Diskotrek - 1975 Argosy 24

[Magnet18]

Originally Posted by kidjedi

My speedometer reads around 10mph under actual speed, and I assume the odometer is incorrect as well, so I'm thinking about buying a cheap GPS speedo/odometer unit to track mileage until I can properly fix the analog components (and I don't want to rely on a phone/app for speed and tracking mileage over time for repairs and maintenance). The Google Maps link says the route was 107 miles, but that doesn't include side road adventuring. When we filled up before we left, the pump stopped at exactly $100.00 (good omen?!). That was 38.xx gallons. When we got back, the gas gauge was just barely under the three-quarter mark (though, who knows how evenly the gas gauge tracks).

I also question my temperature gauge. It moves seemingly appropriately to the engine being on (warming up), but on the whole trip it never got to the half-way mark.

I am also going to install a tachometer. I've never had a vehicle with fewer than five speeds (including OD), and I'm not used to listening to the motor rev high when I can't tell if it's too high. Kind of nerve wracking.

I ordered all my gauges from speedhut, the tachometer is programmable, and the speedometer is GPS, both work great, and they will let you customize the gauges however you like, you can even talk to them about super custom stuff to match the 70s vibe. They will save it on file, so if you want to start piecing it together one gauge at a time, they can still all end up matching in the end.


And, some gas stations automatically stop the pump at $100 even. Happens to me occasionally with the 310

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by mrdes8

Sounds like a good trip, glad things went well, good job on the bolt repair. In the old days a "speedo shop" could recalibrate your speedo if you took it out and brought it to them. I'm not sure Denver has one anymore.
Keep it rollin'... Mark D

Thanks, Mark. Wouldn't have been possible without you!

After looking at a lot of different gauges online, I will definitely be buying a "temporary" GPS Speedo/odometer that may become permanent depending upon how well it works.

Magnet18 used a GPS speedo unit in his renovation, and it's been serving him well. Though the GPS units can lose signal, you never have to calibrate them when changing tire size, etc., and I think at this point in our world of technology, they are almost as dependable as a mechanical unit.

I even found one that has a GPS speedo with hookups for a tach. Can't decide yet if I'll buy a whole "matching set" to rebuild the entire dash, or just go with the speedo/odo/tach for the time being.

The unit I found with the tach actually has speed sensors/accelerometers as well to compensate for lost GPS through tunnels or other covered areas.

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by Magnet18

I ordered all my gauges from speedhut, the tachometer is programmable, and the speedometer is GPS, both work great, and they will let you customize the gauges however you like, you can even talk to them about super custom stuff to match the 70s vibe. They will save it on file, so if you want to start piecing it together one gauge at a time, they can still all end up matching in the end.

Thanks for the info. I will definitely check them out. Cool that they will keep visual info. on file to build a cluster set. Maybe I'll make all my gauges look like disco balls.

Originally Posted by Magnet18

And, some gas stations automatically stop the pump at $100 even. Happens to me occasionally with the 310

Interesting and good to know. I won't tell my kiddo. He'll be so freaked out if it keeps happening.

Luckily the price per gallon worked out; it was 38.xx gallons, so I don't think I could have gotten much more in there anyway (unless my tank is larger than I think it is).

[bkahler]

Denver speedometer shop

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Denver speedometer shop

Hilarious that Brad (in Kentucky) is letting us know where to find stuff in our own town.

Thanks, Brad!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by kidjedi

Hilarious that Brad (in Kentucky) is letting us know where to find stuff in our own town.

Thanks, Brad!

I've actually done business with them.....

And if memory serves I've actually been in their shop, years ago that is.

I lived in the Denver/Lakewood/Rollinsville area for about 12 years. Built a house up by Rollinsville in 1982-84

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by bkahler

I lived in the Denver/Lakewood/Rollinsville area for about 12 years. Built a house up by Rollinsville in 1982-84

Really?! Moffat tunnel is one of our favorite places to camp. I have had the 25' Landyacht in some incredibly tight spaces up there!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by kidjedi

Really?! Moffat tunnel is one of our favorite places to camp. I have had the 25' Landyacht in some incredibly tight spaces up there!

A few years before building the house three friends of mine and I were driving my old 70s Toyota Corolla up Rollins Pass Rd (117?), snaked our way through Needles Eye tunnel, drove across the dilapidated wood trestle and on into Winter Park. It was quite the drive. Needless to say the trestle was a little worrisome

Definitely beautiful scenery. I know the tunnel and trestle are closed now but I think there is a slightly different route that is still open, I'd like do that some day.

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by bkahler

A few years before building the house three friends of mine and I were driving my old 70s Toyota Corolla up Rollins Pass Rd (117?), snaked our way through Needles Eye tunnel, drove across the dilapidated wood trestle and on into Winter Park. It was quite the drive. Needless to say the trestle was a little worrisome

Definitely beautiful scenery. I know the tunnel and trestle are closed now but I think there is a slightly different route that is still open, I'd like do that some day.

