'74 Argosy 20' Motorhome restoration/rebuild

[bkahler]

I figure it's time to start a thread dedicated to overall restoration of my Argosy 20. Some of you already know that I've been working on the Argosy off and on over the last four years or so. A variety of things have kept me from making a lot of progress but over the last few months I've actually made some

Unfortunately progress moving forward will still be hit and miss but I hope to keep adding to this thread on a fairly regular basis.

Currently the Argosy is sitting without the motor, interior partially gutted, there are lots of water leaks, needs wheels and tires, all major appliances and in general it just needs a LOT of tender loving care.

The long term goal is to do the following:

1) Remove the interior so I can remove the wood floor to repair the bad spots.
2) Make new cabinets
3) Replace all appliances (stove, fridge, water heater, furnace, microwave)
4) Install the new motor that is currently sitting on an engine stand
5) Replace the Generac generator with an Onan 6.5 and mount it on drawer slides
6) Add larger more modern outside mirrors
7) Install a new Inteli-power Converter PD9245
8) New electric steps
9) Replace the TH400 transmission with a nice 4L80E
10) Replace the exterior door (mostly complete)
11) Make a more modern looking instrument cluster for the dash
12) All new upholstery
13) All new brakes
14) All new suspension & steering components
15) Zipdee awning
16) And lots more

I want to make it into a nice dependable motorhome suitable for long trips.

I have completed the mechanical installation of the new Kiwkee electric double steps, argosy mh double entry step addition but since it will be quite a while before a battery will be installed I will skip the step wiring for the time being.

I have a different thread 74 argosy engine build started that covers the rebuilt and start up of the 454 engine.

I recently replaced the original mangled door with the door from our 310 motorhome (the 310 got a new door from a 345 motorhome). The door needs to be re-curved at the bottom as there is about a 1/4" gap that lets moisture in. I've found several threads that explain how to do this repair and hope to perform the work over the Christmas holidays.

Here is a picture as it sits right now.



You can see the awning sitting in the foreground. The awning is originally from a 345. Smartstream has explained in detail how to shorten the tube and I hope to get that job done this coming spring.

The following pictures show the mouse super highway that was hiding behind the aluminum panel between the door frame and the passenger cockpit window. I removed the panel in preparation for upgrading the exterior mirrors.



As much as I would like to pull the headliner down to see where the highway goes I'm going to pass on that effort, out of sight out of mind, right?

Stay tuned...

[bkahler]

One of the problems I'm going to have is getting the dash a/c to function properly. I'm going to need to replace most if not all of the vacuum actuators on the dash air plenum.

Here is a picture of what they look like:



If anyone has an idea where to find some I'd sure like to hear about it!

Worst case is I'll have to adapt something to fit.

Thanks,

Brad

[bkahler]

Well as I bounce around from project to project on my Argosy I did manage to get the salvaged Onan 6.5 genset running. One or more enterprising mice managed to make an apartment complex out of it for a number of years but an hour or so of cleaning got most of the construction debris out of it and once I got it running the remaining debris came flying out

I had to file the points, clean the plugs, change the oil filter, air filter oil and replace the steel fuel pipe from the pump to the carburetor. Other than that it fired right up and sounded pretty good. A little tweaking on the idle screw and the slight popping sound went away. It's putting out 124 vac on each leg under no load which sounds about right.



It has to fit in this compartment where I'll be mounting it on drawer slides. Fitting through the opening there is about 1-1/4" clearance from side side and about 3/4" clearance on top and bottom. Currently there is no insulation installed so I plan on remedying that after I remove the old Generac unit.



A 6.5 KW generator is probably a little large for a 20' motorhome but I have it, it runs, it fits (barely!) and only has about 300 hours on it so why not use it

Brad

[bkahler]

I spent a little bit of time today removing the old Generac generator from the rear of the Argosy. Not sure what Airstream was thinking but the generator framework was welded in place. There was no easy way to remove it. I ended up cutting the attachment points with a sawzall. I'm guessing when the coach was assembled the generator was already installed in the chassis.

The Generac was an oil grundgy mess. Having seen how it was installed I can't imagine trying to perform any maintenance on it.

As mentioned previously the replacement Onan 6.5 generator will be installed on drawer slides to make it easy to perform maintenance activities.

At the rate I'm getting things done on the Argosy it will probably 2020 before I'm done with it



Brad

[Smartstream]

Hey Brad you could always go for this type of installation.



It might make some service issues easier. Probably wouldn't have to worry about cooling air issues either.

