Frontier Class C reno's

[Gearhead88]

This all began in February 2015 when I bought this unit . I searched for months and settled on this C class MoHo for $4000 Canadian dollars , knowing it needed some work. It had fairly low mileage considering it was 29 years old and at that time , it seemed to be solid.



The original plan was to clean it up , replace the tires , make sure it was safe , all of the onboard equipment working , use it that summer and go from there.

Not all plans go as intended , I'm a bit OCD , projects can go well beyond budget and often , attention to detail means , it takes a great deal more time to get things right.

It started like this........... unit arrives home , after a trip through the car wash bay for a good exterior scrubbing .

I visit the tire shop and order up six new Michelin tires and six new rims , they mount and balance , I take them to go , I'll install on the rig later.

The upholstery has seen better days , was probably nice when this unit was new , that was long ago . There is wear and tear , the dinette seats are torn , there's a bit of a lingering  aroma that could only be removed by replacing old stinky fabric and cushions. I pulled all of the cushions & curtains out and make a trip to the upholstery shop , drop all of that stuff off and  pick out the material to be used , arrange for all new foam , window valances to be recovered and  new curtains made. The upholstery guy isn't the fastest worker I've ever met so I knew I had time to get on with the rest of the makeover. Meanwhile , my sweetie gets busy with scrubbing and cleaning the walls , ceiling and cabinets .

The cassette / radio that was in the dash was a low grade , budget model  , out with that ,  followed by a drive to the electronics store , where  an Alpine deck , J&L audio , amp , speakers and sub woofer was purchased because ,  I love music and  ......... you gotta have good tunes. The install went well , took a couple of days due to my O.C.D.

I decide the linoleum flooring looks a little aged , so I make a visit to Home depot and purchase half a dozen boxes of  traffic master vinyl interlocking flooring planks , they're 100% waterproof , look great , are easy to work with and inexpensive . The install went well , the flooring is glued down with PL400 Premium . I figured that the new floor would look great with oak base board / 1/4 round trim throughout and give it a finished , professional look.

The water system needed a real good flush , I wanted to have a clean , fresh  supply of water. Once I was done with  flushing  the water system , I realized that the 29 year old pump sounded kind of funny , which led to me buying a new one , as well as installing a strainer , a filter canister  and replacing 95% of the also 29 year old gray  "pex' piping.

The counter top , constructed of OSB and arbourite , was delaminated and chipped in a few spots , looked crappy so  I  pulled it off , removed the sinks , range and ancient  water heater. I was thinkin , I like the look of Butcher block , the quickest solution to that was obvious while I was shopping at Lowes , they just happened to have a smokin deal on Bamboo counter tops , one of which ended up in my cart while picking up plumbing supplies.

I decided that a new water heater with electronic control would be a wise addition to my newly replaced water system , as well as a new toilet . New kitchen taps , a new city water inlet with pressure regulator were also replaced. I had the fresh water holding tank out for a better look and to replace the drain valve which was broken off , I replaced the fill neck , cap and hose too . At this point , the water system was good to go.

I picked up a fan hood motor for above the range because the old one sounded rough , why not ? ,  the hood was off for the backsplash install , which is something else  I found at Lowes.

The 110 volt AC circuits needed nothing , I did update two of the outlets to GFI , one by the kitchen sink and the one outside.

All of the interior lighting worked , I knew most of the time we would not be camping where power was available , so I updated the interior bulbs to L.E.D. , I found that I  can buy the bulbs in bulk from a solar wholesaler so it was far cheaper than buying them as pairs in a bubble pak at the RV place. A couple of L.E.D. strips here and there added a nice accent to the interior lighting and as an added bonus , they draw very little  current.

Another stop at Home depot got me seven new window blinds , the lady that I spoke to cut them to the correct width for me , once I had them fastened to the valances  , I removed the excess blades to make em the right length which was easy to do.


This is how it looked before I began the make over....................


The same angle , reno's to the inside almost done.







