Years ago I quit tinkering with boats, that was a very good day...then I ran into a old RV.I just couldn't pass her up. I've coined her Louise.
One week later
A lot of hard work!
So next stop kitchen cabinets, I went to Homedept for the price&unfinished cabinets,any cabinets going into a rv will need to be modified/built up to have any hope of longevity.
Pulled the a.c. outlets and then rerouted the wiring to cabinets, created a false bottom and installed new outlets into the bottom of the new cabinets. Filled all of the old outlets with foam in a can and then glued on the backsplash
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Assembled-30-in-x-23-5-in-x-12-in-Wall-Bridge-Cabinet-in-Unfinished-Beech-KW3024-UF/302970248
Next was the paint,I settled in on Benjamin Moore Advance. The paint leaves a superior finish and is very durable. A airless sprayer is the way to go with this paint, it is really difficult to work with using a brush or a foam roller. Frankly I now think of it a resin and not a paint, in weather or temps below 60 degrees the paint has the time to level out brush marks or stipple. At 70 degrees this paint flashes/dries so fast imperfections are left,
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Well the kitchen is setup to finish now. The next part is a bit of a struggle,replacing the flooring. The drivers side of the RV has suffered water intrusion both wood rot and rust have occurred. Having replaced more than a few boat floors experience tells me there is no finesse here...total removal.
Below are a few pics, and one indispensable tool, it allowed me to cut out the channel the old floor was mounted on/in. The wood was badly disintegrated it cut out like butter...Well close kinda sorta.
One can also see I have a rusty frame issue, I will be addressing that shortly. I will be using oxcylaic acid, it literally dissolves the rust and most iimportantly it is safe and quite effective.
https://azrust.com/oxalic-acid-for-rust-removal/
https://youtu.be/bXbOeOtHvyM
After 5 days of constant wet showers of oxcylaic acid the surface rusting has been rinsed away. Two baths using Dawn soap/ borax mixture followed two water rinse's I'm done.
Another 2 days of high heat and fans the floor has dried out. I used a product called Rustoleum rusty primer to prime the frame along with the floor and a final top coat of Rustoleum oil based paint. The paint has a very nasty fuel oil smell, high ventilation is required.
I should add below the framing aluminum sheeting was used to seal things up. And fiberglass insulation was used for insulation. Read one very big water trap, today there is no more insulation and the aluminum has had water taps drilled everywhere...The trap has been eliminated.
Looking good!
Probably could have saved a lot of time just using Ospho vs the oxalic acid stuff as is chemically converts the rust to iron phosphate and you can paint right over without the post treatment douching with the ivory and water. Just heed the 24 hour dry time.
Also the POR-15 line of paints and other products are made just for this kind of restoration stuff.
Now all you need is to drop in an 8.1 motor and a 4l80 or allison transmission !
I pretty much considered all options prior treatments. I have used oxcylaic acid on countless boat trailers,to this date not one has suffered recurring rust. Aside from that, it is quite cheap. The acid literally dissolves rust down to the base metal and one of the reasons for the dawn soap bath...I was literally rinsing the old rust away. I should have taken pictures of the aftermath of the bathing.
I will be using Ospho for the propane tank however, it is over 6' long and hanging, I do not have the time to mess around with that project.
that galley is just "wow"
Is the counter top formica or stone?
What did you do with the walls - paint over them?
The walls were painted,the countertop are Formica. Stone is just to heavy and expensive. Aside from that...This RV is a man cave..granite does nothing for me.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/VT-Dimensions-Formica-8-ft-Ouro-Romano-Etchings-Straight-Laminate-Kitchen-Countertop/50197325?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-kit-_-ggl-_-LIA_KIT_233_Countertops-_-50197325-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqnf5vdOH13fS5cFV5oyp2Vfo4tNQ1iEGGg-rA3P70_kAcGbXFK2i9hoCrBIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Since this forum is a informational exchange of how to and concepts I Wil openly state I really missed the ball on one aspect of the galley. I always mock things up to get a ideal of how it's going together and how it looks. I was so focused on just getting done I missed something that could have been stunning in my opinion.
