, all the earlier Outback’s and 2019 Boondock used the standard flair.  It just takes jacking the trailer higher and slipping the tire out bottom first when changing trie/wheel.  

Well looks like both trailers may have the same flair.  To be sure, post a photo of your fender flair wheel area, like ckjs did, and include a tape measure from the top of the flair at the trailer body to the opening above the tire.  I can compare this measurement to mine, as can ckjs.  

Cheers

Garyrr50

Denny16, you have been SO helpful!

85Redwood

I like the red and blue traveling together...a nice metaphore 

bergger

I would just tow your trailer with your truck and enjoy.  Does not have to all be matchy matchy.  I think you have a great looking trailer.  If you trade someone you never know what you're getting for what you're giving up.  We tow our 400 that has a a blue stripe with a yellow Nissan.Titan.   

Garyrr50

Thank you all for your insightful and encouraging comments. I think I’ll either leave the blue trim pieces “as is,” or else take them off and paint them. Either way, we’re excited to have our T@B and looking forward doing a few days of camping before the end of this month. It will be so nice to be camping off the ground! And thank you ckjs for reaching out to us.

Denny16

The advantage of not painting the trim, it will not show scuffs, as the trim color is the color the the ABS material.  Paint will rub/scratch off, not the original color.
cheers

Garyrr50

Denny16, the measurement you prescribed is 7 1/4 to 7 3/8 inches. How does that compare with yours?

@Garyrr50 - please reduce your photo size.  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/47/what-size-should-my-posted-forum-photos-be#latest

Garyrr50

Denny16, I think mine looks different than the one in ckjs' photo.

Garyrr50

Here’s a better angle.

Denny16

Mine looks the same as your photo above.  The wheel fender flair is about 5.5 inches wide and the top of the tire is about 2-inches down from the flair cutout at center:
So we both have the origin standard wheel fender flair, which is thicker at top center where it flattens out compared to the width at the sides.

So your blue flairs are the same as ckjs’ red flairs, which look different because his wheels are further up as he does not have a Boondock axle, and the TaB is riding lower.
cheers

ckjs

If I’m understanding @Denny16, the vertical width of my fender at its center is 6”. At the left and right edges, it is 4&½” wide. 

I also measured the distance between the fender screws: the bottommost ones are 30 & 7/8” apart from each other; the middle ones are 18 & 7/8. 

I need a big sheet of transparent graph acetate to lay over the wheel 

Denny16

The fender flairs on your trailer ckjs and Garry’s should be the same, except for the color.  I doubt there was any change in the bolt pattern from 2018 to 2019.  Both of you have standard TaB wheel flairs.p, from what I can tell.  I have a TaB400, and it looks like the same fender flair as mine also.
cheers