After I was happy with how the inside was looking and the water system updated , I turned my attention to re sealing a few of the windows , updating the marker lights and dealing with some newly found issues on the exterior. I discovered the 3/4" plywood that skirts the lower portion of the exterior walls had some dry rot around the right rear corner and lower awning arm mount. Carefully peeling off the siding / skin  revealed the extent of the rot , not a huge deal , I cut out all of it and replaced it , using about half of a sheet of 3/4" plywood and some 2x2's . A bit of angle iron was used to weld up a support frame behind and below the generator compartment , beefing that area up and strengthening the awning arm mount permanently. I had my glass guy over to install a new windshield , Since I'm not a fan of cracked glass .








With Camping season well under way I had an Important event coming up that required the completion of repairs and reno's for now so I started on some tune up / maintenance work and electrical upgrades.....................

[Gearhead88]

The electrical system on this RV was generally in good shape except the batteries , which I consider to be a consumable , meaning , they have a lifespan and can fail , usually when least expected . I wanted to start out with fresh batteries , an up sized alternator and back that up with some upgrades to  protect all of the wiring and components.

The coach batteries were in bad shape , had evidence of being frozen at some point and the water inside looked like it had come from a swamp. The main battery under the hood was  under sized  , tired , would not maintain a charge or take much of a load and had paint pen markings on it like they do to parts at a salvage yard , leading me to believe that it was found at a junk yard . All three batteries went away , to be recycled .....

The  repairs consisted of  Replacing the main battery with a heavy duty Interstate and adding a second battery to the tray on the left side , it had the tray , the battery and wiring  were not there. A buddy owns a starter and alternator shop so I had him build me a brand new 130 amp alternator , he also supplied all four of the new  Interstate batteries , the two under the hood and a pair of six volt for the house batteries. I'm a mechanic , have been since high school , at the ripe old age of 61 , I've got a good handle on electrical so I updated and revised a number of areas , the house battery box , circuit protection , an auxillary fuse panel for added lighting and the new water heater , keeping in mind , future expansion / add ons. I decided that the two under hood batteries should be isolated from each other and used a pair of circuit breakers as well as a Cole Hersey smart relay to control and protect charging , circuit breakers to protect the sound system and the  house circuits. The two 6 volt house batteries (Interstate GC2-XHD) are isolated from the main battery with a Cole Hersey constant duty solenoid and the circuit is also protected with circuit breakers . All the under hood breakers and relays are mounted on aluminum panels I made up , the cables n' stuff I built as well . The second battery that was added under the hood is for the entertainment system only and is charged when required by the alternator/ smart solenoid , what's cool about this smart solenoid is that , by adding a momentary pushbutton switch to the dash , you could ,  if necessary give yourself a boost without opening the hood , should the main battery for some reason become discharged.

Partway through the summer of 2015 , I added a 150 watt solar panel and a controller . Later , once I add another solar panel , I might add an invertor.

There's a generator compartment on this unit , I choose not to run one , using that compartment for storage instead. One thing I'd like to tweak yet is , the ability to charge the auxillary under hood battery with my solar panels , I'd like this to be selectable , with a switch.






The main Battery , an Interstate MTP 65


The auxillary battery , an Interstate SRM-24





I did a thorough tune up , consisting of , transmission service , rear end service , oil & filter , air filter , fuel filter , brake fluid flush , inspect belts and hoses , coolant replacement , charge AC , plugs , wires , cap & rotor , pcv valve.


We made our event , the third week of June that year and attended a few more functions , weddings n' such , went camping eight times , it was a great summer  despite the frantic preparations throughout the spring. Way !!! more money than I had planned for was spent on this old girl but I'm happy with the results.


I was happy to see , once we started using this rig and going down the road with it , the AC works , the cruise control works , the down side ? a 460 has plenty of power    at the cost of an unsatiable thirst for gasoline  .


The rooftop AC works very well , the fridge started out working properly then halfway through the summer it went on the fritz and would only work on 110 , the propane would not ignite . It turned out to be the circuit board , once I had that changed out it's back to working great again. We live close to the mountains , winter comes early , summer is short , some evenings get chilly , the furnace has been working good too . Much to my surprise , with four propane appliances , fuel consumption is awesome !.


