grimmrlg
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Re: Remodel project
I removed the dinette from our 25' motorhome and replaced it with 2 reclining chairs and a smaller table but kept the jackknife sofa and it had over the cab queen bed. I had no problem selling it later. It went from 5 to 3 sleeping positions. I think the key here is to not make it so the number of sleeping spaces is reduced below 3 or you will severely limit your resale audience. 2 sleeper will only appeal to retired or childless couples but still sellable.590Views0likes0CommentsRe: Mercedes Sprinter vs Ford E450 seeking opinions
I went from a Ford E450 28' class B+ with one side slide to a Mercedes Sprinter 25' B+ with rear and side slide. The interior layout and length was nearly identical with rear slide extended. The biggest reason for us to change was easier to maneuver in tight state and county park campgrounds, gas stations, and parking lots; quieter ride, less intimidating for wife to drive, driver comfort, fuel economy, and long term resale value. I have never had issues finding diesel fuel and for me an oil change requires 6 quarts more oil, a minor cost adder. Fuel economy towing the same car with both, Ford 8mpg, Sprinter 16mpg.2.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Car wrapping toad to match motorhome
Johno02 wrote: Is the wrapping just the stripes, or over more of the toad?? I was thind of the same thing, but the guy I was talking to never got back to me about it. No, I wrapped the entire car, it started out royal blue. After wrapping the white and tan areas and the front bumper black, I came back and added the stripes.481Views0likes0CommentsCar wrapping toad to match motorhome
I just finished "wrapping" my toad in vinyl to match my motorhome. We debated getting the toad painted but I stumbled on vinyl wrap and am very pleased with the results. I researched the process and there are lots of videos on YouTube showing how to do this. Total cost for this car was $350. I matched the vinyl colors to the Coachmen and purchase all the vinyl on Ebay. The vinyl is made by 3M, 1080 series and is billed as one of the easiest vinyl material to work with. Simple tools and a heat gun to help in stretching the vinyl over body panels. My first attempt at wrapping a car took me about 30 hours and I started with easy panels like the hood and roof then advanced to the doors and fenders, leaving the bumpers for last as these are the most difficult.3.9KViews0likes11CommentsRe: Dinette to captain chair conversion
Rbertalotto wrote: EXCELLENT! Can you tell us where you sourced those seats? Perfect for our RVs. See my sources at the bottom of the article, got them from seller Warehousesalvage on ebay, unfortunately they don't show them now but you might call them or check their website at www.warehousesalvage.net I did this project a couple years ago so they may no longer have the vast quantities they had then, also might check auto salvage yards. Rick809Views0likes0CommentsDinette to captain chair conversion
I have grown to hate dinette seating, not very comfortable for sitting a long time, and I long for a recliner and footrest instead of the straight up seating in the dinette. For only 2 of us we didn't need a 4 person dinette and we could use the extra space two seats provided over a dinette. Solution - remove dinette and install van seats instead. I started my search on eBay for reclining seats and stumbled on a website that sold seconds from Toyota vans that had small blemishes in the leather but otherwise fine. These were purchased for about $300 each but were all leather, were reclining, and had a flip up footrest like a miniature LazyBoy. I also purchased a boat type slide and swivel seat mounts to attach the seats to the modified bases I added after removing the dinette. The project involved removing the dinette and relocating the 12v converter that was located under one side. I purchased a newer smaller sized 2 stage converter (better for battery charging) and relocated it below my refrigerator. Next I built up new boxes for the seats to sit on out of the leftover dinette components, shortened the table about 12" and carpeted the new holes on the floor from scraps I saved from an earlier carpeting job of the motorhome. I removed the seat mounting brackets from under the new seats and fabricated a new mount to make the seats act like a boat seat mounting. The new boat seat swivels were attached and bolted down to the new riser boxes in the motorhome. The swivels were required to allow the seats to recline fully and rotate within the small space I had to work with. There was some additional mods required to reroute the heater duct that came out the base of the dinette, now routed through a boxed in section to a new round duct. Overall a fun project and we really enjoyed the new comfort offered. The smaller table was perfect for meals and easily removed when necessary. Here are the items I purchased: Amazon.com - WFCO WF-8735-P Black 30 Amp Power Center $113 Amazon.com - Garelick/EEz-In 75090:01 Marine Low Profile Seat Slide and Locking Swivel $123 each Ebay.com - 2010 Toyota Sienna van reclining 2nd row seats - seller: Warehousesalvage $300 each Don't hestitate to ask questions, I'm sure you will have some! Rick Grimm5.6KViews0likes8CommentsRe: Low cost rear electric jacks on my Class B/C
rvrev2 wrote: Hey Rick, can you give us an update on how well your electric jacks have worked this past summer/fall? So far they worked out great, camped at about a dozen different sites in the last year and at most sites, I only used the rear jacks for leveling since it seems most sites were lower at the rear. As with any rear only jack solution, occasionally I had to block the front wheels to raise the front, but I only carry a third the number of blocks now. It has been really nice to use the remote control to level it as well and I have had no mechanical or electrical issues with the jacks. Thanks for asking! Rick367Views0likes0CommentsRe: Low cost rear electric jacks on my Class B/C
The bracket is bolted to the C channel frame with 4 - 3/8" bolts. I considered welding directly to the frame but wanted to be able to remove if necessary. Since the storage area floor is made up of 1/4" ply sandwiching 1" styrofoam, the jacks go through a large clearance hole and bolt directly to the bracket from the top with 3 - 3/8" bolts as supplied with the jack. No issues with strength of the 1/4" gussetted brackets.367Views0likes0Comments
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