I would like to thank Charles and Carolyn for getting my new membership packet to me.
I have done several modifications to my home since I bought it in 1999.
the interior was really not that bad other than some water damage to the ceiling area where the A/C unit was mounted. this was causing the roof to sag and creating a low area for water to stand. I removing the A/C unit, cabinets, fridge and everything else which was in the way to replace the piece of paneling. I chose a panel that had a white vinyl on in and painted the rest of the ceiling to match. I did not install the a/c unit just a nice vent. the roof was still sagging so I bought a shower curtain bar and cut to length and after jacking the roof panel up several inches installed the bar which you can see in the left of the picture. I reinforced the areas around the ceiling to help support the extra load of the rod. After having the cabinets above the table and on the rt side removed I liked how it opened up the coach so I painted the dark paneling and installed the coated wire racks that you see on the right. I really hated those cabinets anyway as I could never remember where I put stiff in them and was constantly opening them and bumping my head in to the open doors. PROBLEM SOLVED!!
I have the home back in the shop and am finishing the fridge enclosuer area which involves building the duct work for the vent.
Thats a story in itself! I had the vent for the fridge covered with the new piece of panel thinking I proably wouldn't put in a fridge for a while but a good deal came along {200$ for a used one} thats seems to work great. so I proceded to cut the vent hole out and in the few months since I did the work on the roof BIRDS had managed to get past the screen and build a nest on the vent area. AKKK what a mess and the grass, straw and twigs had already started to smell like a wet hay stack. I now need to get some new screen and cover that to keep the birds out of there. thanks for taking a look and any suggestions or comments are welcome.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/fridge1.jpg)
new {used} fridge and framing and ducking work to vent it outside. I used 1 inch HD insulation and duck take along with the original tin which was use originally. this took several hours to get to this point. It's looking good so far and the micro wave will live on the shelf above the fridge. then will do something with the right side?
The step with the old rotten wood removed I used a couple pieces of 2x 6 treated wood for the new material and I used a lot of liquid nail and screws to fasten it down. under the old wood is a nice heavey metal support which the wood sets one and it was solid to the floor of the coach. this was an easy fix, now to reseal the door and get it intalled. it was nice to have the door out of the way to install the fridge.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/step.jpg)
I sure want to get done with this stage of the building then the carpet is next and I can see that its going to be no fun at all.
I see that you have a spring on the step to help pull it back, is this a add-on from you or is it a piece that i am missing on my home?
tc
Quote from: "terry and karen conkle"I see that you have a spring on the step to help pull it back, is this a add-on from you or is it a piece that i am missing on my home?
tc
hi TC
the spring was on the step when I got the home so I would guess its part of it? it dose work good and when I am done with the step I just flip it up with my foot and it snaps in. I got a more done to the fridge cabnet today an will post some pictues of the finished product, I am pleased with how its coming out. :lol:
bfnR
Outstanding Job Rodney. Thanks for the picutures. I've done both of those repairs/modifications. That is build a cabinet over the frig and replace the rotted wood area about the rear step. Your roof repair is impressive.
My step doesn't have a spring like yours. It takes a little muscle to put it down and up but it works. I just hate making a quick stop n order to let the step down. My rig is 25 years old and I don't like it when thing don't seem to work properly.
I guess it's my pride in thinking my Clipper is better than any new motor home on the road. (Don't we all)
Good Luck with the remaining work. Make sure you put a thick piece of wood at the base of the step with lots of support. I replaced mine but got a little movement in it over the months. Going in and out of the door put a big demand on that piece of wood!
Thanks Ray. I feel the same way {glad I am not the only one} there is something special about these homes. and after I got started doing the repairs I see so much potential that I want to keep going.
The owner of the Ford dealership where I work recently bought an new Beaver Coach for I would guess a 1/4 Million $$$ and on his first voyage down to palm Springs he didn't make it to far before the trans cooler lines blew and some other break down left him along side the road. SO it don't matter how much you spend or how old it is things happen. Guess what I am saying is if our homes have problems we for the most part can deal with it ourselves and be on our way. That gives me a lot of satsifaction an I bet ya we are having as good a time with out the huge investment. More pictures to come on the finished work. I need to finish up what I started and get the home out of the shop for some paying jobs :) as the oak I have been using on the cabnet is costing a lot but sure looks nice and is some good strong support.
bnfR
got a little further on the fridge area. Wheew it takes a lot more time to do something like this when your have to go in and out, up and down to cut a borard and get stuff. I need to stain the right upper and down the inside of the closet area. almost got it thou.
thanks for taking a look :D
bfnR
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/fridge3.jpg)
got shelfs on the rt finished for what I have intented to use them for.
more staining and the lower panels built to fill below the fridge.