Below is a pic of no window cutout and the countertop backsplash is covered by the wall trim/backsplash. Had I just played attention and opened my mind to a skylight approach in lieu of a small window ..that would turned out quite nice.. Perhaps another day, the adventure continues.
Still looks good even with no skylight - is there any way to get that window back in play looks like that would be the easiest to bring some light in?
I have the funky cut galley that kicks out by the sink so the straight pre cut pieces are gonna be challenging - may have to get two sections with the 45 cut and join them but trying not to have any seam lines.
Really sucks these days trying to get people to come out to quote the work, just gonna have to figure how to get the top off and take it in to a cabinet shop.
I had a few bids made on the imperial for cabinets..absolutely ridiculous pricing. I took a close look at the Navigator my friend has, those cabinets are basically a heavy built frames. They then took solid wood fascia and fastened it to the frames.
So I went to Homedept depot, picked up some cheap cabinets with decent fascia and built a frame inside the cabinet. It worked out quite well, attaching them to the wall is a bit hairy. Spreading the load of the cabinets across the entire wall studs was my approach,I am keeping a very sharp eye on the outer walls for deformation..so far so good
Well the floor has been finished. Such a simple job in a house yet almost overwhelming in a RV. This rambler used a very high quality one piece OSB flooring panel. The sub frame was not designed to support multiple sheets of lower quality wood flooring the spacing between floor joists is huge.. A lot of additional bracing was required...Read a lot of drilling into that steel frame...It is very hard strong steel..At very difficult angles.
Finally I can move on to projects that are by far less draining. The link below is actually quite helpful with installing vinyl flooring, cheater boards in a rv...priceless.
https://youtu.be/LU-1GZ8gFE8
Seeing this really keeps me going.
Awesome job mate.
Thank you Mlw, renovating a old RV is unique as far as I'm concerned. Doing a truck and a home in one unit can try one's patience. Yet quite fun and rewarding in the end.
The trick is having a sense of humor and that can be quite fleeting at times.
Especially money... :'( ;) :grin:
But we know why we are doing it... :)ThmbUp
Well that came to a satisfying end, even the carpet was enjoyable. Picked up a 10x15 remnant at home depot...$60.00 enough to do the bedroom and the driving area. Still have to deal with the wiring but for now it's doing nicley..At this point the nostalgic seating and dash will wait until next yr, unless I run into a deal on some seats.
Now onto other things...it has been almost 40 yrs since I've worked on a carb, actually it is quite entertaining to see how far I can get without a refresher...lol here I go!
It should be like riding a horse.
Once you learned you'll never forget...
... Or do you. ;)
I must say, i found the thermoquad on mine a whole lot easier than some outboard engine carbs in the past. :grin: :grin: :grin:
This carb is 80s vintage smog carb, I've never played with one before. First up idle screw issues, GM used Welch plugs to restrict access..meaning no adjustments nor servicing.That is intolerable time for some modifications. I cannot stress enough the below mod is risky business, lots can go wrong, taking a hammer and chisel to a old carb is just wrong..but somebody has to do it. So a new $9.00 harbor freight mini Dremel and surgery begins. Below is my reasoning for bringing back the idle mixture screws to functionality..
https://cliffshighperformance.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=3634.0
All of the idle fuel must flow past the main jets. Most idle tubes are only .030-036", some even smaller. You'd have to be using a jet/rod combination that has less metering area with the rods fully seated to provide a restriction to the idle fuel
The idle system however does feed the main system. As the throttle angle increases and the engine sees a pressure differential change above and below the throttle plates fuel will be introduced from the transfer slots in addition to the holes under the mixture screws.
So yes, idle fuel has an impact on main fuel delivery to the primary side of the carburetors for "normal" driving.
The big difference for a Q-jet vs many other square flange designs is that it gets fuel much sooner (lower throttle angle) from the boosters due to the small primary bores and triple venture areas created by the rings around the boosters.
The design of the boosters and venture areas also greatly increase efficiency and atomization and one of the reasons Q-jets (and Thermoquads) are excellent street carburetors and rival the very best fuel injection set-ups for efficiency and fuel economy.
