Martin's Argosy Rebuild Thread

[bkahler]

A trailer! I assume you'd be towing it with the truck that you're looking for (8.1/6-speed).

I would think a trailer might be a little harder to ship as it might be a little harder to tie down while on the ship.

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by bkahler

A trailer! I assume you'd be towing it with the truck that you're looking for (8.1/6-speed).

I would think a trailer might be a little harder to ship as it might be a little harder to tie down while on the ship.

Ah, but there is some reasoning behind my suggestion.

1) A trailer in the UK (there they are called a caravan) need no registration, show the tow vehicle license tags, do not have to have an annual inspection, and have a greater potential for re-sale.

2) The 6.0 meter is small enough to be pulled without needing a 3/4 ton truck; although it will probably need more than the little A Class!

3) There is going to be a period where Bella is still here, and we will be bouncing back and forth, so we will have we can camp both here and there. We have already reached out to the European chapter of WBCCI and plan to join them for some events.

4) My folks, Mum & Dad, and Brother and his family are 'caravaners' and pull a SOB to the UK car shows using a rebuilt Morris Van and I am sure they would love to have a small Argosy trailer after Bella arrives.

5) It's a trailer! What better way to haul the stuff that is going back to the UK!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Ah, but there is some reasoning behind my suggestion.

1) A trailer in the UK (there they are called a caravan) need no registration, show the tow vehicle license tags, do not have to have an annual inspection, and have a greater potential for re-sale.

That laxness about trailers surprises me. On regular vehicles it seems the UK is much more strict than most of the U.S I would have expected the same for trailers.

2) The 6.0 meter is small enough to be pulled without needing a 3/4 ton truck; although it will probably need more than the little A Class!

Oh, I don't know, your little A Class might be up to it

However Bella should be able to pull it just fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAfZ1N56qjY

3) There is going to be a period where Bella is still here, and we will be bouncing back and forth, so we will have we can camp both here and there. We have already reached out to the European chapter of WBCCI and plan to join them for some events.

4) My folks, Mum & Dad, and Brother and his family are 'caravaners' and pull a SOB to the UK car shows using a rebuilt Morris Van and I am sure they would love to have a small Argosy trailer after Bella arrives.

5) It's a trailer! What better way to haul the stuff that is going back to the UK!

I can't argue this point!

[martin300662]

Mainly body work progress this week.

Firstly Bella has a new front access panel



New paneling to cover the fuel tank and around the lower front fender.



And the plastic Dometic fridge vents are replaced by aluminum Norcold units.



Also the full scope of the hidden damage is now exposed, and the shop is deciding if one or two panels need replacing.



One new issue came up.....Bella only has the original inner wheel well trims, the outers went missing between the PO in Connecticut and the PO in Florida (when the body was off). Apparently replacements are 'obtainable' so the plan was to remove the (slightly larger ones from the donor) and move them over. It was a great plan except the shop can't get the old ones off without destroying them, so I am on the hunt for either a way to remove the donor ones or some replacements.

[bkahler]

Unfortunately that looks like a two panel repair job

I'm anxious to see your coach in May as I'll be taking a LOT of photos!

[martin300662]

Rear view cameras going into the light panel



One looks straight back and is wired to replace the rear view mirror, one is looking down to act as a 'hitch view' camera for hitching up but also to keep a check on the hitch mounted systems (carrier and/or bike rack).

[bkahler]

Martin, how are the camera cables being routed?

[martin300662]

There is a single 5m video cable from the GPS display that runs along a floor level cable duct behind the driver side 'door' panel, and behind the kitchenette. That surfaces just forward of the wheel well, and goes into a simple RCA splitter, to allow two individual 5m video cables to run through the drivers side underbed cabinet, up behind the panel under the drivers side pano and out through the outer skin via a grommet behind the light panel (same as the tail light wiring). The video cable is not switched in any way.

However the power to the cameras is supplied from a dash mounted on-off-on switch so when the switch is off the cameras have no power and are 'off' and the GPS stays in GPS mode. As soon as either camera is switched on, the GPS auto-switches to AV display. Because it isn't possible for the cameras to be on at the same time there is no interference even though I am using the splitter (as a joiner).

