up-date or leave original on '72?

[tphan]

hi- I didn't realize how LITTLE I would get done this winter. It's just no fun to go out to my coach in 30 or 40-degree, windy weather and try to accomplish anything. So, I'm trying to learn espanol since we're going to costa rica in marzo.BUT, I am thinking of building just a "lattice-work" of bed deck, and then stapling a 1/2" wire mesh over the whole thing.WHY? My thinking is to have a firm support for the foam mattress, but something breatheable from the bottom to avoid dampness/mold problems.It would also allow me to bend up the mattress and be able to see through the mesh to look for problems with the converter, water heater, plumbing, etc. Worth the trouble, do you think? What I have been able to do is re-furbish the original Dometic elec-gas fridge, following the instructions in the service manual. This included turning the unit upside-down for a while, to redistribute correctly the condensing fluids. Apparently over time, this balance can be upset leading to overheating of the various coils and piping on the back, and poor cooling inside. Anyway, I also added a panel of embossed aluminum to the door for a more modern look. I also cleaned up the electric radiator-with-fan heater that came with my coach, it seems to work very well. Does anyone out there recommend the use of a newer catalytic heater for the boondocks??Will try to post a couple pics.thanks- tim

[tphan]

very little, actually. built some maple-ply cabinet bases over the wheel wells, not sure yet of the configuration above them. I think a desk with cubbys on one side, and a small space for hangers, and more cubbys, on the other side.Still wondering if anyone has done a bed deck out of wire mesh, for the ventilation of the underside of the mattress.?? Plus it's lighter than a sheet of plywood. will post a few more pics. Hope your renovations are all going great! -tim

[Wardinbb]

Hey Tim,
This is the first I've seen of your thread, looks like your having fun.
I'm at 6,500 feet with similar temps as you. As my rig is gutted as yours was, I solved the temp issue with a Big Buddy heater. It puts out up to 18k btu on high, takes about an hour to heat the rig with it's fan on and then on med or low to maintain a 35 degree difference from the outside. I actually got the inside temp up to 74 with an out side of 40 while getting some foam to cure. They are available from the Sportsman Guide all the way to your local hardware store. Hope this will help you to keep "streamin".
Ed

[indefatigabl]

Tim -

Your wood interior looks great. I'm still waiting for my airstream to find me , but when it does, I am looking to do the same thing is you – Squeeze in a queen bed and move the bathroom from the rear to the side.

I have a question about your shower though. Are you intending to leave the birch ply as is, or are you going to add metal or fiberglass of some sort? The reason I ask is because I'd be scared to death of warping and rotting.

Thanks!
Nicole

[tphan]

Nicole, my plan is to have a shower curtain that completely wraps around (not sure yet exactly how to accomplish this without having headroom issues when NOT using shower). I would, I suppose, have the valves sticking through a hole in the curtain, and the shower head would be above the whole thing. I have also thought about covering that part of the wall with something else more moisture impregnable, like that thin sheet-plastic stuff that many restaurants use on the kitchen walls, or a sheet of aluminum, or I don't know what-? This is something I am letting "ferment" in my mind before I do anything, and would LOVE some ideas from you guys out there! I am convinced that this whole part-time shower idea will work, just a matter of figuring out some final details to insure practicality and reliability. Thanks for the kind words, hope you find your AS soon- keep looking, learning, and then dive in when it feels right!-tim

[tphan]

hi all- forgot to mention that I saw something at H-D yesterday that might make a nifty little shower pan, not permanent- just something to either use in a pinch inside (with a curtain and drain hose) or outside to keep your feet out of the dirt. It was a round,maybe 24" diameter, green plastic pan for under a water heater, with a side drain hole. The lip was maybe 2" high, and I think it was only about $9. Gotta run to Ace, today is 20% off day. -tim

[SmokelessJoe]

Tim:

1. I like the birch plywood you are using, the kind that seems to use butted strips of veneer 4” to 6” wide as opposed to the more common “rotary cut” stuff we mostly see in Canada. That single grain pattern is not as interesting as yours.