 

[LJ-TJ]

WOW! Sure did a nice job. Looks great.

[Gearhead88]

The summer of 2015 was a fun time , we learned a lot about our new rig and discovered some issues we were unaware of  that required attention ,  water intrusion in the left rear corner ! . Water had been leaking into the wall near the left tail light and from the shower  for quite some time , there are a couple of horizontal seams and the shower walls were constructed of plywood panelling that is covered with vinyl wall paper , a bad choice of construction material !!..   I decided to take care of it in the spring of 2016 before the season begins.

This is how 2016 started out

The plywood panelling stripped , exposing the dry rotted structure. I'd say I caught it in time , it could have only gotten worse.

[Gearhead88]

Once the damaged area was exposed and the affected wood cut out , I wasted no time putting it back together.





Insulated , poly vapour barrier , plywood - 1/4" sanded birch , fastened solidly with  screws and staples ,  sealant applied to the seams , ready for the FRP panels.



FRP panels , glued to the plywood.



New vanity top , this was a piece of re - utilized  Bamboo that was cutout for the range , new stainless steel sink and new faucets.
At this point , the pic shows the vanity top mocked up , I was still working on the back splash , trim and detail , as well as further work to the plumbing , in an attempt to remove the remaining bits of grey pex.




Trim , mouldings , all sealed up and a bit more of the vinyl flooring plank material to finish up around the tub and toilet.

[Gearhead88]

I used the same back splash material that was used behind the kitchen counter.



I used this opportunity to do some repairs to the compartment below , where the black and gray water tanks are . Someone in the past had over tightened the flanges on the two gate valves and cracked the corners where the screws are. The floor had a small amount of water damage so out it all came ......... I junked all of it and bought two new valves and the associated piping and fittings.










I built a new door for that compartment  and re insulated the new plywood floor. An angle iron frame was constructed for the bottom of this compartment  , strengthening and supporting the corner ,in addition to protecting the  termination adaptor for my sewer hose connection.




Got it all done in time for the May long weekend and got outa town to enjoy some hard earned days off.


And off we went for the summer of 2016......











What's in store for 2017 ?   , more camping,  less repairs , a few events , a wedding or two , some fishing maybe.

[boohoo222]

great job

[Gearhead88]

For this year we will be doing .................  all easy stuff that won't take much time .


Adding a second 150 watt solar panel ( already have the panel)


Inspecting wheel bearings and brakes , repacking front wheel bearings. ( have all supplies for this ) Brake job if needed


Four new shock absorbers.


Maybe repaint the Cab , there's a bunch of stone chips that are now small rust spots / blemish's  , nothing serious and mostly on the hood.

[Gearhead88]

A couple of other things that I have procrastinated on ....................


Tail lights  , I hate them , they are cracked , I've glued them in an attempt to extend their life. These lights are over 20" long ! and about 5" high , the openings are framed in with 2x2 's . I have not found a supplier yet that can get me Tail lights that big so I will have to get creative , we'll see what I can come up with.


The long window in the bunk above the cab has two cracks , it's not leaking but  needs to be replaced , and it's a pain in the bum to do. I guess I could pull it out , tarp the roof to keep weather and critters out and have one cut ........................... just have'nt got to it yet .

[stanDman111]

still a great looking rig

[Gearhead88]

Thank's for the kind words fellas 

[TerryH]

Regarding your over bunk window, can't really tell from your photo, but based on 1986 should be relatively easy to replace.
Existing glass should be laminated.
Removal and replacement should not require frame removal.
Glass should come out in one piece, trace it onto a piece of luan or door skin (both cheap) and use that as a temporary. Take the existing in to have a new one cut - tell them you want the existing back (allows you to check for a miscut).
If you can take a close up photo of the frame from the outside I can tell you if and how this would work. Total time would likely be 2 to 3 hours in and out.

[Gearhead88]

Thank's for the advice.


It's been a raging snow storm and arctic temps for a while , I have not been paying much attention to the MoHo , other than to monitor and charge my batteries.

