1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 5. Propane
This is Part 5. of our 1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod, the subject of which is "Propane". Other parts are linked below. 1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 1. Acquisition & Evaluation 1968 Travel Queen Res...
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The location I chose for the double 20lb vertical propane tanks' new home is under the bathroom sink. I know, that's normally where you find cleanser and a toilet plunger and the occasional bowl that is meant to catch water from a leaky trap until you get around to fixing it someday, but because "we're in a tight spot" I figured I'd put propane under there instead.
You may have noticed on other Travel Queens, like the 10.5 footers that stick out past the truck beds, the propane door is right behind the bumper on one side and seems to take up the entire distance of the camper length between the end of the truck bed and the end of the camper. That is an odd look to my eye. For me it isn't aesthetically pleasing. And I'm sure you all agree how important fungsway is ;) Here's a photo of what I'm talking about.
If the propane door looked big on here, it was sure to look giant on here, the right rear corner...
The upper edge would be above the bottom of the dinette window line and I just don't think it would look right. I don't want to try and retain the character of this camper while also creating strange appearances.
Then there is the issue of maximum available space for a rough opening. You can't just take the door to the back wall of the camper without affecting corner structural integrity, something for which I've already preached quite loudly about and something for which this camper will be gaining over and above what was provided by the factory. So the door width, at least, had to be reduced.
And the door height needed to reduce because of the window line (visual) not to mention the camper side wall existing build pretty much demanded a shorter height to the door. Here's what I mean...
The 1x8 board shown above runs the camper box length and lies just under the dinette window, making up the lower edge of that window's rough opening. Without cutting the propane door down some I'd have to cut all the way through that board and place a header board above it. I didn't want to negatively affect the wall stringer strength that way. I figured I wanted to retain at least the top 1.5" of the 1x8. That's where you'll find the top pencil mark. The right pencil mark represents the inside surface of the bathroom wall, the maximum forward location point for both the tanks, and the door rough opening.
On the bottom, there was a 1x2 inside the wall that is removed in this picture. It coincides on the camper interior with a 2x2 stringer that runs the full 8.5' length of the camper box and acts as the fastening strip for both the camper sidewall and the outer wing edge. In other words, the 2x2 is an important structural element, so I wanted the bottom of the propane door to be no lower than the top of that 2x2. Originally the factory install CUT THROUGH the left front 2x2 and rested the metal propane tank box on the wing. The entire fastening and structural integrity of that spot on the camper was removed by the factory! I didn't like that, nor it's 45+ years appearance now. It was quite a weak spot.
So that left the left edge of the rough opening to figure. I next had to design in my head (and a little on paper to help my wild thoughts gain traction) the design of the new camper corner reinforcements. I now have that figured out - I think - and that's a post for another day, but suffice to say here that I needed at least 2.5" of outside corner surface and 1.5" of inside corner surface, plus a distance that would allow a pleasing look between the camper corner bracket and the aluminum frame of the propane door (for some siding), and with that combination I could determine my maximum available rough opening figures.
Now with maximum available rough opening measurements in hand I measured the rough opening of the existing donor door, and compared the differences together on paper in columns. Next I took all the other measurements of the existing door: frame physical size, frame opening for tank removal, etc. and put those down on paper. Then I determined the difference from existing to preferred rough opening and used that same difference to compute all the other numbers for the new measurements of the not yet existing door.
The important numbers to know at this point were the height and width available for pulling one or both tanks out of. Would there be room?
I strategically placed two propane tanks side by side in a simulated cabinet setting, complete with a lower sitting position 1.5" below the 2x2 stringer causing higher rough opening door, and proceeded to tilt and remove said tanks through a space equal to my new figures. It can be done - by tilting the top down and out and lifting the tank, and then doing the same with the rear tank by tilting a little forward as well, but only with the front tank removed. And both tanks need to do this while clearing bathroom sink drain plumbing runs. It worked, and with a little bit of space to spare!
Next step was to use my figures on paper to rebuild the aluminum propane compartment door and frame.
I had quickly examined in past the propane door frame of the one that came on Lil' Queeny. It used screws and looked easy to disassemble and cut new 45 degree angles and reassemble, so I didn't look quite as close at the donor door. I assumed it was the same. It was not. This door had corner connectors that were stamped into position and upon examination I was fearful I couldn't rebuild it.
So I looked online. In general I was dissatisfied with what I found, both in exorbitant costs and available sizes. I called a local tin shop to see if they could build me one. The couldn't because they didn't have the right type of extruded aluminum for the frame. He recommended an RV shop.
I wasn't quite ready to waste a day running research so I went back to the garage and reexamined my donor door. You know, I think I can do it. So I made my marks, cut the new corners on the table saw with a metal cutting blade, cleaned up the burrs with a utility knife and file, removed the old corner brackets and cleaned them up, and reassembled it all. And as they say, the rest is pictures!
Original donor door
Two corners cut out to the new dimensions
A removed corner with stamped corner retainers
Freeing the corner brackets for reuse
Prior to cleanup
Cleaned up
Now to cut down the door to fit the new frame size
Door disassembled
Existing assembly holes to copy at the newly cut ends
New frame in frame. The board is used to show the two separate frames
I'll get new louvered metal for both this door, and the previous propane compartment door - which will now become the lower fridge vent on the other side - when I come to the window and door installation stage. That's also when I'll do the required aluminum frame cleanup to make them all look pretty and presentable.