Was going to say, yeah, they've got the tunnel closed now (there is not Rollins Pass anymore), but my kiddo and I hiked up there last year to see it. I wish it was still open to 4x4's, as it's still very traverseable, but I get that they don't want to deal with the liability. It's still a pretty cool drive going up to it on the Rollinsville side (though I think the other side is more "car friendly"). There are some great trails in this area.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by kidjedi

Was going to say, yeah, they've got the tunnel closed now (there is not Rollins Pass anymore), but my kiddo and I hiked up there last year to see it. I wish it was still open to 4x4's, as it's still very traverseable, but I get that they don't want to deal with the liability. It's still a pretty cool drive going up to it on the Rollinsville side (though I think the other side is more "car friendly"). There are some great trails in this area.

The year I drove through the tunnel it was obvious where some energetic sole had winched a boulder out of the road making clearance for a small vehicle to fit through. We debated for a bit, walked through the tunnel first scoping it out and then decided to go for it

The trestle itself was really interesting. Looking down over the side you could see where it was fastened to the wall of a cliff where the bottom was a LONG way down, pretty impressive! It's amazing what you're willing to do when you're younger that you might not consider doing when you're older

Somewhere around the halfway point between Rollinsville and Winter Park there was an old Way Station, not much left of it, but I seem to remember that once we passed that point the road was in much better condition.

It might be fun to take the Argosy up that road from the Winter Park side. I remember a beautiful lake up above tree line that was off in the distance. I'd like to see that up close as well.

Brings back memories

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by bkahler

It might be fun to take the Argosy up that road from the Winter Park side. I remember a beautiful lake up above tree line that was off in the distance. I'd like to see that up close as well.

Yeah, from what I've heard that side is much more car friendly. I haven't been on that side yet, but I'll have to check it out soon.

Looking at the the map now... it appears that the tunnel I'm talking about (that's closed) is the Needle's Eye Tunnel, and I guess the actual Rollins Pass "proper" is just on the other side (where you'll also find Devil's Slide Trestles). There are several tiny "lakes" up there. Jenny and Yankee Doodle on the Rollinsville side, and King on the other. We didn't have our poles with us last time we were up there, but I think you can fish in the lakes; apparently they stock them with native trout. The road up to the tunnel from that side is 501, you take 80 to get there, and 80 actually ends at Rollins Pass and the "town" of Corona (I think it's just rocks and snow ). That point is also the continental divide; all water down one side goes to the Atlantic, and on the other the Pacific!

[kidjedi]

Well... after 1500 miles of completely trouble free travel, I was parked in my parents' driveway in Indiana and went to move the rig forward three feet after it had been sitting unused for more than a day. I turned the key, the starter *sort of* did it's thing, and then smoke started pouring out of the air vents. No one was hurt, and we got everything put out before the fire spread beyond the hoses and wires on top of the engine. I kept the people helping from opening the dog house, so no fire reached the interior (I'm kind of impressed by how the doghouse lid contained the fire and heat --just some slight damage to the carpet around the edge of the doghouse opening). My parents were kind enough to lend me a vehicle to get back to Colorado, but the rig is still in Indiana waiting for the Insurance adjuster to take a look.

I am pretty much 100% sure the fire started from the bundle of wires that had not yet been replaced (mostly house electric running to switches in the dash, but still a few older wires running to engine related stuff like the starter). I had replaced all hoses, lots of miscellaneous wires, and all spark plug wires, but there were still wires I hadn't gotten to running along the edge of the dog house. That's got to be where the spark initiated.

Anyway... yet another post urging those who have not installed fire suppression systems to do so immediately. I'm not entirely convinced one would have completely put out this fire (it took us seven home fire extinguishers and quite a bit of time with two garden hoses before the fire department arrived), but it's certainly better than the thought of this having happened while driving and/or boondocking in the middle of Kansas with no one around to help. (p.s. when your rig is on fire, you really need to immediately disconnect all your electrical systems, and that means no pump for the water!)

The good news is that instead of rebuilding the carb, I'll be moving to EFI, so now I just have to decide which one.

[bkahler]

All I can say is WOW. I'm glad to hear no one was injured or worse from the fire.

I'm curious and I'm assuming your doghouse cover is made of steel. If so that is what probably saved your rig. The Classics have a plastic doghouse cover which I doubt would have lasted 2 minutes with an engine fire. That thought has me rethinking my use of the Classic doghouse cover in my 74. Maybe that was a bad idea on my part.

Hopefully you'll be able to post some pictures of the coach in the near future.

