2016 27' Flying Cloud - We Made Some Changes

[Troutboy]

Wow!! Nice job, you accomplished that factory look!

[4riveteers]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

Wow!! Nice job, you accomplished that factory look!

Troutboy~thanks for the shout out! "A craftsman is always proud that his work is appreciated."

Happy travels!

[Frank&Mike]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

Before...Attachment 292163
After...Attachment 292164
Installed my wife's new SMEV range oven. She's happy, so I'm happy![emoji7]

That looks GREAT!

[4riveteers]

Originally Posted by Frank&Mike

That looks GREAT!

It was a labor of love! Definitely worth the time and fabrication dedication. Thanks for the shout out!

[Mattirs]

Better not let my wife see the stove, or I will need to get some real skills fasr. Beautiful job

[4riveteers]

Originally Posted by Mattirs

Better not let my wife see the stove, or I will need to get some real skills fasr. Beautiful job

I hear ya! But you know, the ladies just have a way of finding things out![emoji12]Thanks for the praise!

[dames7]

I ban my wife from website, she would have ME doing a complete make over on ours

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

Hi Piggy Bank~
Congrats on your new piglet! Nice to see you like my bed modification. We love the change because it's one less stressor that makes traveling more enjoyable. Here's what I did for each side:

Attachment 290369

Unscrewed the original platform and moved it outwards to where the mattress would be fully supported underneath.

Purchased stain grade plywood and cut a piece that would fit between original plywood and wall. Used stain grade plywood because surface is smoother and won't snag mattress. Also purchase 3/4" self adhesive foam insulation that will fit between new piece and the wall.

Fit the new piece against the wall, then place original piece in place to check for fit. Make any adjustments. Now remove original piece. Cut to length a strip of insulation that runs the full length of new plywood. Stick it to wall where the side of plywood meets the wall. Attachment 290389

I repurposed the screws taken out of original piece and used 3/4" wood screws for the rest. With new piece in place, take note where the wood frame is underneath to screw in plywood. After attaching new piece, place original piece into place and attach.

I rounded the corner at the foot of each bed for safety reasons. Since my wife usually makes the beds, she's been stabbed and splintered a few times by this corner. She also suggested sanding the exposed edges or even placing a rubber edge along that stretch.

Another suggestion is buying Aire Flow Moisture Barrier to prevent mold and moisture underneath mattresses. This is on our to-do list.

Battery storage cover lock. Attachment 290391

Refrigerator exterior access panel. Attachment 290392

Both these locks were on the shelf and purchased at Camping World.
This is what the lock looks like on the inside. Attachment 290393

It's been my pleasure helping out a fellow Airstreamer. Hope it's been helpful! Good luck customizing your little piglet![emoji4]

Why would you need a lock on the refrigerator access panel?
What's in there worth stealing?

[4riveteers]

Originally Posted by MelGoddard

Why would you need a lock on the refrigerator access panel?

What's in there worth stealing?

Thanks for asking. This is from a woman's point of view. My wife is a very forward thinking person. She asked what was inside that access panel. When I told her the refrigerator pilot light is there, wiring, sharp edges and copper tubing, she was concerned about curious young ones seeing an easy opening access door and possibly wondering what's inside. She just wanted to prevent any possible injuries. We don't stay at "adult only rv parks" and when we leave to go sight see, no one's there to watch our "AS". Airstream's are a magnet for attention. And since it's not a panel that you have to access all the time, why not put a lock on it. If we can deter any such activity, why not? Bless my wife's heart for looking out after other children just as much as she looks out for our two sons.[emoji177]

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

Thanks for asking. This is from a woman's point of view. My wife is a very forward thinking person. She asked what was inside that access panel. When I told her the refrigerator pilot light is there, wiring, sharp edges and copper tubing, she was concerned about curious young ones seeing an easy opening access door and possibly wondering what's inside. She just wanted to prevent any possible injuries. We don't stay at "adult only rv parks" and when we leave to go sight see, no one's there to watch our "AS". Airstream's are a magnet for attention. And since it's not a panel that you have to access all the time, why not put a lock on it. If we can deter any such activity, why not? Bless my wife's heart for looking out after other children just as much as she looks out for our two sons.[emoji177]

I did the same thing I put locks on vents, water, shower, and battery box. Had them all keyed the same so I only need one key to operate them all.

[4riveteers]

Troutboy~

Keyed Alike...it's the only way to fly! We did the same.

Happy travels!

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

Troutboy~

Keyed Alike...it's the only way to fly! We did the same.

Happy travels!

I couldn't figure out how to get the rear storage door keyed the same. Where you able to do that?