I want to remove the frame for that long bunk window anyways , to re seal it , the butyl sealant dries out and it would be a good time to re seal that as well as the remaining windows that have not been re sealed since buying this rig.       
Also.........
I need to find the vinyl moulding that holds the glass in , probably will buy a roll  of it . Some of my other windows have a gap where the ends of this moulding meet , clearly , it has shrunk over the years.  This Motorhome was built in British Columbia by a company that made several makes and models by various names , many of them shared features and floor plans. The windows on this one were supplied by a company called Hehr windows , based on the stickers that are still on the glass . I have searched the internet , found them , located a couple of pages of mouldings that they offer but still need to match it up and buy some. The window frames on my unit are brown , the vinyl moulding is also brown , not something that an RV place has on hand so I'll order it from Hehr  myself. I have a glass guy that cuts laminated glass for the cranes I work on , replacement panels for cab windows .


Just been procrastinating , so it hasn't happened yet.

[CapnDirk]

I've done this in the past many times.


5 gallon bucket with lid.  Cut hole in lid for hair dryer.  Put old window molding in bucket and warm it up then give it a stretch and put back in.  You nay also after stretch soak in a tray of Armor All (hand lotion for Vinyl) to rejuvenate.


Gearhead:  What is the plywood you put in the bath wall for repair?  Thickness, brand, whatever.  Looks like good stuff.

[Gearhead88]

That plywood is 1/4" , sanded birch , it's actually an underlay panel for ceramic tile or vinyl flooring.   Home Depot is where I got it . I covered that with  FRP panels and used the adhesive they recommended.  I figured  the wall construction materials and methods chosen by the original manufacturer of this RV were wrong , based on how much rot there was . The FRP over plywood will last much longer , I'm thinkin , over time  the rest of the motor home will rot and decay , the bathroom will still be standing .

I used a poly vapour barrier under the plywood , the white sealer that you can see applied to the seams is silicone . I bought the proper trim and panel edge mouldings that are supposed to be used with FRP installations. FRP is used in kitchens , car wash bays  etc...... 100% waterproof , strong , tough and easy to work with . Perfect for a shower stall.


http://www.patriottimber.com/sureply-underlayment/

[Gearhead88]

As soon as it warms up I'm gonna begin the work I have planned for the MoHo  , the temps have gone back into the deep freeze and more snow has fallen , soon ( I hope) we can put away the winter parkas.

I will be installing my second 150 watt solar panel , I need to make room for it .
I am going to remove the TV antenna from the roof , there's a limited amount of real estate up there so the antenna goes , for the time being we don't watch TV in the motorhome , there isn't a TV . The antenna that's on there is one of those cheesy analog crank up ones , I doubt there is a signal that it could  receive any more , it's taking up space on the roof so it has to go .
I might , down the road , look into re-visiting the TV watching option , I don't know enough about what I need to buy for a receiver ?, 12 volt TV ? , Inverter ? , 120 volt TV ? , DVD player ? , gotta do some research and decide , I'm open for suggestions on that. I only know it is not gonna be cheap to get outfitted for television / DVD watching.

The awning fabric is hurtin , has been repaired and it needs to be replaced , that's on order . I'm hoping to put a little bit more tension on the springs too , so it rolls up tighter.

I'm also going to buy another piece of Bamboo , there's two tables I want to make new tops for , the dinette and the small table in the lounge area at the rear corner.

I've almost made a decision on what tail lights I'm going to use , that needs to happen , the old tail lights are cracked and are cheap quality , for now , they are sealed up  with glue and butyl tape.



This is the larger of the two tables.

[Gearhead88]

Spring is here , work has begun .

This weekend I got a bunch of things taken care of ..............

Four new Monroe gas magnum shock absorbers installed.
Front wheel bearings inspected and repacked.
Cleaned up and painted the hubs and rotors.
Installed Wagner severe duty brake pads.
Replaced the drag link/connecting tie rod and left tie rod , I use Moog parts for this , painted those parts too, set the toe in at .125".


Some observations from driving it for two summers and recently , while working on the steering , suspension and brakes.................


