Classic Winnebagos & Vintage RVs

So today begins a new adventure!  We'll be hitting the road today from Kentucky to New York!

The rig is ready to go...still have a few things to do before leaving, but should be on the road by noon or so.  Even bought a spare power steering belt... :)clap ...best to avoid Murphy and his laws, eh?

Its a 730 mile trip, so we'll take it in 2 easy days, arriving sometime Sunday night and boondocking in the big paved patron parking lot across the street from the New York Renaissance Festival...the same lot we stayed in during Hurricane Irene.

Once we pull into site and set up camp, I'll have a few days of work...setting up the workshop and display tent and whatnot...but after that, it will be a leasurely 3 weeks of building the few catapults we need for opening day, and pretty much just relaxing a bit before our busiest show of the year.  Heck...I might even have time to take and post pictures of all the projects we got done this year!   :D

About to hit the road!  But first, coffee, morning PT, pack up the porch, roll in the awning, have breakfast, take a shower...and we'll be off!

Kev

I want a Trebuchet!   :)ThmbUp :)

We have trebuchets!  And every member here gets a 10% discount...lol!  By the way...awesome German Shepherd in your picture!

Kev

So, the first day of our new adventure was brought to you by the letters "H", "E", and two "L"s... $@!#@!

Just goes to show that now matter how prepared you are, or how well you maintain your rig, stuff can still go wrong!

The day started out just fine, and we were indeed on the road by 12:30...then it was all downhill from there.

About 40 miles out, we had a blowout!  It was the rear left trailing axle tire.  Now, I checked the tires and tire pressures before we left.  All the tires on the RV are Michelins, about 3 years old, and in great condition.  We must have hit something on the highway!  We were on I-71 heading towards Cincinnati and BANG!  Sounded like a gunshot!  We were fortunate enough that where it broke down there was a very generous breakdown lane, so I pulled over, WAY over, half in the grass, and went out to check the tire.  Shredded!  No rim damage, thank the gods, but the poor Wheel Master simulator was toast!  So out come the safety triangles, the wheel chocks, the tire iron, the 20 ton bottle jack, my old Navy coveralls, the tool boxes, and the fun began.  First, I took the spare out of its back compartment.  Now, I had checked the spare in Oklahoma and aired it up.  It was old, but barely checkered...at least on the side I could see!  Once I took it out, I could see all the deep cracks on the other side!  Oi vey!  We are super tight on funds, so I'm going to try to milk it out to New York...where we'll buy 2 new Michelin tires and put them on the front of the RV, then take the two front tires, make one a spare, and put the other one on the rear tag axle.  I'll also have to look around and try to find a matching wheel simulator!  Yeah, call me crazy for trying to make it to New York on that very bad tire!  But if it blows, worst case scenario is that I can take one duelly off the other side and use it to limp to a tire shop...but hopefully we'll make it the rest of the way!  It took about an hour to change the tire, put everything away, clean up, and get back on the road.

That was just the beginning of the unavoidable mishaps that occured yesterday.  But, on the very bright side, having the crappy tire on the tag axle is keeping my very conscious of my road speed, and even downhill I'm keeping her to exactly 55mph...which, at last check, is giving us very decent gas mileage!  8.7mpg at the last fill up!

So we finally make it to Ohio, and its time for some road food.  Patti asks if I want something to eat, and goes to the fridge to get me some boiled eggs (Atkins friendly and all).  She opens the fridge door, and I hear a bunch of stuff fall...the upper hinge on the big door of the Dometic fridge broke!  You'd think they would make it out of metal, right?  Nope!  Thin plastic!  So she's holding the door and asks me to pull over, and we were lucky enough that there was an exit right there, so I pull off and into a truck stop parking lot.  I look at the hinge, and see that its integral to the whole upper plastic frame of the door!  And its snapped right off!  Out to the Jeep I go, unload some stuff to get to a box, where I have a roll of Gorilla tape.  I come back in, where Patti is still holding the door, and then I emptied everything out of the door, and got to work.  Its ugly, but the Gorilla tape is holding the hinge back in place until we get to New York!  All the stuff from the door we loaded back in the fridge, and back on the road we went!  Patti called the place in Carolina that sold us the used rebuilt fridge to see if that part is still under warranty...they said it has a 5 year warranty, but we don't know if that covers the whole fridge, or just the cooling coils.  Hopefully they'll just send us the part!  If not, I'll try to find it through Dometic, or even attempt to fix the hinge with a high strength epoxy glue, filling the internal voids in the plastic completely for strength, and then using fine sand paper to clean it all up...once we get to New York!  Of course, the fridge people are closed on the weekend, so we won't know until Monday!  For now, the Gorilla tape is holding!

On we go.  I'm noticing as we drive that the gas gauge is moving very slowly, and I attribute it to driving exactly 55mph.  We usually fill up whenever we are at a half a tank on the guage, and it usually takes about 30 gallons to top her off...but being on a tight budget, we figure we'll fill up at a quarter tank, which would get us the rest of the way to New York...all is fine, the RV is running great, temperatures on the engine are right around 210 consistently, and the transmission temps are consistently around 155, and even without the fans never exceeded 200, although once we hit the mountains in West Virginia I put them on, but that is later in the story!  Okay, so we are still in Ohio, this time on I-70 East...and we keep hitting bumpy roads and road construction...the gas gauge is reading between half and a quarter tank, we start climbing a hill...and the engine starts sputtering!  Nothing is running hot, we have gas (we think), but it barely makes it up the hill!  what in the world?  We crest the hill, and power returns to the engine...until the next hill, where I again pull over into a wide breakdown lane so I don't stall out in the middle of the highway!  The engine promptly stalled out and wouldn't restart.  I put on the generator, which started reluctantly, let it warm for a couple of minutes, and put on the AC...it was HOT and HUMID outside!  I figure I could troubleshoot the engine problem in the AC, right?  NOPE!  The genny promptly stalled out too!  And wouldn't restart.  I opened the doghouse, which was hot but not extremely so, and checked the carburetor bolt...and little loose, but not extremely...I snugged them a bit, checked all the wires, checked the belts...nice and tight still and all in place...and couldn't find anything wrong.  I tried to start the engine back up....nada.  Turning over, but not getting any gas.  I put the air cleaner back on, put the doghouse back on, leave the key in the on position, and crawl under the rig near the gas tank...and thankfully hear the fuel pump running....a knock on the side of the gas tank reveals nothing...I can't tell if there is gas in it or not!  Okay, lets rule out the obvious.  I unhook the Jeep, take out the Brake Buddy, stow it in the RV, and drive down the road, leaving Patti with the dogs and cat...and the guns of course, so I know she'll be safe.  I was smart and left the gas can in the Jeep where we could reach it in an emergency...so 2 miles down the road there is a BP gas station with easy access for the RV, and I fill the gas can...of course, it takes another 18 miles of backtracking to get back to the RV!  I then dump the gas into the RV, leaving the Jeep unhooked just in case, stow the gas can back in the Jeep, and get back in the driver's seat of the RV.  I turn the key and let the fuel pump prime the lines, and VROOM!  Started right back up, perfect idle and good throttle response.  I hit the genny switch, and after about 10 seconds it starts too, and runs just fine.  So,  either I was out of gas and the gauge doesn't work and I'm getting horrible fuel economy, or the fuel pump is getting weak, or the sock strainer in the gas tank is clogged from the bumpy roads, or I don't know what.  I hooked the Jeep back up, and off we went to the BP.  It took 34 gallons to fill her to the top...so it appears the gauge IS working...unless I don't have a 60 gallon tank afterall...but I'm pretty sure I do!  I think I read it in the book that came with the RV, and although we usually fill up at a half tank, I remember going much farther and putting in over 40 gallons on many occasions!  Hmmmm....looks like I'll have to drop the tank in New York at some point and change out the strainer sock...and while I'm at it, I'll clean out the tank and change the fuel pump, any rubber lines that look crappy, and clean the sender contacts.  And then I'll also replace the mechanical fuel pump and call that system new!  I'll also measure the tank dimensions and use that nifty tank tool to figure out its capacity once and for all!  Anyhow, we were delighted to know that at least it wasn't crappy fuel economy...over 8 is pretty good!

So back on the road again!  By now its 7:30 pm, and we haven't gone all that far yet!  It starts to get dark as we are crossing into West Virginia, just getting off of I-470 with more very bumpy roads and back onto I-70E...and we go through a flock of bugs that splatter all over my windshield.  And then it starts to rain...and the bugs mixed with the rain are making it very hard to see!  And then we hit the very steep mountains.  A little while back on the drive, Patti commented that the engine fan hasn't come on very much, and I agree, but temps were okay, so I didn't worry too much about it.  Now my engine water temps are going up up up!  We got as hot as 250 degrees up the steep mountains, hotter than I've ever seen her!  This is also when the transmission temp go up to almost 200...on with the fans, and the water temp stayed around 230, still way hotter than normal, but at least the trans temp dropped back down to normal.  No engine fan either, which usually kicks in around 220!  Back to normal on the flats and downhills, back to 230 on the ups!  Okay, its getting very hard to see, the roads are up and down and curvy as all get out, its raining, and we finally cross into Pennsylvania.  And pull over for the night in the first rest stop, the welcome center!  I no sooner take the dogs out, get the keys out of the Jeep...and the skies open up in a wicked thunderstorm...just in time!  So it looks like another New York project is going to be a new fan clutch...and a new water pump while I'm at it...and a new radiator cap and new upper radiator hose too, which is the only hose that looks like its on its way out.  Hopefully the electric fans will keep everything cool enough until we get there!

So hopefully today will be uneventful!  We still have another 400 miles to go!

After breakfast I'm going to check all the belts, fluids, tires, etc...and then we'll hit the road!  I'm obviously going to skip the Nordic Track this morning since I got enough of an extra workout all day yesterday!  And my weight dropped even further this morning...down to 221 lbs...so yeah, I can skip it today...

Lets hope we can make it without further issues on this trip!  Come on Nautilus!  You're a good RV!  Daddy will fix what ails ya when we get there, okay?  Just be a good girl and get us there safe and sound!

So today the adventure continues!

Kev

Geez Kev!! Hope you make it there ok... That sure was a bad start to the trip. It never seems to end, does it? No matter what you fix, something else seems to go bad.
Will be wishing you and Patti luck for the rest of your drive to NY.

Life is a test, keep on studying.

Quote from: DonD on July 15, 2012, 12:11 PM
Life is a test, keep on studying. Hm?

Seems like i have been studying all my life & passed a lot of tests. And there are still more to come !!

Please do not forget:
A. The fuel filter mounted to the frame rail between the front and rear tires
B. The small fuel filter in the carburator where the fuel line connects.
C.  You did not accidently get E85 gas did you?  Will cause these symptoms also

Dave

Hopefully the rest of your voyage is less eventful. I blew a trailer tire on my recent parts rig excursion as well. Fortunately, we were just passing a rest area when it let go.

Touchdown in New York!  We arrived around 8:30 PM last night.

Thanks for all the well wishes guys!  Dave, I replaced the fuel filters in Arizona, but you could be right...all the rough roads could have clogged the new ones, and I'm sure I didn't put E85 in the tank.  I'll be sure to replace the fuel filters while we are here though before leaving to North Carolina.

Okay, so the rest of the trip was pretty rough too!  But at least there were no major mechanicals!

And I think I sorted out my "overheating" problem.  While driving earlier in the day, I started to notice that every time I went over a bump in the road, my gauges would go to zero and jump right back up.  On a much older post I made on another adventure, I mentioned that when I put my signals on, the volt meter would bob in time with the blinker, and one of you mentioned it might be a loose ground strap...which of course, being busy, I never checked.  So when we pulled over for gas the first time (I wasn't about to let it get to less than half a tank!) I took off the dog house cover and yep, the ground strap was definitely loose, both at the engine and the frame rail.  I snugged them down, snugged every other electrical connection I could find in the engine compartment down as well, including those on the alternator, and then we hit the road again.

Gauges were reading just fine, and by now we were in some serious mountains!  We had never gone quite this route before...and I-70 East, coming through Pennsylvania is pretty hilly...but nothing compared to our next road, the Pennsylvania Turnpike!  Also known as I-76 East!  It was every bit as bad as the time we took I-68 through Maryland, and a heck of a lot longer!  We were on that road for 153 miles, and had to pay a 24 dollar toll at the end for the privilege...lol!  You know, we hit a lot of major hills out west, but the length, grade, and duration of the ones in Pennsylvania rival them, and in some cases beat them out hands down!  But even in these mountains, the water temp was reading an average of 210, and never got hotter than 220...and the transmission temp never exceeded 170, average temp of around 155...although I did start turning on my cooling fans at the base of each steep climb.

And that brings me to the cooling fans...but this time the driver/passenger cooling fans!  As the day went on it started to get hot inside the RV.  I did fix my dash controls for the heater...somewhat...but there is still a little bit of heat that comes out of the dash vents (it used to be a LOT of heat...lol).  So I turned on the fans that are located in the upper corner of each windshield...and then I saw that the bumpy roads had shaken even more electrical connections loose!  If you turn on those fans, the volt meter drops about a quarter on the gauge, and the water temp gauge immediately spikes up a good 10-15 degrees!  Turn off the fans, and the volt meter reads normal again at about 10-15 degrees cooler.  So yep, something shorted out in my passenger fans...dangit!  The fans I wired in don't effect the gauges at all...but they are wired right to the battery and a solenoid switch, completely independent from the original wiring...so there was at least that to be happy about.

So we drove in the heat, windows open and Fantastic roof vent fan open and cranked on high, and sweated it out.  On we went.  The signals still make the volt meter bob, so it isn't the ground strap causing it, but at least the gauges don't go out anymore over bumps, so that WAS the ground strap.

And then it started to rain.  And rain.  And rain.  And thunder and lightning too...apparently we drove right along with that big storm system that just rolled through, right in the middle of it!  It could have been much worse though, since we didn't get caught up in any of the high winds that were in some parts of that storm.  And this is when I noticed more electrical problems!  Turn on the windshield wipers, which only work on high (I think that is just the intermittent wiper relay box, an easy fix and a GM part), and the volt meter gauge would go down just slightly, but not bob, and the water temp gauge would stay constant.  But turn on the lights?  Even just the marker lights?  The volt meter plummets to about 10 volts and the water temp gauge goes up instantly 5 degrees!  Funny how it doesn't effect any other gauge on the instrument panel...just the water temp gauge.  But they are right next to each other on the dash panel...so I'll have to figure that out.  The weird thing is, the digital volt meter that I installed to monitor my coach batteries doesn't change its reading with any of the lights or fans or whatnot turned on...just reads at over 14 volts when the engine is running.  Gotta be a wiring issue.

I had to do something about how hot it was getting in the rig though.  We couldn't afford the gas to run the genny and keep the roof AC on...and I couldn't run the windshield fans with them shorted out and acting crazy (way worse then running with the lights on!)  So I had an idea!  I pulled into a rest stop.  I have this Lasko squirrel cage type fan that I use for working out and also in the workshop, and it was onboard for the Nordic Track.  I turn on the inverter, hoping it doesn't draw too much power...and it works!  And that thing moves a lot of air!  I set it on the living room floor aimed at the middle of the dash, but low enough so that Sheba and Barnabas could still get some cooling air...the dogs were getting hot too!  Worked like a charm!  The much cooler air from the back of the RV was now blowing forcefully at the dash and cooling off the whole area....SWEET!  Back on the road we went, fan blowing away, running off the inverter and coach batteries.

So the drive continues...on and on in the thunderstorms and heavy rains.  At some points the rain was so bad we were only driving 35-40 miles an hour on the flats.  About the same on the uphills, and riding the downhills in second gear the whole way at 40-45 tops. 

Hours later, and a couple of more stops at gas stations every time the gas gauge got anywhere near the half mark, we finally are almost at the New York border.  And we hit a traffic jam that goes on for MILES.  At least it was down hill!  It was raining, but not super hard at this point, so we figure it must be an accident.  CB works, but barely, so we can't find out anything from the truckers.  First gear, stop and go, for over an hour, but engine and trans temps are fine and I'm not too worried about sitting in traffic, considering it a bit of a break!  We finally round the corner and see what all the fuss is about...nothing!  Just the left lane closed ahead, about another mile up!  Just a bunch of idiots trying to get ahead of everyone else and jamming up the traffic!

Okay, we finally get through that mess...and onward we drive, almost to New York!  We decide to get gas one last time so our genny will work when we get here, and we decide to get it while still in Pennsylvania...we get off an exit, can't get into the first gas station, find another, top off, and get back on the road...and it starts to POUR again!  Lightning and thunder too.  And now its starting to get dark, and y'all know how night blind I am and how much I hate driving at night in the rain!

But we press on.  We cross into New York...just 3 more exits then the smaller roads we take to the faire!  Yippee!  We get off the exit, and right into another traffic jam.  An accident maybe?  An hour later, we pass a car pulled way over with its signals on...not an accident, just stupid rubbernecker drivers!  Traffic speeds up right after that car...and then slows down to a crawl again when a semi is pulled way off the road with its hazards on...really people?  You have blizzards up here but can't drive in a rain storm?  This happened 4 more times!  For nothing!  What should have been just another 45 minutes left turned into another 2 hours!  And by now it was pitch black outside, still heavily storming, and we roll into the parking lot across the street from the faire, over 3/4 of a tank of gas left, and ready to completely call it a night!

I go to start the generator...and she won't start.  I go out and talk dirty to it...play with the linkage...and it finally starts and runs smooth...and now I'm soaking wet.  I go inside and turn on the AC and blissfully soak in the cold air...and had to grab a big soup pot to catch the water dripping down from it...I guess the heavy rain was overrunning the AC pan, but I didn't care...drip away little AC, as long as you blow cold air!

We ran the AC for a few hours just to cool down...although it was pretty nice outside!  But in the rig it was still pretty warm, what with the humidity and the engine compartment still radiating heat.  I also wanted to make sure the Boondocker converter had some time to fully charge the coach batteries, since I didn't now how much power was being drawn by the 120 volt squirrel cage fan and inverter.  The rain let up a little bit so I took the pups out while Patti made dinner, put on my dry clean jammies, and sat in bed and had dinner, watching an old Peter Sellers movie (after turning off the AC and genny)...we both passed out before the movie was even half over!

So we are here!  I'm going to skip one more day from using the Nordic Track so I can set up camp today.  I won't be able to take a shower until camp is set up anyway, and boy does that machine make you sweat!  Well, I could take a shower in the rig, but I'm beat!  And my weight is still stable at 221, so yep, another day of recovery!

And OMGs, the tire made it!  I didn't want to worry anyone, but that tire is BAD!!!  But again, even with the rain and slow travel, and keeping it at 55 when it was nice enough going, I averaged 8.2 mpg, even in the mountains...can't complain about that at all!  So from now on, I'm keeping it to 55, although with new tires I'll let her coast as fast as she wants to down hills (well, as fast as its safe)...so fuel economy might even go up from there!

And on the brighter side, I guess I'm a decent mechanic after all...lol!  My belts are fine, just as tight as when I put them on....and the transmission fluid stayed perfect with no leaks.  Although, speaking of transmission fluid...now that I've changed the filter and fluid, I've made the executive decision to drain the pan at every show from the drain plug (leaving the pan in place) and catching what comes out, measuring how much drains, and replacing it with the exact same amount of new transmission fluid.  Its cheap enough insurance, I tell ya, and with a drain plug an easy job!  With dropping the pan and changing the filter, it used 6 quarts to fill it back up...on an 11 quart system.  I'm figuring that with just draining it from the plug, which sticks up in the pan a little, about 4- 5 quarts will come out.  Cheap enough to change at every show!  And with the gas mileage I'm getting, I want to keep this transmission as nice as possible...3 speeds works fine the way we drive...I honestly can't see the benefit of overdrive anymore with how heavy we travel.

So the faire starts on the 4th of August...which gives me about 3 weeks of down time...on a shoestring budget.  I'll have to build a few dozen catapults, but that still leaves me a lot of time.  So, while I'm waiting for the faire to start, I'm going to check every darn wire under the dash and in the engine compartment and exercise these electrical demons!  I'm even going to remove the alternator and have it checked for output at a good shop.  None of this will cost any money, since I'm fully supplied with electrical repair materials, and it will take time, which I'll have. 

After the faire starts, I have a list of things to do that do cost money:

2 new tires.
A new fan clutch.
A new water pump.
New fuel filters.
New electric fuel pump.
Clean out the fuel tank.
New rubber lines at the fuel tank.
New sock strainer on the fuel pump.
New mechanical fuel pump.
New chassis battery.
Maybe a new voltage regulator.
New upper radiator hose.
3 new gauges, in addition to the "stock" VDO gauges on the dash, which will be water temp as a backup, a vacuum gauge, and a digital volt meter.
A new CD player for Patti, new speakers if necessary.
Splendide washer/dryer.
Possibly a small capacity grey water holding tank just for the washer dryer, installed in the top of my very-high battery compartment over the batteries...which will then also require a set of those battery caps with filler hoses so you can keep them full without having to look inside them.

If the show goes really well, then my boondocking projects will commence, like 2 more golf cart batteries, 300 watts of solar with a good charge controller, and a good and accurate battery usage monitor.

So the adventure continues...and is in fact just getting started!  Today's adventure is setting up camp, which at this show is a bit involved, running out 400 feet of hose, running 50 feet of shore cable, etc.  And offloading everything that goes into the workshop out of the Jeep and RV compartments.  I'll save setting up the workshop for tomorrow.  I'll also have to set up the porch completely, including the Nordic Track platform, so I can keep at my morning PT.  And between today and tomorrow, set up the dog fence around the whole porch.

In just a few days, I'll be able to relax and just work on the catapults at a leisurely pace, and go through all the wiring in the RV, chassis and coach, with a fine toothed comb! 

Thank the gods we are here!  What a drive!

Kev

Woohoooo!!!  Another plus about driving in the raging thunderstorms and super heavy rains!  (Besides keeping the temps cooler than they otherwise would have been)...my RV is cleaner than it has been in a LONG time!  So's the Jeep!!! :)rotflmao

Kev

Hi Kev And Welcome to Pa. I dont even notice those hills anymore. Its not necc to change ATF that often and fresh fluid is very high in detergents wich could cause problems with old seals clutch & external. When the fluid turns dark is often enough !  Frank

Glad you made it safely. I spent some time running on I70 and I76 when we went to Chambersburg, PA a few years back. We bought a sawmill setup out there and made the run with a White 18 wheeler with a CAT diesel and a Dodge cummins pickup with trailer. The hills were rather fun on the way home with a fully loaded semi. It is really pretty country though.   

Glad to hear you made it safe and sound even if it was a bit of a white knuckled drive.  I can feel your pain over the tires.  Recently had 2 blowouts on 1 trip and the 8R17.5's are even harder to locate than yours.  The fuel system clean out is a good idea however don't foget at 3/4 tank your talking 45 gallons of gas.  Might be a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to temp store that.  I can transfer from main to aux on mine at least. 