I've actually built scores of Q-jets to replace both factory and aftermarket Throttle Body style fuel injection systems and not once to date has any of those folks complained about increase fuel consumption or not as user friendly anyplace. Matter of fact most absolutely LOVE the switch back to a carb.
Case in point. A very good friend of mine owns a Chevy 1 ton dually crew cab with a 454, TH400 and 4.10 gears. It came from the factory with a throttle body FI system.
Despite his best efforts and everything with the factory ECM working correctly he got HORRIBLE mileage and not overly impressive for power output. We selected a 1985 dedicated 454 Motorhome Q-jet and he installed a factory cast iron spread bore truck intake. We also built him an HEI distributor with a custom advance curve and vacuum advance.
He had to purchase a fuel pressure regulator and set up a return system for the high pressure factory fuel pump, but overall the swap was relatively easy. He couldn't believe the improvement that the carburetor and HEI had over the TB and ECM set-up. Fuel economy went up, as did throttle response and power output clear across the load/speed range.
The only possible negative was that he had to "pat" the throttle once in the morning to set the choke, otherwise he said the new set-up was better to the FI in every other area.......Cliff
My first attempt to remove the plugs and idle screws became complicated. Opening up the plugs from the front did not give me full access to the idle screws. I had to literally cut a channel into the carb body exposing the plug and then chisel out the top of the roof. Caution is advised here, oddly enough the plug body is brittle...it breaks up almost like hard glass. Patience is required. The last picture shows the channel cut, the roof of the plug fractured and the idle screw still snuggled in the plug..From there it screws out, later I will post my special tool to get at screw...it still a very tight fit.
I've found a diagram of the process and posted a picture of the final results.
New studs installed, they protrude about 3/8" outside of the carb body, no issues have resulted.
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Well that's been completed, a very strange experience. At almost every turn I was able to recognize what was going on. Now rebuilding it aka putting it back together without force and or getting a good fit was another thing. Fitting the power circuit was very humbling, thick gaskets&delicate spindles...I now understand Quadra junk.. patience is required the Quadrajet is not a tinker toy.
Below are some links that helped me thru this blast from the past.
I used Pinesol in a 50/50 water mix to clean dip the entire carb for 48 hours.
I also dipped the carb body for 24 hours in oxcylaic acid and then a dip in baking soda water for 5 minutes . The acid will dissolve any built up corrosion over the yrs, and there was water intrusion notice the white build up on the idle mixture screws.. It should be noted some say the acid will degrade the carb body. I've yet to see that In a marine carb..over 15yrs and nothing. Those chemicals will turn your carb black..but it's a RV motor not a show car..
Pulling the idle tubes can be trying, take your time. As to drywall screws, use only that type of screw. With the idle tubes out, they fit loosely in the tube channel...they will not damage the channel if used correctly.
Below is link specifically to RV carbs, they are somewhat different than conventional Rochesters. Meaning they require specific rebuild kits.
https://cliffshighperformance.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=4486.0
Those are HD truck/motorhome carburetors and used special castings with an adjustable secondary airbleed/enrichment system. Most likely due to the fact that those engines would spend a lot of time on the secondaries towing and climbing hills and steep grades.
Most showed up on HD 454 truck engines but I've seen a few used on 350 HD engines as well.
The special full tapered 61 primary rods are correct but I've never seen 78 jets in one to date. I suspect those were added by a well meaning tuner that didn't under stand the APT system, which on that model is a little different than others being adjustable for height and travel/limit of the PP.
They have a pretty rich idle set-up for an emission years carb. Most are part numbers 17085212 and 17085213, but they were made with a couple other part numbers as well. 17085000, 17085003 comes to mind or something close to that.