Brad

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by bkahler

I'm curious and I'm assuming your doghouse cover is made of steel. If so that is what probably saved your rig. The Classics have a plastic doghouse cover which I doubt would have lasted 2 minutes with an engine fire. That thought has me rethinking my use of the Classic doghouse cover in my 74. Maybe that was a bad idea on my part.

I can pretty much *guarantee* that the steel doghouse saved my entire rig. I was pleased with the amount of heat passing through (very little) while driving on the interstate, and the fact that it kept the fire completely contained in the engine bay is definitely the answer to your question: put in a steel doghouse. Even if it costs $5,000 (or more) it's worth it.

I think my doghouse may have also had some kind of "heat/sound mat."

I honestly can't believe the classics have a plastic cover (the sound alone must be atrocious), and the GMC's have one that is plywood. After this, I would never drive an RV without solid steel between the engine and cabin.

Also... and I know it's been said again and again, the fire suppression system is not an accessory, it's a necessity. And just one fire extinguisher in the cabin is not enough. From this first-hand experience, I now know that a household fire extinguisher isn't very effective at putting out a flame much bigger than a birthday cake.

[bkahler]

Until your post I hadn't given any consideration to what would happen to the plastic doghouse cover in the event of an engine fire. Now you have me wondering what I can do to switch to a metal cover. Ideally I'd like to fashion one that matches the plastic cover so I don't have to rework the entire doghouse opening again. Once was enough!

Was the fire mostly confined to the top side of the engine? Did anything happen to the wood floors in the cockpit area?

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Until your post I hadn't given any consideration to what would happen to the plastic doghouse cover in the event of an engine fire. Now you have me wondering what I can do to switch to a metal cover. Ideally I'd like to fashion one that matches the plastic cover so I don't have to rework the entire doghouse opening again. Once was enough!

Was the fire mostly confined to the top side of the engine? Did anything happen to the wood floors in the cockpit area?

It would seem the fire was somehow contained on top of the engine, so it didn't have a chance to reach the wooden floors where the seats go.

Frankly, I'm pretty flabbergasted by how well the fire was contained. It was on the top of the engine and back a little, so everything on top was mostly melted (especially the distributor and cruise module, and of course all the hoses and wiring). The main radiator hose that goes to the thermostat was damaged but still holding coolant, so that seems like the forward limit of where the fire reached (likely because we were spraying extinguishers and water in from the front access panel).

You can see in the photos that there was a really thick rubber gasket around the edge of the engine compartment access (between the floor and the doghouse), and it seemed to contain the fire and heat better than I would have expected.

[martin300662]

Seeing your photos I would go buy a lottery ticket - your luck is in!

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Seeing your photos I would go buy a lottery ticket - your luck is in!

Well... I think it was actually a balance going on... unfortunately lots of other rough stuff happened over those two days. But yes, I was extremely lucky in regard to what happened with the fire. Also thinking about what was going on instead of freaking out... reacting to the smoke immediately, getting constant fire suppression (albeit under powered) on the flames until the fire department arrived, NOT opening the interior access and fighting the flames from the front access, and getting others standing around (why were they just standing there watching?!) to become useful components of containing the fire.

But it definitely makes a very, very strong statement about the doghouse I have. The interior (and the rest of the entire rig and maybe my parents' house) would have certainly gone up without that doghouse.

After the fact, it strikes me that had the fire department arrived earlier, they likely would have gone at the flame from the interior, and there would have been not only massive fire damage, but also massive water damage to the interior.

Also, as thankful as I am to the firemen for getting there quickly, don't ever think that just because there are 11 firefighters present that everything has been considered and nothing can go wrong. The firefighters took over when they arrived, but after they left, I noticed that even though they had specifically asked where the tanks were located, my propane was still open and able to flow. Kind of mind boggling.

Also, in all the chaos and thinking about *fire,* I didn't think clearly about origin/causality and unplugging the rig from shore power and unhooking the batteries. I was most concerned with getting water on the flame, but had *all* the power been disconnected, the flare ups (re-ignition) may not have occurred.

[bkahler]

I think this is the first time that I've heard of a fire that didn't end up engulfing the rig. Then again, the only fires I remember reading about have been Classics.

Food for thought.....

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by bkahler

I think this is the first time that I've heard of a fire that didn't end up engulfing the rig. Then again, the only fires I remember reading about have been Classics.

Food for thought.....

Looking at my doghouse... there is a lot of steel all around that area. Not just the lid, but the opening and everything out. I assume they stopped doing that for cost, as it seems there is a lot of plywood in other/newer vehicles. Maybe my PO actually installed some extra safety measures of his own?

Anyway... yeah. I got really, really lucky, and hopefully others are able to make modifications to reflect some of the things that saved my rig (and maybe life).

Also, I can't believe that any of the available fire suppression systems would have contained this fire, but it doesn't mean I won't be immediately ordering one.