I think I will buy anohter door skin board and cover the fridge door, that new wood looks so good and now the door doesn't.
what fun that this was to finish this project. I am glad I have not done the carpet yet and may hold off intill I get all of the wood work done.
bfnR
Looks good. I remember doing mine and forgot to add a cutout for the plug before I mounted all the sides and base. I didn't want a large hole because of the rising heat and emissions from the frig.
I drilled a hole through at the rear and cut the cord from my old frig. I inserted the cut end up through the hole and bought one of the female receptacle ends from Home Depot and wired it to the other end. I can plug and unplug the microwave and move it as needed.
Yea, I could have relocated the outlet from down below to the base of the microwave shelf but I use that receptacle for light and other electrical stuff while camping and wanted it outside accessible through the refrig vent door. I used it last weekend to operate a flat griddle I have. We cooked bacon and egg tacos. Yum Yumm!!!
I installed two small U -shape mounts on each side of the microwave and channeled a small bungee from one side to the other to keep the microwave in place while driving. My microwave has a round glass plate sitting atop a carousel. Naturally, it rotates whatever items you are cooking. That monster makes a tremendous racket when you hit a bump or encounter rough road. I usually have a towel in there to act as a damper.
At any rate, your mods look good!
That's where that rattle was coming from on one of my test drives!!
I never thought of the microwave being the cause I am going to do the same thing with that glass plate. I relocated the power from the A/C unit to the cabnet since the A/C is gone and this puts in on its own braker as will. I use that fridge plug for outside thinks all the time too. I have a small air compressor which I alwas take with us and would put it in the tub but I drilled a hole thought the wall between the bath and the closet next to the door and put the compressor in that closet on the floor an have a power strip from the bath room plug the power the compressor that I am going to leave in the home.
I did leave the edge of the face board 1/4 in higher than the shelf the Microwave is sitting but probably shoud add some more insurance that it doesn't come crashing to the floor. The biggest mess I had back when I first got the home an loaded it up for travel was I didn't latch the fridge door lock and about the first corner I took everything came sliding out of the fridge.. What a mess that was :(
This is going to be great to have this finished up and take a break from this project for a while.
thanks for your ideas Big Ray
Hat's off to ya Rodney... that's some great looking work!!!!
Stupid BigRay "inspired" me to build a new "shelf" jobbie on top of that little cabinet to the R of the bath door (rear kitchen), based on a pic of June's Clip in someone's convention post.... which then (of course!!!) made everything else look like stepped-in crap. So I've pulled all my drawers and made new oak fronts, and started oak veneering the rails and stiles today. Now I'm staring at some really pathetically built drawers, and wondering where to get some 1/2" oak stock to make all new drawers.
One thing just leads to another, huh? Sigh.
Hey Rodney.... por favor. I got sortta friendly with a chain link fence and my rear step no longer looks exactly like it used to. Don't ask about my bumper!! How's that attach? From your pics and commentary, sounds sortta like the 2x6s bolt to the steel frame you mention.... does the step mechanism then bolt to that underneath somehow? I'm old and lazy and don't feel like crawling under there to see, if I can get it from you instead..... :D
Keep going, and keep posting those pics. BigRay's SUPPOSED to tell me how to post pics...... manana, I guess.
:shock: Geeze.... see what I get for being a nice guy. I only told you about the picture. Nobody told you to refurbish the inside of your Clipper entirely. But if a man is freezing his hiny off in New York what else is it to do.
And when you send me pictures you wish to post, I'll show you how to post them. Mr.!!!!!!!!! :lol:
Andy the step is bolted to the metal frame work on my Clipper and someone has also tack welded it in a few places and welded some angel iron from the back of the spep mount up to the uni body frame work to help keep the step from twisting when stepped on. The bolts which fasten the step on were ran though the 2 by wood and frame work with carrage bolts which had to be cut off as they were rusty and spinning when I put the air ratchet to them. don't know how badly your step got bent but you might hook a come a long to it and something forward on the frame or even the wheel and carefully pull the step back in to place and massage the kinks with a large hammer. It looks as if at some time the rear bumper on my coach had the same thing happen to it and it was pulled back in to place and the cracks welded up.
the drawers and cabnets are looking pretty shabby now compared to the oher new work I have been doing as well. what I used for the interior of my fridge work was what the lumber guy called a door skin which was about 3 ft wide and 7 ft tall I think the oak piece was 12 dollars and works nice but it is only 1/8 inch thick so there is no strurctural strength to it. but dose glue over top other material nicely. I plan on using this for some more finish work on the intereior where I put that contact paper on the closet and bath room doors. the door skin material splinters real bad so if you cut to test out your saw and have the rotation of the blade cut in to the finish side first and use a fine saw blade. my drawers could stand to be replaced as well and I thing what I will do there is have a cabnet shop build me some new ones and be done with it. I think that would be the best way to get a nice job done.