After looking at my 84 and 92 Service Manuals, I would say the best fuel system description is the free Chevy MH Service Guide (page 7-29; pdf page 122).   84 manual indicates to forward/aft mounting straps holding tank in place.  Not sure if you 89 is the same.  My 92 is based on a TBI setup so is a bit different.

In tank electric Fuel pump should put out around 14-15 PSI max I believe.  That is reduced to 4.5 to 5.5 PSI by the Fuel Pressure Regulator mounted to the frame aft of the passenger side rear wheels.  Mechanical pump output should be 5.5 to 7 psi.

Fuel Gauge -
Sending Unit (circuit 30) - 0-90 ohm unit just grounds the signal from the gauge
0 ohms = F, 90 ohms = E.
Pink wire from sending unit to gauge.
Black Ground wire at tank (circuit 150)
Instrument cluster is feed by the 10 amp Gauges fuse on the fuse box via Pink with black stripe wire (Circuit 39).  That fuse is feed from the Ignition Switch (pink wire)
Ignition Switch is feed by large red wire which should go to a junction block located under the outside front hood (below winshield) on passengers side mounted to the fire wall "via" a fusible link.  That junction block is feed from the large terminal off the starter solinoid via "another fusible link" at the starter end.  Either fusible link maybe getting old and flimsy (failing) resulting in lower voltage to the circuits downstream of the link.

Dave

Thanks Dave!  I'll be digging into the electronics starting this week...after I figure out and fix what went wrong with my water heater this time!  I'll be making a separate post for it, but I think the circuit board went out... $@!#@!   It makes a whining sound from the circuit board when Patti hits the switch inside, and doesn't strike a spark...And after I fix the fridge hinge...

About the fridge hinge...nope, not under warranty...just the electronics and cooling coils...and the worst news is that the hinge is integral to the entire door!  Its not a replaceable part...you have to replace the whole  $@!#@! door!  They have a used door for 150 bucks, and a new door is 350 bucks, so I'm going to try to repair it first with Marine Tec 2 part epoxy putty and a good 2 part epoxy glue.

And all of this is hitting us when we are lowest on funds...yay...

Anyhow, yesterday I got camp set up completely except the dog pen...and the workshop is partially set up.  Today I'll be helping my friend Matt build some counters since he's been very ill, and also because it allowed us to get into the campground early...instead of waiting until next Saturday, although we did have other options.

Oh yeah...I discovered that I have a coolant leak somewhere when I started the RV yesterday morning and let it warm up in the parking lot...it appeared it was coming from the overflow bottle until I looked at it closer...it was coming from somewhere behind the radiator...and I'm really hoping its just a hose and not the radiator itself!  I'll be looking into that this week as well!

So now, its coffee time, then Nordic Track time, then breakfast, then off to work with Matt!

Kev

Kinda hard to avoid those hills going through PA.    First time I headed over I took 68, that was crazy hilly and curvy.  On the way back we did 70/76 and that was a little better.   I just got back from NY last night, we took 80 over and back, wasn't bad at all as far as hills.  As for the toll on 80, I'm still confused.  It cost us $12.50 on the way over, and $1.00 on the way back.   Hm?

So Matt and I got some of the cabinetry work he's doing accomplished, but he's very ill, so it was slow going and we quit early.  Hopefully he'll be feeling better today after some antibiotics and rest!  Today is more of the same, and then we'll attack the ceiling job in a faire-owned fifth wheel...hey, I don't mind helping out a friend, and its giving us free camping!  Woohoo!

Also found out we have another job coming up that is going to cost us some money...some clown in a big truck backed up over our tent platform on site, and crushed it.  Whoever did it didn't admit to it, so I'll have to rebuild it this coming week before setting up our pavilion.   $@!#@!

On a better note, I found the circuit board for our water heater from Dinosaur Electronics for less than 70 bucks delivered, so that will be here before Saturday and we'll have hot water again!  Also found out there is a hinge repair kit for our Dometic fridge...guess the hinges breaking are pretty common...I think my repair idea will look better and be just as strong, but its nice to know that I do have the option if my repair fails to be able to fix it for 40 bucks rather than have to spend 150-350 bucks for a new door.

So today I have to finish my coffee and work out, then help Matt all day...Patti is going to run out to a marine store and get my epoxy putty and a 2 part epoxy glue for the fridge hinge, so this evening I'll attempt my repair and get rid of the Gorilla tape.

Supposed to be torrential thunderstorms this afternoon so I'll have to make sure I tarp off my Nordic Track before it hits. 

I've got about a week's worth of work with Matt, so that will still leave me another 2 weeks to work on the RV electrical troubleshooting and get some more catapults finished.

Back to work!

Kev

Matt and I worked late to get caught up, so I didn't get a chance to do the fridge repair yet, but I'll get to it this morning before going off to work with Matt again.

Tomorrow and the next day...might end up being a 3 day project...I'm going to gut the ceiling on a faire trailer (a newer fifth wheel that is never going to move again...they put a heavy plywood roof over it with tar paper, so now its just a park model) and one kitchen wall to get rid of the moldy water damaged stuff, then run any joists needed to have something to staple Luan up to (I'll use 1x2 firring strips), reinsulate it with styrofoam panels, and tack up the luan.  The faire is supplying the materials, and they don't even want the panels painted...just put em up and get rid of the wet moldy stuff.  In exchange, I get free camping this year, no fees for my workshop in the workshop building, and probably even free pet fees...woohoo!!!  And since that trailer is never being moved again, I don't have to take the cabinets down...just gotta work around them.  I have no doubt I can knock out the project in 2-3 days, then I can get back to work on my own stuff.  Sweet!

So in a bit here, after my first cup of coffee, I'll do the fridge repair with the epoxy, run to the market while the door sets a bit, come back and work out, then get back to work with Matt.

Kev

Got most of the cabinet work done with Matt today, so after a few hours tomorrow, I'll move on to demolishing the inside ceiling and one wall of the fifth wheel...and get an idea of what the faire needs to get for materials to make it a livable park model.

So now, its movie night with Patti!

Kev

So today its raining cats and dogs...but we'll still get the cabinets on site put in...then I'll start the ceiling demolition in the fifth wheel...which should make it easier to find the leak, eh?

The hot water heater control board is scheduled for delivery tomorrow, but the cover won't be here until Monday or Tuesday, so it looks like we'll be using the shower house for a few days...yuck!  They are nasty here on site, and the mosquitos are pretty bad this year. 

But the fridge door repair worked great!  Its back in use now, and works flawlessly...can't even see the repair...SWEET!  Gotta love Marine Tex epoxies!

Okay...more coffee, then back to work.  Gotta skip the Nordic Track this morning...raining so hard so the rain is bouncing into the porch, so I have to keep the tarp over the machine to keep it from getting wet.

Fortunately I got the pups outside and then back in the house just in time!

Kev

So what movie did you watch?  By the way, send some of that rain to the midwest.  We are so dry and HOT we don't even have to light the bar-b-que.  Just throw the meat on the sidewalk and turn over after 5 minutes.  I'm taking the two sons and the youngest son's wife and leaving Saturday for Oshkosh, WI.  Hopefully it will be a lot cooler up there.  We will be pulling the Jayco pop-up camper behind the Suburban. 

We watched Ghost Rider 2, which was horrible...and The Killer Elite, which was much better.  Have fun at the air show, Dan!  Wisconsin this time of year is a little cooler than where you are, and it rains more this time of year....but watch out for the mosquitos!  They are as big up there as some of the airplanes you'll be seeing!  Right now its a balmy 68 degrees outside, and still raining...

Kev

Got left behind again cause there wasn't any transition post on yer last thread :p. 

Was going to suggest taping the hinge bracket that was on the fridge itself that the door attached to and then adding a pivot fitting to the door so that it's simply held in place by a bolt tightened down through the top bracket (It's how the door on my old G.E. 2-way is installed). 

LOL Redneck...I figure the travel posts are all stacked on top of each other in the same place, so it would be easy to continue the thread.

Anyhow, the Marine Tex Rapid Set Epoxy is amazing stuff!  Even the thin layer left over on the paper plate I mixed it on was VERY hard to break...so I'm confident the repair will last longer than the rest of the fridge.  It worked so well, in fact, that I'm going to buy another pack of the stuff to leave in my emergency RV repair kit in case any of the other hinges break.

I THINK I have the whole day off today!  We are going to my wife's son's house for a BBQ this afternoon, and so she can hang out with her son and daughter in law and grandkids...so I'm still deciding whether or not I want to start the fifth wheel demolition project today...or just attack it tomorrow and take a day of rest today.  We worked on Matt's project yesterday and got it all done, but it was almost 5 pm before we finished, so I didn't see the point of starting the other project so late in the day. 

In either event, after my coffee is done I'll hop on the Nordic Track for 30 minutes, then shower and have breakfast...and then see what time it is and if I feel like getting started on that project or not.  A day off sounds pretty appealing right now!

The new Dinosaur Electronics ignitor board arrived for my water heater yesterday, but it won't fit in the old cover, so I have to wait for the new cover to get here before installing it...which should arrive Monday or Tuesday...so it looks like a couple more days of using the campground shower house...yuck!

Ah!  I know what I'll do today, which won't take too long, and I should be able to finish before going to the BBQ!  I'll set up the dog fence around the camp!  And I should also have time to finish setting up my workshop.  Yep...I love it when a plan comes together!

Kev 

I had time to get the dog fence set up completely, so that's done.  By then it was time to go to the BBQ, and good times were had by all.  Turns out that my cover for my water heater control board arrived yesterday, but the local post office doesn't deliver to the faire on weekends...so I'll get it all installed, and hopefully have hot water again, on Monday.

Today, is morning PT and whatnot of course, then I've got to get to work on the fifth wheel ceiling demo.  If I can get it all torn out today, I should be able to get the new ceiling in completely tomorrow.

Kev

Kevin, what part of n.y. are you in and what size tires do you use? I'm going to margretville near belaire mtn next tuesday, if your not far and my friend has any decent tires in your size i'll grab them and drop them off. He always has good tires laying around. he buys vehicles and scraps them and has to take off the tires or take 40. less on the scrap price. I've been at sea for the last 12 days so i'm not sure what he has.
I love your stories!
JT

Hey JT, we are over here in Tuxedo, NY, off of 17 A.  The tires are 19.5s, pretty standard on the Chevy P30 chassis. 

I got all the ceiling taken out yesterday of the site fifth wheel...and what a nasty job!  Aside from the wet wood and mold and wet fiberglass insulation, when I took down one panel, about a million black carpenter ants fell out and rained down all over me!  I didn't get bit, but they were crawling all over me and sent me running out of the RV, smacking at myself, and screaming like a little girl... :)rotflmao   Glad no one was around!

So after getting the ceiling out, it is obvious that the roof is still leaking in spots, so today's project is to seal the heck out of that roof, and get my platform for my show tent rebuilt...then tomorrow I'll install the new ceiling, and hopefully have time to set up my tent while I'm at it, and then finish setting up my workshop.

After my morning coffee and PT routine I'll get to work...and then sometime this afternoon I'll install the new ignitor board on our water heater...its going to be nice to have hot water again!

Kev

I see you were a Submariner.  You serve aboard nukes?  I was on Carriers my first 17 years in service.  Didn't always have hot water, so kinda got used to taking cold showers..  :(

CMM500

Yep CMM500...I'm a Bubblehead.  Served on nuke 688s and 688is.  Started as a QM, then someone in Washington thought is was a good idea to combine our rates with the ICs and call us ETs.  Mostly out of Groton, CT, although the last few years was out of Norfolk.

Kev

Got a lot done yesterday!  After my morning PT and whatnot, I checked the office mail for my Dinosaur Electronics circuit board cover...and was informed the mail doesn't arrive until after 4PM...grrrrr...ah well, I had lots of other stuff to do!

I spent several hours working on the faire-owned fifth wheel roof.  I had to use what they provided to seal the seams and fix the leak around the air conditioner...so 5 gallons of this nasty fibrous black tar roof cement later, all the seams were sealed, all the vents were sealed, and I'm pretty sure the air conditioner won't leak around its seal anymore either...although I'll find out this morning, since it rained like a son of a gun last night!  The faire had already "fixed" the roof of this thing by laying new plywood down over the existing roof, nailed it down, and covered it in tar paper, but it was still leaking.  Thus the reason I sealed all the seams of the tar paper, around the vents, etc.  I also had to bend back down the ladder feet and attach them to the roof with screws, then seal around those too.  The air conditioner was the tricky part, since the foam seal was LONG gone.  I ended up gooping all under the AC unit with the tar stuff, then tightened down the bolts, then smoothing out the tar on the inside.  On the outside, I made sure the drain holes were clear, then built a dam with more tar stuff to keep the huge puddle that forms around the AC...even with the new plywood the roof droops at the AC, so the puddle has a chance of overflowing the AC pan and leaking into the RV...from overflowing the pan, and made the dam in such a way that the water would flow off the side of the roof instead when the puddle got too big.  It SHOULD work, but like I said, I'll know this morning when I go check it out!

I then left my squirrel cage fan aimed at the inside ceiling around the AC running all night to dry it out...hopefully the leak is fixed now!

Once that was all done and I cleaned up from all the tar...had to use Goof Off to get it off my skin and tools...my regular hand cleaner Goop wouldn't work!...I borrowed a couple of crowbars from my buddy Matt and went to my site platform that someone had run over, and pryed up the damaged OSB boards and brought them to the dumpster, after removing all the nails from the framing. 

By then it was past 4pm, so I went to the office and my water heater circuit board cover was in!  I installed it and the new circuit board, and it fired right up....SWEET!  We have hot water again!

So today's projects include taking a trip down to Home Depot for 3 sheets of 3/4 OSB, or whatever thick plywood they have that is on sale and cheapest, picnic table type paint and roller and tray, and then bringing it back and nailing it all back down on our tent platform with a framing nailer...and then painting it all with a nice thick layer of the paint.  That paint dries pretty quick, so I'll be able to set up our pavilion tomorrow.  I'll also have to make a new corner piece for the platform and get that painted too today, since someone ran that over as well.

Then, if the faire got the materials on my list, I'll start reinstalling the new ceiling and insulation in the fifth wheel.  My friend Matt said I can use his awesome Festool saw and guide rail to cut the luan they want me to use for the ceiling, which is going to make the job way easier...that saw is amazing!  Then its all going to get stapled up with my air stapler, and if they got the materials for me, I should be able to finish the job in one day, since they don't even want it painted.  Hopefully the roof leaks are all gone!  If not, I'll have to get it to stop leaking first.

If the materials aren't here yet, or won't be until late afternoon which is likely, then I'll just set up my workshop instead today, and finish the trailer job tomorrow.  I've really got to tie up all my projects by Thursday or Friday so I can get some more catapults built by opening day.

So yep...gonna be busy!  Gotta get started after my morning coffee...first thing to do is go get my fan from the trailer so I can work out...which will also tell me if the ceiling leak is fixed...then have breakfast and a shower...then off to Home Depot.  Patti will probably want to come along too, so she can do some grocery shopping.

Down to 218 lbs so far...woohoo!

Kev

Kevin, the problematicness of the circuit boards was one of the reasons I went with a pilot light model waterheater when i replaced my tired old unit.

Yep Redneck, can't beat the reliability of the pilot light models.  That said, the original circuit board on this thing lasted 23 years...and the new Dino board has a 3 year warranty, which is outstanding for a circuit board.  Plus, Dinosaur Electronics addressed the problem that fried the original circuit board after 23 years...they added a spade fuse to the board...lol!  So we'll keep it a while longer...sure is convenient to just push a switch inside the rig and let it fire up!

So, much was accomplished yesterday.  After my morning routine I went down and checked on the fifth wheel I'm working on...no leaks!!! :)clap   And it rained a LOT the night before.  So that project is moving right along.  They didn't get the materials all in until late afternoon, so I worked on some other stuff instead.

I went down to Home Depot and bought 3 sheets of 3/4 thick OSB and some paint and a roller tray and whatnot, then dropped that stuff off where our tent platform is located at the faire...I had already pulled up the damaged plywood the day before and brought it to the dumpster...then went back to my workshop and grabbed the compressor and nail gun.  A couple of hours later, the deck is as good as new and painted.  Then I went back to my workshop and did some more set-up.

By now it was almost 4pm, so Patti and I went up to West Milford, NJ and did some grocery shopping at the Shop Rite grocery store, the best and cheapest place to get groceries around here.

Today's projects, after my morning coffee and PT and whatnot, is to go set up our pavilion tent on the platform, set up the tables and table covers, and turn the rest of setting up the tent over to Patti.  Then I get to go back to work on the fifth wheel.  I should be able to get all the luan cut and fitted in today...then take it all out and paint it with whatever color paint the faire has on hand.  Then tomorrow it will be a simple task to staple it all up with my air stapler, hook all the interior lights back up, hook up the air conditioner shroud, and be able to call that project DONE! 

That will then leave me a whole week to get the catapults built that I need to build for opening day.

Its all coming together!

Kev

The pavilion tent is up, the tables are set up, and I did an inventory of my stock...on the one hand, I have way more stock than I thought I did, so I won't have to build nearly as many catapults as I thought...on the other hand, that just shows you how crappy Kentucky was this year...I should have had WAY less stock on hand.  Ah well...that just means I can spend more time on the fifth wheel and do an even better job!

After setting up the tent yesterday, I did all my measurements in the fifth wheel for all the new ceiling panels and kitchen wall, then went down to the site maintenance building and started cutting them out with my friend Matt's Festool saw.  What an amazing saw!  Plunge cuts for the inside AC and vent cutouts, and a finished edge...it didn't even splinter the Luan!  Just a nice clean edge.  Hey, could one expect less from an 800.00 saw?  Speaking of luan, what the heck to they make that stuff out of?  Matt and I both were coughing and sneezing from the sawdust produced...it was like breathing in finely ground pepper...ick!

I quit working on it around 5PM, went back to the fifth wheel and set up my blower fan and a heater to dry out the interior even more, came back to camp and did a garbage run, dumped the black tank into the tote tank, and cleaned up the porch.  And was done for the day.

Exciting news though!  We might be getting a new Jeep!  The General Manager here has a 92 Wrangler, Sahara edition, in very good condition.  With only 63K original miles!  63K is NOTHING on an inline 6 4.0 Jeep motor and drivetrain!  The interior is perfect, the body is perfect, it has the hard top, its a 5 speed, new clutch, new tires, new brakes...and all he wants for it is 1500.00 bucks!  The only 2 things wrong with it is that being a northern car, there is some frame rust...mostly superficial, but 2 places have to be welded right away:  The rear shock mount, which broke off, and the front stabilizer bar mount, which also broke off...both from rust eating away at the steel and the welds.  I had a very close look at it, and there is plenty of steel left on the frame to reweld in the mounts, so it looks like we'll be on the road with a new Jeep for just 1500.00!  Also, his wife is crazy about Jeep Cherokees, so he might even trade it for the Cherokee, or take it towards the Wrangler.  We are both pretty excited!  He said he'd rather sell it to us cheap since he knows we take care of our vehicles and will take good care of his baby, which he bought new back in 92.  He also said he'll try to take care of the welding before making the deal with us.  But if not, I'm not half bad with a mig welder myself, and my buddy Matt, who owns a mig welder, is very good with it.

So exciting news for us!  Even if he doesn't want the Cherokee after all, I should be able to easily sell it for at least 1500.00 up here in the north...4x4s are in high demand up here in the mountainous snow country of New York!

Today I'll be working on the ceiling panels and wall panel some more, and it won't take me long to finish cutting them all out and painting them.  Which will allow the heater and fan another day to dry out the interior of the fifth wheel even more.  So a few more hours of work on the panels...then I'll have to let the paint dry overnight.  Which means I'll have plenty of time later this afternoon to finish setting up my workshop.  Tomorrow I'll install the painted panels and cut everything in, reinstall the lights and AC shroud and trim and whatnot, and lay a bead of white ALEX caulk around all the edges of the new panels to blend it all in and make it look nicer.  Saturday or Sunday...or maybe even both days...Patti and I are going to go visit her son and grandkids again, so I'll have all next week to build 2 trebuchets, 2 ballistas, 20 mousetrap catapistols, and 20 torsion catapistols...a very easy week for me when it comes to building catapults...lol!

Now, its finish the coffee, morning PT, breakfast, then back to work!

Kev

I finished cutting out all the ceiling panels yesterday for the site owned fifth wheel, and got them painted, so today I get to install them and call that project done.

I also completely set up my workshop, wiring and all, so I can get to work on the not-so-many catapults I have to build for opening day, which I'll get to work on after the weekend.

Had an incident in camp yesterday with Barnabas.  A brand new to the road guy was riding his bicycle while Patti was walking both dogs.  She choked up on their retractable leashes to less than 3 feet because she knew that Barnabas has this weird attraction to bikes after doing so much mountain biking with Daddy.  The guy, instead of keeping a wide berth (which anyone with common sense would do near big dogs he didn't know), came super close to Patti and the dogs, and Barnabas nipped at his calf.  Not an aggressive bite, no growl, no raised hackles...just a sheparding nip...and his tooth broke the skin.  It was a very minor puncture wound.  Patti brought him back to our camp and treated the wound with our very well equiped first aid kit (Patti was an EMT for years).  But this guy was inconsolable.  He was freaking out!  He kept saying we owed him some compensation for his "devastating and inconvenient" injury.  We offered to take him to the emergency room and pay for any out of pocket medical expenses, which he declined...and just kept rambling on and on about how much pain he was in, how broke he was, and how responsible pet owners would never let something like this happen.  Aside from the very minor nature of the wound, and aside from how it wasn't even an act of aggression on the part of Barnabas, how much more responsible does one have to be if their dog is on a 3 foot leash?  He kept saying he heard our dogs were aggressive and would eat him...from whom, I wonder, since everyone knows our big goofy friendly dogs?  I showed him Barnabas's shot records as well, which clearly show that we take good care of our pets, and that his rabies shots are up to date and not due until 2014.  He wanted a copy, so we told him there was a copy in file with the office.  Yep...this guy was using the incident to try to extort us out of money, which isn't going to happen.  Fortunately everyone knows our dogs and knows they aren't aggressive or mean.  We informed the office right away and filled out an incident report...hopefully that will mollify this newbee.  He seems like the type that wants any excuse to sue.

After this upsetting incident, we were then informed that there was a tornado watch...in the mountains of New York!  We watched the storm come in listening to the weather radio.  High winds, heavy rain, and a lightning strike no farther than a hundred yards from our camp...and then it was gone and it was just a thunder storm.

So after my morning coffee, PT, and breakfast, I'll go install the ceiling panels...and of course the lights and AC shroud and trim pieces.  It will take me a few hours to finish everything, but then at least I can call that project done!  I'm also going to use white Alex around the edges to really make it look nice and finished, since I'm not going to frame off the edges with moulding.

Another busy day!  But at least we'll have the weekend off!