Be warned that they use different parts and gaskets and will NOT work well if the wrong ones are installed during the rebuild.......Cliff
https://youtu.be/iCU20DZfv9o
https://youtu.be/NV6geJbRlwE
http://rmcavoy.freeshell.org/Q_Jet_bushings.html
https://cliffshighperformance.com/product/hp-quadrajet-rebuild-carb-kits
Great video it goes into detail in regards to secondary operation..Frankly Quadra jets get a lot of hate due to there linkage system.Great stuff getting it working right.
https://youtu.be/-zT8hgTP5WY?feature=shared
Perhaps the most thourgh thread on the net in regards to the Quadrajet
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c3-tech-performance/4703199-rebuilding-joserpaq-s-1980-q-jet.html
Yes, very recognisable,
With the Thermoquad I also received a kit with three types of gaskets, screws and rings.
both carburators are not for the faint hearted and that's why they are called ...junk but boy when you get these to work proparly they beat a lot of other carbs (or so car enthusiasts say).
I rebuild mine and didn't find it to difficult and the huge advantage of the thermoquad over others, reducing or even deleting vapor-lock, pretty important with our old style motorhomes with lots of heat producing V8's ;)
It was a experience that is for sure. Riding a bicycle? Well kinda.It is working quite well right now,it actually had a lean pop/ backfire on startup.Just a smidge of enrichment on the idle circuit and gone. The choke setup was old hat,the self tapping screws in the kit were perfect, they the screws were tapered, and setup a perfect tap. And true to form just as 40yrs ago I managed to snap the housing adjustment cover...it was very bad issue for me yrs ago..and still is. Such is life.
Now for timing recurve as they call it today..It once was called a tuneup. Lol so many wordy titles they use now.
Below is a good example of timing a carbed/hei engine, just part of the process. It starts at about 24 minutes, the big part of that video is Morris making note of the plugs.
https://youtu.be/5KuGe5UXYAs?feature=shared
I wonder how much the person gets paid to rename things. I want that job. Lol@
Quote from: Oz on June 26, 2023, 03:45 PMI wonder how much the person gets paid to rename things. I want that job. Lol@
Agreed OZ,Below is a thread that actually goes into detail what used to be called a tuneup. Once upon a time, it was just part of service. What is interesting Lars actually visits what I call combustion efficiency and yes a Quadrajet can be the equivalent or more efficient than EFI.
Take a close look at the below commentary and the IDLE MIXTURE screws...they greatly effect higher rpm afr's...along with higher tourqe and net horsepower gains...read fuel economy.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c3-tech-performance/4703199-rebuilding-joserpaq-s-1980-q-jet.html
We're now down to test-n-tune time!
The vacuum ports on the carb were capped off and the carb was mounted up on the test engine with the idle mixture screws set to 6 turns out from seated. My test engine is actually a very close representation of Jose's engine, using the same cam and similar heads along with a set of headers. Carb bowl was filled with fuel, the electric choke was hooked up, and the engine fired up instantly on the first hit of the starter. Jose's carb running on the test engine:
Running cold with the choke closed and cracked open by the pulloff:
The air/fuel numbers were showing a slight rich condition, which would be indicative of too much fuel coming through the main metering system with the high fast idle and closed choke... Fast idle was set to 1250 rpm:
I let the engine run until the choke fully opened:
...and let it drop down off fast idle. The idle mixture went to 18:1 and the engine died. A quick pump of the throttle and it fired back up. I raised the idle speed and started backing out the idle mixture screws. At 9 turns out, the idle mixture hit 14.5:1. Raising the rpm and getting the carb into a 2700 rpm "cruise" mode showed the light throttle cruise mixture to be 10.5:1. Throttle response was excellent and very snappy, but this is not acceptable.
VS
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/combustion-efficiency
9.2 Air and combustion
The theoretical, sufficient concentration of O2 to achieve complete combustion is that needed to react with the total C in the combustible material, that is, fuel. The air needed to achieve this is known as "theoretical air" or "stoichiometric air," which depends on the chemical makeup of the fuel and the fuel feed rate. The feed rate is expressed as a volume or mass per time, for example, L hr− 1 and kg hr− 1, respectively.