To post pictures you have to have a place to up load them to, in my case my ISP supplies me with a few megabytes of space for my web page so I am able to up load them there with and FTP program which I found free on the net. you then use the insert image button on the post page being sure to have spelling, slashes and everything exact!! this is also case sensative. it took me a while to get it right before my pictures would show up and you don't want to have to huge a picture 640 x 480 or in that size range is good to fit the screen. I am sure I am missing something here but that is the basic idea. it was a bit confusing for me at first but after you get it to work and have the address for the pictures figured out its not to hard.
maybe we could get a sticky posted somewhere with the correct way to do this picture thing? I have been crashing around with these confuzers for several years but still need help from time to time. :D
bfnR
FTP?
Ya gotta watch out for Bigray.... he likes to stir up stuff, and then I think he just grabs a beer, lights up a Cohiba, sits back..... and grins.
I think I sortta have the idea about the step. Once it quits snowing/raining up here... or at least gets above absolute zero... I'll crawl under there and take a look.... or I might just wait till I get back home where it's warmer and drier this time of year.
:shock:
"Honey that Andy is spying on me somehow. Is that web camera on? I told you I'm not comfortable with that web camera and this DSL connections" And they said the router would help!
Quote from: "Andy Illes"FTP?
Ya gotta watch out for Bigray.... he likes to stir up stuff, and then I think he just grabs a beer, lights up a Cohiba, sits back..... and grins.I think I sortta have the idea about the step. Once it quits snowing/raining up here... or at least gets above absolute zero... I'll crawl under there and take a look.... or I might just wait till I get back home where it's warmer and drier this time of year.
FTP is a small program which allows you to transfer files from your home PC to your server or other computers on line. {File Text Protocol }
BigRay has been a lot of help to me!! Thanks Ray. Guess I am oblivious to the stirring thing :roll:
Quote from: "Rodney"got a little further on the fridge area. Wheew it takes a lot more time to do something like this when your have to go in and out, up and down to cut a borard and get stuff. I need to stain the right upper and down the inside of the closet area. almost got it thou.
thanks for taking a look :D
bfnR
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/fridge3.jpg
got shelfs on the rt finished for what I have intented to use them for.
more staining and the lower panels built to fill below the fridge.
I think I will buy anohter door skin board and cover the fridge door, that new wood looks so good and now the door doesn't.
what fun that this was to finish this project. I am glad I have not done the carpet yet and may hold off intill I get all of the wood work done.
bfnR
more progress
Another door skin.................see that's how Andy got started. Before you know it you are going to change the whole inside. :shock: I'm warning you!!!!!!!
By the way, do you hire out by the hour or by the job. I have a little carpentry work I need done.
Seriously, it looks very good.
Thanks Ray!
my plan is to upgraded the entire interior at some point, as time and money allows. As I have worked as an auto body and painter for as long as I can remember this kind of work... "fit and finish" is what I do so this has been and enjoyable job and I have always enjoyed working with wood.
bfnR
Quote from: "Rodney"
...{File Text Protocol } ...
T = Transfer -- File Transfer Protocol :)
As I have mentioned, www.photobucket.com is a great site for hosting pictures. Sign up, upload the pictures (no FTP program - just upload it from the browser window), and it will give you the code to paste into the forum. Works well.
--dig
Quote from: "dig"Quote from: "Rodney"
...{File Text Protocol } ...
T = Transfer -- File Transfer Protocol :)
As I have mentioned, www.photobucket.com is a great site for hosting pictures. Sign up, upload the pictures (no FTP program - just upload it from the browser window), and it will give you the code to paste into the forum. Works well.
--dig
Ya that's it file transfur protocol !!! I knew it was something like that.
I am going to check out photobucket. the way I am doing it is a pain, just how I learned how to do it several years ago.
if they don't charge I there.
That's Great now I will put my other pictures theres that's to easy!!