Kev

So all the ceiling panels and new insulation is in in the fifth wheel, and I added some trim boards here and there to clean it up.  We were going to go to Patti's son's house today, but her back is out, so I'll do all the final finish work today...which includes wiring back in the lights and AC, the plastic vent trim, using ALEX around the edges, and possibly adding a few more trim boards...then the project will be called DONE, and we can get on with the catapults.  And our camping and workshop space fees will be paid in full...SWEET!

Matt, who is campground director and a good friend, and the GM of the faire, also a great guy, let the newbie that Barnabas nipped know that they are very familiar with Barnabas and know he's by no means a vicious dog...and hinted to him that in our world we take care of things in house and don't sue each other for minor things if one wants to stay a member of this community...we think he got the hint.

Anyhow, it looks like the buying of the Jeep Wrangler is definitely going to happen, although we are still waiting to hear back if he wants to trade the Cherokee towards it...its up to his wife who loves Jeep Cherokees, but his wife is also the assistant GM here and they are both super busy with getting the faire opened up, which opens next weekend...so she hasn't had a chance to look at the Cherokee yet.

I did find some great deals on the Quadratec website for these really neat frame repair panels...you simply grind off the old shock mount and steering stabilizer mount, and these U-channel type pieces simply slide over the old part of the frame and get welded in, complete with new shock and stabilizer mounts.  35 bucks for the rear shock mount, 120 for the front stabilizer mount.  Very affordable and made in the USA, and my buddy Matt has a welder and knows how to use it.  They also sell just about every possible part for damaged frames with the same relative ease of installation, so while we are working on it we'll make sure there aren't any other questionable areas of the frame that need attention and fix those as well.  Then the whole frame will slowly and meticulously get cleaned and coated with POR-15, which should permanently preserve it, especially since it will never see road salt or snow again.

Always wanted a Jeep Wrangler!  And its the really neat 92 version, Sahara edition...also happens to be the same year as the ones in Jurassic Park...lol!

So after my morning coffee, PT, shower and breakfast, its back to work on the final steps of getting the faire owned fifth wheel back into livable condition!

Kev

Sounds like this guy has done this sort of thing before.  It is amazing the energy that some people put into scams and not into finding and keeping a real job.  My experience is that dogs are okay but some people should be muzzled and leashed.

Had a much closer look at the Jeep Wrangler today, and its a good prognosis!  Firstly, the majority of the frame is solid...some surface rust, but nothing glaring or needing immediate attention, although the POR-15 treatment will commence as soon as its mine...a little at a time until its done.  Its the LOWER rear shock mount that is broken on the passenger's side...a very quick and easy fix with a 6 dollar weld-on part...welds right to the rear axle.  And its the sway bar bracket that is broken in the front...right where it meets the leave spring plate.  Its actually integral to the leaf spring plate, and its a 20 dollar bolt on part.  SWEET!  Not sure if I should tell the owner...I really want him to sell it to me, not fix it himself...lol!

The trailer repairs held up well today in the heavy rain, although there was some rain splash through 2 roof vents, but nothing to do with the seal.  The AC is problematic though...it drips, but not because of the roof seal...the puddle gets so deep in the heavy rain that it overruns the pan and drips inside, even with the makeshift shroud I put over it this morning.  I guess we'll have to run a tarp and braces over that part of the roof to keep the puddle from forming, since that is the only fast fix we have time for...gotta start building catapults Monday!

Since they were cleaning and painting in the fifth wheel today, I did the AC shroud and then looked at the Jeep, and that was pretty much it.  Tomorrow I'll run the beads of ALEX, install the lights and hook the AC back up, and do the final finish work...and if its not raining, I'll get a tarp up there to keep the rain from making that puddle.

Okay...time for a relaxing evening.

Kev

We watched Jurassic Park last night...hey, I wanted to see the 92 Jeep Wranglers...lol!  Then we watched the 3rd one...we still haven't found the 2nd one yet in the 5 dollar bin at Walmart.  Still good movies and good special effects even after all these years.

And I had an idea to fix that pesky roof sag problem which causes the big puddle on the fifth wheel that eventually overspills the AC pan.  Since the thing is never going to move again, I had a crazy idea.  Why not fill the depression in the roof with sand?  It would displace the water before it could overflow the pan on the AC, causing it to drain off the roof first before it could get deep enough.  Its a stupid fix, but its a clean fix for a non moving park model, especially since they need if fixed up quick, and it won't look as bad, at least from the ground, as a tarp...lol!  I think it will work!  Hey, I wasn't the one who put a new roof over the old roof...I would have beefed it up around the AC to prevent the sag in the first place...I'm just fixing their mess-up on a tight time frame and skeleton budget.

So today I'll present that idea to Matt, then do it.  Then get the lights and AC back up and running, maybe do some ALEX, and that is all the time I'll have for that project...which really did come out pretty nice.

First, of course, is my morning coffee, morning PT, breakfast, shower, then off to work!

Kev

Okay...my sand on the roof experiment was an abismal failure... D:oH! The pan of the AC sits too low, so the sand just made it leak even worse...MUCH worse.  Ah well.  I'll make the time today to pull the air conditioner and fix it right...meaning, I'll make a 2 inch high 14x14 frame, and screw it to the top of the opening with sealant...then mount the AC to the new raised section using longer AC bolts.  Already sent in a request to the faire for the parts, so if they are in today I'll get it done.  In any event, I have to start working on my catapults, so I'll be multitasking it this week for sure!

So after my morning coffee, PT, etc., I'll go sweep the sand off the roof and see if the parts are in.  If not, then I'll go out and get my catapult materials and get started on those, and then as soon as the parts for the site trailer are here I'll take a break from the catapults and get cracking on the permanent AC leak fix.

Just 5 more days until the faire opens...SWEET!

Kev

What's the outer roof skinned with on this trailer? 

If it's aluminum, remove the A/C and it's base plate, and then shim the aluminum roof skin up underneath to change the roof pitch near it so that it slopes away and then reinstall the baseplate and A/C. 

Wouldn't work with this beast, Redneck...they kids that reroofed it just layed new plywood over the old roof and screwed it down and covered it in tar paper...but the plywood they used was thin enough that it also has the same sag the old roof did.

I ended up making a pressure treated frame and reframed the AC opening, raising it 2 inches.  I used sealant under the frame, and since the AC seal is shot, I used a very thick layer of putty tape on top of the frame as the new AC seal.  For longer bolts I had to use threaded rod and nuts and washers, and cut them off with a grinder when done.

All the lights and plastic vent trim are up in the trailer, but I didn't hook up the wiring to the AC yet...I want to make sure it doesn't leak first.  It was supposed to rain last night, but it didn't...so at some point today I'll have to get up on the roof again with a hose and do a leak test that way. 

But now I have to concentrate on getting some more catapults built for opening day.  So after my coffee and morning PT and whatnot, I have to run down to Home Depot for some materials and get cracking!

Kev

So I got all the materials, and then made a dent in the catapults.  But while I was out, I stopped at the Verizon store.  Now anyone who knows me and how much I hate carrying or using a phone, is going to laugh at this.  But now, for the first time in YEARS, I now have my own phone too!  An extra 20 bucks a month, but they added another gig of data to my plan as well for that same plan...so yep, now Patti can get a hold of me in an emergency, and vice versa.  Yeah, I guess it was about time.

So now I have to compose my Craigslist ad for the Jeep Cherokee I'm selling, then we're having lobstah for dinnah!  Big sales around here on them!

Kev

Up bright and early this morning!  Had 2 calls right after posting the Cherokee on Craigslist and am meeting the first caller at the local Home Depot at 8pm.  They both seem really interested, so lets hope the first guy takes it so I can just keep plugging away on my catapults!

Kev

The Cherokee is sold!  And it worked out perfectly...he gave me half down, and will come and pick it up on Wednesday next week and give me the other half when we do the title transfer and whatnot.  The guy I'm buying the Wrangler from wants to finalize that transaction on Monday, so if I overnight the title and whatnot to Florida on Monday, we should be able to have it all registered and legal by Wednesday...SWEET!  I love it when a plan comes together!

So while the guys were looking at the Cherokee last night at the faire office, Vince (the GM of the faire I'm buying the Wrangler from) and I looked over the Wrangler a lot more closely, and its in way better shape then I thought it was...most of the frame rust is surface rust, not rust from the inside out.  And he told me its history.  Vince is the second owner.  It was bought new in 1992 by an older gentleman who lived on the island of Nantucket and never left that island for years...thus the low mileage.  The original owner died, and his wife couldn't seem to part with the Jeep, so it sat in a car port on Nantucket for several more years.  She's a distant relative of Vince, so finally she asked him if he wanted to buy it, and he jumped on the opportunity.  Most of the miles that are on the Jeep are those that Vince put on it commuting.  Glad he's selling it to me! 

Anyhow, enough about my new awesome Jeep! 

I made a HUGE dent in the catapults yesterday, so today I just have to finish them up and stain them, and build 2 trebuchets and 2 ballistas and get those stained as well.  It will probably be a late night, but that will give us most of tomorrow off before opening day.  Patti also insisted I re-stain all the catapults we already have built, so I did most of them last night, and will re-stain the rest of them tonight. 

Its all coming together for an awesome opening weekend!!!

Kev

All the catapults are done!  And all the older ones are restained...SWEET!  Patti is going to bring them up to the booth and set it all up later today...so after my morning coffee and whatnot I have to drive down to Lowes and rent the Green Machine rug shampooer again...Sheba had an accident twice in a row and the carpets need serious attention.  So while I'm doing the carpet, she's going to go set up the booth.  Then later we'll go out and get copious amounts of marshmallows for the weekend and stuff for dinner.  Also have to lay out our costumes and whatnot as well.

I'm going to go ahead and order the lower shock mount and leaf spring plate for the Jeep today as well, so that it will hopefully get here quickly and I can fix those safety issues with the Wrangler right away.

Patti and I were also talking about a composting toilet, after someone else mentioned one in their post.  I went to the Nature's Head website, and they sound ideal for us fulltimers who love boondocking!  875.00 bucks, but if you think about how much we spend having our tanks dumped out at shows, just 2 shows and the toilet will pay for itself.  And they aren't huge and attrocious anymore...lol!  They look pretty much just like a toilet.  I did a lot of research and read a lot of user reviews, and everyone that uses them loves them and say they work perfectly.  For 2 adults, you only have to dump out the tub, which since its composted with peat moss smells like dirt, once a month.   You just dump it into a kitchen size garbage bag and take it to the dumpster!  It separates the urine into a separate bottle which you have to dump every few days, but that is easy enough.   In fact, the only user complaints at all were from us guys, who with the composting toilet have to sit down to do our business...which of course my wifey thinks is a great idea, since it will eliminate the "misses" and keep her bathroom a lot cleaner...lol! 

What this will then allow me to do, after sealing off the flange hole in the black water tank and installing the new composting toilet, is to replumb the black tank and connect it to the grey tank, pretty much doubling our grey water capacity.  And since we travel even lighter now and have a lot more room in our compartments for stuff, we are thinking about adding another freshwater tank, under the storage area under the bed...probably about a 100 gallon tank...which will have a standard filler breaching the hull in the back, then a water line to a valve that goes to the water pump.  Much of the year this tank would sit empty and we'd only use the main freshwater tank...but when we are on vacation in the winter, and now in the summers too, and we are boondocking out in the desert or national parks or where ever, we can fill this tank as well and have PLENTY of water for our boondocking trips, and way more grey water capacity!

So 2 more batteries in the battery compartment, about 400 watts of solar on a frame I designed so I can tilt it in 4 directions, and a good charge controller, and we'll be ready to go!  Anywhere!  For extended periods of time!  Also considering a whole house inverter at that point...not to run the AC of course, but to run the other stuff like the outlets, and maybe even the microwave for a few minutes without having to run the genny.  Just gotta figure out which one to get.  I don't want one with a battery charger, since the converter already does a fine job of that.  And figure out how it would work in conjunction with the converter...I'm guessing that if I'm parked and boondocking, then the smart thing to do would be to unplug the converter from the wall outlet before turning on the whole house inverter....which is easy enough to do since all we have to do is open a cabinet door to reach the plug.  Then, if we do have the run the genny, simply turn off the inverter and plug the converter back in.  Also thinking it would be more efficient to run the fridge off of propane when boondocking like this, so its fortunate our fridge has a select switch so you can run it off of propane even if its receiving AC power.

Plans are coming together!  And I love it when a plan comes together!

I've decided to tackle the front end RV mechanical problems here in New York, and wait until North Carolina to address the fuel pump and strainer issues in the fuel tank...if I even have to after doing every thing up front.  I'm installing a new mechanical fuel pump, new water pump, new fan clutch, and new hoses (there is a coolant leak from somewhere, and you can see the coolant dripping from somewhere behind the radiator on the driver's side....I'm guessing a hose...hope its not the radiator, but at least you can get them readily for the P30 chassis!)...we ran WAY hot on the way here, not enough to blow a head gasket or do engine damage, but enough so that the engine compartment and carburetor were running hotter than I've ever seen them...could very well be that the carburetor was perculating the gasoline and that is what was causing our "no fuel" symptoms with half a tank of gas...the more I think about it, the more this seems possible.  We'd stop in a gas station and turn off the engine...fill it up, get coffee and whatnot, take the dogs out, etc., so effectively we were letting the engine cool down for about an hour at each stop...then drive on...and then we hit the rain storms and were running in cooler temps.  Also going to replace the fuel filters again.  As far as the electrical issues go, I'll check all the wiring before we leave, fix the headlamp plug, and check all the grounds.  Also going to either have a local auto electric shop rebuild my alternator (its aftermarket high output, so if it can be rebuilt, I'll know I have the right alternator with the right pulley and right pulley and bracket alignment), or else get a new high output alternator...and since it has an external voltage regulator, I'll get a new one of those as well.  Also have to have 2 new 19.5 Michelin tires installed on the rim with the blown-out tire, and on the bad spare tire rim...then put the brand new tires on the front, and the two good front tires in the back, one on the trailing axle and one in the spare tire compartment.

If I'm still having fuel delivery issues in Carolina, THEN I'll drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel pump and strainer sock and clean out the fuel tank...maybe even give it the POR15 treatment.

Okay, enough rambling...still have some stuff to do to get ready for opening weekend, and a carpet to clean!

Kev

Another option would be a cassette toilet if you wanted to still do the conversion, but couldn't get the composter for some reason.   It too would have a removable tank that you'd simply take over to the bathroom ever few days and dump down the john.  :).

Kev,
i don't know if this would be an option for you but this year i replaced the peewee inline fuel filter on my Winnie with a marine filter. It's a spin on filter that looks like an oil filter, the mount is cast aluminum with 2 inlets and 2 outlets. The complete unit with filter was $30 at Gander Mountain and replacement filters are $10. I went with this for a number of reasons... way bigger filtering capacity, water separator, easier to change out. So far it seems ok.  This may save you a little maintenance and fuel headaches .


john

The cassette toilets are way too small...and annoying...for our needs...we are definitely going with a Nature's Head composting toilet.  As far as the fuel filter goes, we'll see.  Finding a place to put a big screw on filter is the biggest issue.  The inline fuel filter on our rig is decent sized, the large metal canister type, and then there is another in the carburetor itself.

So today is the opening day of the New York Renaissance Faire!  Our booth is completely set up and stocked with marshmallow ammo, and the weather looks like its going to be warm but nice! 

I found time to wire in the AC unit yesterday as well in the site owned trailer, so that project is completely done. 

We should do very well this weekend...woohoo!!!  This show and Arizona are our 2 best shows of the year, and its the shows that finance our rig repairs and improvements so we can have better and better boondocking adventures. 

So now its coffee time and wake up time...maybe a morning workout if I have enough time...and then after a shower, it will be time to put on a kilt and a funny accent, and go make some money!

Kev

Oh good, so I am not the only one here who sports a Kilt, Sporran, Ghillie Brogues, a bagpipe and Balmoral!  (The Sgien Dubh was stolen years ago)...


CMM500
PS, yes I really do wear all that but you will never see me in a Bonny Prince Charles outfit...   Ever... Ye Ken?

LOL!  I wear the modern kilt...way easier to wear then the great kilt, even though its not quite historically accurate for the Renaissance period.

Yesterday was HOT for New York, but we still did pretty well.  A bad day in New York is better than the best 2 whole weekends in Kentucky!  Very humid.

Supposed to be more of the same weather today, but about 5 degrees cooler with a breeze, so hopefully we'll rock it out!

Got all the Jeep paperwork printed out, so if Vince remembers to bring the title today, I'll get the Florida VIN inspection done by one of the police officers on site at some point today...otherwise we'll just do it all tomorrow when I give him the money and we fill out all the forms.

Coffee time!

Kev

We had a craptastic day yesterday...hands down our worst day every at the New York faire.  Still better than Kentucky though...lol!  New Yorkers will come out in the rain, hail, even the snow...but they really really don't like the heat.  Ah well.  We made enough to get the new Jeep and pay for the registration and whatnot...just won't be a heck of a lot left over so I won't be making a lot of parts this week as was my original plan.  In fact, I'll only be making a few poplar trebuchets and about 50 Bandit catapults, and that is pretty much it.

At least I already ordered the parts for the Jeep, so they should be here today.  Vince is getting his used truck tomorrow, so I'll be able to take possession of the new Jeep tomorrow, but hopefully we can fill out some of the forms today so I can get the registration stuff mailed out. 

Not going to do much besides that today.  I'll probably go ahead and pull our stuff out of the Cherokee today, including the tow bar brackets, break away switch, and of course the antenna cactus.  I'll leave my emergency tools in it though until Wednesday, when the guy who bought it is going to pick it up and give us the rest of the money.

So to be on the safe side, in case it takes Florida a while with the vehicle registration (which it never does...they have the most efficient DMV system in the country), Patti and I will go grocery shopping tomorrow in the Cherokee, and pick up the pine boards I need for the catapults.  That will also give me time to install the new parts on the Wrangler before driving it much.

Going to be a light and easy week!  Since I never sit still at this show, even when I don't have to build much stock, I'll also more than likely get going on troubleshooting the RV coolant leak and some of the wiring issues.

Kev

Got a lot done yesterday even though it was a pretty light day.

I pulled everything from the Cherokee that is going with it, then dumped our black tank in the tote and brought it to where it can be dumped on site.  Did it twice since the tote is smaller than the black capacity.  Made a garbage run, then went up to the office.

The parts were in...SWEET!...and I payed Vince 900 bucks towards the Jeep.  I'll give him the last 600 bucks tomorrow when they pick up the Cherokee and give me the last 600 they owe me.  Then it will be mine!  I also crawled under the Wrangler some more and sprayed down the bolts with PB Blaster so changing out the parts will be a lot easier.  Vince was on his way out when I caught up to him, so we'll do all the paperwork today so I can get all the forms mailed out overnight to Florida for the registration.

After all that I went to the market and bought all the groceries for the week, then stopped by the tobacco shop in Jersey and got enough for the week as well.

After filling out all the forms today, I'll go to the workshop and cut out all the parts from stock I have on hand for the catapults, then make a run to Home Depot and get the last few things I'll need to complete the catapults.  Which will basically only be a sanding belt, stain, and some pine boards.

First my morning coffee, then I'll call the Florida Tax Collector's office we always use for DMV stuff and get a total price for transfering the registration, and make sure I have all the forms I need filled out, and see that whatever else they need is in the envelope.  If I remember correctly, they need a copy of our driver's licences as well.

I'll have to keep my phone on me all day as well, since Vince said he'll call me when he has time today to do all the paperwork.

Its all coming together!

Kev

Yesterday was a pretty light day physically, but that is the most paperwork I've done at one time in years!

All kinds of DMV forms, both to buy the new Jeep and sell the old one, but I got it all done!

Then I got a call around noon from the guys who bought my old Cherokee, and they wanted to pick it up last night and pay me the rest of the cash.  So I ran down to Home Depot and got all the materials we'd need for the week, then stopped by the local post office and bought 2 priority mail envelopes for the DMV transaction with Florida.  There wasn't any point at this point in overnight mailing anything, since Vince needs the Jeep until Thursday when he gets his new truck.  He's actually getting it today at some point, but its his only day off in over 2 months and he has to go deal with NY DMV...yikes!  He MIGHT have time to drop the Wrangler off to me sometime today, but I told him it wasn't critical and that he could just drop it off to me on Thursday if necessary.

Finally around 4pm Vince had a few spare minutes and gave me the title so I could finish filling out the paperwork.  That is when he told me about the delay...mostly because the guy he's buying the truck from won't take a check, not even a cashier's check, from the Minnesota credit union Vince belongs to.  So Vince has to write a check to the faire today, who will then go cash it at Chase bank and give him the money for his new truck.  So anyhow, we are sans vehicle for a day or so.  But I planned for it and we are fully stocked on groceries, tobacco, and materials for the week. 

Around 8pm, the guys showed up with a trailer and I drove the Cherokee up on it.  I gave them some free tickets for the faire as well.  We filled out the paperwork, they gave me the cash, I waved goodbye to the Cherokee, and then finished my transaction with Vince, who was STILL at the office working!  The life of the GM! 

The title is in his wife's name, but she had already left for the evening...but working still...she had to go to a renfaire promotion at some local ballgame...some team called the Mets or something like that...lol!

They are both off tomorrow, so I can't get the title signed until Thursday when they bring the Jeep to me...unless by some miracle they have time to do it today, but I doubt it.

After all of that was done, I called my insurance agent and had my insurance, full coverage, transferred over to the Wrangler then printed out the insurance cards so Florida would have a copy, and put them in the envelope as well.

Then, once I have possession of the new Jeep and Vince's wife signs everything, I have to call the local police and get an officer to sign a Florida DMV form confirming the odometer reading and verify that the VIN on the Jeep matches the VIN on the title, which it does. 

That could take until Friday, so I didn't see the point of spending money on an overnight mail envelope since the DMV office is closed on the weekend.  Priority mail will get it there around Monday, which works for us.  At which point they will call us and ask for our debit card number, and the Jeep will be legal!  And titled to us!

So today and tomorrow I'll work on and finish my catapult run for the week...50 Bandit catapults and 4 trebuchets...a very light run after the slow weekend.  That will leave me all of Friday to replace the front leaf spring plate on the passenger side of the Jeep and reconnect the stabilizer bar, cut out 2 small support pieces to weld onto the rear axle for the new shock mount and get the rear shock remounted, and just go over the Jeep and check all the fluids, lights, wires, etc.  At some point I'll also get a ride up to the post office from a friend and mail out the forms so I can get delivery confirmation on them and be able to track them.

Now I'm going to finish up my coffee and get to work!

Kev

So today is the big day when I SHOULD be getting my Wrangler YJ, as long as everything went well with Vince getting his truck.  I didn't get any phone calls, so I'm assuming all went well.  I'll go up to the office around noon and see!  At the very least I'll get his wifey to sign the title and other forms so I can get them mailed out.

I knocked out all the parts for all the catapults.  Everything is planed, cut out, drilled, and sanded.  That took me until about 6pm.  That is the hard part.  I can have them all assembled in about 4 hours and then stain them this evening.

