Interior Restoration Project Help ?

[JerryT]

John
Why do you think your frame cracked? How was it flexing? How did you know it was bad? I did some more research and they call it fatigue cracking which would imply movement. The recommended  repair like dboling said sounds pretty lame to fix such a serious problem. I think the plating/bracing idea is much better.
JerryT

[dboling]

My 78 has the upgraded water heater propane hose.
JerryT

When running my new plumbing I noticed my propane line is copper
Can't be cheap replacing it.

[JerryT]

dboling
My 78 is iron pipe to the space under the stove, then they used a rubber hose to the water heater but they also used  copper tubing up to the stove. What I read was that there was not enough flex in the copper going to the water heater (short run) and the copper tubing would stress crack and leak propane which would ignite from the stove or the water heater's pilot light. Maybe yours is OK the way it is? Be safe.
JerryT   

[hastm]

Hi and also welcome:
If you see the motorhome as a fun project then go do it. RV's in general are never ending problems. You have all the problems of both a house and a car.
In the end, the Clipper is a nice looking rig and doing it your self can save boucu bucks. The alternative 80K and up units will also have their problems so that is how it goes.
The American Clipper Club stocks many parts. Mel Guerrera is in charge of the Clip JR. and often brings it to the national  rallies. He is also quite knowledgeable on Clippers. I don't know if he uses this web site but you need to be a member to obtain parts thru the club. He likely has "some" windows but that needs to be clarified.
We have a 76 rear kitchen with 140K miles on it. It still does OK but am a watcher of Craigs list.

Moving to PEX for the piping makes life much easier....
Happy Clippering... Mike Hastings (ACOC National Wagonmaster)

[dboling]

Happy Clippering... Mike Hastings (ACOC National Wagonmaster)

I had to look through a few of your posts to find out what a (ACOC National Wagonmaster) was.
Guess you don't change our Clippers wagon wheels

How many people are in the Club ?

the ralleyes are generally within 150 miles of the San Francisco bay area.

San Francisco bay area is a bit far for those of us that winterize our Clippers between mid to eastern United States.
I figure round trip is about 6000 miles and the cost would be more than I have into my Clipper (total.)

6000.  Miles Round trip
/    7.   Miles per gallon
-------
857.     Gallons Fuel
*  2.60  Price per gallon
-------
2228.   Cost to drive Clipper round trip to San Francisco bay

Are there any rallies closer to the east coast ?

[dboling]

Yesterday I replaced the vent assembly in the bathroom and replaced the screen door magnets so my dog would quit jumping through the screen when I opened the door . The old vent assembly was a Jenson, it had a fan and lights in it. The new vent assembly only had a fan in it so I had to add a new light for the bathroom.
I really didn't want to see the water damage around the vent area but needed to replace the vent to stop further damage. I also need to find a beauty ring for the new vent as the Jensen doesn't fit the new vent.

The screen door magnets were pretty easy to install, however the door is much harder to close and I guess I need to read adjust the door.

[dboling]

I ordered a carb kit for the my Generac generator since the carb was flooding out.
The carb kit came today and it was a pretty easy overhaul, didn't even need to remove the carb. The only problem I had was the old needle and seat was missing the sealing ring gasket that seals the seat to the case. I installed the new sealing ring gasket that came with the kit and the generator ran fine for a while and would run out of fuel. I took the carb back apart and readjusted the float to make up for the thickness in the sealing ring gasket and that took care of the fuel problem.

I also installed the 3/8 fuel check valve that goes on the engine side of the fuel switch over valve. The check valve was so I could run the generator and engine from either tank and neither the engine or generator could suck each others carb float bowls dry.

[hastm]

Happy Clippering... Mike Hastings (ACOC National Wagonmaster)

I had to look through a few of your posts to find out what a (ACOC National Wagonmaster) was.
Guess you don't change our Clippers wagon wheels

Wagonmaster is a term for a person that coordinates either a single or group of rallies. In the ACOC we do three rallies a year (February, May and October). The rallies are mostly local to the San Francisco Bay area since that is where the bulk of the activity is.

How many people are in the Club ?
The lastest roster shows 150 or so members and has been in a gradual decline. There are many people not affiliated with the ACOC or clubs that are still active. The Clipper may be entering into an "antique" era since it is a nice looking rig and is fairly easy to work on. This wek site shows many interested people.

the ralleyes are generally within 150 miles of the San Francisco bay area.

San Francisco bay area is a bit far for those of us that winterize our Clippers between mid to eastern United States.
I figure round trip is about 6000 miles and the cost would be more than I have into my Clipper (total.)

6000.  Miles Round trip
/    7.   Miles per gallon
-------
857.     Gallons Fuel
*  2.60  Price per gallon
-------
2228.   Cost to drive Clipper round trip to San Francisco bay

We'd love to have you at a Bay Area Rally but alas, I think we are the only active area "to my knowledge". Best bet if you lean in the direction of rallies is to canvas your area and try to get a group together. The ACOC roster has many  rigs from other states.