The ideal combustion process, that is, stoichiometric combustion, is that that burns the fuel completely. The deficit between stoichiometric combustion and incomplete combustion determines the percentage of combustion inefficiency (see Fig. 3.8 in Chapter 3). Therefore, at or above theoretical air, the process is 100% efficient. To avoid products of incomplete combustion (PICs), especially carbon monoxide (CO), excess air is usually added.
The excess air or excess fuel for a combustion system is based on the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, the precise, ideal fuel ratio in which chemical mixing proportion is reached. For safety reasons, prevention of explosive conditions from fouling and generation of high temperatures, and because fuel composition and conditions even in well-controlled reactors vary, combustors are designed to achieve "on-ratio" combustion, that is, requiring a known amount of excess air, often 10%–20% above the expect stoichiometric air value [1] (see Table 9.1). Fuel-lean mixtures have air content greater than the stoichiometric ratio; fuel-rich mixtures have air content less than the stoichiometric ratio.
On to other things...Entryway door, I've really been impressed with fabrication of this Holiday Rambler build. Built to last and made with very high quality materials. Aside from one feature,the entry door seemed to be a after thought. Very sturdy frame yet it seems quite apparent the merely skinned the door with a very light weight aluminum..Very...From there it was filled with foam to add thee needed support. On this RV it well a failure..the door skin itself looked like it had seen much better days. The latch has worn out and the window frame was brittle and fractured..
So out comes the angle grinder and time for a new look. The old door insert dimensions were 26×70" the new door 26×72"..I need to cut and raise the frame 2". Not having welding equipment I will screw the cross brace back into place, it really does not carry any load of significance..hopefully that is.
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Hey there,
Been awhile and just checking in on your progress, looking good... but the door !
Man does that look like a project lol. But agreed the door was an after thought on these, even though we are vastly different coaches there is a ton of HRC incest of parts going on.
Finally reworked kitchen counter with stone coat epoxy, new plank floors, 4k inverter and working on a mini split AC install. Hopefully end of summer we set sail somewhere.
Hey long time no see..Yes things are moving along. This door is very simple to replace, using a angle grinder to cut things is the only way to fly. Now removing the old silicone sealant has turned into a major issue. I've never seen a sealant adhere with such tenacity, I wish I knew the What type it was, it would make fantastic sealant for roof repairs..unparalleled comes to mind.
Potatoe chip you need to start your own thread, the exchange of ideals,processes and products are invaluable. A mini split is on my to do list..a absolute must. As a inverter/converter...what a game this solar industory is playing. They make it incredibly complicated.
Yeah I am going to do that eventually, unfortunately it will have more narrative than pictures as I always forget to take the "before" or the "in the middle of" pictures.
Right now I have semi permanently mounted a Sungold Power 4k inverter with 2) Chins 200ah plus batteries and have run the Coleman pig of an AC for 2 hours so far with plenty to go. I figure 3 hrs and with the split ac those numbers will bet way better.The goal is to use the inverter to run the AC while driving instead of running the genset ( no dash ac).
As far as Carburetors - I am still fluent in "carburetor" and know my way around power valves, squirter pump cams and 4 corner idle circuit tuning (Holley).... After running the Holley Sniper kit that was a game changer especially with a 488 SBC with a large cam and single plane intake on the street. Program in a few details of your build and drive it. Little stiff @ $1500 but it comes with fuel lines, pump wiring... Basically everything you are going to replace from the fuel tank fwd anyways.
Once upon a time I tinkard with MEFI, the marine version of OBD/TBI. At first bite it was quite interesting, which later turned into something quite different..electronic squirt gun. Tweaking a Quadrajet is old hat, I grew up in a GM garage. Between Lars and Ruggles they really make it simple and quite inexpensive..now a low vacuum engine& single plain may very well cause some frustration with a carb...lol
Your views on AC are quite inline with mine, the AC units on the rig now and the old compressor which is gone..are quite expensive with very little return. Speaking of new tech I've installed a tankless water heater, a milestone in front of the old tank jobs.