All of it was original , unmolested , Ford parts throughout .
The king pins had been replaced at 96,000 km , I found the receipt in with the documentation and manuals that were with the unit when I bought it.
The left tie rod end was bad , the rest of the steering linkage was worn but still serviceable , I chose to replace it all so it's tight .
Before , it needed constant correction to maintain position in the lane you were traveling in.

Still to do ....................

Inspect rear brakes and wheel bearings.
Carb kit and EGR valve ( I have all of the parts for this), all of the emissions equipment are intact and working on this vehicle , my plan is to keep it that way.
Add second Solar panel. ( I have all of the parts for this)
Awning fabric. ( I have the fabric )
Maybe paint the hood.
Still thinking about making two table tops.
The bunk window above the cab ? , low priority , but it will happen . I found a guy who wrecks/parts out old motor homes , he's got an old bus full of windows and adding more all the time , My plan is to find a match there , buy it and then install.

[Gearhead88]

A bit more done today ......... rear brakes , wheel bearings inspected , brakes adjusted , park brake adjusted.







Finished up the bench work on the carb rebuild , adjustments done to the choke , secondaries and accelerator pump .





Tomorrow , put the wheels back on and torque , install carb , wet check of float levels .......... road test

[TerryH]

And, of course, re-torque the wheels after the road test?

[Gearhead88]

Always

[Rickf1985]

I see I am not the only one who does the "Plywood driveway" thing.

[Gearhead88]

It works for me. The rv pad is well compacted but I have my reasons for not pouring cement or laying down asphalt.


I live right next to a park , the neighborhood was built around 1975 . The city , without thinking things through , planted poplar trees around the perimeter of the park , well , most of them are poplar. One tree is next to my fence , the root system on poplar trees are extensive and very invasive . The roots from that tree are all through my yard , in my sewer and  messing with my sidewalk. Every spring it showers my yard , house and my motorhome with sticky , messy buds . these things stick to everything and are a pain in the arse to remove. It's about to begin again .
This particular tree is doing very well as it has been feeding on my sewer line for about six years. These trees are known to cause problems with underground utilities , the city planners went ahead any ways , they must have got a good deal on them , they grow quickly  etc  , etc.............


I have mixed feelings about what to do , many of my friends tell me to poison the tree , I have not contacted the City about removing it but should . They know about it , I have them auger out my sewer about every 18 months or so ( on their dime) , they have been here numerous times and have video taped the sewer before and after running a cutter through the line on more than one occasion.


The tree is in the first picture at the beginning of this thread , on the other side of the fence , center of the frame.
The green space adjacent to my property has a soccer field , ball diamonds , a school . Because I don't have a neighbor on that side , It adds value to my property , privacy (sort of) and some greenery , this , of course includes that damn tree.

[tmsnyder]

Roots won't find their way into a pipe that is not cracked, they are just following water.  If you swap them out with new pvc drain pipe the roots won't find their way in anymore.

[Rickf1985]

Agreed, I would think the town would have repaired the sewer lines by now. All they have spent on video and augering has cost much more than a repair job.

[Gearhead88]

They have spent very little on video and augering  so far , having been here a handful of times , it's a city crew  that does the house calls . Replacing the line is a much larger deal to all involved . The roots are in the main as well , the maintenance crew have kept no secrets from me , there's a man hole in the alley behind the house , the city is well aware of problems caused by those trees. Eventually the line will have to be replaced , I'm not paying for it , or I hope not. They have documented the condition of the pipes , while I stood there and watched on the monitor , there have been repairs in the past , before I bought the house. There are two kinds of pipe , there is a "belly" (low spot) , you can clearly see the roots as the camera is pushed through the line. They are not real interested in doing a proper repair anytime soon and  I'm not real keen on having my yard ripped up , the line  runs below the deck and hot tub too. In my opinion the tree roots are going to have to be removed to achieve a long term solution.   I've avoided any confrontation with them but It could potentially turn into a  , me vs city hall dispute.  They know they screwed up , planting poplars , there's no shortage of people that are facing problems with tree roots here.