My friend Shane is the blacksmith here and makes knives, so once I draw him up a template, he'll cut me out 2 small pieces of scrap steel and grind them to shape to fit the shock mount bracket on the Jeep to reinforce it, and my buddy Matt is going to weld them on.  I really should learn how to weld, although I'm not bad with a stick welder.

So I'm going to work on the catapults first thing this morning, then take a break and walk up to the office with the paperwork...and hopefully drive the Jeep back.  Then I'll finish the assembly of the catapults.  After that, I'll make the template pieces out of cardboard and bring them to Shane, and see Matt about the welding, which hopefully I can get him to do either today or tomorrow.

Later this evening I'll stain all the catapults, which will leave me all day tomorrow to work on the Jeep and find a ride up to the post office...I was going to use the faire outbox, but I REALLY want delivery confirmation and tracking numbers on the envelope since it will have the title to my new Jeep in it.  Always makes me nervous every time I mail out important documents!

As of this morning, I've lost 51 lbs so far between the Atkins diet and exercise.  It really does work!

Kev

Quote from: ClydesdaleKevin on August 09, 2012, 08:25 AM

As of this morning, I've lost 51 lbs so far between the Atkins diet and exercise.  It really does work!

Kev

Congrats! :)clap

I have been checking Craigslist for an older Nordic Track the last month or so. Have not found one close enough yet as running on the treadmill has been bothering my knees enough that I have to take a break from it.

Just keep on looking...the Nordic Track is very easy on the knees and spine.  You can find some sweet deals on them on Ebay as well...just try to find an older one from the mid 90s or older.  The newer ones are made in China and are crappy.

It took a lot of effort and several trips on foot back and forth, but I finally have the Jeep!  By the time everything was signed and a police officer verified the VIN form for Florida DMV, it was 4:30pm.  My buddy Shane the blacksmith let me borrow his truck, and I made it to the post office just in time before they closed.  I have the delivery/confirmation stub, and it should arrive on Monday, which means the Jeep will be totally legal on Monday...SWEET!

Shane made the parts for me, including a patch piece for the small hole that Matt blew through the axle housing on the Jeep last time he tried to weld the plate on when it still belonged to Vince.

Which is why this morning I'm having another buddy of mine, Todd, do the welding using Matt's welder...lol!  He's way better at it.  Then I'm going to attempt to remove the bad front leaf spring plate without breaking the U bolts...hope the PB Blaster did its job!

Then the last thing I'll try to get done today on the Jeep is make a rear tailpipe holder, since the one on the frame is rusted off and the coat hanger trick Vince put on there rattles a bit.

We drove it all over site yesterday, and even with the broken shock mount and disconnected stabilizer bar, she stills rides smoother than the Cherokee did...SWEET!

Also got all the catapults built and stained yesterday, so sometime today I have to bring them to the booth, add the rubber bands and slings and set them all up on the tables, and we'll be all ready for the weekend.

Gonna be a fun mechanical day today...hopefully the faire will let me work on it in the maintenance building, since its supposed to rain hard off and on all day.

Kev

It sure is a nice change to have a well lit garage to work in, especially in the heavy rains we got yesterday!

Its also nice to have had the use of my friend Matt's impact driver and impact socket set.

We had the whole Jeep repair job done in about 4 hours.  First I used a wire wheel and got rid of all the rust around where we would be welding.  Todd ground off the shock bracket plate that Matt had welded on the rear axle months ago when it belonged to Vince...Todd didn't trust it since the weld was so bad and spotty.  Then he welded it back on with a flux wire feed welder, and since there was already a hole in it for the new bolt on shock bracket, he welded it upside down so we wouldn't have to drill anything.  After he ground down the new welds so they were flat, he welded in the side support piece I had my blacksmith buddy make.  And as luck would have it, the weld covered and filled in the minor hole that Matt had burned in the axle when he attempted the repair, so no more gear oil leak, and we didn't have to use the patch piece...SWEET!

Then we bolted the new shock bracket to the newly welded mount, bolted on the shock, and that part was finished!  Todds a decent welder, and I'll have to say the new shock mount is probably way stronger than stock.

Now it was time to replace the front leaf spring plate with the built in stabilizer bar mount.  I thought ahead, and placed a jack under the leaf spring first and raised it up enough to keep the leaf spring from moving on the front axle.  Out came the impact driver, and the nuts came right off no problem...I really need to get me one of those, along with a good set of impact sockets!  Granted I soaked them for 3 days in PB Blaster, but I couldn't get them to move with my breaker bar and was afraid I'd break the old U bolts.  Sure enough, the impact driver took them right off without a problem.  So the old plate was off, and we put on the new plate and tightened it down.  Then realized we couldn't get the impact driver on the lower bolt that broke off the old plate that was still in the lower part of the drop link that attaches to the sway bar.  So we had to loosen up the bolts on the sway bar, which let us swing the drop link out enough to get the impact driver on it.  VROOM, and it was out!  The rubber was still good, so we tightened back the bolts on the sway bar, and ran into another problem.  There was not enough play in the drop link to get it on the new spring plate mount!  And there was no way to get to the upper drop link castle nut without removing the sway bar completely.  SOLUTION!  We put the jack back under the leaf spring, removed the nuts again on the plate with the impact driver, put the drop link eye over the mount bolt, put the nut on loosely so we'd have some play, lined the plate back up with the U bolts, and put the nuts back on.  VROOM!...all tightened down!  Then we used a wrench to tighten the lower drop link nut, and the front repair was finished! 

At this point Todd had to go shower and rehearse...he's a jouster here at the faire and they rehearse rain or shine...so he helped me clean up and then left for the day.  Vince had just had a brand new complete exhaust put on the Jeep, but the very rear tail pipe mount was rusted off the frame, and where it lines up the metal is too rusty to get a weld or even bolt anything to.  Vince just coathangered it, and it rattled.  My temporary solution?  I put a big stainless steel hose clamp around the frame with a small stainless hose clamp threaded onto it.  Then tightened down the big hose clamp.  There is a metal bar for a hanger on the tailpipe, so a medium size hose clamp went around this and through the small hose clamp.  I tightened that down until the tailpipe was just where it should be, and the small hose clamp acts like a spring...and it works!  No more rattle!  A very temporary solution though.  The holes rusted through in the rear frame need to be fixed before they get worse.  Auto Rust makes a product they call a Safe-T-Cap, which is basically a prefabbed steel channel that goes over the rusted part of the frame and gets welded in place, complete with the exhaust mount.  Both sides need to have this repair, so I'll be buying them shortly and Todd will weld them into place for me.  Then I'll clean up and POR-15 that part of the frame and it will be a permanent repair.  There are only 2 other holes in the frame, and the rest of the rust is all surface rust.  Those holes are just in front of the front axle rubber timbren bumpers, so I'll get the kit for that too and have that welded in, and then POR-15 it.

Actually, I'll be using POR-15 extensively under the Jeep...the entire frame, the axles, the skid plates, everything that is rusty or might rust in the future, so this will be an ongoing project a little at a time as I have the time.  The pan itself is spotless, so I might leave it alone, or I might undercoat it...haven't decided yet.

Lastly on the Jeep, I tucked the wiring harness back up under the dash and zip tied it in place.  There was a short in the steering column wiring when Vince owned the Jeep so Vince brought it to a Jeep dealer and had it fixed.  They fixed the wiring just fine, but they left a mess under the dash and didn't even bother to try to make it look nice...a whole nest of wires and plugs and relays were just hanging there!  And they charged him 600 bucks!  Geesh!  It took me all of 5 minutes to clean it up and zip tie it all. 

Then it was test drive time!  She runs nice!  64K on the 4.0 I6 is barely broken in!  Steering is tight, power steering works great, and with everything repaired, she doesn't sway anymore and bounce around...well, no more than she's supposed to...it is a Jeep Wrangler after all!  The transmission shifts smooth as silk...Vince just had a new clutch put in so that is one less thing I'll have to worry about for a while!  The Command Track 4x4 works perfectly as well.  He also just had the brakes done...although I'll check the work...and all new brake lines throughout, and they were nicely done, routed the way they are supposed to be, nice and neat.  Brand new Interstate battery as well, although I did have to clean up the terminals...whoever installed it didn't even bother to clean the terminals first.

While not quite legal yet until Monday, I took it on a road test down back roads, since I needed a bag of ice anyway.  What a nice riding and nice running Jeep!  The last section of road on the way back to faire is 55mph, so I opened it up, and no death rattle or any steering problems at all at speed.  SWEET!

So back on faire site, and it was time to do some faire stuff.  I picked up the stained catapults and trebuchets from the workshop and brought them up to our pavilion tent.  Then made the slings for the trebuchets and put them on, then put the rubber bands on all the Bandit catapults and set up the tables for the weekend.

When I got home from all this and was ready for a shower, I had a very pleasant surprise!  Last week I had helped out an elderly gentleman and replaced the valve in his RV toilet...when he asked me how much I owed him, I wouldn't take a dime...just helping out an older neighbor and all.  I came back to the RV and, wrapped in a foil wrapper with a bow, was a bottle of Jim Beam!  SWEET!  And very thoughtful.  So after my shower I did indeed relax with a few drinks before retiring to bed with Patti to watch a movie...and fell asleep exhausted.  Woke up before the alarm clock this morning so I have plenty of coffee time, which is always nice on a faire morning!

So the booth is all set up, I'm already showered, and hopefully we'll have good weather today and huge crowds!  And because its so early, I don't even have to be in a hurry.

Tomorrow they are predicting outstanding weather.

Monday I'll change the oil and filter in the Jeep, replace the one marker bulb that is out, wash and wax her, vacuum out the interior and Armor-All everything, check the differential oils and transfer case fluid, and grease all the fittings.  I'll probably also get the tow bar brackets installed on the front bumper and wire in the break away switch.  The antenna cactus is already in place!  Then I'll run out and get my materials for next week's run of catapults so I can cut out all the parts on Tuesday.  Florida DMV will have all the paperwork by Monday morning, so after they call me for my debit card numbers, the Jeep will be all legal.

I wanted to post a couple of pictures of the new Jeep, but I couldn't figure out how to transfer the pics from my phone to the computer, even with the data cable.  The computer recognizes the phone as an Ipod, but doesn't see any pics on it....ah well, I'll get some pics this week with the digital camera and post them.

Okay, off to surf the net for a while before I have to get ready for work!

Kev

Had a decent day yesterday...SWEET!  Not a typical SUPER busy day for NY, but not bad considering the weather forecasters were predicting doom and gloom all day...turned out to be a nice day with mild weather.

Should be a very busy day today, since its going to be cooler with less humidity, and the weather idiots have been saying its going to be nice all week.

Checked the USPS tracking numbers on my registration this morning, and it has been delivered to the Florida DMV tax collector office yesterday...closed on the weekend, but Monday morning I should be getting a call and the Jeep will be all legal.

Time to dress in funny clothes, and let the marshmallows fly!

Kev

Had an awesome day yesterday...SWEET!  It was so busy that our numbers for the weekend were great!

This morning I have to run up to Napa and get the front shocks for the Jeep (after I spray the shock bolts down with some PB Blaster), then get back to camp and install them.  Also going to change the oil on the Jeep today, check the air filter and replace if necessary, grease all the fittings, and check the fluids in the axles, transfer case, and transmission.  Later this evening I'll order the rear tire cover...the original stock one.  The one on it right now is black and torn and ratty.  The original matches the colors and has the Sahara Edition logo emblazed on it.

Also have to make a bank deposit, and go get materials at Lowes and Home Depot for this week's run of catapults.  Going to be a very busy production week!  Going to have to make a LOT of catapults for next weekend!

Once all the bills are paid and materials and groceries and whatnot are gotten for the week, we'll see what we have left over for RV projects.  Probably not a heck of a lot, but we'll get at least one of the things we need for the RV and install it.  I'm thinking I'll finish the plumbing system for the washer/dryer this week and then get Patti her Splendide next week and install it for her.  Either I'm going to install a small holding tank above the battery compartment, or if I'm lucky I can run a drain pipe all the way from there to the rear of the coach at a slight downward angle and tie it into the coach holding tanks, which would be ideal.

Also have to look up the paint codes for the Jeep...gotta do some touch up in a couple of spots.

Going to be a very busy beaver!

Kev

Got the new front shocks on the Jeep and changed the oil and greased all the fittings.  Checked the rear diff, which was fine, the transfer case, which was a little bit low, and the front diff, which was VERY low.  Took a whole quart to top off the front, and even that didn't bring it up to where it was leaking out the filler hole, although it was close.  Gonna have to keep an eye on the front axle and determine where its leaking from and fix it.  Right now its really hard to tell since its old grease and dirt all over it...hopefully I'll be able to see where the leak is now that its filled with fresh gear oil.

Also ordered the tire cover and touch up paint. 

And its finally legal!  As of 4:30pm last night.  That is when they finally called us and processed the registration. 

Then I took Patti down to the store to get makeup and whatnot, then a little grocery shopping, then home. 

By then in was dark, so this morning I'll run out and get materials, then get back and cut everything out. 

The Jeep really has a nice ride now!  Probably going to change out the steering damper shock soon though.

Kev

Just as planned, I went out to get materials yesterday morning, but took a sidetrack to a local full service car wash since they were running a special.  28 bucks to wash the Jeep, and vacuum out the carpets, clean all the seats and vinyl and dashboard, all the windows, and the tires and whatnot.  It was quick and I knew I wouldn't have time the rest of the week to mess with it.

So I got all the materials I needed and carefully loaded them into the now clean Jeep and headed home.  Then carefully offloaded everything into the workshop.  It was around noon when I got back, so I figured I'd take a few minutes to Armor-All everything in the Jeep, and that is when my friend Matt came up and noticed the rear shock mount had broken loose again.  Apparently you just can't get a penetrating weld on thicker steel with a 110 volt gasless wirefeed welder!  Since Patti needs the car today, I had to go get it fixed!

Off I went, and the first stop was a Midas, who took one look at it and said they wouldn't even touch it...but recommended a body shop down the road, Freeman's Collision.  Glad they did!  40 bucks later and a VERY good weld job with a professional 220 volt mig welder, and that shock mount isn't going to go anywhere now!

The guy that did the work...dropping another project and getting the job done right in less than an hour...was surprised and grateful when I handed him a 20 dollar tip.  He said to bring the Jeep back to him when I got the frame parts, and he'd weld them in for me on the cheap.  SWEET! 

On the way home I saw a Goodyear dealer, and decided to see if they would flip the white letters out on one wheel for me, since it was a Goodyear dealer that had made the mistake in the first place.  Not only did they try and charge me 30 bucks, they tried to tell me my tires were old an dryrotted...and they are just over a year old!  Jerks! 

I stopped at another place on the way home and they flipped the tire, then mounted and balanced it, for 20 bucks.  Much better!  So now all 4 tires are white letter out.

The new original spare tire cover will be here this evening, so that will make a big difference with the Jeep as well.  Also found the original 1992 owners manual on eBay on the cheap, as well as the older versions of the Haynes and Chilton books for cheap.  The Haynes covers the Jeep Wrangler YJ only, from 87-92, so it won't be full of all the extra confusing crap from the newer editions that cover all the other years all the way to the present, and the Chiltons covers the YJ only from 87-94.  They'll be here soon enough!

Got home and cleaned the newly flipped tire so it would be as clean and  nice looking as the rest, and by now it was nearly 6pm...too late to cut out any parts!  Fortunately I have plenty for my weekworkers to do prep wise while I do the cutting and planing, so it will all work out and we'll knock this big run of catapults out in no time, certainly by the weekend.

So that is today's plan...get all the wood planed and cut and chopped into parts while my weekworkers do prep work, then get them sanding and drilling and sanding and drilling so all the Bandit and Twister catapults can be assembled by them tomorrow, while I assemble the Trappies and Torsions and get started on the ballistas and trebuchets.  Whatever gets done by tomorrow evening we'll stain, then on Friday I'll finish up the ballistas and trebuchets and get them stained, then everything will be done in time for the weekend.

Next week's mechanicals will include a new steering stabilizer/damper shock for the Jeep, then I have to get started on the RV cooling system overhaul...and see how much of that I can get done in one day.  Depending on how much we make this weekend, we'll probably get the washer/dryer this coming week, and the Nature's Head composting toilet the next.  Which means I have to figure out, maybe this Friday since it shouldn't be a long day, how I'm going to plumb the greywater for the washer dryer...I'm really hoping I can just tie it into the system without having to put in its own holding tank.

I'll also have to figure out how I'm going to plumb the black tank to the grey tank, although I think I can just do it by changing the valve locations, connecting the 2 from where they have their own valves by removing the valves and using fittings to connect them together, then add just one valve right before the cap.  We'll see!

Okay, gotta finish my coffee and get to work!

Kev

Woohoo!  My new tire cover came in for the Jeep, and man does it look a lot better than the aftermarket torn and ratty black vinyl one that was on there!  And its not aftermarket...its stock off a 94 YJ that someone on eBay had in their garage for years, unused.  SWEET!

And wow, my new employees are both awesome, especially Todd!  He has a lot of woodworking and cabinet making experience, so all I had to do was hand him a part, a template, and a jig, and say "make these", and he was able to reproduce the parts quickly without having to hold his hand and train him...and he did it right and fast...gonna have to give him a raise already!  To be fair, my other employee "Sprout" was stuck sanding all day on his first day, since our secondary sander has a broken drive belt...gonna remedy that this morning though and get another at Home Depot early.  Have to exchange a propane tank anyway before getting to work, thus the reason I'm up so darn early...lol!

Funny how paying more and being pickier about who to hire is paying off...neither fellow is a drunk or druggie, which is rare out here in Renfaire land.  We got every part cut out for every catapult yesterday, all of the smaller catapults drilled and routered, most of the parts sanded for them, the mousetrap catapults are already partially assembled, the high end torsions are drilled and almost ready for assembly, and even the ballista and trebuchet parts are all cut out...Outstanding!  And this was all done in a 7 hour day!  These are the best and fastest workers I've ever had.  If we manage to get the whole run done and stained tonight these boys are getting a raise right off the bat.  Its worth it to pay more for quality labor...less hours plus better workmanship plus faster output equals a three day workweek for me and them!

And that means, we'll finally have time to work on the RV...AND have money to do it....at the same time!  The usual case with us is if we are making money at a show, we don't have time to do anything else but make the catapults and sell them on the weekends.  If we have a lot of time on our hands, we usually don't have the funds to do much.  This is exciting!  This means I'll have 2 whole days a week, Monday and Tuesday, to get all the projects done on the RV (and Jeep...lol) before we leave here for the next show.  I'm so happy to have found my new employees.  Yep, if we can pull off getting the whole run done today they are getting a raise.  Tomorrow I'll have them start making parts for next week's run.

So now its coffee time, then off to Home Depot to get the propane tank exchanged and the new belt sander. 

Kev

Yay!  We received the Florida title for the Jeep yesterday in the mail, as well as the paper copy of the registration...woohoo!!!

And yep, in just another 7 hour day, my employees and I completed the entire run of catapults.  They got their raise retroactive to the beginning of the week.  Today I do have to finish up the trebuchets and ballistas, but it won't take all day.  They are coming in to help, and also to clean up the shop and organize everything for next week's run.  Also gotta pick up the laundry and get marshmallows and whatnot for the weekend, and set up the catapults in the booth. 

That should still give me time to at least figure out HOW I'm going to run the drain pipe for the washer/dryer and maybe even plumb it in.  Problem I'm having is figuring out exactly WHERE the grey water tank is!  The black tank is visible in the plumbing compartment, but the grey valve pipe comes in from somewhere forward of the compartment.  Guess I'll have to crawl under there on my back and see if I can find a tank, or at least a boxed in area big enough to hold a tank.  If I'm super lucky I might even find a drain pipe under the coach that I can tie into...hopefully they designed the grey tank to be serviced from underneath, since it certainly isn't accessible from anywhere IN the RV, or from any of the compartments.

So now its coffee time and the rest of my morning routine, then back to the workshop!  Lots to do!

Kev

Finished up all the catapults and setting up the booth by 3:30...would have been a lot quicker, but due to miscommunication on my part, my employees thought Friday was optional and didn't show up...gonna have to set that straight! 

Then I crawled under the coach and tinkered around to figure out the grey water system.  The grey water tank sits right over the rear double axle, boxed in with sheet aluminum.  Very fortunately, the tank doesn't fill the box, and there is a 4 inch gap along the side of the tunnel that leads from the box to the sewage compartment.  So I'll be able to run the drain pipe for the washer/dryer out from the top of the battery compartment, along the frame rail above the exhaust at a slight downward slope, and to the grey water box.  I'll have to use a hole saw to cut a hole for the pipe in the aluminum box, and a couple of 90 degree fittings to clear the tires, then run it down the tunnel and tie it into the junction I'm making to tie the black water tank into the grey.  Also determined that just tying the grey plumbing into the black will work out perfectly, since the grey tank sits higher on the frame than the black tank...SWEET!

Hopefully gonna be a busy weekend!  Really want to order the Nature's Head composting toilet this week, and if we do incredibly well, the washer/dryer too.

Regardless, Monday is going to be RV and Jeep mechanicals, and most of Tuesday as well.  The owners manual arrived for the Jeep yesterday, but still waiting on the Haynes and Chiltons to get here before I troubleshoot and fix the 4 wheel drive....front axle won't engage, so its either a vacuum problem or the vacuum motor itself is shot.  And I'll probably start the POR-15 process tomorrow on the good parts of the frame as well...a local auto parts place sells it for 34 bucks a quart, which is way cheaper than anywhere I can even get it online.

Okay...coffee time, then its time to put on a silly costume and accent, and let the marshmallows fly!

Kev

We had perfect weather and huge crowds yesterday, and we did great!  Today is going to be more of the same.  Then Patti organized a surprise for me, which she apparently has been planning for weeks...my mother and her hubby Ron dropped by the faire, on the way from Florida to Maine!  I couldn't hang out with them much at the faire due to how busy we were, but afterward we took them out to dinner at Outback...it was really nice to see them again!  We usually only get a chance to see them once a year, just after Thanksgiving.

Still have plenty of stock, so lots of potential for good sales numbers, which we are going to need to purchase both the composting toilet AND the washer dryer this week.  Otherwise, we'll get just the composting toilet this week and everything we need for the plumbing, and get the washer/dryer the following week.  I'm hoping for good enough numbers to get both...that would get the two most expensive items on our list out of the way on the 3rd weekend of faire, which still leaves us five more to get the solar system worked out, all the mechanicals on the RV taken care of, and the frame work and minor mechanicals on the Jeep done, and still give us plenty of winter savings to add to what we can save from our North Carolina show.  If we can pull off all the boondocking improvements from this show and still have money left over, then our winter vacation this coming winter is going to be amazing!  We had so much rain and a hurricane in NY last year that we didn't have a heck of a lot left over when we got to NC, and that was without buying much.  We bought most of our last years improvements from the NC show proceeds, and still had a good winter vacation with the rest of the money we saved.  This year we should have a LOT more!