Thanks for the tip Dig!
bfnR
I bought a wrecked 79 dodge motor home a while back & the owner said the rear axel was just rebuilt so I am going to make the switch as the one in my home has a lot of pinion lash and is ready for breaks to.
I had this one pulled in a few hours. after I clean it up and check it out I will make the swap.
the county has sent me a letter about having disabled rigs on my property so guess it's time to get the old one out of hear.
I also installed a set of new front shocks with a coil over on the shock.
the little I have driven it, It really helped the mooshie feel I was getting.
it raised the front of the home an inch or 2 also. they cost 80 for the pair.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/Clipper/axel.jpg)
Last year added a leaf springs rearched and added a leaf for extra support. I did it by my lonesome and it was a chore. Just looking at that rearend on the ground in the picture make my back hurt.
Good Luck!!
Quote from: "bigray"Last year added a leaf springs rearched and added a leaf for extra support. I did it by my lonesome and it was a chore. Just looking at that rearend on the ground in the picture make my back hurt.
Good Luck!!
That's a good idea Ray which length of spring did you add?
my home has air bags on the rear but an extra spring may not be a bad Idea. I am a little sore this AM but it will be worth the peice of mind when it is all said and done. The axel in my home has had guessing when it was going to give up for some time an has made me reluctant to journey to far from home lateley.
Don't know the exact length but it's about midway up the stack. Of course, that doesn't say much given my Clipper is a Chevy and yours is a Dodge! I can measure it if you need me to.
I wanted new springs but the truck shop that did the work couldn't find replacement springs in the length that I had. As a result, he added one spring and re-arched them as much as much as he could without breaking the original ones.
While my air bag levels the load, it seams as if I get a smoother rides when the airbags just a little air (30 lbs or so) and the load is mostly on the left springs.
One of my airbags have a very very slow leak and I have to inflate it a bit before a trip. I try to put the same pressure in both but that hasn't proven the to be a smooth ride lately.
Now that I have my Clipper like I want it and the summer is here, my trips will be more frequently. Therefore, I'll be able to determine a good formula for comfort with minimum sway when a 18 wheeler passes me going 80 mph.
Thanks measuring is not needed but thanks for offering. I was mainly wondering where in the stack was best to place the extra spring. I have been running my air bags at 30 also not really knowing where to inflate them, must be a good place to put them.
bfnR
Have the axel ready to swap into my Clipper. I replaced the brake shoes, seals, gaskets, inside hub bearings & races and am using Red line synthetic blend gear oil hoping to help the fuel mileage a bit. The ratio in this housing is 3.73's which also hoping to get a little better mileage I am pretty sure I have 4.10's or '11's now. I gave it a coat of chassis Black and have a set of simulators for the wheels. got them for 140.$ Hope to find the time next week to make the swap.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/Clipper/newaxel1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/Clipper/newaxel.jpg)
Well I couldn't wait I guess. all the parts ready to install just got the best of me so I spent this morning to make the switch.
I didn't realize that my home didn't have a dana 70 in it like the one I planed on installing until after I read one of the threads here on the site last night. I just guessed the clippers had 70's as well but mine was a heavy duty 60 like someone said. Everything fit on the dana 70 & my chassis.. Wheew
I thought for a minute that all that work I did to that new axel what for nothing.
Anyway everything went with out a hitch and I gave it a test drive and I for sure feel the difference in gear ratio and the new tires I put on which are an inch or two taller as well. now the speedo feels to be about 10 mph slower than I am going 50 is 60. lost a little bottom end but not to bad an I don't plan on towing much so this may be a good thing.
One of the best things I discovered today was a 2 x 4 about 8 inches long laying flat on the floor board so I can rest my right heel on it makes all the difference in the world when pushing on the gas. I was getting a cramp in my leg after only a few miles of driving. This is going to help a ton.
BFN R
Rodney,
Please tell us how much of a difference the 3.73 gears makes. More specifically, let us know what the increase in mileage is. You said that you weren't planning to tow anything but what about taking a steep grade. How does you Clipper perform when you catcha steep incline. Let us know!
Quote from: "bigray"Rodney,
Please tell us how much of a difference the 3.73 gears makes. More specifically, let us know what the increase in mileage is. You said that you weren't planning to tow anything but what about taking a steep grade. How does you Clipper perform when you catcha steep incline. Let us know!
