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Argonaut20 · 03-05-2015, 10:12 PM

Since the furnace in the Caravel was junk, replacement is necessary. I'm thinking about using a Propex furnace as a replacement rather than going catalytic. Anyone have any experience with these? They are small and put out 9700btu, so the Caravel is about the largest AS these would heat.
Info at
Westy Ventures / Propex heaters
Install in a camper at
Performance Gear Research

Argonaut20 · 05-03-2015, 05:17 PM

Interior walls are all in, pics soon. Electrical circuits all check out (good thing to check before the walls are in!) and it's on to propane and plumbing rough in. Floor covering and interior cabinets coming up.

Argonaut20 · 05-04-2015, 09:38 AM

Here are some pictures of the walls. First is where it started.

**Stefrobrts** · 05-04-2015, 10:31 AM

That's great progress!

Argonaut20 · 06-25-2015, 10:51 AM

I decided to see if vinyl plank flooring would work here. A bit heavier than ordinary vinyl flooring but it has a nice effect. Wheel house covers still useable.

cwbiii · 07-14-2015, 08:14 PM

I recently used a cork flooring from Lumber Liquidators and I like it slightly more than the vinyl ... it is warmer to walk on with bare feet and cushions better... though dings easier.
I find most of those old wheel well covers too brittle to even attempt to use.
I bought a cheap bending brake on Amazon or Ebay and then buy inexpensive aluminum or galvanized sheet metal (thin) and remake ones that won't break down. I put 1" foam insulation board (R8) in between to keep it temperate and quiet. I can even match the angle with a little extra work. I just use 1/8" rivets to button all the pieces together and it matches the original in size and intent.
Very little extra weight... and it creates one more metal layer in the event of a blowout that try's to get inside. On that note think hard about adding wheel monitors to your trailer and tow rig.

Chuck

Argonaut20 · 07-15-2015, 08:02 AM

I was lucky in that the plastic in the wheel house covers was pliable and breaks were minor and weldable. There is a layer of insulation between the covers and the wheelhouses. One drawback to using the old covers was that they were very close to the wheelhouses limiting amount of insulation.

I put a foam under layment down under the vinyl and plan on using throw rugs. That works well in the Argosy.

Jewel65 · 07-15-2015, 11:53 AM

I repaired our cracked wheel well covers with fiberglass matt and resin. I didn't worry too much about a smooth finish, just tried to fix the cracks. Once everything dried, I spay painted them black. You can't see the repairs from under the cabinets and everything is holding well.

Argonaut20 · 07-15-2015, 09:48 PM

I used resin to seal the door in the shower before I refinished it with epoxy and the visible parts turned out pretty well. I am a way from putting the shower back in or there would be pictures. I thinned the resin down with acetone until it would penetrate the material the door was made of, then used an epoxy gell to smooth the back surface. Hopefully, it won't leak when I regasket it and install.

Argonaut20 · 03-06-2016, 08:59 PM

Cabinetry is coming along slowly. Plumbing is coming along, just waiting until I get the kitchen cabinet and counter top in to finish the connections. The vinyl floor hasn't worked well. It can't be free floating (furniture screws into the floor through the vinyl) and it separates at seams when the temperature changes. I haven't decided what to do about that yet, but I really don't want to undo the screws from the wheel wells, back shower/sink, etc. so I can rip out the vinyl floor to put something else in.

I decided to make a dinette for the front rather than replace the gaucho that was there.Seats will be 4" foam with a 3/4" stock panel in the bottom of the seat to set into the base of the dinette. That should keep the seats in place while moving, but make it easy to lift the seat out to access storage under it. Seat backs of 4" foam that will snap onto the back. Lower the table into place between the seats, put the backs down on the table, and it will make a 24" wide bed that is 76" long.

Argonaut20 · 03-06-2016, 09:04 PM

Just some photos of the back in progress. And a shot of the front overhead. I don't have a photo yet of the front window guard I put on, but it looks like a traveling big screen TV.

Jewel65 · 03-07-2016, 09:05 PM

I really like the woodwork. Looks like mahogany. I thought about vinyl flooring but settled on VCT tile. It gives a nice retro look and is durable. It can be waxed to a nice shine. I would think you could cut around the wheel wells. I'll be following your window guard progress. I am thinking about refurbishing and old original one, but replacing the green fiberglass with something else, maybe some of the big box store smoke roof panels.

Jim Foster · 03-07-2016, 09:53 PM

I removed the front gaucho on our '65 Caravel and used the material and re-did the upholstery to make a dinette for two. There is now a larger front shelf with a nice storage unit beneath in the very front, I made four sliding doors for access to the storage. The old TV in the photo has since been replaced with a flat screen.

Argonaut20 · 03-08-2016, 09:24 AM

Jewel,
I'm thinking of cutting around the furniture, or cutting away the center strip of the flooring, then laying down the flooring as free floating there and letting the flooring under the furniture do its thing. I did the cabinets out of maple with a dark stain. I cheated on the front window protector. I was going to rebuild the old one with the smoke lexan roofing material. Then I found a center section of the Airstream front guard for $100 with all the hardware. I'll get a picture of it and post.

Jim,
How do you attach the table at the back? The usual swing up arrangement that Airstream uses with clips at the back comes up over the bottom sill of the window. I want to keep the area level there so the cushions will be level to extend the bed width to about 36".

Argonaut20 · 03-08-2016, 10:18 AM

Here's the front. Looks like there should be a couple of TV knobs below the guard.

Jewel65 · 03-08-2016, 10:48 AM

Or how about a remote control! The window guard looks great! Thanks for posting.

Argonaut20 · 06-25-2016, 03:51 PM

Off to Tucson to have AC & Fantastic Fan installed + polishing + rear bumper reinstalled. After that, it's time for the cushions and the install on the upper cabinets. Dang! There might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope it isn't a train.

jimca · 11-03-2017, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Foster

I removed the front gaucho on our '65 Caravel and used the material and re-did the upholstery to make a dinette for two. There is now a larger front shelf with a nice storage unit beneath in the very front, I made four sliding doors for access to the storage. The old TV in the photo has since been replaced with a flat screen.

Is the tv connected to an outside antennae? Is there any tv outlet anywhere in the Caravel that you’re aware of. Just bought a flatscreen and a portable outside antennae and not sure how to do the cable.

Argonaut20 · 11-03-2017, 03:17 PM

My Caravel had no TV inlet, antenna, etc. If yours has a port in the floor in the middle of the street side, you could run coax to that port, then hook up the antenna when you wanted TV by lifting the gaucho and connecting the input to your internal coax. It should be simple to run the coax from the area under the gaucho to the closet wall.
Alternative: put a coax port through the wall in some location you want the TV to be. Vintage has these ports and you can use a hole saw to make the entry into the interior.