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Roadtoaster · 08-03-2006, 09:26 PM

John, I have been following your posts closely and have begun making mods to my Safari by using some of your good ideas and adding a couple of my own. Now, I am stuck and need some help. The area under the fridge is ripe for conversion to a drawer. About 5 inches tall and the full width of the fridge. Problem is I don't know how this panel is attached to the side walls. I suspect it is pin nailed and may have some fasteners along the top as well. Really don't want to remove the fridge to investige further so I'm looking for someone that has done this or a suggestion on how to make a very neat cut so I can extricate the panel.

Any help appreciated......

Greg

Pahaska · 08-03-2006, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptrvr

The area under the fridge is ripe for conversion to a drawer. About 5 inches tall and the full width of the fridge. Problem is I don't know how this panel is attached to the side walls. I suspect it is pin nailed and may have some fasteners along the top as well. Really don't want to remove the fridge to investige further so I'm looking for someone that has done this or a suggestion on how to make a very neat cut so I can extricate the panel.

Any help appreciated......

Greg

Not having a Safari, I don't know how the panel is attached. I did have one false drawer front in the Classic that was attached with blocks and staples. The blocks were stapled to the false front and to the face frame of the cabinet. I managed to remove the false front with a dead blow hammer by removing the drawer above and reaching in therough the opening. I then used a big screwdriver as a pry bar to remove the blocks.

Beware, though, there may be a bunch of wiring in the space under the refrigerator that may limit the size of the drawer. I do have a drawer under mine, but my refrigerator sits a lot higher.

I doubt that removing the refrigerator is going to reveal anything because there is a pretty stout floor under the refrigerator. Making a neat cut will be very difficult with the front in place.

Roadtoaster · 08-03-2006, 10:03 PM

I appreciate your thoughts. The panel is not attached to the floor so I have been able to pass a thin metal rule underneath from side to side and pretty deep, without finding any obstructions. I have considered fastening my Dremel to a proper height block and using a spiral bit to make the cut. Crude but best I can come up with. The problem is the cut will directly follow the lay of the floor and floors are never perfectly level. Not sure how a spiral bit will react to small gauge nails either. Maybe I'll get some more comments over the weekend.

Greg

Pahaska · 08-06-2006, 10:36 AM

Because of the way the sink is shaped and the obstructions of the sink clamps and wood blocks supporting the Corean, I had a very limited area in which to place the soap pump so that the nozzle would properly squirt down into the sink. I finally came up with this position, right next to the spray hose. The nozzle just spans the flat area at the corner of the sink.

OTOH, the bottle is close to both the pantry wall and the inner shell so that I can easily install a padded support shelf to insure that the bottle doesn't unscrew or strip the threads.

Pahaska · 08-11-2006, 01:06 PM

As a result of the threads on the plastic bottle failing on my former Scamp, I decided to put in supports for the bottles in the Classic. Since the bottles are over the "dead" area where the piping runs at the back of the cabinets, there is virtually no loss of storage space. We usually keep a spare roll or two of paper towels in that space, and it turned out that the paper towels still fit in nicely behind the props.

I didn't make the props fancy. They are 1 1/2" wide poplar with 3/8" of foam and some scrap fabric on top so that there are no wear points against the plastic bottles. The props are screwed to the adjacent wall with sheet rock screws. I find that sheet rock screws are great in confined spaces because they are very sharp and take very little pressure to start.

Pahaska · 09-27-2006, 02:26 PM

My wife complained that the bathroom was too boring and colorless. She hated the border behind the sink and the border had started to peel off.

I bought a colorful border with a Paris street scene motif and installed it this morning.

The old border had a sticky backing and came off in pieces. A wet sponge and a scraper was needed to finish the messy removal. The new border is pasted and is waterproof. The border on the side wall covers the scar where the soap dish was removed when I installed the soap pump.

The photos don't do justice to the new border. The change has made the bathroom a lot more cheerful.

Pahaska · 09-27-2006, 02:39 PM

My TV sat on the credenza and lay on its face on a non-slip pad while travelling. After the cat knocked the TV over twice, I decided to mount it permanently on the microwave cabinet.

The mount is super stout and does not extend. The TV is locked in place facing the middle of the couch.

I removed the mirrors and used the painting to cover several scars where the velcro pulled off the surface of the wall.

The 15" TV is fairly heavy and required reinforcement of the wall. The two-layer reinforcement is screwed into the 3/4" square strips top and bottom and additionally attached to the floor and top of the compartment with the metal angles. The layers are attached to each other by lots of power-driven nails. I also added additional screws through the 3/4" strips into the floor and top of the compartment to withstand the torque of the mount.

Pahaska · 09-27-2006, 02:46 PM

In a past Airstream Life article, I showed the handy catchall for small items in Past International President Jim Haddaway's trailer. I just now installed a similar catchall in the bedroom of my trailer. Great place for slippers and the like.

I put 1 1/2" wide horizontal strips of white Velcro on the back of the plastic shoe caddy to keep it snugly attached to the fuzzy walls of the bedroom. I made an oak strip to cover the fabric at the top with capped screw holes at each of the grommets in the caddy. The wood makes the installation a lot neater.

09-27-2006, 03:10 PM

It's always a pleasure to see the additions that you've made to your 28' Classic John. You've given me some very usefull ideas foe the new 25' Classic.

Pahaska · 09-27-2006, 04:30 PM

Quote:

It's always a pleasure to see the additions that you've made to your 28' Classic John. You've given me some very usefull ideas for the new 25' Classic.

I have noticed that a lot of folks are using some of the ideas I have posted. That is my intent.