Okay, time to drink my coffee and get ready for a very busy day!

Kev

We had an even better day yesterday than on Saturday...SWEET!  And they are predicting perfect weather for the coming weekend. 

We decided, however, since I have so many catapults to build and lots of RV mechanicals to do, that today I'm going to simply order the Nature's Head composting toilet, then get the plumbing for the washer dryer tied into the sewer compartment.  I'm not going to hook it up yet since I have to have the toilet on hand to do the final tie in to the reworked greywater system...but I'll get all the parts I need like the cap for the top of the black tank for after I cut off the flange, and the necessary elbows and adapters to tie the smaller grey water drain pipe into the larger blackwater drain pipe, and then a new valve and the specialty pipe fittings that let you bolt it the valve, and a new fitting where the sewer cap goes.  Also going to get a new sewer cap, the kind with a hose adapter and cap built in, since the tanks will then be both for greywater only.

Also have to pick up the wood for the week today, since Todd is coming in tomorrow for a few hours to cut out parts while I do some more work on the RV.  I'll have to take an hour or so to show him what needs to be cut into what, but I'm sure he'll pick it up quickly...then I can get back to work on the RV projects.  Assuming I get the washer dryer drainpipe mostly plumbed in today, and all the parts staged for the final tie in of the pipe and connecting both tanks, then that will leave me the rest of today and most of tomorrow to work on the RV shocks.  The rearmost shocks on the trailing axle aren't even the correct ones, one is leaking and collapsed, and the other also looks like it collapsed.  Both are also loose on the mounts.  Thanks to Dan I have the correct Monroe shock number now!  Then of course the drive axle shocks and front shocks, but they are standard heavy duty motorhome P30 shocks, so getting the right part number for those should be a cinch.  While I'm at it, I might go ahead and replace the rear shocks on the Jeep with the same Napa Sensatrack shocks I installed on the front.  The ones on there, even though they are supposedly only a few years old, aren't nearly the same quality as the front ones I bought, they are already starting to rust, and if I hit a bump at speed I get a little shake still from the back.  Hopefully that will correct it.  If I can find them at an autoparts store, I'm also going to try to get and install the new steering damper on the RV and Jeep both.  Otherwise I'll have to order those parts and install them later.  In any event, I'll be investing in an impact driver today, as well as an impact wrench and SAE impact sockets...just the cheap Campbell Hausfeld stuff, but it will be just what I need for the occasional use I'll put them to.  That will make my shock job so much easier today and tomorrow. 

So that is this week's plan.  We can afford the washer dryer this week as well, so we'll just put that money aside and buy it next week.  No point getting it and possibly leaving ourselves short when we won't even be able to use it until the toilet comes in and I install it, and finish the new greywater plumbing setup.  Doing the shocks on both vehicles, and possibly the steering dampers, will be more than enough to do today and tomorrow, between getting all my materials for the week and getting Todd trained to cut parts.  If I happen to get all that done and still have time tomorrow, I'll troubleshoot the RV coolant system and find the leak.  Hopefully its not the radiator and is just one of the hoses, which I plan on replacing anyway.  I'll also make a list of the parts I need, like hose part numbers, water pump part number, and fan clutch part number.  If I manage to accomplish all that, which will get me ready to do that job next Monday and Tuesday, then I'll start the POR-15 process on the Jeep's frame.

Wednesday and Thursday will be building catapults all day, but hopefully the new toilet will be in by Friday.  If that is the case, I'll install the toilet and the final plumbing changes on Friday in between finishing up final catapult details and setting up the booth, and if I have time I'll do some more POR-15 work on the Jeep frame.  Depends on how much gets done on Weds and Thurs, and if the toilet arrives in time.  Whatever happens, I'll be keeping busy!

Also gotta pull the alternator at some point and have it tested.  If it tests bad or going, I'll try to find an auto electric place to rebuild it.  Also gotta find a replacement external voltage regulator.  If I finish all the coolant upgrades and fixes next Monday and Tuesday, I'll be working on the engine electrical in the RV, including replacing the bad headlamp plug.  Also have to find a local Michelin dealer...still have to replace the two bad tires on the RV.  Installing the new Splendide washer/dryer next week is simply a matter of receiving it from the shippers, unpacking it, placing it in the cabinet, and plugging it in, so that will leave me time for plenty of other projects.

So after my coffee and the rest of my morning routine, its off to the autoparts stores, Home Depot, Lowes, and the RV supply store not too far from here for the plumbing parts. 

Kev

From experience with alternators.. make sure they rebuild it and replace all wear parts, not just the failing part... been there... had to have it "rebuilt" 3x as the next part in line went up after the first one was replaced...  $@!#@!

Tina

Sure will Tina.  Not really even sure if it can be rebuilt, since its some aftermarket brand I've never heard of...Lestek Mfg. Inc...they went out of business in 2004, but another company, Penntex, say they can either rebuild it or that they have direct replacements, including the external voltage regulators that can be adapted to work with the unit.  Not sure if its bad or not, so gonna have to take it off and take it to be tested.

So, the first thing I did yesterday was crawl under the RV and figure out the exact routing for the drain pipe for the washer/dryer, and planned out what parts I'd need for that, and for adding another valve to the grey/black tanks to tie them together. 

While I was under there, I cleaned the base of one of each type of shock absorber to read the numbers off of them and had some nasty surprises!  Firstly, the front shocks some previous owner had replaced with 4-Way shocks from Trailblazer...they were blown and leaking, since they aren't designed for RVs!  The are for offroad vehicles like Jeeps!  Way overloaded.  Not only that, but the idiot PO didn't even attach them correctly and used big but thin flat washers on the top bolt to hold the shock on to the mount...and on the driver's side, the flat washer had broken off and the shock was just hanging loose!  Same thing with the trailing axle...way too short 4-Way shocks, also blown and leaking.  Some people are dumb!  They were fine when we bought it, but they just couldn't handle the weight of the RV.  The drive axle shocks were the original Delco/GMC shocks, still covered in undercoating...and they were the only shocks that looked half way decent...Gonna replace them anyways.

I also got the part number off the steering damper shock...also the original Delco part.  That is getting replaced as well.  Turns out we have an extra steering damper, this HUGE one made by Safe-T-Plus...I really want to replace that one too, since its probably what kept us going straight on the crappy roads here with bad and broken shocks, but MAN are they expensive!  The direct replacement for ours is the cheapest one they make, and its still over 350 bucks!  Not sure if I'll replace it...we'll have to see how the finances go for the show.

Back inside I came with all the numbers, and cross referenced them to Monroe's heavy duty shocks.  The front shock part number is Monroe 66858, the drive axle is Monroe 555028, the tag axle is Monroe 34792 (same ones Dan found were correct), and the damper is Monroe 555944.  The big damper is Safe-T-Plus 31-140, which they also call a Steering Control.

So my mission yesterday was to go out and get all the plumbing parts, all the shocks (maybe even the rear ones for the Jeep), and all the materials for the week.  First stop was the bank to make a deposit, then off to the big old fashioned auto parts store in New Jersey since they deal in Monroe shocks.  Along the way I stopped and filled up the Jeep, and was pleasantly surprised to find out it has the optional 20 gallon tank instead of the 15 gallon standard tank...SWEET!  The parts store was a disappointment though...nothing in stock, and they said they wouldn't be able to get them until this afternoon, which does me no good at all.I would have had to have them this morning in order to get them installed before dark.  Ah well, onward to Napa.  The one I used to go to all the time...in fact the one I just bought the front shocks for the Jeep from, was closed!  And I mean closed for good, out of business.

Off to Montgomery, NY to the nearest RV parts place, and there at least they had everything we needed for the black/grey conversion.  I bought the new valve, 2 couplers with the square valve flange, the short piece with the little nubs that hold the cap on, a new cap with the hose adapter, and a Flair-It fitting to cap off the toilet water line when I remove the toilet this Friday and install the Nature's Head composting toilet.  (Yep, ordered it yesterday morning, so it should be here by Thursday!)  The only thing they didn't have at the parts place were replacement bulbs for our Thin-Lite fixtures.  There was a Napa nearby, so I stopped in.  None of the Monroe part numbers cross referenced on their computer, so I think the girl was just incompetent.

Off I went to Black Bear campground in Florida, NY, since they used to carry the the light bulbs, but they were all out too.  Striking out all over on all my project goals!  No one even had POR-15 in stock!

Along the way to Lowes to get the rest of the plumbing parts and materials for the catapults, I stopped in a tire dealer that had a Michelin sign...and again was met with gross incompetence from a too young girl behind the counter.  She said she had no way to look up 19.5 tires on her computer without the entire tire number, which I didn't have.  And she couldn't find a P-30 vehicle on there either...was gonna get a price and have them mount the new tires some time soon, but struck out.

Lowes of course went well, and I got all the parts needed for the plumbing and the catapults...also bought a Porter Cable grinder on sale for 30 bucks and some cutting wheels, which I'll need to cut a square hole in the thick metal in the rear wheel well for the drain pipe to pass through (I'll also need it to cut out some of the rusty parts on the Jeep frame, and to cut out metal parts for my welder to weld in instead of buying the expensive kits that are way too extensive for the minor rust through on the Jeep frame).  Then I drove down to Home Depot and got the Victor mousetraps needed.  I did forget to buy a 3 inch glue on pipe cap, but I'll just run out later today and get one...can't cap off the black tank until the new toilet is ready to go in anyways.

100 miles later and past 7PM, I finally arrived home and put away the materials in the workshop and staged my plumbing materials as well.  And that was it for the day.

This morning, after the morning coffee and whatnot, I'll be finishing the plumbing project.  Around 11am, Todd is going to be working in the workshop cutting out parts for the catapults, so I'll have to take a break and get him started on that, but that will leave me the rest of the day to finish the plumbing and get to work on cleaning some of the loose rust off the Jeep frame and degreasing it with Simple Green, getting it ready for the POR-15.  I'll keep busy until dark, as always...might even change the transfer case fluid, since I have a lot of Dextron left over from changing the RV transmission fluid (which was a success, btw...not a drop of fluid under the pan, which is still shiny and clean).  Also bought a 12 dollar metal handheld fluid transfer pump for filling the differentials, which is good since the front one on the Jeep is hard to get to with just the bottle.  Turns out the front diff leak is a slow leak, and when I topped it off yesterday it hardly took any gear oil at all before weeping out.  And I found the leak!  Its coming out of the seal at the vacuum switch that puts it in 4 wheel drive.  The whole assembly is crusty and rusty, so for the same price as replacing it, I'll be buying the Posi-Lok kit that makes it cable actuated...way more reliable and allows you a 2 Low option for tight turns off road.  The kit comes with a new cover and seal, so it will fix the leak at the same time.  The transfer pump also lets you change your differential oil without having to take the cover off, so that will come in handy as well, since neither cover leaks.

Okay, enough rambling...

Kev

So the drain pipe from the washer/dryer is tied into the system now and routed nicely...although I should wrap the short section of exposed pipe in the wheel well with something padded so a rock doesn't kick up and crack it...so that is on my list of things to do on Friday.  I took a short break from the plumbing project to get Todd started on cutting out parts, then went back to work.  I had to jack up the passenger side of the RV and remove the duelly wheels to get access into the wheel well to use my new grinder, but the cutting went quickly.  So that part is done.  After the washer/dryer plumbing was totally in place and hung strategically so it won't get damaged by debris or vibrations, I tried to install the new valve...but there wasn't enough ABS pipe left to glue to if I tried to just cut off the old nubby cap part, so back to the RV store 35 miles away to get more parts, which included the Y with the valve flanges, 1.5 inlet on one side, 3 inch on the other, and a 90 degree 3 inch street pipe.  I decided to buy new valves to replace the old ones since I have to take them off anyways, and the old black valve weeps a little.  So NOW I have all the parts I need. 

Stopped in Middletown, NY on the way home and picked up more ABS cement and a 3 inch ABS pipe cap, as well as more poplar wood for catapults, stopped in a couple of hobby stores for candle cups for the mousetrap catapults, stopped at a grocery store for spring water and TP, picked up dinner for Patti, and by the time I got home it was 6:30 pm.

So I'm up early this morning so I can dump our tote tank so I can dump the black tank to change out the valves and fitting and whatnot and finish the project before getting to work on the catapults at 10am with my workers.

Also ordered the Posi-Lok cable setup for the Jeep, so that is one more project that will be done soon.

I did some online research this morning, and Michelin still makes tires in 8R-19.5 size, load range F.  The name is the XZA, catalog number 60893.  Bloody expensive, but we need them!  The cheapest place I found them was "only" 350 bucks EACH!  Not including shipping.  Sears can get them for almost the same price, but any way you slice it its going to cost me almost 900 bucks for 2 tires mounted and balanced...OUCH!!!

I'm going to wait until after the weekend to order the new shocks for the RV, so I'll stop down at the auto parts place in West Milford, NJ on Friday and see if they can't get them in for Monday morning.

Okay, gotta get to work!

Kev

yea Tires all the way around will be Gone's next major expense.. our tires are 2004 vintage but no side checking and even wear so far thankfully....  Goodyear still makes them as well I think... but same price about... ack.. and we need 6! Lottery ticket time! ???
Tina

We just need the two, as the others have plenty of life in them...one to replace the one that blew out on the way here, and one to replace the crappy spare.  I'll put the brand new tires on the front...the most important tires...then take the fronts and put on in the spare tire well, and the other on the trailing axle where the bad spare is now.

I managed to get the new valves all in place...no leaks!...yesterday morning before getting to work on the catapults.  Then I tested my theory and left the two original valves open, with the new primary valve closed, and ran the water in the sinks for a while while I was cleaning up from the project.  Water off, and it was time to test to see if the grey would enter both tanks.  Original valves closed, primary valve open, and just the little bit of water from the fitting attaching it all together came out.  Now the moment of truth...original blackwater valve open, and lots of water poured out the drain hose...SWEET!...then that valve closed, the original grey valve open, and about the same amount of water came out the hose.  It works!  I have effectively almost doubled my grey capacity!

Then it was back to work on the catapults until around 5pm.  Every part is cut out and routered, and my crew got all the parts for the 160 Bandit and Twister catapults drilled and sanded and ready for assembly.  Which is what they are going to do this morning while I drill out the parts for the other catapults, then they'll help me assemble those, so it should all be able to get finished tonight and leave me tomorrow to work on installing the Nature's Head composting toilet.

Said toilet arrived yesterday...talk about fast shipping!  We just ordered it Monday morning!  Its a bit unconventional looking, but very well made, and made in the USA.  I already have a 12 volt source picked out for its muffin fan, and tying it into the vent pipe shouldn't be a problem at all.  I think my biggest challenge tomorrow is going to be figuring out how to seal the top of the black tank watertight once I remove the toilet flange...which is a glue in fitting instead of a screw in, which would have made it easy.  I bought a 3 inch ABS pipe cap, so if there is enough of the fitting left over after cutting off the flange, I might be able to just cap it with ABS glue.  If not, I think I'll have to cut the flange off level with the top of the holding tank, take the ABS cap and cut the cylindrical sides off of it so I just have a round ABS disk to work with, and use ABS cement to weld it right over the hole in the tank.  At least you can do that with ABS!  Then I'll have to seal the hole in the floor where the flange was, but that will be easy enough with a round disk of plywood and some pocket screws.  It will be covered by the new toilet, so it doesn't have to be pretty and retiled, at least not yet...

So it appears, if all goes well, that I will only have to dump my tote tank one last time, ever!  Woohoo! 

Okay, gotta check some internet stuff, then get back to work on the catapults.  I feel like I'm starting to come down with a cold or something, but I don't have time to be sick...too much to do!

Kev

All the Bandit and Twister catapults are done and stained, and the other catapults just need to be strung in the case of the torsions, and have the armatures and triggers and whatnot put on in the case of the mousetrap catapults.  So my crew is coming in at 10am and I'll get them started on that, then get back to the toilet installation. 

Because of how far the vent fan tubes stick out on the sides of the toilet, I'll actually have to move it over from the stock toilet position so it faces the shower instead of at an angle, so I'll have to buy four vinyl tiles to cover the plywood patch I'm going to pocket screw into the floor opening where the toilet flange was...which means an early morning trip to Home Depot.  At the advice of one of the members here, Sal the plumber, I'm also going to see if they have a tee cone fitting to seal the opening of the flange, which will certainly simplify sealing the tank!  Also have to pick up a reducer fitting, since the vent hose is made to fit on a 1.25 inch pipe, and my vent pipes and t fitting are 1.5 inch.  And of course, have to pick up 10 feet of wire to reach the constant 12 volt source...where I was going to tie it in turns out to be the wiring for the night lights, which means they would have to be always on to run the fan, so an alternative source was chosen.  While I'm there I'll pick up a bale of peat moss, then swing into a market and pick up a box of raw sugar packets (which supposedly will keep the urine bottle from smelling) and some gallon zip lock bags to store the peat moss in.

I've got to get to Home Depot and back before 10 so I can get my workers started, then install the toilet.  Once it is installed, I have to go back to the workshop and finish building the 2 ballistas I started, then stain the rest of the catapults...then go set up the booth.  Then another trip to a market to get marshmallows and whatnot...supposed to be a beautiful weekend, so we should be busy!  Early Monday morning its a 75 mile trip to a Camping World to pick up Patti's Splendide Washer/Dryer...they have 2 in stock and said they will honor the internet sale price, which is pretty good!

Everything is slowly coming together!

Okay, have to get my butt moving...off to Home Depot!

Kev

The Nature's Head composting toilet is all installed, and it works just like its supposed to!  Everything goes where its designed to go...lol.

Turns out, after using a reciprocating cutting tool on the flange, that its a screw in flange after all!  The vibrations loosened it up, although I couldn't get it to turn before that at all...thus the reason I thought it was a glue in fitting.  So back to Home Depot I went for a 3 inch threaded pipe plug and thread sealant, returned the tee plug, and then came back to the RV and installed the pipe plug...easy as that!

The hard part was the hole in the plywood floor since the new toilet sits in a totally different place than the old one...but I traced a pattern on a piece of paper, cut it out, drilled it for 8 pocket screws, and sanded it at a slight taper on my benchtop sanding belt.  It was a perfect tight fit the first go around, and then screwed in place.  Henry premixed floor leveler filled in the cracks and pocket screw holes.

While the leveler was drying, I used a hole saw to make a hole in the lower cabinet, then used the same hole saw to cut the included polyethelene hull flange into just a disk with a hole in it...then drilled 4 countersunk holes in it and screwed it down with brass screws over the hole in the wooded cabinet as a trim piece. 

Next I glued the reducer into the T fitting, then cut the vent pipe under the cabinet and glued the t fitting in place.

Then I ran a long 2 wire cable behind the cabinet and shower, through the rear dinette compartment, under the dinette along the wall under the table (already has a cable and water line routed that way under a carpet piece.), and into the front dinette compartment where the inverter is, and where the hot water heat is.  Then I wired it in direct to the batteries with the provided fuse and fuse holder.  Once that was done, i wired in the provided cable to the wire, and was ready for the next step.

By now the leveler was dry, so I installed the 2 new tiles and a new floor register...the old one was broken...and marked the bracket alignment on the floor.  Screwed those down, and installed the toilet to the floor with the provided knobs. 

All that was left was to add the dampened peat moss and a table spoon of raw sugar to the urine bottle...and to hook up the hose and plug in the 12 volt plug.

It looks great!  A very clean install.  And as preambled in the post, it works just like its supposed to without any special position on the seat. 

Grey water only from now on...SWEET!

My workers got the catapults all finished while I worked on this, so I stained them after the project was accomplished. 

Going to be great weather today and tomorrow, so we are going to be very busy!  I have to go set up the booth soon, and then we'll be ready for business!

Monday I'll be making the 75 mile trip to a Camping World in New Jersey to pick up the washer/dryer, and Patti is delighted! 

I'll get around to taking and posting pictures one of these days!

Kev

We had a very busy and outstanding day yesterday, so the washer/dryer is definitely a go for tomorrow morning.  Today should be another awesome day too...some rain predicted, but a minor chance that won't scare the New Yorkers away.

So far so good with the Nature's Head composting toilet.  No odors at all, and it stays clean because of the position of the trap door and urine drains.  We are keeping a spray bottle next to it to spritz the urine drains after use to keep it all fresh, and also a small stainless covered trash can next to the toilet with liners to put the TP in, although it says you can place the TP in with the peat moss (we decided not to).  I'll let you all know how it works out in the long run in about a month for us fulltimers.

The guy selling the brand new 235 watt Canadian Solar solar panels contacted me last night, and now I have more solar questions, which I'll post in the appropriate area.  If we have an outstanding day we are thinking of picking up 2 of them tomorrow night...we'll see what we make today!

So now to ask more questions, then get ready for Faire!

Kev

Another outstanding day yesterday...so now I'm sipping my morning coffee and waiting for Camping World to call me back about the Splendide Washer/Dryer.  They are making sure they have at least one in stock before we make the 125 mile trip to pick it up!

The solar panels, from everything I've read and from what members of the forum told me, will definitely work out well...just have to use a MPPT charge controller with the higher voltage.  Which will set us back at least another 366 bucks.


Probably going to wait until after the 3 day weekend coming up for the solar panels and controller so we won't be tight on cash this week...and might even get a 3rd panel for a total of 705 watts if I can figure out where to put it on the roof...lol!

Okay, off to surf the net while waiting for the phone call.

Kev

The Splendide Washer/Dryer is installed!  And my drain system for it works like a charm!  It ended up being an all day project though, between the install of the vent and the very long drive through Newark and whatnot, then all the way back.  It was pretty cute though when Sheba stuck her nose out the hole I drilled for the dryer vent while I was installing it outside...just to say hi...lmao!

So we now have a washer/dryer...no more laundrymats!!!  Woohoo!

I didn't have the time or the energy at the end of the project...and it was my birthday...to go out and get materials, so that is the first thing on the list this morning.  Thus the reason I'm up so darn early.  Then I'll be pretty much just working on the Jeep today.  I have to install the Posi-lok cable to get the 4 wheel drive back up and running, and will probably go ahead and install the tow bar mounts on the bumper as well, and the break away switch and get that out of the way.  If it stays dry out I might do some of the frame scraping and POR-15, but it all depends on the weather.

Okay, gotta have my coffee and get the day started...lots to do!

Kev

I got all the materials and whatnot in time for my worker Todd to start cutting out parts at 10 am, then surprised Patti by bring home a brand new bone colored porcelain sink for the bathroom, as well as a brand new shiny brass faucet and all the stuff necessary to install it.  The original plastic sink in there was faded and yellowed, and since the shower is bone colored and in perfect condition, and since the toilet is brand new, the sink stuck out like an ugly sore thumb.  And the brass plated plastic faucet that was in there was peeling and cruddy looking.  Install didn't take long, and now the bathroom looks great!  I even painted the edges of the countertop to match, since the formica had peeled off the edges.  Another mission accomplished!

