Creating new external hatches
Wasn't sure if this was better here or in Tech Forum. Please move if this is incorrect forum, thanks! I'm considering making our bed bigger in our 1996 Class C which will mean that it will be exten...
Forum Discussion
I did this same mod in my older model Class C. The rear bed was already a Queen with a air lifts on both sides to permit storage under the bed. There was walk space on both sides of the bed. Extending the bed to the wall on the driver side permitted us to install a king size high quality regular home mattress.
It takes some exploring with an electronic stud finder to determine what is in the wall before cutting. Some pounding and a few tiny exploratory drilled holes helped locate framing materials. (Hint...drilling from the inside into wall paneling is easier to fill in a mistake than the exterior fiberglass skin. Don't ask how I know this!)
My coach maker has gone out of business, so no help possible from the factory. In my case, the sides had wood framing surrounded by the usual RV styrofoam "sandwich" of wood wall paneling inside, and exterior fiberglass. There was a large horizontal window above the bed on the sidewall, and the only framing was on both sides of that window. So the space below where I wanted to put the exterior compartment was clear of framing, and determined the size and placement of the exterior compartment door.
I would recommend purchasing a new door over the Internet to match the existing exterior windows and compartments. Just type in RV Surplus Stores in search engine like Chrome. There are lots of choices available from a few "surplus" parts stores in the Elkhart, IN area. Mine actually came from Bontrager's RV, which is just across the border in Michigan. Matching color and style looks better and helps resale over homemade. There are some new doors available direct from the same maker that supplied them to the motorhome maker, but they are more expensive. Used compartments are also available in RV salvage yards, but condition is always unknown since they made have been exposed to water for 20 years.
The interior box forming the new bed is just basic plywood cutting and gluing carpenty. I lined the box with 1 inch styrofoam insulation cut to press fit inside just to avoid cold spots on the bed.
Jim Hamilton
It takes some exploring with an electronic stud finder to determine what is in the wall before cutting. Some pounding and a few tiny exploratory drilled holes helped locate framing materials. (Hint...drilling from the inside into wall paneling is easier to fill in a mistake than the exterior fiberglass skin. Don't ask how I know this!)
My coach maker has gone out of business, so no help possible from the factory. In my case, the sides had wood framing surrounded by the usual RV styrofoam "sandwich" of wood wall paneling inside, and exterior fiberglass. There was a large horizontal window above the bed on the sidewall, and the only framing was on both sides of that window. So the space below where I wanted to put the exterior compartment was clear of framing, and determined the size and placement of the exterior compartment door.
I would recommend purchasing a new door over the Internet to match the existing exterior windows and compartments. Just type in RV Surplus Stores in search engine like Chrome. There are lots of choices available from a few "surplus" parts stores in the Elkhart, IN area. Mine actually came from Bontrager's RV, which is just across the border in Michigan. Matching color and style looks better and helps resale over homemade. There are some new doors available direct from the same maker that supplied them to the motorhome maker, but they are more expensive. Used compartments are also available in RV salvage yards, but condition is always unknown since they made have been exposed to water for 20 years.
The interior box forming the new bed is just basic plywood cutting and gluing carpenty. I lined the box with 1 inch styrofoam insulation cut to press fit inside just to avoid cold spots on the bed.
Jim Hamilton