[bkahler]

That's a nice clean routing arrangement. So much better than going overhead through the ceiling area. I wish there was a way to route cables up to the back rear overhead area from below but I don't think it's possible.

If I want a camera up high like we discussed previously my only option is overhead

[martin300662]

I actually have an overhead route because the rear wall lights, the Fantastic Fan wiring, and the AV cables from the TV/PC to the dash stereo actually run along the center of the roof, then swing around to the passenger side, routing down forward of the door frame/behind the cab sliders....I guess that was my options; below the panos and the wiring went drivers side, if I went above the panos then the wiring would have gone passenger side.

[bkahler]

I'm still debating how much of my interior skin I want to remove to clean up the wiring and insulation. I just know that if I start with just the bottom row I will eventually end up removing all of it

[chiefair]

I added a rear camera up high on my 310. It was really prompted by a short in the clearance light wiring that I had to repair.
I used a "wireless" camera. It only required a 12v feed and ground.
I removed the left rear stereo speaker and spent hours with a fish tape tapping around inside the wall until dumb luck allowed me to hit a hole in the crossbrace inside the wall.
Then I drilled a hole up from underneath the coach into the wall space. I then spent several more hours until I snagged the first fish with another fish from the bottom.
I drilled 3 big holes through the skin inside the rear overhead cabinet to access the back of my clearance lights and pulled new wires for the lights and camera up from the bottom with my fish tape. Covered the holes inside the cabinet with 4" square electric box covers. No visible evidence when the cabinet doors are closed.


1982 310 motorhome 454
Henniker New Hampshire

[martin300662]

Sounds like a neat solution Chiefair. Any chance we will be joining us at the motorhome get together so we can admire that new 502?

[chiefair]

I want to but I am hesitant to commit. Last spring we had the worst brush fire season in many years in NH. That was after a winter with near record snowfall. This year we have had very limited snow cover all winter. If this spring fire season is busy I won't be able to get away. I am the Chief Coordinator for a 22 town fire mutual aid system. I am hoping that I will be able to join up at the last minute if work and the group planning the event allow it.

[Gregsch]

Martin
You might want to do a moch-up of your camera location.. I went to a lot of trouble to mount my camera over the rear window. When I got it all done I was disappointed to find that in order to point the camera down low enough to see the trailer hitch I could only see 10 or 20 feet behind the MH. Seems like the fisheye lense in the camera was designed to mount down low ie. the license plate.

[martin300662]

Hi Greg, I have been doing exactly that. Before being 'installed' I have had the cameras taped on a piece of wood (actually inside Bella looking through the rear windows), so I was 100% happy, even using the GPS/cameras, before installing. The Esky cameras I have are designed for 170 degree (non-distorted) viewing so are more like a wide angle rather than fisheye lens. This is actually why I went with two cameras preferring to have a two switchable 'ideal' views rather than one compromise.

As you say these particular cameras are designed to be mounted in or around the license plate, but I have a great view straight back from the light bar.

[bkahler]

Martin, would you mind sharing the part numbers for the Esky cameras you used?

[martin300662]

Sure Brad. The GPS came with a generic 'look-a-like' camera, but I replaced it with two Esky EC170-06HD cameras (from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o02_s00). They use the same power supply connection etc

They are much better definition and also for use in low light. Esky actually make a -08 now that has the same specs as the -06 but is slightly different shape (and chrome plated).

Within the same model you can also chose with or without grid-lines; I actually bought one with grid-lines and tried out for the hitch view, but then found it distracting so changed to two without.

[bkahler]

Martin, thanks for the info. I just bought an Esky EC170-07HD with the grid lines. I have one with grid lines installed on my F250 and I've found the grid lines are helpful for judging distances. For connecting to hitches I really like where you placed the camera that points down. I will likely place my reversing camera just below the rear center window to get a better view of the hitch.

I'll probably order an -06HD for the camera that's going to point rearward.

Thanks!

[martin300662]

One of the fortunate side effects of keeping the light bar is the lower edge actual slopes quite considerably (approx 10 degrees). This downward slop means the camera actually is about 190 degree to vertical so actually looks 'backwards' slightly.