Will do Ray :D
There are many things to take in to consideration when considering gear ratio's in auto. Tire size can change the ratio considerably. for instance my buddy Nils bought a mid 90's full size Dodge van last year an from the very start he was saying the v 6 was a dog and the mileage was about 10 - 11 mpg. Just last week he was planning a trip to the Portland area McMinnville I think to go see the Spruce Goose { the Huge plane Howard Huges Build} but was dreading the gas price and what is was going to cost to make the 250 mile round trip. The one thing I notice when he showed me the Van was the previous owner had installed much larger [taller] tires that came OEM on the van. besides looking out of place on the van I told Nils that it would help the power if he were to put a smaller tire back on the Rig. Well he did just before his trip and call me up when he got back to let me know that his mileage increased to 17 mpg on the Hiway and the van feels like it has much more power.
Tire size, size of engine, weight intended use of the Rig all take a part in the formula for gearing a vehicle.
With a small block engine a person may need a little more gear to do the same thing as one with a larger displacement engine.
another thing to consider is the modifications to the engine.. compression ratio, cam lift and duration, lobe separation, size of carb. ect but that could be a thread in itself.
Thanks Rodney!
I have been quite busy on the Clipper as you can see by the progress photos. You may thing I got a little obsessed here and you are probably right but when I finally got started on the interior one thing led to another and another. Since I purchased the clipper in 1999 I really didn't have any intentions of going this far with the improvements but after spending some time using her I realized how much needed to be done to really enjoy the RV.
I have the interior paneling almost done and was lucky to recruit my buddy to help me with cutting the odd shapes which cover the fronts of the dinette seat panels. He builds model air planes out of balsa wood & has all the saws to make precision cuts They look great!!
getting closer to laying the carpet, maybe next weekend, my knees and back aren't ready for that project yet.
I pulled the Holley 750 off the 440 as I wasn't to happy with throttle response and mid range power. I had an Edelbrock on my old ford pick up which turned out to be a 600 cfm {I thought it was a 750}. since I had both carbs pulled for the swap I figured why not give it a try so I bolted it on the Clipper and off for a test drive. The 440 now has the low end response I was looking for and it seem to pull the hills as good if not better that ever.. even before the gear swap. I will check a spark plug or to, to see that we aren't running to lean, but I think this combo is a keeper.
When I went back out to the home after lunch to finish the engine work I noticed a coolant leak from the front of the rig. Oh I was hoping it was just the over flow reservoir, but no such luck it was the Radiator!! :cry:
I had it rebuilt when I did the engine rebuild and couldn't imagine it could have sprung a leak so soon but it did. So after an hour of taking the front end of the Van apart I was off to the radiator shop for repairs on Friday afternoon and 30 miles from home I knew I was foiled until next week.
But the same guy who built the thing for me several years ago was still there, remembered me and the job, fixed it on the spot and charged me a whopping 10 $$$ to fix it. :D This was great so back home to put it back in and get back to where I was just a few hours earlier. But on the drive home I though about what else I need to do since the front of the van was apart and did notice the clutch fan was leaking a little oil and the steel fuel line going to the carb was kinked a little so I replaced that stuff tied back a few wires and hoses just for good measures and now I am back together better than before. Sure glad the thing sprung a leak in my drive way and not a hundred miles from home.
bfnR
I have all of the carpet done in the living area and now have the driver and passenger seat removed and starting to fit the carpet for the floor and while at it I will replace the paneling behind the seats and do something with the headliner. I have always wondered how that carpet was hanging up there above the seats and ?Now I know. screws close {4inchs or so} from the windshield and where the ply wood is more staples. That carpet was full of dust and dirt right in my face when I gave it a pull pretty bad stuff.
there is a wire harness behind the paneling on the left side with a 12 Volt power source tucked back there too. I thing I will wire it to a Cig lighter for a power source for my lap top.
I think I will run the rig down to the upholstry shop and have the edge of the carpet sewen with a bead like the original to make it nice and keep the carpet from fraying.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/wiresleft.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/frontcarpet.jpg)
Rodney,
You have one up on me. I'm about to change my headliner too. I saw some replacement stuff on the JC Whitney website but wondered how I might make it fit the Clipper.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/VehicleBrowse/tf-VehicleBrowse/s-10201/showAll-0/showCustom-0/N-200003319+111+1978+600008392/c-10106
I'm about to have my front seats reupholstred. All the other cushions in my Clipper are new. I bought the foam from a local wholeseller and found the fabric (actuall my wife did) at Hancock fabric. I had a upholstry shop sew the covers using the fabric and foam I bought!
I replaced the carpet in the cab but didn't sew a bead around the edge. You are absolutely right it doesn't have that finished look without it.