[4riveteers]

I don't have a rear storage door. My front and two side storage compartments are on a different key than the others. I also use a couple of little tiny master padlock on my rear bumper compartment. So I have three keys total for all compartments and then one more for my hitch lock and two for the side entry door. Unfortunately the locks A/S uses come from different manufactures for different purposes so getting them all the same is something of a dream. I even tried identifying color rings on my keys but I couldn't remember what color was for what and made a mess of the keys on the ring so I tossed them. Most of these cabinet/locks can be pried open with a common screw driver when locked anyway so the locks basically just keep the honest people and curious children out. Crack heads will just break a window and climb through.
but I have always run with the rule " why make it easy for them.
The best security comes from "levels of defense".

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

Thanks for asking. This is from a woman's point of view. My wife is a very forward thinking person. She asked what was inside that access panel. When I told her the refrigerator pilot light is there, wiring, sharp edges and copper tubing, she was concerned about curious young ones seeing an easy opening access door and possibly wondering what's inside. She just wanted to prevent any possible injuries. We don't stay at "adult only rv parks" and when we leave to go sight see, no one's there to watch our "AS". Airstream's are a magnet for attention. And since it's not a panel that you have to access all the time, why not put a lock on it. If we can deter any such activity, why not? Bless my wife's heart for looking out after other children just as much as she looks out for our two sons.[emoji177]

GOD bless our women.
They'll problems that we can miss; and if they don't, they'll invent some.

[babybeluga]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

I hear ya! But you know, the ladies just have a way of finding things out![emoji12]Thanks for the praise!

Yep, I just randomly found this out and I am lusting after this appliance, not for Bambi, but for my Flying Cloud 25 that I haven't even taken delivery of yet. A girl can dream❤️. Sad thing is I would have to hire someone to install it and I bet they would not do near as nice a job as you. Beautiful installation.

[4riveteers]

Originally Posted by babybeluga

Yep, I just randomly found this out and I am lusting after this appliance, not for Bambi, but for my Flying Cloud 25 that I haven't even taken delivery of yet. A girl can dream❤️. Sad thing is I would have to hire someone to install it and I bet they would not do near as nice a job as you. Beautiful installation.

Much thanks and congrats on your 25' FC! I used to be a tradesman in my younger years, and it's a hangover from those days. My wife says she's a very lucky lady that I understand her "idiosyncrasies" of how next to perfect she likes certain things. It's a labor of love that's all worth the effort! A craftsman is always proud that his work is appreciated.

[4riveteers]

Just installed a Dometic ventilation fan kit for refrigerator and insulated inside behind it. Refrigerator had no problem cooling on a 109* day.[emoji91]One caveat! Discovered that the rubber grommet for the wiring harness hole through the aluminum was not in place from the factory. Harness was resting on bare metal edge! Popped that baby back in place.[emoji851] Could've been makings for a disaster!

[4riveteers]

Installed another CloZures shutter on the porthole window in the bedroom. Nice to have the privacy while lounging in bed, and still have the window above it be open and the OceanAir up.

[LilBigfoot]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

Just installed a Dometic ventilation fan kit for refrigerator and insulated inside behind it. Refrigerator had no problem cooling on a 109* day.[emoji91]One caveat! Discovered that the rubber grommet for the wiring harness hole through the aluminum was not in place from the factory. Harness was resting on bare metal edge! Popped that baby back in place.[emoji851] Could've been makings for a disaster!

Thanks for this info. Could you expand some what on the type of fan.....source/link.....and install method? Any photo's?

[4riveteers]

This is the kit for a "2" door unit, and I also purchased the thermostat.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dometic-RV-C....c100338.m3726


Before removing refrigerator, turn off propane bottles. From inside refrigerator access panel, disconnect propane line, the 120 volt plug and 12 volt supply.

Remove screws that hold refrigerator in place-6 total. Remove refrigerator. I placed a couple of plastic storage boxes on the floor to be able to easily "slide" unit out and rest upon while I work on installation.

Used 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" aluminum angle iron to make a mounting bracket for fan unit. I notched out a section of aluminum so it doesn't block any air flow. Dometic engineers recommendation is to place fan kit 8" below upper radiator fins.

Mounted thermostat switch to cooling fin to upper radiator.

Connected wiring. Installed a 3 amp inline fused, 12 volt power supply for fan was connected to 12 volt power supply for refrigerator.

Removed existing wood baffle. Added additional fiberglass insulation behind the wood baffle with spray adhesive.

Also installed a manual on/off switch inside the exterior refrigerator access panel. This allows me to turn off fan if I ever need to. Wired into the 12 volt power circuit.

Tested out everything before reinstalling refrigerator using a heat gun to create 130* to activate thermostat switch. Used an infrared thermostat gun to test and verify temperatures inside freezer and refrigerator, and thermostat switch performance.

Works like a charm. Turned on refrigerator on shore power prepping for a trip during a 104* heat wave. The unit had no problem cooling down. What used to take a full day during hot weather to get down to freezing temps, it got down to freezing temperatures in about 2 1/2 hours![emoji41]

Hope this helps you out. Happy travels!