I have recently purchased my first RV, a 1984 Itasca Windcruiser, to restore and renovate, and have a long haul ahead of me. I've been searching for answers to many of the questions I have, but haven't found them all.If I am replacing the 3-way refrigerator with a residential, do I still need all of the venting? The side vent has had major water damage, and it would be nice to close off the vent/hatch.Also I have a access port on the driver side of the rv that looks like a water hookup, but the fresh water is somewhere else. What does this do?Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! And will have more questions shortly, lol.

Hello, welcome to the forum. I'm not familiar with yor unit so, I can't answer your questions. There are several forum members who use residential refrigerators in their RV's. Hopefully they will give you the answers.You probably know already but, make sure you have any leaks fixed before you start your restoration. When you work on the exterior finish a popular combination is Bar Keepers Friend and Red Max Pro 3.I just used it on my 96 Southwind and the results are great!Do a forum search, there are many posts about the results.Keep us updated on your restoration progress.

I'm not familiar with restoration but I can talk to you about the RR. We had the Nevercold taken out and replaced with a RR in our coach. The fridges are vented on the bottom and the air is taken in and circulated and vented out the bottom. We have found that you do not need the outside vents. We had the option when ours was replaced to have the side vented portion replaced on the outside but we chose not to do that right now. We have since sealed those vents with reflectix and it has not affected the operation of the fridge. The roof vent was sealed on the inside when the fridge was installed.Good luck with your restoration. Would love to follow your progress with pics.

Thanks, yeah fixing the roof is the first project. I've already gutted almost everything out of the inside, so now I'm turning my attention to the roof. The previous owner had patched the roof, but it is still sagging at the front a/c. I'm planning on removing the a/c unit this weekend and adding a layer of exterior plywood decking, and covering that with EPDM roofing, I may need some steel angle or studs to strengthen the roof though, not sure yet. Any thoughts?Attached is a pic of the roof I took this past weekend, along with a pic of the control box for a leveling system that was added. Does anyone recognize it or know anything about it?

Hi Gary,Those old Windcruisers (and Winnie Elandons) were great coaches. Sounds like yours needs plenty of TLC.Major props to you for the the work you are pouring into it.My only comment is to clean off of the roof all the old sealants, caulking and the rolled out "blackjack". Then reseal the seams with Eternabond.Best of luck!

Gary,Good luck! This looks like quite some job you have ahead of you! You say that the freshwater is somewhere else, but that does look like the outside, freshwater inlet. if there is another water inlet line, the one in the photo might be the water tank filler inlet.keep us posted, and include as many photos of your progress as possible.Happy Trails! ;)Darryl

84 Windcruiser Restoration/Renovation | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

Nick-B
Explorer
Oct 01, 2011
Hi Gary,

Those old Windcruisers (and Winnie Elandons) were great coaches. Sounds like yours needs plenty of TLC.

Major props to you for the the work you are pouring into it.

My only comment is to clean off of the roof all the old sealants, caulking and the rolled out "blackjack". Then reseal the seams with Eternabond.

Best of luck!
DeaconFrost
Explorer
Sep 29, 2011
Thanks, yeah fixing the roof is the first project. I've already gutted almost everything out of the inside, so now I'm turning my attention to the roof. The previous owner had patched the roof, but it is still sagging at the front a/c. I'm planning on removing the a/c unit this weekend and adding a layer of exterior plywood decking, and covering that with EPDM roofing, I may need some steel angle or studs to strengthen the roof though, not sure yet. Any thoughts?

Attached is a pic of the roof I took this past weekend, along with a pic of the control box for a leveling system that was added. Does anyone recognize it or know anything about it?
journey15
Explorer
Sep 28, 2011
I'm not familiar with restoration but I can talk to you about the RR. We had the Nevercold taken out and replaced with a RR in our coach. The fridges are vented on the bottom and the air is taken in and circulated and vented out the bottom. We have found that you do not need the outside vents.
We had the option when ours was replaced to have the side vented portion replaced on the outside but we chose not to do that right now. We have since sealed those vents with reflectix and it has not affected the operation of the fridge. The roof vent was sealed on the inside when the fridge was installed.
Good luck with your restoration. Would love to follow your progress with pics.
gbopp
Explorer
Sep 28, 2011
Hello, welcome to the forum.
I'm not familiar with yor unit so, I can't answer your questions. There are several forum members who use residential refrigerators in their RV's. Hopefully they will give you the answers.
You probably know already but, make sure you have any leaks fixed before you start your restoration.
When you work on the exterior finish a popular combination is Bar Keepers Friend and Red Max Pro 3.
I just used it on my 96 Southwind and the results are great!
Do a forum search, there are many posts about the results.
Keep us updated on your restoration progress.

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84 Windcruiser Restoration/Renovation

34 Replies

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