Please let me know what you replace your headliner with. I plan to replace mine in mid May!
Hi Ray,
I was going to replace the foam for the dinette cushions but the guy at the upholstery shop told me the cost is 2.75 a board foot 12" X12"X1 inch. I haven't stopped to figure out the cost bust sounds like it could be more than I want to spend. I'll bet the new foam is much nicer that the stuff used originally.
I am looking at the Taos patterns for fabric with the south west pictures?
That material is 40 $ per yard but is really nice.
I am not completely decided on what to do with the headliner? after seeing all of the dust and dirt come falling out of the old carpet I am almost thinking of a piece of oak paneling but the compound curves would be tough to make happen. I was looking at the headliner material but it looks so cheep I don't think I will do that. I do have plenty of carpet left which would be the easiest to install. An if I vacuum it from time to time it would stay clean enough. I will decide pretty soon on that Cuz I am really close to being DONE for a while Wheew this has been a lot more that I expected to do as it is hard to find a stopping place. I do see the end and it will be worth it for sure.
bfnR
I just got some foam to fill the space between my two flip out beds. A piece 6' X 1' X 5" cost $60. It is the pink very high quality stuff. I used it throughout my Clipper. It looks and feel very nice.
I had a bike ride this weekend and shared the Clipper with 3 other guys and we were all very comfortable.
By the way, the repairs and modifications never ends. You just have to stop and enjoy the Clipper like it is for a period of time. The list of things is neverending. Alot of the stuff we do is optional of course. For me, having the Clipper allows me to tinker and not worry about screwing something up. I look under the hood of the cars my wife and I drive every day and there ain't much I can do with the new setup (unless I want to read exstensively and get some sophisticated tools). However, I can fix just about anything on my Clipper! And enjoy doing so!
Ya got that right it could be never ending and I am going to call it done for a while after I get the carpet and headliner done. I am going to do the dinette seat cusions later... Aftere shopping around for prices with new foam 150. the marerial I want @ 40.00 a yard {ouch} and labor 170 it's close to 500 $ no way right now with all the other things I have done in the past few months. That's why I do body and fender work on autos if it's wrecked I can fix it but if I have to get on the real technical side of a repair it goes to the service department. That's what the car manufactures want is for to return to the dealership for any repairs. The plus is we are getting better mileage from a gallon of fuel and driving a car for a couple hundred thousand miles is not unheard of like the cars in the past. I enjoy driving our 97 Chrysler concord its a great car but I sure wouldn't have a clue if it died on me. but the Clipper like you know about every nut and bolt on the rig and should be able to fix bout anything that could go wrong. I still don't feel to bad about the $$'s I have invested in the home. right now proabably 8 k which is a far cry from what a newer one would cost and would end up needing the same repairs in time. I got ++ comments on my Clipper about every time I take it out. they are a nice looking rig IMHO.
bnfR
well better get back to work.
bfnR
I am back with some almost finished photos.
New foam and material on the cushions and am having the drapes sewn up, that is a sample of what they are going to be.
Ya I know I went kind of Banana's with the print but I couldn't help myself. :lol:
I wasn't really planning on doing much more other than the carpet. {which was given to me} but I stumbled in to a fabric store just looking around and found 5'' hi density foam for 1/2 off price so I couldn't pass that up.
and found the palm tree patterns for the rest, it was also 1/2 off. I was definitely out of my element in there it was all ladies and they new I didn't have a clue what I was doing in there.
getting closer to a cruise YEAA
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/Clipper/carpet2.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/Clipper/carpet1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/Clipper/carpet.jpg)
Still no drapes but that's ok I have been to busy at work the last few weeks to do anything to the home. Work is good... got the bills for the materials, ouch that oak and trim and everything else, sure adds up but I shouldn't have to do this again.
I painted the ceiling last weekend eggshell white & used one of those foam pads for application, that sure worked slick for the hard to reach spots and no spatter like I was getting from a roller I started with. It's looking almost to nice to use now.... Just kidding I can't wait to go somewhere and us the thing.
I picked up a tilt steering colum at the wrecking yard it is from a new model so I am going to have to do some parts swaping but I have my fingers crossed that I can make it happen.
Rodney
Yea!!! I got my curtians back from me Mum... {She sew them up for me}I installed some of those roll up blined first to replace the dirty, dusty old cloth ones. and used the same spring loaded rods for the new curtians.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Rodney1/curtians.jpg)
Quote from: "Rodney"
I picked up a tilt steering colum at the wrecking yard it is from a new model so I am going to have to do some parts swaping but I have my fingers crossed that I can make it happen.