Then I installed the Posi-Lok cable in the Jeep, which surprisingly went very smoothly.  Turns out that while the vacuum motor still worked on the stock axle lock, the switch was broken off the housing and that is the reason the light on the dash wouldn't come on when in 4 wheel drive.  Because the switch was broken off there was no way to replace it anyway, and gear oil was leaking out the hole left in the housing by the switch.  The kit they sent was very complete, and the install was clean and smooth.  Now I simply switch the transfer case into 4x4, then pull the big knob under the dash, and the 4x4 is engaged, and the light comes on.  Then to go back to 2 wheel drive, you shift the transfer case back to 2 high, push the red button on the knob and push the knob back in...the light goes out, and the front axle disengages smoothly and positively.  And no more leaks from the front axle...woohoo!  Another mission accomplished!

The next 3 days is going to be furious catapult building for the coming 3 day weekend...and since they are predicting awesome weather all 3 days, we are going to need a lot of catapults!

Depending on how much we make, we might get 3 solar panels...if we do insanely well, we'll get 4 and just flat mount them to the roof.  940 watts of solar would be awesome, with no reason to make complicated slanting mounts.  Even 705 watts would probably do the trick flat mounted.  Of course, 4 panels would mean the more expensive 65 watt Morning Star MPPT controller, but its not much more expensive than the 45 watt version.  We'll see how the weekend goes!

Monday, during the faire, I'll run out to get materials for the week so we don't get behind for next weekend, leaving Patti and her son Joe in the booth by themselves for a couple of hours.

Gonna finish my coffee leisurely, then get to work with my employees at 10 am.  Lots and lots of catapults to build!

Kev

So, definitely 3 panels instead of 4, flat mounted to make them secure and well supported.  705 watts, with the 45 amp controller.  All that will fit up on the roof is 3, and the third will require relocating the CB antenna.  With that much solar and six batteries, I'm guessing keeping them flat mounted they will still produce more than we need...SWEET!

Got all the Bandit and Twister catapults done and stained yesterday...my new workers are awesome!...so today its another 120 catapults, plus prep work for the trebuchets and ballistas to be built on Friday.

Busy 3 day weekend coming right up!  Now if I can just find the time to go get the solar panels...lol!

Kev

We pushed out 120 more catapults to completion yesterday, including staining them...woohoo!  Today Todd has the day off, so Sprout is coming in for about 4 hours to help me with the trebuchets and ballistas today, do some prep work for next week, and some shop cleanup. 

Todd accidently planed some of the thicker wood I needed for the larger catapults, so I have to run to Home Depot here shortly to get more so I can get to work by 10am.  Also gonna walk up and down the rows and try to get some mounting ideas on the cheap for the new solar panels. 

Gonna be a stellar weekend!  Solar here we come!

Kev

Kevin, I am presently in my motohome at Truman Lake in the middle of Missouri.  Before leaving I installed a tach in the dash since this model never came with one.  I discovered that when cruising on the highway at 60mph the tach was reading 3000rpm.  Is that a normal reading for 60mph?  It seems high to me but I don't have anything to compare it to except my Suburban and it cruises at 1800rpm at 60.  If 3000 is normal, then it is no wonder that motorhome engines don't seem to last very long. 

73 440 727 trans 3k rpm, 65 mph  so yea its correct, mine likes 2800 to 3400 for its power curve peak. pretty responsive in that rpm range. so I try and cruise at 2800 and break the speed limit down hill to 3400 and hold the pedal there to make that long uphill run ahead.  ;) 


Anything below 1800 to 2100 pulling a hill I will drop it into 2nd so I dont lug it and build trans heat.

That's normal, Dan.  At 55-60 mph, which is where I keep her most of the time, our tach reads right around 2700 rpm.  Pushing 65 or more downhill to make the next grade easier, she'll tach around 3000.

One of the reasons its very important to change your oil every 3k and make sure the cooling system is functioning flawlessly...these engines work hard in these beasts!

Kev

Got all the trebuchets and ballistas done and stained by 6pm last night.  Have to go set them up in the booth soon (Patti already set up all the rest of the catapults in the booth yesterday) so I can get back to camp in plenty of time to shower and shave and whatnot.

Going to be a very busy weekend!

In order not to mess up the production schedule next week, on Monday morning, after Patti and her son Joe get to the booth, I'm going to take off and get materials, then get back to the booth as soon as I return.  Also thinking of leaving early on Monday, right around 6pm when things quiet down, to go pick up the solar panels in New Jersey...its a long ride to get them.  Then Patti and Joe can close up the booth and meet me back at camp, and it won't be super late when I get back to the camp.

Should be an awesome weekend!  I hope we do well enough to order the shocks for the RV while we are at it, so I can install them after next weekend.

Off I go!

Kev

Great day yesterday!  We made more than enough to buy the panels, and we still have 2 more busy days to go!

At Gadgetman's advice, I'll be spending an extra 130 bucks and getting the 60 amp charge controller, especially since I be saving way more than that now that I know I don't have to completely frame off each panel in very expensive aluminum.

We have plenty of stock, so I'm hoping we not only make enough for the rest of solar system, payroll, next week's groceries and materials, etc., but I'm also hoping we make enough to order all six shocks and the new steering stabilizer for the RV, so I can have them in hand to install next Monday and Tuesday.  That is also the week I plan on getting the 2 new tires for the RV, so I'm hoping the weather gods are kind this year and we continue to have great weather!

So many projects and so little time!  Before we leave to Carolina I still have to troubleshoot the coolant leak in the RV...hopefully its just the crappy radiator hoses and not the radiator...change the hoses, change the water pump, change the fan clutch, change the radiator cap, and refill the system with fresh coolant.  At a bare minimum, I have to put a new chassis battery in the rig and fix the headlight plug...I'm hoping that is the extent of my chassis electrical woes...and I have to check the output of my alternator and make sure its still good, and replace it if its not.

Also have to fix the huge hinge and frame on the bed platform, and install the additional freshwater tank, plumbing, and additional water pump...the crappy Northern Tool one works like crap for refilling the main tank, so I install a new Sureflo pump for my main system, and use the old pump for a transfer pump.

And then if I can squeeze it in, I still have to scrape the Jeep frame, degrease it, coat the whole thing in POR-15, fabricate some steel parts, have the body shop weld them in, and install new rear shocks and a new steering stabilizer in the Jeep.  If necessary this can wait until Carolina, but I want to try to get it done.

Also have to install the tow bar brackets on the Jeep, the breakaway switch for the Break Buddy, and figure out what I'm going to do about tow lights, since the ones we have are magnetic and won't stick to the Jeep hardtop.  This can't wait until Carolina, obviously.

And all the while, we have to keep up maximum production on the catapults for the duration of the show.

Yikes!  So much to do!

Kev

Super busy and profitable day yesterday!  Still have stock for today, but we are probably gonna be almost sold out by the end of the day.  Not a bad problem to have!

I'll be opening the booth this morning, and then once Patti and her son Joe arrive, I'll take off to Home Depot and pick up this week's materials before we get too busy.  It gets the busiest for us between 1 and 5 pm.  Gonna have to call the solar panel guy too and find out when the earliest time tonight is for me to come by and pick up the solar panels.  I'd like to be able to meet him around 6pm, and its about an hour drive, so if I left at 5 I wouldn't have such a long crazy drive after working all day.

Having the new Jeep Wrangler is awesome, but space for big stuff can be an issue sometimes.  These panels are 64.5 inches long and 38.7 wide, so I'll have to remove the rear seat, and chances are I'll still have to ride home with the rear hatchback on the hardtop open and the panels sticking out the back, resting on the spare tire.  I'll have to bring a couple of blankets with me and some straps to tie the panels down and to tie the hatchback down so its not flapping around in the wind.

Today should be another awesome and profitable day, so we don't think ordering the shocks for next week is going to be a problem.  Gotta love it when a plan comes together!

Kev

Glad to hear business is going good, hopefully, it makes up for Kentucky. :)ThmbUp

Not even a comparison to Kentucky...lol!  And with my new employees I actually have time to work on my projects, and have money to get things for the projects at the same time.

Kev

Got the new panels yesterday and man are they nicely made!  We had another great day yesterday, even without me in the booth.  I opened the booth until Patti and Joe arrived, then went and got materials for this week's catapult run and brought them back to the workshop, then I made the drive and got the panels and brought them back.

Today, while my worker Todd cuts out parts, I'll be making the trek to a metal supply shop in New Jersey and see if they have any Z shaped aluminum extrusion so I can make mounts for my solar panels...turns out the mounting holes are under the panels, so L brackets won't work.  Supposed to rain all day, so I'll simply get the materials for the panel install today, or worst case scenario order aluminum Z brackets off of eBay so they'll be here for next week's project days.  Also gotta call the RV store and see if they have any Eternabond tape in stock and go pick it up if they do...otherwise I'll have to order that as well.

I'll see if I can find shocks and the steering stabilizer for the RV while I'm out, but again, if not I can just order them off of eBay for cheaper.

Also gotta order the 60 amp Morningstar Tristar MPPT charge controller today as well.

Found a place in Middletown, NY that can get and mount the Michelin XZA 8r19.5 tires on the rims, so I'm waiting for a call back on a price quote.

Gotta go!  Lots to do!

Kev

So the only place within a reasonable driving distance that can get, and then mount and balance, the Michelin XZA 8R19.5 tires for us wants 1200 bucks for just 2 tires!  And I have to pay them up front before the even order the tires, and it will take a week to get them in.

I went to the RV store for the Eternabond tape, and while there noticed they had tires in the back...no 8R19.5s, but they referred me to a place called Cherry Tire that they use,and that all their customers use and are very happy with.  Its a long haul trucker tire shop right down the road.  They quoted me 380.00 for 2 brand new Samson 8R19.5 tires, model AP GL283A, mounted and balanced...and all I have to do is call them and they can have the tires in the next day, and mount them and balance them on the spot when I bring the old tires and rims.  I compared the spec sheet for them to the Michelins and they are identical in every way...its really tempting!  I'm still waiting to hear back from the group on the tires...I posted it in a different post under Chassis General...but according to Cherry Tire they've been using them for years in the trucking industry and they've never had any issues with them...and supposedly they make a darn good steering tire.  All the internet reviews were good too, both from RVers and long haul truckers...it might be a good option!

No luck finding aluminum to make my own brackets for the solar panels, so I shelled out 88 bucks on eBay and ordered enough aluminum Z brackets to mount them, complete with stainless steel hardware, for cheaper than I could make my own and buy the hardware...SWEET!

Also ordered the Morningstar Tristar MPPT 60 amp charge controller, remote monitor panel, and mc4 wire connectors, so they should all be here by next Monday and Tuesday so I can complete the installation of the system.  When all is said and done, I'll have about 2000 bucks wrapped up in my 705 watt solar system, so I hope it works well!

They also had a used 40 gallon freshwater tank at the RV store that would fit perfectly under the bed as a secondary water tank for boondocking, so if they'll make me a good enough deal on it, I'll pick that up next week.

For the next 3 days its gonna be fast and furious catapult making for next weekend...the 3 day weekend sold us out of a lot of stuff, so we have to build a lot...glad I have awesome employees!

I decided to hire a lady friend of ours to do the rust scraping and degreasing under the Jeep since I just won't have the time, and I'll buy a cheap paint sprayer for my compressor and spray the POR-15 on the frame...should get better coverage, and lots faster, that way.

The composting toilet is working very well, and my black tank to grey tank conversion works perfectly...even with Patti doing a load of laundry every day, we are still able to go a whole week without dumping the grey tanks...SWEET!

I haven't had time to work out on the Nordic Track for the last 2 weeks, but I'm sticking to my guns on the Atkins diet...203 lbs as of this morning, which is over 60 lbs lost so far!

Okay...got stuff to do...enough rambling...

Kev

Got all the Twister and Bandit catapults done and stained yesterday, and a whole bunch of prep work done for today's builds.  Should be a fairly early day for my crew today, although I want to keep going until around 7pm so I can have a short day tomorrow.

Looks like we are going to go with the Samson tires...we'll let you know how they hold up! 

So now I'm off to the Home Depot to get 4 more pine boards since my overzealous employee Todd thought the ones I bought were poplar wood, and planed them and cut them up for parts for next week...lol!  Also got to return the flourescent light bulbs I just bought yesterday...the kind that screw into a regular fixture.  3 of the 4 failed on the first day of use!  Gonna get a different brand.

I'm off to go get stuff done!

Kev

We got the whole run of catapults done and stained by 4:30, and we all called it an early day...still pretty worn out from the 3 day weekend!  I'm going to get an early start today on the trebuchets and ballistas so at least I won't have a late night...

Gotta call Cherry Tire today and have the 2 Samson tires ready at the shop for Monday, when I'll bring the rims in and have them mounted and balanced.  Also gonna pick up the holding tank from RV dealer while I'm there...if it will fit in my Jeep with the 2 tires...lol. 

The brackets for the solar panels will be here today or tomorrow, so I'll be able to get the panels mounted to the roof on Monday and Tuesday, although the mc4 connectors and charge controller and monitor won't be here in time for then...so I'll have to complete the system the following Monday and Tuesday.

I also have to call the local Interstate Battery store today to make sure they can get me two more identical golf cart batteries by Monday so I can install them this week. 

My goals this coming week are to get the panels installed on the roof and all the wiring run for them, plus the wind fairings, get the batteries and install them, get the tires and install them, get the new freshwater tank and just put it under the bed for now (I can hook it all up in North Carolina), order the shocks for next M and T, and hopefully have time this week to drill holes in the Jeep bumper and install the mounts for the tow bar brackets, and install the Brake Buddy breakaway switch.  Running out of time to get everything done!  Before we can leave I have to install the shocks, grease all the fittings on the rig, check the rear diff fluid, replace all the radiator hoses (after troubleshooting where the coolant leak is coming from), replace the radiator cap, the water pump, the fan clutch, fix the headlight plug, replace the chassis battery, test the alternator output and the voltage regulator output and hope its all good so I don't have to replace them, and then change the fuel filters.  Also gotta order the flap style tow lights for the Jeep hatchback. 

If I have time I still have to POR-15 the Jeep frame, but that might have to wait until Carolina.  Before winter vacation it has to be done, and before winter vacation I have to install the new freshwater tank, fix the broken bed frame hinge, install a new Shurflo water pump and accumulator tank, convert the old Shurflo pump into a transfer pump, have the generator serviced, and replace as many lights in the RV as we can afford with LEDs.  Also want to hard wire the Jeep lights for towing. 

And all this has to be done while still building copious amounts of catapults at a madman's pace. 

Looking forward to vacation, I can tell you!

Off to work!

Kev

I called Cherry Tire yesterday morning, and they'll be waiting for me Monday morning to bring in the rims and have the new tires mounted.  I also found an Interstate Battery Store right over in Goshen, NY, only 20 miles away, that have plenty of the exact same golf cart batteries that we have already (GC2-XHD-UTL) in stock, so Monday I'll go retrieve a pair as well to bring my system up to six.  146 bucks each...about what I paid for the other 4 last November.  I'll also bring the chassis battery with me and have them match it up to a new one.  Just have to find one more old dead battery here on site to use as a core.  I have an old Marine deep cycle sitting in the back of my workshop, but if I can't find another one, I'll have to shell out an extra 50 bucks since I'll be short one battery for a core, and the core charge is 50 bucks a battery for these big beasties!

The solar panel mounting brackets are at the post office in Tuxedo, NY, but they don't deliver to the faire on Saturdays, and the mail doesn't arrive until after 4pm on Monday, so it looks like I'll have to mount the panels on Tuesday.  So the plan is to go get the tires done Monday and then play musical tires on the rig...putting the new ones on the front and moving the older Michelins to the rear trailing axle and spare tire compartment.  If I can fit the new holding tank in the Jeep with the tires, I'll pick that up as well, but for now that is just going to get stowed under the bed (If I have time before we have to leave to Carolina I'll strap it down and plumb it in, but that project isn't a priority and can wait until then).  Then I'll go get the new batteries and 2 more battery cables and install them.  Once all that is done, I'll be making a template from a piece of plywood the exact same size as my new solar panels, and I'll mark on the plywood exactly where the mounting feet will go.  Then I'll screw a 1 inch block of wood to the outside mounting marks on the plywood, and a half inch piece on the middle marks, to simulate the panel and its mounts.  This I'll bring up on the roof and lay over the front where the front panel is going to go (after I remove the CB antenna and seal the hole with silicone and then a piece of Eternabond tape), and mark on the fiberglass shell of the cab exactly where the mounting feet will end up getting screwed down, and see exactly how thick the plywood spacers have to be that are going to get fiberglassed down to the fiberglass part of the roof.  Then the plywood simulator will come off the roof, and I'll sand the area where the supports/spacers have to go, make the spacers, and glass them down to the cab.  Once the epoxy sets I'll paint it to match the cab and protect it from the sun, and the mount will be all ready for Tuesday, without having to bring the actual panel up and down off the roof more than once.  I'll just make sure I pick up the fiberglass and epoxy and paint and whatnot while I'm out getting the batteries. 

If I have time, which I should since I plan on getting a very early start (the tire place opens at 7:30), I'll install a waterproof junction box on the roof and run the cable from the box down the roof vent mushroom cap over the bathroom, and run the cable all the way to the front dinette bench where the charge controller is going to be installed...when it finally gets here. 

Then on Tuesday I'll have my buddy Todd help me get the panels safely up on the roof, since they are big and unwieldy things...and I'll attach the feet to the panels.  Once I get them exactly where I want them, I'll put down Eternabond tape under each foot, screw them down to the roof, and then seal around the feet and screws with silicone.  That's about as far as I can go with the project until the wire plug ends and charge controller finally arrive, so the project will get finished the following Monday/Tuesday.  Also on M/T this week I'll be running the wiring for the inverter back to the electrical plumbing compartment, and installing the 30 amp plug and box for it next to the genny plug, and labeling them as Genny and Inverter, so that will be a done deal.  Also gonna try to drill the front bumper on the Jeep and install the tow bar brackets and the brake buddy breakaway switch.

First thing Monday morning I also have to order the new shocks off of eBay so they'll be here for the following M/T.  Gotta get started on the RV mechanicals...time is slipping away!

I got all the trebuchets and ballistas done by 5pm last night, while Patti and my employee Sprout set up the booth.  Then Spout came back and cleaned up the workshop around me while I finished the catapults. 

Some chance of thunderstorms today, but mostly after 6pm, so it should be a good day.  Perfect weather for tomorrow, so we should have another great weekend overall. 

Okay, gotta go soon and bring the trebs and ballistas up to the booth, then get back and do the shower thing. 

Kev

Unbelievably, the county closed us down yesterday at 1pm!  Nice weather and plenty of people...we made a few hundred bucks by then...but the weather folks issued a tornado watch because of the storm rolling in, and the county made the faire close early.  Seriously?  We didn't even get any rain until after 7pm, and it wasn't even hard rain.  What a joke!  That stupid call cost us a LOT of money!

Today at least is supposed to be perfect weather...72 degrees and low humidity...so it was probably going to be our busiest day anyways and we'll make good money.  Just really hate losing a day for no good reason, especially with all our projects and immediate expenses. 

On the bright side, today marks the 10th year of my awesome marriage to Patti!  She's the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm a very lucky man!  I'll be taking her out to dinner to celebrate tomorrow night though, since we have to work all day today, and its going to be a very busy day!

Okay, off to surf the net...went to bed early last night and was up by 5am, so I have time to relax this morning before getting ready for work.

Kev

Congrats on the 10 year anniversary... I wish you 2 many more happy years!!!!!!!


John

Thanks John!

Kev

Patti is really a keeper! Congrats on 10 years. 

Thanks Dan!  Gonna take her out to a nice restaurant tomorrow night...she deserves it!

Kev

Happy anniversary  !!!!

Congrats on the Anniversary!! ... The Maryland Ren Fest closed a bit early but only right as the pitch black clouds were already over head. I had left an hour or so earlier but heard it was complete mayhem.. at the PG Co Fair the evacuation order caused 12 to be hospitalized in the crush right before the storm hit... One water spout was sighted not to far from the festival grounds.  18,000 had no power.  Passed some major tree damage later in the evening when I had to go out to pick up my folks from BWI airport. Trees in our backyard did the hula dance.. but fortunately no damage.

Was a beautiful day at the Maryland Renaissance Festival today as well... ok hot if you were in the sun working but... luckily we can pick where in an area we set up out wandering minstrel cart...  although today we did have fabulous mud fest from the downpours last night....
Tina

Happy Anniversary and best wishes for many more!!

Thanks for all the anniversary wishes! 

We ended up having a great and profitable day at the faire yesterday, although losing a day is going to make us really tight on funds for the ongoing projects.

As soon as 7:30am rolls around, I have to give Cherry Tire a call and make sure the tires are there and waiting for me, then load the old wheels in the Jeep and make the drive.  I'll bring some straps with me as well so I can pick up the extra freshwater holding tank.  Once the new tires are mounted and balanced I've got to bring them home, take one front tire off at a time and put on the new tires, then put one older front tire on the trailing axle, and one in the spare compartment, and I can call that project done.  I'm going to have the tire guy read the date code for me on the blown tire, and if they are considerably older than I thought...I'm going on the word of the guy I bought it from that they are only 3 years old...and if the Samson tires work out alright after a year of use...I'll replace the other six tires next year with Samsons.

Then its off to the Interstate Battery store for 2 more golf cart batteries and 2 more cables for tying them into the bank, and then back to the house to put them in.  Then the battery bank project will be done.

Then its BACK out on the road to pick up materials for the week's catapult run, and while I'm out I'll pick up the solar panel brackets from the office, and also get the fiberglass materials and paint needed for the front solar panel mounts.  I've decided to make my mock-up frame out of pine 1x2s and actually screw the solar panel Z brackets to it for a very light but very accurate template.  Should work out better that way. 

Then I have to hop on eBay and order the shocks for the RV so they'll be here for next Monday and Tuesday's install...and air up the front airbags to the proper air pressure.  Turns out I've been running them way too low.  On the 77 Itasca the book recommended 30-50 psi, so I assumed that was what the Holiday Rambler would require as well.  But then I read the P30 chassis manual under member resources, and the later model P30s require a recommended 70psi in the front air bags. 

Then, time dependent, I'll start running all the wiring for the panels, and get the inverter hard wired in. 

This evening I'll be taking Patti out for a nice anniversary dinner.

At least the weather all week, including next weekend, is predicted to be very nice!

Kev

After 3 trips to Cherry Tire, the tires are all installed...lol!  The first trip was the scheduled trip.  I brought both tires with me.  They installed them and we got to talking...and totally forgot to balance them!  Fortunately I left Cherry Tire and only drove as far as the RV store to see how low I could get them to go on the used freshwater holding tank.  40 bucks...sweet!  That's when it dawned on me that the tires were never balanced.  No biggie, since it was right down the road.  Then all the way home, and I install one tire on the driver's side, then mounted the old driver's tire on the trailing axle so we were no longer up on jacks.  Then it was time to mount the passenger side front tire...Uh oh!  The tires are directional with a little arrow on the sidewall...and they were both mounted the same direction!  So back to Cherry Tire with the remaining wheel, and they quickly flipped the tire on the rim, rebalanced it, and were very nice and apologetic about it.  Not TOO far out of my way, since Maybrook isn't all that far from Goshen, where the battery store is.