Cheers, Dan

[bkahler]

Oh my

It's amazing what some people will do to their rigs

I appreciate the suggestion but I think I'll stick with my original plan of installing the Onan on drawer slides so I can keep the generator out of sight!

It always makes me wonder what leads people to do mods like that. Looking closely at the picture it doesn't look like it would be to hard to remove the generator and put the cover spare tire cover back on.

Thanks!

Brad

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Oh my

It's amazing what some people will do to their rigs

I appreciate the suggestion but I think I'll stick with my original plan of installing the Onan on drawer slides so I can keep the generator out of sight!

It always makes me wonder what leads people to do mods like that. Looking closely at the picture it doesn't look like it would be to hard to remove the generator and put the cover spare tire cover back on.

Thanks!

Brad

Yeah that was on a very nice 34.5 we ran into at a campground while we were doing the Blueridge Parkway. The family was very nice and the guy was quite proud of his gen set installation.

Cheers, Dan

[shepherd57]

Hi Brad

I think that the Onan might be to long to fit that compartment. I have a friend that has a 75 argosy that has the Onan in and it sticks out about 4 or 5 inches past the rear of the coach. Just a thought,

John

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Smartstream

Yeah that was on a very nice 34.5 we ran into at a campground while we were doing the Blueridge Parkway. The family was very nice and the guy was quite proud of his gen set installation.

Cheers, Dan

I'm sure you didn't say anything to burst his bubble, right?

Originally Posted by shepherd57

Hi Brad

I think that the Onan might be to long to fit that compartment. I have a friend that has a 75 argosy that has the Onan in and it sticks out about 4 or 5 inches past the rear of the coach. Just a thought,

John

John,

For the last several months I've been trying to get measurements as to the depth of the genset compartment. Previously all of my measurements seemed to indicate that I would have about 1/2" to 3/4" clearance if I installed the generator with the fan housing towards the rear of the coach.

Well, now that I have the old Generac out and I can actually assess just what room I do have I've found that my 1/2" to 3/4" clearance is just the opposite. I have that much interference. There are things I can do to correct the problem but they would involve modifying the 1"x2" structural floor frame that Airstream sets on top of the P30 chassis and I would also have to modify one of the P30 frame cross members. At a minimum I would need to move it forward about 1".

I'm not sure I want to go to THAT much effort just to fit a nice generator. I'll spend some more time over the weekend trying to get a better feel for what really does need to be done.

I have a feeling though that I just might be looking to trade my nice low hour 6.5 genset for a 4.0 genset

Brad

[AldeanFan]

Thats too bad if it won't fit, maybe a power bulge or scoop on the compartment door

and is that a Sunbeam in the picture of the Generator?

[vswingfield]

Too bad about the genset not fitting. The Onans are nice equipement.

Maybe you'll get lucky and find a nice trade.

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

Thats too bad if it won't fit, maybe a power bulge or scoop on the compartment door

and is that a Sunbeam in the picture of the Generator?

If you look closely, it says TR4 on the back. They're Triumph people, but I wouldn't put it past them to have a Sunbeam either.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

Thats too bad if it won't fit, maybe a power bulge or scoop on the compartment door

Well I could always mount it like the one in the picture that Dan posted...NOT!

I'd really like to keep the 6.5 but it's looking more and more like it wasn't meant to be

and is that a Sunbeam in the picture of the Generator?

As Vince noted it is a Triumph TR4, 1963.

Never have owned a Sunbeam and I'm guessing that they are well out of my price range!

Brad

[bkahler]

Dang,

A quick search for 4.0 sized generators and it appears they are all taller and longer than the 6.5 that I have

I just might have to do some cutting and fitting to make the 6.5 work.

In the mean time I'll keep looking for a smaller unit...

[ViewRVs]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Dang,

In the mean time I'll keep looking for a smaller unit...

Have you tried Colaw RV Salvage? They may have an older Onan 4.0 that would fit.

Besides, what the heck are you planning in running in that thing where you need a 6.5? You only have one AC unit. I guess you'd need a 6.5 to run the AC and the microwave at the same time. Of course Argosy units never had Microwave ovens!

17 Days Microwave Free!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by ViewRVs

Have you tried Colaw RV Salvage? They may have an older Onan 4.0 that would fit.

Besides, what the heck are you planning in running in that thing where you need a 6.5? You only have one AC unit. I guess you'd need a 6.5 to run the AC and the microwave at the same time. Of course Argosy units never had Microwave ovens!

17 Days Microwave Free!

Fred, it seems that the older Onan 4.0 generators are 3" or more longer and over 4" taller than the 6.5 Emerald that I have. I'll keep looking for something that will fit without modifications but I'm not holding my breath.