Where did you get the plywood and has it a name?

2. What is the exposed chrome pipe water supply for your rear toilet constructed of?

I am considering exposed piping in my new bath.

3. You could consider using epoxy on the birch shower wall. The stuff in the West Marine catalog is supposed to be good.

Sergei

[tphan]

hi Sergei- thanks for the compliment and advice. The wood is birch/maple plywood from good ol' Home Depot, available in 1/4", 1/2", maybe 3/4"- nothing fancy, nothing expensive. You DO have to sort through lots of sheets sometimes to find ones with the veneer you like, but the price is right. Is there H-D in Canada? The chrome pipe you see in the bath foto is just one of those snakey, flexible shower head hoses- any hardware store has 'em. Now, when you say to maybe use Epoxy on the shower wall, what exactly do you mean? Just a marine-grade poly or the like? thanks for your input! -tim

[SmokelessJoe]

Tim:

Your trailer rebuild is nice looking.

If you haven’t seen the West Marine catalog go to westmarine.com.

Their free 1150 page catalog is full of good ideas. Land Yacht, Water Yacht - they are both about mobility, lightness and small space.

Much of the marine stuff seems better designed and built than the RV stuff in my opinion.

The West System epoxy products are explained there. People build plywood sea-going boats that way so you should be able to waterproof a shower stall.


I’m surprised you have such nice plywood at your HD. Ours seems to be primarily “rotary cut” which means it is peeled off a log something like lathe turning. The result is one grain pattern over the whole 48” width.

I like your stuff where they use 4” or 6” strips of veneer side by side. Much more interesting. IKEA uses this type of veneer in all their stuff.

It’s hard to find here. I was hoping it would have a name so that I could track some down.

Anyone else out there know about this?


Sergei

[indefatigabl]

Tim-

I emailed this to you, but thought I should post it here also in the interest of group brainstorming/debate.

What about using fairly thin sheets of plexiglass? It would be pretty light, and would still let all that nice birch show through. Perhaps you could rivet or screw it in the middle to keep it flat and in place, and then caulk the seams? You could always use the shower curtain as a back up...

- Nicole

Originally Posted by tphan

Nicole, my plan is to have a shower curtain that completely wraps around (not sure yet exactly how to accomplish this without having headroom issues when NOT using shower). I would, I suppose, have the valves sticking through a hole in the curtain, and the shower head would be above the whole thing. I have also thought about covering that part of the wall with something else more moisture impregnable, like that thin sheet-plastic stuff that many restaurants use on the kitchen walls, or a sheet of aluminum, or I don't know what-?

[tphan]

hi- will post a pic showing why my progress is at a crawl.... The cover is doing a swell job of keeping all tree/bird goo off my coach, and even lets lots of light inside, but it's just that much more effort to cinch the thing up by the door to get in. Come spring, I'll be motivated to get after it 24/7! Are lots of you going to the international in Oregon? Can someone tow my coach in back of theirs?? -tim

[early]

Tphan
On the headroom issue with the shower curtain, we used an I beam. I think sneakinup used the same thing and he has pictures posted somewhere. It works very well.
Dawn

[tphan]

Well howdy- it's been a while. It has somewhat warmed up here, so I've had the door open to work on the remodel and yesterday I heard the dreaded "scratch-scratch" coming from inside the wall. I have 2 or 3 openings where a mouse could get into a wall cavity, and I guess one did. Now what?? Aside from putting traps around the floor and waiting, are there any other tricks to enticing these things from their fiberglass nests? Otherwise, all I have done is build the bed deck, and fit some cherry formica as sliding doors for the upper bins. I'm trying to do a good-looking up-date BUT it is also important to me to keep it as cheap, simple, and light as possible. I also want to keep some of the original look, whether in bulkhead placement and shape, re-using original fridge, heater, cooktop, and sink, or leaving the interior skin as is. I'd also like to be able to use it this summer! Continued thanks to all of you for ideas and inspiration, gotta go check my mouse traps. -tim