Are there any rallies closer to the east coast ?

[dboling]

Started having more problems with the Suburban furnace.

At first the furnace would stop producing heat in the middle of the night and the fan would just keep running.

Now it doesn't seem to want to produce heat at all.
I pulled the cover off the furnace on the side the electrodes are on and could see the electrodes ignite the propane, then the flame would turn off.

At first I thought I was out of propane, but I've been cooking on the stove and making toast in the broiler without any problems.

The reason I thought I was out of propane, is the stove was acting weird around the same time the problem started. the stove burner flame didn't seem to want to light all the way around the burner, This problem has gone away.

This morning was a bit chilly so I tried the furnace again and it still had the same problem. The furnace ignites the propane and turns off about 10 seconds later. I tried getting it to work a few times but the last time I tapped on a little silver box with my mini-mag light  in the burner section of the furnace and the furnace started working again.

Anybody have an Idea as to the problem, or what the silver box I tapped on is ?

Here's a picture of the area I tapped on to get the furnace to work.

[prophetdaniel2]

dboling,
     I doubt that silver box thingy has any direct connection to your problem, but then again I dont remember what that little thingy is anymore.
    I also dont have any real helpful suggestions for you, but I wrote nearly everything I know about the Suburban furnace and my experience with it in a few previous posts.
Here:
http://americanclipperownersclub.com/techforum/index.php?topic=1549.0
and here:
http://americanclipperownersclub.com/techforum/index.php?topic=1572.0
I would encourage you to spring for the Dinosaur electronics igniter board just simply to eliminate electronics as a culprit.
Give a shout if you have any more questions, and keep up the great work! And the pics.
-D
p.s. I am at work for another week or I would go and look at my furnace to determine what that thingy actually is for you.....sorry

[dboling]

dboling,
p.s. I am at work for another week or I would go and look at my furnace to determine what that thingy actually is for you.....sorry

I like the looks of the new board, it might be where my problem lies.
But after some reading in the manual, it could be the sail switch.

I searched online and found manuals and a trouble shooting guide for the Suburban Funaces.
The Silver box is just a cover and when removed it gives you access to Burner adjustment screw.

Anybody know if we have a section on this board to place manuals ?

[dboling]

Last Wednesday I drove the Clipper to the property and have been living out of it for the last week.

The furnace has been working fine after I blew compressed air through the burner and adjusted the burner valve.

The 35 mile drive to the property was pretty nerve racking.

Even though the engine was purring like a kitten before I left, it seems like one of the Thermoquads floats might have stuck closed or the needle and seat plugged up during the trip. It really took a lot to get up to 70 mph and the engine sounded like it was running on 1/2 it's cylinders. I've ran into this problem before and a carb kit always took care of the problem.

I had a real bad noise and vibration coming the from the right rear dual tire, since this is the first time I've had the clipper on the road I had my son follow me to the property. he noticed that the right rear dual was wobbling, it would stop when I accelerated and get worse when I was just cruising at speed.
My guess is when the neighbor had brakes put on the clipper a few years ago, they missed a bad wheel bearing or didn't get the wheel back together correctly.

The clipper was also hard to steer as the frontend felt really light and wanted to drift back and forth while driving down the freeway.

Besides these few problems, my Clipper has far exceeded my expectations and put a big smile on my spouses frozen bones when she saw it pull onto our property last Wednesday afternoon.

[John Eversoll]

hI THERE, WITH THAT WABBLE IN THE REAR......sorry about the caps.

the rim has a small hole in it and a little bit of a steel tit that fits inside of the hole
of the other rim " if the tire is put on and the two don't coinside with each other then you will get a wabble. that is the cheepest fix that I can tell you.

Where is your property?  Ours is in Oregon...

John 

[dboling]

hI THERE, WITH THAT WABBLE IN THE REAR......sorry about the caps.

the rim has a small hole in it and a little bit of a steel tit that fits inside of the hole
of the other rim " if the tire is put on and the two don't coinside with each other then you will get a wabble. that is the cheepest fix that I can tell you.

Where is your property?  Ours is in Oregon...

John 

We have 30 acres here in the Poconos, PA around the Newfoundland area, we also have a house on 3/4 acres about 35 miles from the property. The 30 acres has nothing but trees and a small stream.

John, thanks for the input ,it's much appreciated !
When I get time, I'll pull the wheels off to check for the wobble, hope it's as easy moving the tire around.

[John Eversoll]

Nothing more than a BLOCK of wood and a small floor jack wont cure.

But bustin those Lugs can be a real "B....ch.."

use a jack to support the weight of the coach after you get the tires off the ground.

I am just very safety safety safety.....

John