So I drive to Goshen and buy 2 more Interstate deep cycle golf cart batteries and get a call from my employee Todd...could I please stop and get materials on the way back from this trip so he could cut out the parts today instead of tomorrow, as he had plans?  Sure...so I swing by Home Depot and get most of the materials needed, then drop into Walmart for an assortment of battery cables.  I would have bought the cables at the battery store, but they wanted 40 bucks for two 1 foot 4 gauge cables....I had just given them 148 bucks a battery...anyways, way cheaper at Walmart for the same gauge cables.

A quick stop by the office driving back to camp and I had the remaining Z brackets for installing the panels, then dropped the materials off to Todd, then got back to camp and installed the last front tire, and put the old one in the spare tire holder.  Project done...SWEET!

Very nice tires by the way...no funny smell Dan...They have a nice deep tread pattern, even though its directional.  Turns out the DOT code on my old Michelins dates the tires to 2006, so they are almost 7 years old now...which means next year I'll get 6 more Samson tires installed since I don't want to run tires much older than 7 years old, even if they aren't dryrotted or anything.  That of course will depend on how the Samsons hold up after a year, but I think they'll be just fine.  I'm only going to get 6 new tires though, since they are directional...I'll keep the best of the remaining Michelins as a spare since they aren't directional tires.  If I had the time and the money before having to leave to Carolina I'd get them this year, but the projects are tapping me out...gotta have travel money and emergency funds and all that.

I offloaded the new golf cart batteries from the Jeep, but by the time the tires were done it was too late to install them.  I did at least make a diagram of the wiring to ensure I get them wired into 3 banks, 2 batteries each wired in series to bring them to 12 volts, then the 3 banks wired into the system in parellel.  Its going to be a lot of amp hours!

Then I hopped on eBay and ordered all the new shocks and the steering stabilizer, as well as some catapult parts which I had to have sent 2nd day air.  The shocks and stabilizer will be here by Friday, so they'll be on deck for next Monday and Tuesday. 

Then off to the store to get cigs and whatnot, and by the time I could sit back and enjoy a few Bourbons, it was after 7pm.

While I was out yesterday, GoGreenSolar.com called Patti and apologized profusely for the delay in shipping the charge controller and monitor panel, and offered to ship them overnight on their dime, which we gladly accepted.  Of course, the plug ends won't be here until the 14th, but I can get the rest of the system wired in.

So this morning, the first thing to do is make the mock-up frame and get the fiberglass supports over the cab done so they can cure, then paint them so they don't get damaged and will look nice.  While the paint is drying, I'll wire in the new batteries, then run the inverter cable back to the electrical compartment and wire it into the inverter plug.  By then, the paint should be dry, so we have to get the panels up on the roof and mount them.  I'll then run all the wiring from the panels...minus the actual cable connectors...to a junction box, down the mushroom cap vent, and then to the compartment where the charge controller will go.  If the charge controller actually does arrive today I'll wire that in as well, with its remote panel.  If I can get all that done with the wiring run all neat and clean, then simply adding the plug ends is something I might even find time to do before the weekend, completing the system except for the wind fairings, which I'll get done before we leave.  If all goes as it usually goes, this will take me the rest of the day.

Then 3 days of furious catapult building...supposed to be perfect weather this coming weekend!  The plan is to make the normal sized large run of catapults this week, which will get us way ahead on the more expensive smaller catapults, then next week skip the mousetrap and torsion catapults, and do a double run of the Bandit and Twister catapults, and trebuchets and ballistas, for final weekend, and to ensure we have plenty of stock for opening hell week in Carolina.  As always, its opening weekend in Carolina, then 2 student days, then another weekend, with no time really for production, so if we keep to this production schedule I'll have plenty of stock already made for final weekend here, and opening hell week in NC.  This will also give me a few good days of no catapult building right after the show so I can tie up any loose ends on projects, and finish getting the RV in mechanical tip top shape before making the trip.

Patti and I both are really looking forward to our winter boondocking vacation...lol!

Kev

The panels are mounted!  I posted the process in detail on my Solar Panel Mounting Question post on the General Board, but here is the simplified version in brief.

I made a frame out of 1x2 pine the exact same size as the panels, marked where the Z brackets go on the panels onto the pine frame, screwed the Z brackets to the frame, and had a template to work with.

Up on the roof with the frame, and I was able to mark exactly where the front panel Z brackets would go over the fiberglass cab of the RV.  Then I sanded away the gel coat and roof coating with 80 grit sandpaper, and using fiberglass resin and fiberglass, I adhered the plywood blocks to the fiberglass cab and let it set for 2 hours.  Then I painted it with Rustoleum white spray paint that said it was good for all surfaces, and the panels were ready to get up on the roof and start the mounting process.

While the paint was drying, it was time to wire in the 2 new batteries to the battery bank, for a total of 6 deep cycle golf cart batteries.  First I unplugged the inverter from the wall, and removed the 4 batteries from the compartment to clean them and check and top off the water.  Diet Coke works great to clean batteries, by the way...lol!  Even the new batteries needed a little distilled water, and I fortunately had just enough distilled water left to service them all.  In the batteries went, and it was a tight fit I tell ya!  I had to make a couple of cables and shorten a couple to make it all nice and neat, but it went fairly quickly.  Then I used the same ratcheting strap and D ring setup I used with the 4 batteries, repositioned, to keep the batteries where I put them while traveling.  Before connecting the bank to the system, I checked the voltage to make sure I had them all wired correctly...12.6 volts...SWEET!  All wired in, so I plugged the converter back in and checked the voltage...13.7 for most of the night, then it finally dropped back down to its normal 13.2.  Guess the new batteries weren't fully charged.  They are now!  LOTS of amp hours now!

Paint was still tacky, so I drove to Home Depot to get the rest of the stuff needed for the install, like a 100 foot 10 gauge extension cord...was much cheaper than getting 10 gauge cable by the foot...cable connectors, a junction box, cable hold downs, the works.

Back home, and it was time to mount the panels.

To get these huge panels up on the roof safely without damaging them, we had a brilliant idea since our awning is out.  We wrapped each panel, one at time, in a fuzzy fleece blanket, tied a rope through the upper mounting holes, and layed the panel, panel side down, on the awning.  Then I went up the roof ladder and gently pulled the panel up the awning with the rope.  The blanket protected both the panel and the awning from damage.  It worked like a charm!

Once up on the roof, I attached the Z brackets to the panels.  Before I could mount the front panel I had to remove the CB antenna.  A piece of Eternabond tape under each of the 8 Z bracket feet, and then I screwed down each foot with a number 12 stainless steel screw.  Solid as a rock!  I also screwed a ground connector to each panel before mounting, and made sure the panel wires were coming out where I wanted them to.  Then I used copious amounts of white silicone on the screw heads and around the Z bracket.

The mounts are solid as a rock and the panels aren't going to go anywhere!  I only have the 1 inch of airflow under them, but I'm sure that will be more than adequate...and the 1 inch brackets make them nice and low slung to the roof, out of harms way, and very very solid.

Before we leave to North Carolina, I have to make a wind fairing for the front panel, and possibly parts of the back panels, although I think a wind fairing on the front panel would negate the need for ones for the rear panels, especially since the rear panels are already almost entirely blocked by the air conditioner and MaxxAir vent covers.

The panels take up a lot of roof area, so its a good thing I have good balance...I only have a 1 foot wide path around the rear panel, right at the roof edge, to do roof maintenance now.

I ran out of daylight to wire them in, so that is next Monday and Tuesday's project, along with many others.

That is all I had time for...gonna have a lot to do next M/T!  Gotta finish wiring in the solar panels and the charge controller and monitor panel, wire in the inverter, and then install the new shocks on the RV and steering stabilizer, grease all the fittings, check the rear diff fluid, check the tire air pressures and air up the front airbags to 70 psi.  Then I have to find the coolant leak, change out the radiator hoses and water pump and fan clutch.  Then install a new chassis battery, start the rig, and see what kind of voltage I'm putting out...hopefully the charging system is fine.  Also have to replace one highbeam plug which is cracked and shorted.  I also have to fix the bed hinge and for now just place the new freshwater tank under there.  And then drill the front Jeep bumper for the tow bar brackets and mount them.

The rest of this week is catapult building, but I might have time here and there to finish the solar...maybe, maybe not. 

Two more weekends left here in New York!  Lots to do before we can leave for North Carolina.  I'm hoping I can get everything on the list done on M/T, which would leave me just the packdown process when the faire closes.  Gonna be an easy packdown at least...we have a full set of tools waiting for us in NC, so most of the workshop will stay here in NY for next year.  That means we'll be travelling a LOT lighter from now on, especially since we dropped another 1000 lbs in tow vehicle weight.  The only thing we have to carry with us now is our tent and stock, plus porch furniture and whatnot.

Okay...off to Home Depot for some last minute materials needed for the catapult run.  Gonna be perfect weather this coming weekend, so that means we are going to be very busy!

Kev

NICE ! You are going to love that system.

One note on silicone. It will seal well but doesn't work with ANYTHING else and wont hardly stick to itself if you ever have to reseal a spot. It is best to use a butal sealer or urethane. The nice thing about butal is it never really dries hard and is always flexable. Urethane does dry but is like rubber. Also never use silicone by metal because it is acidic and tends to rust steel.

You mention a 13.2 normal float voltage, true for most good converters. When you hook up your solar controller you will see it floats at 13.7 so don't be alarmed. Remember it only works 12 hrs a day :)

FWIW:
"For all motorhome models,inflation pressure must be maintained between 10 psi and 50 psi on the 4300 lbs front suspension and 40 to 50 psi on the 5000 lb front suspension"
From the 1986 forward control owner's manual.
My front is 4300lbs. on my 1987 but made in 1986 chassis.
Let us know how the higher pressure works for you Kev.

Hey Don...this is from the P30 chassis service manual available under member resources:

AIR BAG CYLINDER INSPECTION
The air bag cylinders should be inspected periodically for
signs of deterioration or damage. Air bag leaks can easily
be checked on the vehicle . Inflate with a small amount of
air conditioning freon No . 12 then locate the leak using
an air conditioning leak detector. To check for possible
leaks with the air bag removed from the vehicle, submerge
the air bag in water and check for bubbles. (Replace with
GM Part No. 367762.) Inflation pressures should be maintained
at 10 PSI minimum to avoid chafing . Under load,
40-50 PSI is recommended for a 4,300-Ib . suspension, 50
PSI for a 5,000-lb . suspension. 70 PSI is required on the
5,300-Ib suspension . 80-90 PSI is recommended for the
F44 5,500-Ib . optional 16,000-Ib . suspension. This unit
uses an Airlift HD bag Part No. 15631881 . Vendor #40-571

I'm not sure how to tell which suspension we have, although I'm assuming that with a 35 foot motorhome its more than likely the 5300 lb version, thus the reason I'm thinking of going up to 70psi.

Even the Firestone airbag installation guide suggests 40-70 lbs:

GM P30 10,000lb-15,000lb GVWR 40-70 psi
GM P30 16,000lb GVWR and up 60-90 psi


Kev 

Got a huge dent in the catapults made today.  We might even finish everything up by this evening!  Which means I can finish the solar project tomorrow and have all of Monday and Tuesday to work on mechanicals...SWEET!  Found a 63 inch long aluminum air foil for the front of the solar panel from Vantech for 30 bucks on eBay, and it might even be delivered today, so I can install that tomorrow as well if we get all the catapults done.

Gotta take the pups out and get to work!  Lots to do if I want to get the solar project finished.

Kev

All the catapults are done!  Still have to stain the last batch and build one more ballista (gotta teach Todd how to make them) but that's it.  So that means I can more that likely finish, or almost finish, the solar panel install today.  That will depend on if I can find a local source for heavy duty inline fuse holders and manual reset 80 amp breakers, or if I end up having to order them on eBay.  If the later turns out to be the case, I'll get all the rest of the wiring and cabinet modifications done, and set the switches in the controller and get that mounted as well as the remote monitor panel. 

While I'm running the wires and whatnot, Patti is going to set up the booth with my employee Sprout, who is going to come in and clean the shop and whatnot for next week.

4 of the 6 shocks already came in for the RV, and the other 2 and the steering stabilizer are due to arrive today, which means everything will be on deck to complete that project on Monday.  The wind fairing is also supposed to arrive today, so if I have time I'll get that installed to protect the front panel today.  Everything is coming together, but it took a lot of work and organization I tell ya.

Tomorrow and Sunday the weather is supposed to be perfect, so we are going to have a very busy and profitable weekend.  Then on M/T is the shocks, then troubleshoot the cooling system leak, replace the radiator hoses, the water pump, and the fan clutch.  And then repair the headlamp plug, and remove the chassis battery and bring it down to a shop and exchange it for a brand new Interstate battery, reinstall it, fire up the RV, and check the voltage output at the alternator, and at external voltage regulator, to make sure they are both good.  If I can get ALL that done on M/T, then all I'll have to do after last weekend of faire next weekend is pack down and load up...SWEET! 

Okay, gonna try to find a car audio store or even a solar supplier nearby.

Kev

Holy Moly it was busy yesterday at the faire!  It was packed and we did very well!  I'm glad I stuck with the heavy production schedule and still have a bunch of catapults still sitting on the stain rack in the workshop!  I'll have to bring those up to the booth this morning before we open.

We started out with 50 bags of marshmallows...and still almost ran out around 4:30pm!  Patti's son Joe drove to the store and returned with more marshmallows just in time so we weren't completely out...whew!  Shooting the marshmallows at passing patrons is one of the keys to why we do so well with these tiny catapults, at least when we have crowds.

The weather is supposed to be perfect again today so we are anticipating being just as busy with just as big a crowd.  Mother nature is being very kind this year!

Yesterday I got the solar panel cables run through the mushroom cap vent on the roof...a very tight fit...and soldered the mc4 connectors to them and connected them to the cables.  I ran them to the fuse block I got at West Marine...they have everything needed for 12 volt systems, including the 80 amp breakers...made by Blue Sea.  At 4:30 pm, overcast and in the shade, the panels were still putting out 32 volts...SWEET!  That's all I had time for yesterday though...I'll have to finish the final details of the install and wiring this M/T.

While taking the pups out around 3:30 yesterday, out of curiosity I checked the solar panel voltage again...all three panels putting out around 32 volts, and this is in the shade with trees overhead.

Okay...gotta get the day started...after my coffee...

Kev

Another super busy and stellar day at the faire yesterday...good thing we've been keeping up a high production of catapults! 

This morning I have to drive Patti to the Verizon store so she can get them to credit our bill...the sales person there messed up the plan when adding my phone, so instead of the promised 20 buck a month increase, the bill was a 100 bucks higher this month!  Verizon changed the plan over the phone, but said we had to go to the store to get them to credit the bill to the normal amount.  So we'll do that early.  Fortunately, the Verizon store is right near the Home Depot, where I have to go anyways to get some more hardware to install the wind fairing in front of the front solar panel, and also near the Walmart, where I have to go to get more battery cable and cable ends to finish the wiring for the solar system, and near Best Buy and Radio Shack, where I hope to find a 12 volt muffin fan so I won't have to order one and wait even longer to test the charge controller!

Then its back to camp, and the first thing I have to do is install the wind fairing, then finish all the wiring on the solar project and test the system.  Then I have to run the wire from the inverter to the power/water compartment in the back and install the RV plug and box and label them, and while at it, wrap the drain pipe from the washer/dryer in foam and gorilla tape, since I'll have the rear trailing axle wheel off anyway.  Then its shock time.  Gotta install all 6 shocks today, which also means I need to get a grade 8 washer for the front driver's side shock mount, since its missing and the shock is hanging loose, so I'll pick that up at Home Depot while I'm there.  While I'm all dirty and nasty from crawling under the rig anyway, I'll go ahead and grease all the fittings and check the rear diff fluid, and call that project done.  The steering stabilizer is supposed to arrive today, so I'll install that this afternoon and call everything under the RV done.

If I have time, I'll start the engine and look for the coolant leak.  Then I have to drain the radiator fluid and dispose of the coolant somewhere safe from animals, and pull all the radiator hoses and bring them to an auto parts store to match them up/order them.  Also have to pull the fan clutch and water pump and bring them to match them up, and test the voltage at the alternator and external regulator, and replace the plug end at the high beam headlamp. 

Its supposed to be a beautiful day today, but tomorrow is supposed to rain all day, so I have to try to get all the outside engine and chassis stuff done today, then tomorrow I can do the inside engine stuff without having to do too much outside in the rain.

Also have to get all the materials for this week's catapult run this evening.

Is it vacation yet?

Kev

Rain rain go away...I have too much to do today!

After a trip to the Verizon store yesterday morning, we stopped at Radio Shack and they had a 12 volt muffin fan, so I bought that, then we went to Walmart and picked up more 4 gauge battery cables and ends and a 25 dollar 1/2 drive impact wrench and sockets, then Home Depot for a few more items, then back to camp.

The first thing I did was get the air foil mounted in front of the front solar panel, and its looks great and will work perfectly, and is very solidly mounted.  Pics of the whole project to follow soon!

Since I knew it was supposed to rain all day today, I decided to save the final wiring of the solar controller for today, since its an inside job.

Next I had to oil the new impact driver for use on the lug nuts and shock bolts.

The next thing to do was run the wire for the inverter, which since it was left over from the 10 gauge extension cord I used for running the solar panel wires from the roof already has a plug end to plug into the inverter.  I ran it down through the floor of the power compartment (forward dinette bench seat), then zip tied it every foot along the way to the drain pipe I installed for the washer/dryer, feeding it all the way back to the rear power/water/sewer compartmend, and wired it into a 30 amp RV plug and box, right next to the genny plug and box, and labeled one Generator, and one Inverter.  Then I had to remove the duellies from the drive axle to access the pipe and cable that were vulnerable to damage from kicked up rocks and road debris.  First I siliconed the heck out of where they came in and out, then covered them in foam pipe insulation...then covered the whole shebang with multiple layers of Gorilla tape...DONE!

Having the impact wrench and sockets made putting the wheels on and off a lot easier I tell ya, although the cheap little Cambell Hausfeld doesn't provide enough torque to fully tighten the lug nuts so that was done with my trusty X shaped tire iron and some grunting.

Since there is so much room under the RV, you don't really have to remove the wheels to do the shocks.  Safer that way anyway than sitting under a 16K lb RV on jackstands in the dirt!  So I lifted the RV with my 20 ton bottle jack on the frame to relieve the weight on the suspension without lifting the wheels, and replaced the first rear shock on the driver's side, the one on the tag axle.  Had to use the impact wrench to take off the lower nut, which broke it off, but that was fine since it was being replaced.  The top nut was a bear to get too...not much clearance for even a little open end box wrench!  But I got it off and out, put in the new shock with new bushings, washers, and nuts, and it was done.  Then it was time to do the drive axle shock.  I had to reposition the jack to relieve the weight on the center axle, and the impact wrench removed both big nuts easily.  The shocks for the drive axle and front of the RV are eyelet style instead of post style like the tag axle.  Uh oh, hit a snag!  Even though I carefully researched what shock to use, the bushing inside the new shock was substantionally bigger than the original Delco shock I removed.  Solution!  I used my grinder to cut the old shock rubber mount from the shock, then cut the rubber and removed the original right sized bushing...slightly too tight to fit in the new shock bushing as spacer, so I used the grinder to cut the side open so it was now like a roll pin, and hammered it in place...they fit perfectly!  Then I installed the new shock, and the rear driver's side was done.

Onward to the front driver's side shock, the one with the broken washer and hanging shock.  Another snag!  Turns out the previous owner, when he installed the crappy little undersized coil spring shocks, also changed out the upper bolt in shock mount bolt which sticks out of the frame, to an undersized one on both sides so he could use the crappy shocks!  Which means the shocks won't fit and the bushing is way undersized...I tried the same trick I did on the back, but the bushing was way undersized.  I removed the shock, and the upper shock mount to bring to the store with me today, and by now it was almost 8pm and very dark.  I cleaned up and stowed everything and called it a night.

So this morning I'm running out for materials, bringing the shock mount bolt and shock with me to either get the right one at an auto parts store, or else just the right sized grade 8 bolts and washers and bushing to make my own, and then returning to camp to finish the shock project.  Yep, its raining, but its got to get done!  At least I'll be under the RV so it won't be too bad.  The really heavy rains are supposed to be this afternoon, so I'll try to get the shocks finished ASAP then shower up and complete the solar controller install wiring, fan and all.

That realistically is probably all I'll be able to finish today...then 3 busy days of building catapults.  I'll have to finish up all the rest of the projects on Monday-Thursday next week, since we'll be leaving to Carolina bright and early Friday morning.

Off to work!

Kev

A whole lot of nothing got done yesterday... $@!#@!

I brought the shock and the mounting bolts with me and went to Home Despot early to pick up materials and checked out their inventory of grade 8 bolts...1/2 inch was the largest size, but at least that will do for the lower shock mount.  I need 5/8 for the top!  3/8 steel pipe will work perfectly for the bushing on the lower once I cut them to size with the grinder and ream them out. 

So no dice there, and a quick stop at Radio Shark showed that they have very little electronic supplies in stock anymore so my ideas of using a rheostat or potentiometer were shot down...they had nothing that could handle the input voltage.

A drive all the way back to the workshop to drop off the first load of wood before the rains got even worse...by now it was raining pretty hard...and then back on the road.  2 auto parts stores, even a good old fashioned one, and no one had any shock mounts large enough...3 more hardware stores, and I finally found grade 8 bolts in 5/8s at a Sears Hardware store, with washers and lock washers and nuts, and even steel spacer bushing that will fit perfectly as a shock bushing once I open them up a bit...they aren't welded along the side but are open like a roll pin so spreading them won't be hard, and they'll fit perfectly in the shock eyelet once opened and installed on the 5/8 bolt.

While at the auto parts stores I asked about VW generator voltage regulators...no one had anything in stock and the price was around 50 bucks, so I decided to just order a 48 volt fan for the solar system and did that this morning.  Also looked into trying to get the fan clutch and water pump on order, but neither store could tell me if they were the heavy duty models, so I guess I'll have to drive all the way to Napa 40 miles away to get them, but I'll call them first with the part numbers so they can have them waiting for me when I have time to go get them...I'll call them today once I get the part numbers.  Same with the radiator hoses.

Then I had to drive all the way to Lowes to get more materials for the catapult run...the square stock at Home Despot is of horrible quality, some kind of Malaysian wood that looks like poplar but isn't...had too many catapult failures using that crap, so had to go to Lowes, which is another 30 mile trip.  Stopped at a Tractor Supply to check out hardware and tractor voltage regulators, but no dice there either. 