[tphan]

hi- I've got 4 mouse traps scattered around the coach, have caught 2 near the hole in the galley floor for the plumbing fittings. There are no obvious holes, is it possible for a rodent to get up into the main chassis rail through one of it's holes, and then just walk down the rail to this access compartment? If so, it's certainly an argument for having a sealed belly-pan. I will have to try and fit some screening around all those pipes for the time being I guess. Have gotten the wardrobe area mostly done, just made some simple bins for clothes, one short clothes rod, no doors. Between the bins, and upper compartments, and under-bed storage (tons), should be plenty. I do need to do doors, or just a curtain, for the under-bed openings. And a room-divider curtain too. And shower curtain, new window screen, argghh it never ends! This is the question: does it ever actually end? Is that when you buy another old one? Hope all your projects are going well, with no mice- tim

[tphan]

howdy- moved the fridge back in, getting ready one of these days to rebuild the kitchen area. I was wondering if they need to be somewhat sealed against the walls and flue, to totally prevent any fumes from getting into the kitchen area? Would using the foil-bubble stuff to do this be a good idea, or will the cabinet walls and countertop be good enough? This is the original dometic 2-way that I cleaned, turned upside down for a while, and fitted with a new panel of embossed aluminum in the door. I hope it lasts for many more years! Also, is it simple to replace just the lock cylinder in the main door? mine works, but seems worn and "sloppy". If it were new I might not want or need to install a deadbolt. Thanks- tim

[tphan]

howdy- got some new black fiberglass screen from HD, and the spline tool, and tried my hand at putting it into the old screen frames, which I stripped the old paint off of. I can't say that the screen is always parallel to the frame (whatever tricks there are to installing this stuff, I don't know them!) but it is quite taut. I ruined one attempt by having the screen stretched too rigidly, and broke some of the strands when pushing in the spline. I used the old spline material, nothing wrong with it and didn't see the right stuff anyway at HD. The curves are the toughest because often the spline groove is of a reduced diameter, requiring using some other tool to force the spline in. A roll of screen 48" by 84" is $8.45, and 36" by 84" is $6.45, from HD. Hope all your restorations are going great- tim

[tphan]

hi- had some nice light on Twin Sisters last evening, the view from where my A/S is parked (permanently?). Will share that with you, and a pic of a bit of progress on some kitchen cabinet frames, and the new sub-countertop with fixtures dropped down in to check for fit. Am thinking something bold for the formica. I also wonder why, in the list of upcoming rallies, I haven't seen mention of the one up here in Estes Park, Colo. on july 22-23, for the Denver unit of wbcci I believe. I can't wait to check out all of your coaches and meet you! It's being held in a campground right next to the visitors center for Rocky Mt. Nat. park, with an incredible view of the front range. Got to go- tim

[tolla]

Great detailed pictures. I'm still looking for my first AS! It's out there somewhere. Hope your project gets finished as you want it to. Look forward to see finshed trailer!

tolla

[tphan]

hi all you re-doers out there- just a progress report. (and good luck to "tolla"- just be PATIENT!) Decided to add a cabinet next to fridge, to make countertop bigger and line up with the other one. We like to cook, and are used to a LOT of countertop at home- I think I'll also put back that flip-up countertop that was in it, probably in the same place, next to cooktop. Don't think so with that slide-out shelf, will have a drawer instead. (There is enough room under the cooktop for a shallow one, with normal-sized front on it.) I'm going to splurge (for me) and get sheet alum. for the back of the curbside countertop, probably at least part of the other but not sure how to deal with the dang fridge vent?#!* Have any of you created something nice to hide the vent? just build out entire wall to left of vent to same dimension, and cover with alum.? Just paint it and leave it? wood panel? I want to leave the countertop as deep as possible, not like how it was with that tambour-wall splitting it about in half. Also, if you can see the formica swatches, what do you think? My wife likes the burgundy, I'm not sure if that wouldn't be "too much"- any opinions? I will edge the top with maple, beveled top edge. Have fun out there!- tim

[early]

Tim it's looking great. I'm with your wife go with the burgundy. You need a splash of color Your stovetop looks good to.
Dawn