But for now, I had a new access door (and those all important rough opening numbers) and that meant I could proceed with the structural rebuild.
You may have noticed on other Travel Queens, like the 10.5 footers that stick out past the truck beds, the propane door is right behind the bumper on one side and seems to take up the entire distance of the camper length between the end of the truck bed and the end of the camper. That is an odd look to my eye. For me it isn't aesthetically pleasing. And I'm sure you all agree how important fungsway is ;) Here's a photo of what I'm talking about.
If the propane door looked big on here, it was sure to look giant on here, the right rear corner...
The upper edge would be above the bottom of the dinette window line and I just don't think it would look right. I don't want to try and retain the character of this camper while also creating strange appearances.
Then there is the issue of maximum available space for a rough opening. You can't just take the door to the back wall of the camper without affecting corner structural integrity, something for which I've already preached quite loudly about and something for which this camper will be gaining over and above what was provided by the factory. So the door width, at least, had to be reduced.
And the door height needed to reduce because of the window line (visual) not to mention the camper side wall existing build pretty much demanded a shorter height to the door. Here's what I mean...
The 1x8 board shown above runs the camper box length and lies just under the dinette window, making up the lower edge of that window's rough opening. Without cutting the propane door down some I'd have to cut all the way through that board and place a header board above it. I didn't want to negatively affect the wall stringer strength that way. I figured I wanted to retain at least the top 1.5" of the 1x8. That's where you'll find the top pencil mark. The right pencil mark represents the inside surface of the bathroom wall, the maximum forward location point for both the tanks, and the door rough opening.
On the bottom, there was a 1x2 inside the wall that is removed in this picture. It coincides on the camper interior with a 2x2 stringer that runs the full 8.5' length of the camper box and acts as the fastening strip for both the camper sidewall and the outer wing edge. In other words, the 2x2 is an important structural element, so I wanted the bottom of the propane door to be no lower than the top of that 2x2. Originally the factory install CUT THROUGH the left front 2x2 and rested the metal propane tank box on the wing. The entire fastening and structural integrity of that spot on the camper was removed by the factory! I didn't like that, nor it's 45+ years appearance now. It was quite a weak spot.
So that left the left edge of the rough opening to figure. I next had to design in my head (and a little on paper to help my wild thoughts gain traction) the design of the new camper corner reinforcements. I now have that figured out - I think - and that's a post for another day, but suffice to say here that I needed at least 2.5" of outside corner surface and 1.5" of inside corner surface, plus a distance that would allow a pleasing look between the camper corner bracket and the aluminum frame of the propane door (for some siding), and with that combination I could determine my maximum available rough opening figures.
Now with maximum available rough opening measurements in hand I measured the rough opening of the existing donor door, and compared the differences together on paper in columns. Next I took all the other measurements of the existing door: frame physical size, frame opening for tank removal, etc. and put those down on paper. Then I determined the difference from existing to preferred rough opening and used that same difference to compute all the other numbers for the new measurements of the not yet existing door.
The important numbers to know at this point were the height and width available for pulling one or both tanks out of. Would there be room?
I strategically placed two propane tanks side by side in a simulated cabinet setting, complete with a lower sitting position 1.5" below the 2x2 stringer causing higher rough opening door, and proceeded to tilt and remove said tanks through a space equal to my new figures. It can be done - by tilting the top down and out and lifting the tank, and then doing the same with the rear tank by tilting a little forward as well, but only with the front tank removed. And both tanks need to do this while clearing bathroom sink drain plumbing runs. It worked, and with a little bit of space to spare!
Next step was to use my figures on paper to rebuild the aluminum propane compartment door and frame.
I had quickly examined in past the propane door frame of the one that came on Lil' Queeny. It used screws and looked easy to disassemble and cut new 45 degree angles and reassemble, so I didn't look quite as close at the donor door. I assumed it was the same. It was not. This door had corner connectors that were stamped into position and upon examination I was fearful I couldn't rebuild it.
So I looked online. In general I was dissatisfied with what I found, both in exorbitant costs and available sizes. I called a local tin shop to see if they could build me one. The couldn't because they didn't have the right type of extruded aluminum for the frame. He recommended an RV shop.
I wasn't quite ready to waste a day running research so I went back to the garage and reexamined my donor door. You know, I think I can do it. So I made my marks, cut the new corners on the table saw with a metal cutting blade, cleaned up the burrs with a utility knife and file, removed the old corner brackets and cleaned them up, and reassembled it all. And as they say, the rest is pictures!
Original donor door
Two corners cut out to the new dimensions
A removed corner with stamped corner retainers
Freeing the corner brackets for reuse
Prior to cleanup
Cleaned up
Now to cut down the door to fit the new frame size
Door disassembled
Existing assembly holes to copy at the newly cut ends
New frame in frame. The board is used to show the two separate frames
I'll get new louvered metal for both this door, and the previous propane compartment door - which will now become the lower fridge vent on the other side - when I come to the window and door installation stage. That's also when I'll do the required aluminum frame cleanup to make them all look pretty and presentable.
But for now, I had a new access door (and those all important rough opening numbers) and that meant I could proceed with the structural rebuild.