Rodney
The colum I got was from a newer van, I would guess 1980 after checking it out I found that it was a NO GO!! :cry: It looks real close but it was reconfigured, the ignition switch lower on the colum so the wiring was not going to work out. So back to the drawing board on that idea.
Has anyone seen or have a tilt wheel in our age homes :?:
Once again Rodney..... hat's off to ya!!! That's some really good work on your girl/guy (Fred's curious.... [curled a headlight around to see your pics] wants to park next to yours, if it's a "her"... :lol: )
I got my step off right after I got back home, put some oxy/acetylene to it, applied some "bfh" strokes.... pretty much straightened it out, then fastened back up. Still sortta "floppy" though... guess I oughtta reinforce it somehow, huh? Then again, found out new steps are only about $25... next trip over to Jupiter (Copley's RV Center), order one. Hadda replace the wood (and new carpet) down there anyway cuz Jaws decided she didn't wanna stay in Fred while I was in a rest stop on the trip back home. Also, new screen... still have to figure out how to "dress up" the claw marks on the wood grain of the door. She's not called Jaws for nothing, ya know. You think thatS shark did some damage to Robert Shaw's fishing boat inna movie??? HAH!!!
As to the bumper, I really like the PVC one I made to replace the funky shaped orig chromie... nice to have a handy place to stash the dump hose. The bumper's already survived a BMW hit, a "meeting" with a big rock I didn't see... like onna those 5mph jobbies... not a scratch, though it did snap the weld on the mounting angle-bracket
Must be nice to live somewhere you don't need AC.... you wouldn't survive one SoFla summer afternoon without it!!
I hadnt seen Rodneys refurbishing pictures before...great job ...I dont think i am going to tackle all that wood work, but i do need to do some ceiling repairs....havent quite decided what to do yet....
Hey Andy...I was crawling around under the clip (gotta find a name soon)and yes andy she is a she....keep Fred away from her.)today and noticed a square tubing with a latch...to keep the drain hose in...doesnt yours have one?.....
rasta
Quote from: "Rastaman"I hadnt seen Rodneys refurbishing pictures before...great job ...I dont think i am going to tackle all that wood work, but i do need to do some ceiling repairs....havent quite decided what to do yet....
Hey Andy...I was crawling around under the clip (gotta find a name soon)and yes andy she is a she....keep Fred away from her.)today and noticed a square tubing with a latch...to keep the drain hose in...doesnt yours have one?.....
rasta
I got one of the square tube holders under there and had coil of rusted wire that once upon a time was a poop tube. What a pain to get to so I use the one mounted on the back of the home.
BRW thanks the home is getting closer.. If I weren't so fussy an Just Get er done. :lol:
R
Forgot to pull the curtains before I read your last post Rasta... Fred saw about your girl. Headlights about popped out.... started bouncing around like bad shocks. Guess I shouldn't a given him any of that high-test stuff, huh? lol
Naah... I didn't have a holder for a dump hose... or hose Got one at Walmart and used to stow it in the "basement"... till I made the PVC bumper in NYC last winter. I could only find 4" up there, which the hose-end fittings won't fit into, and I'm gonna make another one outta 6" onna these days.
Rodney....i've been checking out your photos real closely...do you have some kind of covering on you dash,,,,mine is just plain ugly metal....like that dog house cover too....
rasta
Nope nothing on the dash just plastic and metal, the dog house has some material and a pocket sewn into it and screwed on to the sides the top is OEM.
R
Rodney...did you remove the old ceiling when you redid yours..and if so what can I expect to find up there in way of supports.....
I have ceiling damage at the vent area above the rear door....no real sagging else where....I was thinking of going over that panel with anew one and using liquid nails to hold in place....I have no need or intention of taking out the cabinets....UNLESS you think..based on your experience that it would make the job easier..bearing in mind I would reuse the cabinets...
thanks
rasta
Yep the entire section where the A/C fits in the Kitchen area. It was so brittle it needed to come out and I wanted to fit the new piece in the channel like it came out. not sure which floor plan you have but I had to remove the cabnet above my sink and reused it with no problem but the cabnet for the fidge was a different story, it came out in pieces. Thats why I built new. While I was at it I jacked the roof up when I was intsalling the framing to help hold the roof where it belongs. this was done after I fit and glued and stapled the new ceiling panel in. The roof / ceiling is built with 1 x 1 looks to be fur or pine wood. there is not much support in this area. This is why I beefed up the Vertical supports in the fridge cabnets. It was a lot more effort to do the repair this way but I feel it was worth the extra time. you have to really look close to see that the paneling was replace.
hope this gives you an idea what to do.