Quote from: Potatochip P30 on July 09, 2023, 10:54 AMRight now I have semi permanently mounted a Sungold Power 4k inverter with 2) Chins 200ah plus batteries and have run the Coleman pig of an AC for 2 hours so far with plenty to go. I figure 3 hrs and with the split ac those numbers will bet way better. The goal is to use the inverter to run the AC while driving instead of running the genset ( no dash ac).
I got a 3000W Inverter and 2x 24V 200AH Chins which are running the Roof A/C no problem for about 5-10 hours. Even without sun.
Quote from: eXodus on July 13, 2023, 10:32 AMQuote from: Potatochip P30 on July 09, 2023, 10:54 AMRight now I have semi permanently mounted a Sungold Power 4k inverter with 2) Chins 200ah plus batteries and have run the Coleman pig of an AC for 2 hours so far with plenty to go. I figure 3 hrs and with the split ac those numbers will bet way better. The goal is to use the inverter to run the AC while driving instead of running the genset ( no dash ac).
I got a 3000W Inverter and 2x 24V 200AH Chins which are running the Roof A/C no problem for about 5-10 hours. Even without sun.
These roof tops are quite odd, my front roof top is just anemic, and draws enough power to trip the breakers. I bought a cheap $120 5000 btu wall Mart window job and it never trips the breakers. And it chills the front room..not cool it. The roof top is old and quite a machine, it both heats and chills. Old Coleman mach 3 I believe.
I'd have a mini split in and done but I don't like the condenser layout, if I find one that lays horizontally it's a done deal. Setting up a solar system is a work in progress...lol I'm quite sure I will leave that to my son.
Spring is here and almost time for the first road experience. Some house keeping is required first. Gauges this time, the cluster seemed dead. The below video really helped me re enable the package. These gauges are very simplistic..not to much can go wrong with them aside from light corrosion and a 90 watt ceramic resistor. This resistor is no longer made so junk yard diving seems to be in order here.
A thread that covers most everything one could ask.
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=640615
https://youtu.be/Bq3YfCLq4So?feature=shared
https://www.ebay.com/itm/355386776442?itmmeta=01HTWRAHMP90BN58DQ4M33Z3P5&hash=item52beb3db7a:g:BAcAAOSwel5lp4SA&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4Bm2e4bP0P6THmw4zH0RAmIJLfrgvF40goGMLzo2l5dEj8g8ypSsRawjXK96TxXFlCtw1ZU8YPhtRiqD18oUhoVPR%2BVC8TKGDMBBM9A%2BuBGmfvQVqLAqC1xCdtsb4Rqm%2B8BoES4hNZXtTv%2BU4STlWTvhcU%2Fw9uH%2F%2BR5FzSW81I35ct6LQ4jkASro0EQ3R%2B8eXog%2BqQgJGFOrxHrATmODGjazPPAZxdETdYdyL5c8Yca4braQJDxT5zCu4nkaTJhRKIc%2FOZsa6O44OEu%2F3iSla7Za9%2FDUM73cjcAJhxRCDJCN%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7iaqpjXYw
Any way you could use some sort of resister like this..I am very weak when it comes to electronics :-[
That makes two of us. I really get a attitude at times chasing electrical issues. And then there is the junkyard bandits...not all of them of course.
I have a solution but I am attempting to get it back to original condition..a fully functional dash brings about 2 hundred and a digital dash is weighing heavily on my mind. A 200 dollar gift might just nudge me over the edge...time will tell.
The below will work,two 180 5 watt resistors in parallel that gets 90 ohms and 5 watts of power handling capacity.
https://youtu.be/LRQU7chppLg?feature=shared
You are on your own on this one..I have never done anything on GM products..Other than crush them when I was working at the wrecking yard! :laugh:
Yep I get that completely. I was raised in a GM shop. That was yrs ago, not to much inhibition goes on with this RV servicing I'm doing right now speaking for myself. When working on a vehicle my greatest fear is not knowing how it will end, there are only so many possibilities with a GM.
Now mopar stuff I know the crush it theroy...lol I get a headache just looking at some stuff,aka when I saw that recessed combustion chamber you have in that 440 I was shocked. Speaking to that I ran into a video about such things, if I can find it again I will post it. Pretty interesting stuff.