I know that a lot of folks may see changes they would like to make, but are too timid to jump in on their own. If they see photos and a description of just how simple most changes are, they may go ahead on their own rigs.

Pahaska · 11-02-2006, 01:42 PM

My wife and I share the medicine cabinet, but her side is always stuffed. Since the cabinet runs fore and aft, at the end of each tow, everything has slid to my (front) end of the cabinet. I decided to stake a claim to my own space.

After a few careful measurements, I cut 2 dividers from 1/2" oak and finished them with wipe-on polyurethane to match the existing woodwork. I made the dividers just a bit large horizontally so that they would firmly wedge into the padded vinyl liner.

I installed the dividers today by tapping them into place with a padded mallet. Once situated, I drove 3 1 1/2" 18 ga nails through the vertical face frame of the cabinet and into each divider. They are not going to go anywhere!

I placed the divider at the extreme front of the vertical face frame so that my wife has several inches more cabinet room than I have. This also places the countersunk nails behind the edge of the cabinet door for additional concealment.

BTW, I used my new toy to drive the nails. It is an 18v, battery-operated, nail gun and it works like a charm. I bought it so that I no longer have to fill an air tank and schlep it out to the trailer whenever I want to do some nailing. It is also nice not to have the air hose in the way all the time.

Pahaska · 11-02-2006, 02:01 PM

The "water saver" sprayer on my toilet has always been something of a pain. The spray head mounts inconveniently in a bracket at the back of the toilet and the hose, especially when stiff with cold, is balky.

I removed the bracket from the toilet (just pull up hard) and remounted it in the lower cabinet front using two pan-head screws with washers. The design of the bracket makes it impossible to reach the upper screw, so I tightened that screw just enough that I could tap the bracket down into place. I then installed the lower screw and fully tightened it.

The hose now is kept more or less straight and the spray head is easy to reach. The mounting location is completely out of the way when using the facility.

Pahaska · 11-07-2006, 05:53 PM

In my former Classic 25, I built in a magazine rack in the wasted space behind the folding table. I finally got around to doing the same for my current Classic 28.

Everything is dimension red oak from Lowe's with a coat of wipe-on gloss poly. It was a 40-minute project.

The box between the couch and the credenza leg is my parts box with a big variety of screws, electrical connectors, tie wraps, and other goodies. It is a tight fit in the space and has never come adrift while on the road..

sander17 · 11-08-2006, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Everything is dimension red oak from Lowe's with a coat of wipe-on gloss poly. It was a 40-minute project.

Did you use a stain on the oak? I am trying to match the finish on the oak trim in our 96 Excella and I don't believe I have hit the right stain color yet. I tried Minwax "natural" and "golden oak", but the color is not red enough. This may be due to aging of the trim over 10 years.
It is always tough to get a good color match when you get different results depending on whether you look in sunlight, incadescent, or flourescent light.

Pahaska · 11-08-2006, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sander17

Did you use a stain on the oak?

My trailer uses the newer light-colored oak woodwork, but I have matched 80's trailer dark oak woodwork quite well with multiple coats of golden oak. I steel wool (with the finest available) lightly between coats.

It may take 10 coats, but it will gradually darken as coats are added.

j54mark · 11-08-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sander17

Did you use a stain on the oak? I am trying to match the finish on the oak trim in our 96 Excella and I don't believe I have hit the right stain color yet. I tried Minwax "natural" and "golden oak", but the color is not red enough. This may be due to aging of the trim over 10 years.
It is always tough to get a good color match when you get different results depending on whether you look in sunlight, incadescent, or flourescent light.

I prefer to start with white oak if I am trying to match stained oak. Some paint stores will custom mix stains to match if you will leave a sample of the raw wood and the piece to be matched. To do it yourself use analine dyes (I like the ones sold as a water and alcohol soluble powder). Usually you need only two colors, which can be combined in any amount you wish to achieve the desired result.

In the past your finish coat would alter the color further, but most of the new water based topcoats are almost totally colorless.

Mark

sander17 · 11-09-2006, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pahaska

My trailer uses the newer light-colored oak woodwork, but I have matched 80's trailer dark oak woodwork quite well with multiple coats of golden oak. I steel wool (with the finest available) lightly between coats.

It may take 10 coats, but it will gradually darken as coats are added.

I'll try your trick with multiple coats. When I compared the test pieces with the trim in the trailer, I of course found that the color of the trim varied from cabinet to cabinet. The other fun part is the color results from staining the red oak plywood versus the dimensional red oak lumber.

My nearest source of white oak plywood is 45 minutes away, but with the variability of the existing cabinets, I believe that the red oak will do fine.

Thanks for the advice.

SafeHarbor · 11-10-2006, 06:35 PM

I sure have enjoyed reading this thread, and kudos on top of kudos for John for sharing his innovations and good ideas.

As an owner of a light-weight 70's era 31-footer, I would be very hesitant to do HEAVY, as in poundage, mods, but I do like the notion that one can open one's eyes, look around, and notice the need . . . decide to do something about it, and then do it. Even better, some of the stuff is EASY.

Thanks, John!

Devoman · 11-13-2006, 03:32 PM

This great help for me since I am doing things to mine now.Thanks for the pics and instruction.I am still trying to find areas that need things to be put in and hopefully have some done here in the next few weeks.
Great thread.

CanoeStream · 11-13-2006, 04:24 PM

Devo -- One Pahaska mod I want to do to mine is place a resistor across terminals in the oven hood exhaust fan. That thing is so darn noisy! I dunno -- the smoke detector goes off way too much in the first place. [on edit: I left out that this mod cuts RPMs in half, decreasing the noise but also the only modest effectiveness.]