R
Thanks R,.....I will preceed with caution.....and figure out the most effective and pleasing way to go...
David
Hey Rodney...The area of the around the vent by the back door is where i have the most damage...I would love to take the cabinets above the sink down to instal new paneling on the ceiling...However i took a strong look at them today and couldnt see how to get them down with out busting them up...and i would want to reuse them....how did you get your cabinets down...
I plan on using that thin white fiber type paneling that HD sells that can be used in bathrooms...its textured on one side, thin ,light, and easy to work with..
david
I went and looked at my cabinet and seems it was screwed in? its been a while since I did the job so my CRS is kicking in a bit LOL
I replaced a few support stringers for them and with some construction adhesive went back together with them. there were a few screws that I had to cut to get the thing out but it was no big deal. Take a close look and you should be able to get apart without to much effort. When I installed the new piece into the channel of the ceiling I took the new piece of sheeting after it was cut to fit and slightly beveled the edge where it fit in to the aluminum channel to make it slide in easier I also glued this seam. I used glue every where I could and screws. when you start removing supports pay attention to the ceiling/roof not to sag down. I had a friction jack with a piece of porta power pipe going from the floor to the ceiling to hold things up and I gave it a little extra up for good measure cuz my roof was sagging down pretty good. It looks nice now but H2O still puddles around the vent so when I can I park on a slight incline for the water to run off.
let us know how it goes and take some pictures as you are working on it with your digital camera. its fun to look back on the work you have done.
Rodney
Rodney,
I have the same Clipper you do.
I do not have an original owners manual and so I do not know what model we are driving. I believe its an FJ30, right? When I go to Kragen to get belts and hoses I have no idea and my choices are B100, B200, B300 1/4 ton, 1/2 ton, 1 ton.
What belts and hoses(radiator, fuel, vacuum) fit our rig and what is the best way to get to the belts?
Thanks,
Darin
[/i]
Quote from: "MarsellaFamily"Rodney,
I have the same Clipper you do.
I do not have an original owners manual and so I do not know what model we are driving. I believe its an FJ30, right? When I go to Kragen to get belts and hoses I have no idea and my choices are B100, B200, B300 1/4 ton, 1/2 ton, 1 ton.
What belts and hoses(radiator, fuel, vacuum) fit our rig and what is the best way to get to the belts?
Thanks,
Darin
[/i]
Yes the 300 {or 30 one ton} model is what I have. If you open the drivers door there should be a tin tag on the door jamb with some information along with GVW which is helpful when getting in to the brakes and axle parts. I have had some confusion with the model number at the local parts store wheather it is a F or B 300? I think my tag reads F 30. the best way to go is to have the parts in hand when going to the parts store so you can compare and measure what you have. installing the belts are something you have to work at from top and bottom and just take your time since I have removed the A/C on my home its a piece of cake with the A/C installed it's a little harder. If you have A/C on the engine be sure and buy a matched set of belts if they are dual belts. Vaccum hoses are sold bulk off a roll so take a little sample of each size with you leaving the hoses in place on the engine and do one at a time so you know where the go.
If I were doing this I might consider replacing the water pump as well if it hasn't been replaced in years this way you would have more access to the front of the engine with the parts removed. this is a good time to check and replace the distributor cap and wires and check / replace the thermostat.
good luck
Rodney
Rodney,
Thanks for the reply! Looks like I better rail into it. It would make since not to mess with having the A/C hooked up if your unit up top works.
For now I will stick with using little time I have to work with the basics and thanks for the idea on the water pump and thermo-stat.
Darin
the clipper on a dodge chassis is known as a f30 [the vin# starts with f3]
this is the same as a b300 van. the f3 simply means when it left the dodge factory it was an incomplete van chassis ready for a motorhome conversion. after 1977, they are rated as a f4 chassis which means it has heavier front springs on the front suspension.[1 1/4 ton]
even the upper and lower control arms are the same as the earlier f3 chassis. i have installed new front springs from a 1978 f3 in my 1977 clipper and everything fit perfectly and improved the ride a lot.
all the parts under the hood such as belts,hoses etc. are the same as a b300 van.
i have worked a for a chrysler dealer since my 1977 clipper was first built.
hope this info helps.