Not really planning on anything with the extra capacity of the 6.5. It's just that I have it in hand already and it appears to be in really nice shape with only 300 hours on it.

Assuming I do end up using it I'll set it up like our 310 is with two transfer switches so that the A/C can run at the same time as a microwave or something else of higher capacity is plugged in.

I'd probably be willing to trade the 6.5 for something in the 4.0 range as long as the 4.0 fits without any modifications to the coach.

Brad

[Keyair]

If the Onan fits, and is low hrs, why not keep it.
better to have too much than too little. I doubt if it would use more gas at 2kw, than the smaller unit.

FYI...
Look what is tucked under the rear floor of our Dodge van...


I have the Owners manual in PDF if you want it...

[bkahler]

Steve, no need for a manual, I've already got one. However I'm scrapping the Generac. It's a 3600 rpm unit and from the looks of mine not worth even trying to get running again. I just drug it out from under the motorhome a little while ago. If you want parts from it let me know otherwise it's going on the scrap heap along with a lot of 345 parts.

Brad

[bkahler]

Other Argosy owners complete about how much the mirrors vibrate while driving so new mirrors are in order. One of the upgrades for the Argosy is going to be the installation of larger Ramco mirrors replacing the non-existent mirrors. The Argosy inner support mounts are nothing more that a piece of thin sheet metal.

Here is a picture of an Argosy that had the skin torn open when someone apparently hit the mirror.


So in order to mount the Ramco mirrors I have to add an aluminum support plate on the inside similar to how the later Airstream motorhomes are configured. In order to accomplish this I had to remove the driver and passenger seats and the plastic wall liner under the windows. The passenger side removal was relatively easy.

The drivers side on the other hand has turned into a real nightmare. The plastic liner is under the bathroom wall skin and they are both under the aluminum guide that holds the wood panel that is riveted to the wall. At this point I decided it was time to purchase a Porter-Cable Multi-Tool and use it to trim the bathroom wall skin and then the plastic liner under the drivers window. I'll post pictures of this once I get the job done.

Back on the passenger side I was able to remove most of the rivets holding the inner aluminum skin to the ribs and was real surprised to find there was no insulation underneath



Apparently the shell/ribs for the cab area for the Argosy was constructed differently than the 310/345 that I'm familiar with. Worse, when pulling the skin back I could see the ground under the coach

There is actually a thin layer of a black tar like substance that was sprayed inside the wall cavity. Since I want to insulate the walls in the cab I'm going to have to figure out how to seal the openings. As it is water from the front wheels can get sprayed up into that area.

Something else to add to the list of projects

Brad

[bkahler]

Just thought I'd post this picture. The car is a 1948 Triumph 1800 Roadster. It's a rusting hulk that is slated to be turned into a source for parts. I just thought it was an interesting contrast

Brad

[bkahler]

Spent some more time crawling around the cockpit of the Argosy trying to get the aluminum side panels off and the dash top removed. Seems like I start making some progress and then run into one stumbling block after another

In order to get inside the walls beside the drivers and passenger seats the outer plastic panel has to be removed and then the underlying aluminum skin needs to be removed. For the most part the passenger side was pretty straight forward except for the fact that the skin went on before the dash was put in place so that meant the dash needed to be removed. Same for the drivers side only worse because the outer plastic panel AND the aluminum skin are underneath the bathroom wall

This weekend was the first time I used my Porter-Cable Multi-Tool. It made quick work of cutting through the plastic panel and the underlying aluminum skin. I'm now down to needing the dash removed to get assess to the remaining rivets so I can pull the inner aluminum skin. One good thing is I'll be able to replace the outside radio antenna now that I have perfect access to it and the wiring



The inner wall of the drivers side was the same as the passenger side in that there is no insulation in the wall. However on the drivers side the plastic cover had pink insulation behind it. The passenger side didn't so I'm guessing some PO removed the insulation at some point.



While working on removing the inner skin on the drivers side I had a nice view of the outside. Right in the drivers side wheel well. Something I definitely need to fix.



I'm down to having to remove one screw and the dash cover will come off. Unfortunately this is another one of those stumbling blocks. The remaining screw has a missing head. Whoever it was at the factory that was installing the dash must have over-torqued the screw and snapped the head off. He then added another screw about an inch from the broken one. I have to figure out some way to get that broken screw out before the dash top will slide the rest of the way off. Very frustrating.

I'll add a picture tomorrow showing what I'm talking about.

Brad