Patti called me while out to pick up dinner, so a quick stop in Shop Rite on the way back, and I was finally able to start the final drive back to camp.  Raining cats and dogs by now, so the drive and traffic back to camp was slow.  It was after 4pm by the time I got to the office to pick up the mail ( $@!#@! ), but at least everything I ordered had arrived, the steering stabilizer, the flappy lights for towing the Jeep, the LED T8 lights, and the bundles of birch dowels I ordered for the catapults.

By the time I dropped everything off at the workshop and returned to camp it was around 5pm, and raining even harder.  Too dark and too wet to work on the shocks!  So I decided to test the fan on the solar panels.  So dark the panels were only putting out 15 volts or so, so I tried the fan directly on them, and nada, just a hum.  Wired in a little voltage regulator from Radio Shark, and even though the output voltage was 12 volts, the little regulator doesn't put out enough watts to run the fan, so that idea was thrown out...tested the fan at the battery voltage and it works fine.  Then I made brackets for it.  I decided this morning to order a 48 volt fan with a voltage range of 12-48 volts, but its the same size and the brackets will work, the wiring will be simpler, it draws less amps than the 12 volt fan, and I'll still have the 12 volt fan on hand if the new fan doesn't arrive before I finish the wiring.

Then I made a longer ground cable for the solar array wiring...the temporary one was too short but I was able to keep the panels grounded by not screwing down the fuse block...attached it to the wires and ground strap, then screwed down the fuse block in its permanent location, reinstalled the 15 amp fuses, and reinstalled the cover.  I was going to do more of the wiring, but couldn't find the washers I bought in the dark outside in the pouring rain, so that will have to wait.  Finally I set the mini din switches inside the controller to match my system, and called it a night around 7pm.

Gonna do some research this morning to get the right part numbers for the RV mechanicals, call Napa and have them ready for me, then get back to work in the workshop building catapults all day, and for the next 3 days.  If I have time and can find the washers I'll do some more wiring tonight, and if the weather is nice in the morning tomorrow I might be able to squeeze in installing the front shocks early before getting to the workshop at 10am.

Time is closing in to finish all the projects!  Still have to box in the wire run under the dinette and in the bathroom, fix the bed hinge, and get all the RV mechanicals done, in addition to finishing the solar project.  Whew!  Is it vacation yet?

Kev

It took until around 8pm last night to finish the prescribed number of catapults for the day, since my worker Sprout was a no-call/no-show.  No one has any idea where he is, rotten kid!  Managed to find another worker to do the sanding, who'll be working the rest of the week, and Todd's girlfriend came in and helped for an hour or two as well.  Last night was what they call at Renfaire The Funky Formal, an end of the show party that is the social event for the young Rennies, sort of like a prom.  We didn't go since we were exhausted and can't stand the music kids play these days...lol...but Todd and his girl went, so who knows when he'll show up for work this morning.  Its all good though...he'll work as late as needed to finish today's huge run of catapults while I work on trebuchets and ballistas.

We have a bit of a reprieve from Carolina this year...while there are indeed 3 kids days in a row, they won't be the FIRST week of the faire, but rather the second.  So we'll have the stock set aside for them already, and I can just build a small and normal size run after opening weekend, and not have to build a thing beforehand.

I called the local Napa auto parts store...found a close one in Warwick, NY...and ordered the radiator hoses, radiator cap, heavy duty fan clutch, and heavy duty water pump.  Everything but the water pump will be there today, but they said the water pump SHOULD be in by Friday since it has to be shipped in from Georgia.  Total cost for everything was 200 bucks, so not too bad.  I'll try to find time this morning to run out and get the parts to make sure they are the correct ones, since I have to drive to Lowes anyway to get more poplar for the trebuchets and ballistas...someone absconded with some of the wood in my woodpile, so I have to go get more.

It was so late last night the only thing I wanted to do was relax for a bit on the porch, but had to run up the mountain in the Jeep and pick up dinner...so while I was out I stopped at Cumberland Farms and bought a fire log and a bundle of firewood, returned to camp, set up the Coleman fire ring, and started a little campfire...it was cold last night!  Patti and I sat at the campfire for a while...the first time since last year's vacation!...and spent some quality time together before calling it a night.

I'm going to try to get all the trebuchets and ballistas done today, but not sure if I can...if I can, then I'll have tomorrow to work on the shocks and the solar wiring...I'll put in a late night either way, so if nothing else I might have a short day tomorrow...we'll see!  All depends on my workers, when they show up, and how hung-over they are from the party...lol!

Off to Lowes and Napa, then back to work on the catapults!

Kev

Went to Home Depot instead since it was a lot closer, and skipped Napa for now...had to get back in time to build the catapults!  We ended up working until 8pm, but got all the little ones finished, and all the trebuchet and ballista parts prepped out...just have to sand them this morning and assemble them, so I might have a fairly early day.  I'm hoping the water pump will also be in...the rest of the parts arrived there yesterday...since they had to special order it from Georgia. 

If I can finish early enough, I'll take the trip to Napa...they close at 5:30, so I'll have my parts on hand for after the weekend.  Going to be another insanely busy weekend!  Perfect weather forcasted again...SWEET!  Already starting to pack away winter money!

My goal is to finish all the projects by Thursday, including packdown, and hit the road to Huntersville, NC bright and early Friday morning.  Lets hope there aren't any further complications!

Okay, off to work early so I can get everything done in time to go to Napa!

Kev

We got all the catapults done by 7pm...Todd came in on his day off to help...and now I have to bring them up to the booth so I have to keep this short...lol!

Even had time to go pick up my parts at Napa around 4:30pm, although the water pump won't be in until Monday...so I'll do the shocks on Monday and finish wiring in the solar, and do the engine stuff on Tuesday.

Okay...supposed to be perfect weather the next 2 days, so I gots to go!

Kev

Wow!  An amazing and busy day yesterday...SWEET!  And the weather today is supposed to be perfect!  Even with all the stock we built this week there is no way we'd have enough left over after today to open Carolina, do three kids days in a row, and then a second weekend...I'm really hoping we have enough left to simply have enough stock for just opening weekend in Carolina...lol!  The very very good news is that student days in Carolina...which we just got the email about...isn't until AFTER second weekend this year, so I'll have a week to build stock for it.  What a relief!  Sure don't have time to build another run of stock before we leave AND get all the projects done!  I guess there could be worse problems to have...lmao!  We sold 6 out of 10 ballistas in one day yesterday, so I'm not sure if we'll even have any ballistas left for opening weekend in Carolina...ah well...they'll have to wait until the following weekend then!

We have plenty of catapults left for an even busier day today, which we expect it to be.  The weather forecast for yesterday made the afternoon weather a little iffy, even though it didn't rain until after 8pm...the forecast for today has been perfect all week, so we expect to get overrun with the last minute last day shoppers!  Good thing we built as much as we did!  We're already packing the winter vacation money away, even with all the project expenses...AWESOME!

So first thing tomorrow morning, and I mean early, I have to dump our tote tank one last time and bring it to our friend Julie...she needs one and we don't anymore, so we gave it to her (just haven't had time to dump it yet and she's leaving in the morning)...and the little 65 watt Kyocera solar panel and Sunforce charge controller to our friend Arlene, to whom we also gifted the old solar setup.  Then come heck or highwater, I'm going to completely finish the solar project...the 48 volt muffin fan already arrived so I can completely get the system installed...and get all the rest of the shocks installed before the end of the day, including the steering stabilizer...and grease all the fittings and top off the rear diff fluid.  At some point in the late afternoon tomorrow I'll have to drive the 10 miles to the Napa to pick up the new heavy duty water pump which finally came in so I'll have it on hand for Tuesday.  And before I do that I'll have to pull the doghouse cover and compare the hoses they gave me with the old ones to make sure I don't have to return and exchange them.

Tuesday I have to start the RV and look for the coolant leak to confirm where its coming from, although I'm pretty sure its coming from the upper radiator hose.  Then drain the radiator into buckets I can dispose of at a recycling center...don't want any animals getting into it...and replace the hoses.  Then the fun job of replacing the fan clutch and water pump...not a lot of room to work in there, and most of the job has to be done from the top of the engine unless I can get the plastic lower radiator shroud out from underneath.  The radiator on this thing isn't mounted like a Dodge, where you can simply remove the upper bolts and loosen the lower bolts and tilt it out...its front bolted to a steel frame and no way to pivot it.  So its going to be a lot of cursing and stretching and reaching to get the job done.  I'll lay a tarp down under it so I can find any nuts and bolts I might drop doing the projects.  Then when its all done, I'll refill the system with the several gallons of radiator fluid 50/50 mix required and install the new radiator cap.  I'm guessing this project will consume the whole day, but I could get lucky enough to have time to bring the chassis battery up to the Interstate battery store and exchange it for a fresh one.  Also gonna try to replace the headlamp plug on Tuesday, complete with dielectric grease. 

That will leave me Wednesday to finish up all the other little projects, like covering the wiring run under the dinette and in the bathroom, fixing the bed hinge so we can access the storage space, laying a bead of silicone on the lip of one compartment which leaks in the rain and another on the dryer vent...didn't have time yet...and fixing the leak once and for all in the black tank drain pipe with ABS shavings and ABS cement...I've had it closed off for a couple of weeks so its finally dry enough to work on...then start cleaning up from all the projects and making SEVERAL dumpster runs, including the copious bags of sawdust and woodshavings from our workshop.  Also have to drill the holes in the Jeep bumper and install the tow bar brackets, wire in the break away switch for the brake buddy, make sure the wires for the flappy tow lights are long enough and splice new wires in if not, and make sure the Jeep is ready to tow.  Going to try to get the LED T8 bulbs installed in the fixture over the sink as well.

The goal on Thursday is to pack down the shop tent and stock into the RV and Jeep, get all the porch furniture and whatnot loaded into the compartments, load the compartments to even the load a lot better, test the lights, check the air pressures and fluids, unhook from the power and water and stow everything, and by the end of the day be out in the patron parking lot with the Jeep all hooked up and ready to hit the road Friday morning.  I'm hoping I can get all this done by early afternoon, since we'll be in full sun and I can really test out the solar system then!

Then Friday we'll be on the road to Carolina!  700+ miles, so I'll see pretty quickly if I did all the mechanicals correctly...lol!  Gonna take the trip in 2 days, so we'll pull into the parking lot no later than Saturday night, and pull the RV into our campsite Sunday morning and set up camp.  Then off to Walmart for a new workshop tent, set it up, and get all our workshop tools out of our friend's booth and put them in the tent.  Then the rest of the week to relax, and maybe finish whatever I couldn't finish before the trip. 

Gonna be a long week!

Kev

This ended up being our best weekend ever in NY.  By the time the afternoon rolled around we were holding stock back under the tables in the cases and telling folks we were sold out of certain models, so we'd have them for opening day in Carolina!  As it is we sold out of every last ballista we made!  Not gonna have time to make more before opening day, but we have enough of all the rest of the catapults.

So once my coffee kicks in this morning, I have to dump the tote tank for the very last time ever, bring it to our friend Julie's rig, bring the old solar panel setup over to our friend Arlene's rig, then go to the office and pick up the 48 volt fan, get back to our rig, and finish the solar array wiring once and for all.  I'm going to do that first since it bloody cold outside this morning!

By the time I finish the solar wiring, monitor panel and all, it will be more than warm enough to throw on my work clothes and finish the shocks and steering stabilizer, grease all the fittings and top off the rear diff, then go to Napa and pick up my water pump for tomorrow's install.

We'll see how much time I have left in the day when all that is done, and try to get more done as well.  If I finish the shocks up early enough, I'll bring the coach battery with me as well since the Interstate battery store isn't all that far from the Napa.

Tomorrow I'll tackle the water pump, fan clutch, radiator hoses and cap, after starting the engine and verifying where the coolant leak is coming from.

So much to do, but at least the weather this week is supposed to be dry and cool with no rain. 

Time for more coffee, then back to work!

Kev

So the entire solar power project is done!  Had to get RJ-11 plug ends for the remote monitor, but Todd picked them up for me while he was out...the remote monitor comes with a 90 foot cable, and the monitor is just over a foot away from the controller, so I thought it ridiculous to use a 90 foot cable.

The 48 volt muffin fan works perfectly right from the solar panels, so it shuts down at night...comes right on during the day, even under the trees in the shade where we are camped right now.

Except for boxing in the wire run in the bathroom and under the dinette, I can call that project completely finished now!  Finished enough until we get to Carolina anyways.

The monitor says the panels produced a maximum voltage of 32.5 yesterday, and that was in the shade...SWEET!  Not a lot of amps, but it was late in the day, nearly dark, before I had the cable ends and hooked up the monitor.

Got the front steering stabilizer installed, which was fairly easy, and then got the front shocks MOSTLY installed...since the previous owner had modified the mounts, I had some hardware issues with the new shocks.  I had to make my own upper shock mounts made with 5/8 grade 8 bolts, nuts, lockwashers, and a bunch of grade 8 flat washers as spacers...way stronger than the original.  The lower shock mounts I had to spread open and bend inwards so the 1/2" grade 8 bolts would go all the way through, and then had to make bushings for the shocks because the opening in the shock was bigger than the bolts...had to get really creative there!  Only had 3" bolts for the lowers though, and Sears Hardware was all out last night...I need 3.5 inch for the lowers so I can use washers and lock nuts...and of course Thread Locker.  Ran out of grade 8 5/8 washers as well, so I'll pick those up today so I can finish the project.  Still have the last 2 in the back to install as well, but since I've already done one side, the learning curve is already there, so that should only take about an hour.  I'm wondering now if I got the wrong front shocks after all since they were so different in mounting than the ones I took off, but the travel seems to be about the same so I'm sure they'll be fine, and they are certainly heavy duty enough!  They are the ones Monroe recommended for my chassis, even though the mounts were different, so I'm going to fly with them and hope for the best...They are Monroe Gas Magnum RV shocks all the way around.  The steering stabilizer was an exact fit, although its HUGE compared to the little Delco I removed.

So after my coffee kicks in...I was so exhausted by the time I called it quits last night that I slept right through the alarm clock and didn't wake until 8am...I have to take out the coach battery and load it in the Jeep, drive to Napa and pick up the water pump, stop by a hardware store for a couple more bolts and washers, stop by the battery place and exchange the battery, then get back to camp and install the battery, finish the shocks, then get to work on the water pump, fan clutch, and radiator hoses. 

I doubt I'll finish the coolant system today, but I also have all day tomorrow to finish up mechanicals.  Then Thursday its packdown the Underhill pavilion and all our stock, pack up some stuff from the workshop (Todd's still using it, so he'll do the final cleanup in there and box the shop in to protect the tools for the year), pack up the porch stuff, and be ready to roll on Friday...which also means I have to install the tow bar brackets sometime today or tomorrow.

At this point in the game, I just have to prioritize everything...getting ready mechanically and electrically being the most important.  Any loose ends and finish work is probably going to have to wait until we get to Carolina, but the lion's share will be done.

So its back to work now!  Lots to do!

Kev

The shocks are all installed!  Woohoo!!!  The rig actually looks like she's sitting pretty level now!  While under the coach I checked the rear differential fluid, which was fine and didn't even need to be topped off, and greased all the fittings on the drive shaft and front suspension components.  Glad I'm a lot skinnier than I used to be!  Way easier manuvering under the rig without a big fat gut in the way!

Then I installed the brand new Interstate chassis battery...same size and configuration as the one I removed, but way heavier.  I'm surprised the old battery was still working...the date on the top said is was installed in May, 2002.  Guess that means my charging system must still be pretty good...lol!

I bought a can of battery terminal coating spray while at the battery store, so I sprayed the battery terminals, including the ones in the coach compartment, and while at it sprayed all the wiring connections that were exposed to the weather in the nose of the RV and in the coach compartment.  Then I used a can of Great Stuff spray foam and filled in the gaps where the drain line from the washer dryer comes down into the battery compartment, and the gaps where all the wiring from the charge controller and inverter come down through the floor...don't want any battery gas getting up into the power compartment!

Then I laid a bead of white silicone around the compartment door that was leaking, and a clear bead of silicone around the dryer vent.

Now it was time to find the coolant leak and determine what needed to be done to change out the fan clutch, radiator hoses, and water pump.  I started the rig and let it warm up, and no leaks at first...but as soon as the thermostat opened the upper radiator hose started dripping coolant where it meets the radiator.  Whew...could have been way worse!  Its the same hose that was leaking at the thermostat housing when I replaced the thermostat, so I had cut the end off and reclamped it as a temporary fix...apparently just the little bit of shortening I did on the hose caused too much stress on the other side of the hose where it meets the radiator.  Not a problem since I have the new hose on hand, and since its the upper hose I won't loose too much coolant doing the job.

I shut down the engine and planned out today's workload...and decided that the lower radiator hose and water pump are going to wait until sometime in North Carolina.  There are 2 ways I could replace the water pump, and both ways would be WAY too time intensive to get done in one day, and still get everything else done that I need to do.  The first way would be to remove all the belts, then the air conditioner compressor, upper air pump, alternator, and power steering pump...they all attach to this massive steel bracket system that is attached to the engine and to the front of the water pump bolts, which has to be removed to access the pump from the top.  Would take WAY too long, and I'd be working upside down laying across the engine with my arms hanging down into the compartment.  The second way would be to remove the radiator...which would also take way too long for today, but its the best way, so that is how I'll do it in Carolina.  And since I'll have the water pump off and full access to the front of the engine, I'll change out the timing chain while I'm at it and all the heater hoses and lower radiator hose.

I can get to the fan clutch fairly easily from the doghouse though (well designed and plenty of room to reach in there and undo the bolts and remove and replace it), so I'll do that this morning and the upper radiator hose, top off the radiator fluid and install the new radiator cap, then replace the broken high beam plug and use liquid electrical tape to seal the connections and dielectric grease in the new plug, and check the other three plugs and replace any that are bad if necessary, but I'm pretty sure its only the one. 

Then I'll check the tire pressures and air up the air bags to 70psi, check all the fluids, and call all the mechanicals done that are necessary for our trip to Carolina.

After all that is done, I have to drill holes in the front bumper of the Jeep and install the tow bar brackets, run the wiring for the break away switch, test fit the new flappy tow lights and make sure the wiring harness is long enough and lengthen it if necessary, and figure out a way to prop the little Coleman solar panel in the flat windshield to keep the battery in good condition on the trip, since the Break Buddy has been known to drain the battery in the Cherokee on long trips and the little solar panel seemed to eliminate that.  Then that project will be done and we'll be closer to being able to leave.

I should be done with all that fairly early if I hustle, so I also want to install the new T8 LED bulbs in the ThinLite fixture over the sink and test them out...if they work well and we like the light, we'll replace the bulbs in at least 2 other of the fluorescent fixtures in Carolina. 

Then if I have time, and I should, I need to pull the bed mattress back and see what is needed to fix the hinge, run to a hardware store and get whatever is needed to fix the hinge, fix it, then reattach the hydrolic pistons back the bed frame and call that project done, which will make tomorrow's packdown WAY easier.

Lastly, time permitting but it probably won't, I'll box in the wiring run from the solar project, but that might have to be done in NC, or tomorrow if I have time.

Tomorrow its the great packdown.  The Underhill pavilion has to be taken down and folded up, all the stock put in the new totes, and the totes loaded into the RV compartments, along with the tent and poles.  Then the one tote of workshop stuff that we are taking with us, plus materials and extension cords, has to be taken to camp and put in a compartment, everything on the porch has to get loaded into compartments (lighter stuff on the driver's side, heavier stuff on the passenger side to even the load, since the batteries, genny, and black tank are all on the driver's side, as is the washer/dryer), and anything that doesn't fit in the compartments that is light weight can go in the Jeep, but I'm pretty sure everything is going to fit in the compartments since we are traveling WAY lighter from now on!  Then stow the porch furniture and mats, roll up the awning, stow the folding fire ring, store the dog fence in the workshop (its cheap but takes up a lot of room, so I'll just get another in Carolina), and be ready to hit the road.

Since the packdown won't take all day, I'll be able to work on some other projects to get ready for the trip, like boxing in the wires time permitting, then tomorrow night we are going to have dinner with Patti's son Joe and her grandkids and daughter in law, and be ready to leave first thing Friday morning.

The list is getting smaller!

Kev

Wow I'm beat! 

The first thing I did yesterday morning was wire in the T8 LED bulbs in the light fixture over the sink while still in my jammies.  What nice lamps!  Brighter than the florescent bulbs with the same color light and come on instantly.  Not hard to wire in and is reversible if you ever wanted to go back to florescents.  Patti loves it and will definitely have me installing some more of them in Carolina.

Then on with the work clothes and on to the fan clutch.  I laid a thick folded blanket on top of the air cleaner so I lay across it and reach down from the top between the fan shroud and AC compressor and air pump and whatnot.  LED headlamp on my head so I could see, there was no way to get a socket in there, so a 1/2 inch box wrench, attached to a lanyard to my wrist so I wouldn't drop it down where I'd never see it again, was my best friend.  Working very carefully so as not to drop any nuts or bolts, first I removed the whole fan clutch and fan assembly and leaned it carefully forward against the radiator.  Then I unbolted the old fan clutch from the fan and tried to remove it...no way it was going to fit between the fan shroud and belts and all that!  Simple solution...I cut out a 4x6 hole in the top of the fan shroud and was able to get it right out.  The whole assembly was covered in years of dirt, and you could barely even see the thermostatic coil on the front.  Then in with the new fan clutch...I put the fan on it from the back and left it hanging loose, then got the fan clutch lined up and on the water pump studs and secured it with one nut.  Then after a lot of tries finally got the first bolt for the fan lined up and tightened it by hand.  I then got every other fan bolt screwed in by hand, then tightened them down with the 1/2 inch box wrench.  Then I tightened down that first nut on the fan clutch, and using a screw driver was able to rotate the fan clutch so the next stud was where I could reach it, installed the nut, and repeated for all four...then torqued them all down with the wrench.  Almost done!  Lastly I found an old Rubbermaid plastic trash can lid that had a place on it about the same shape and with the same lip as the the part I cut out of the fan shroud, cut it out with my scroll saw, and screwed it in place...voila!  Doesn't look bad, and gives me access if I ever need it.

So the fan clutch was done, and it was time to replace the top radiator hose.  First I had to remove the air cleaner housing and some of the air pump hoses, then clamped the hose shut top and bottom with my Irwin quick clamps and some small blocks of wood to minimize coolant spillage, then undid the hose clamp at the thermostat housing and pulled it...not much coolant spilled on the top of the engine with the clamps in place.  Then I had to pull the hose at the radiator, which wasn't easy!  Whoever put the clamp on there...a rusty one at that...placed the nut in such a way you couldn't get a screw driver on it...had to use a mini wrench a little at a time, and it was so rusty it wouldn't loosen the clamp, but rather the nut itself finally came right out of the hose clamp all the way and the clamp fell free.  I pulled the hose and some coolant spilled under the rig.  Next the new hose went in with new hose clamps, got all tightened down, then I cleaned up all the coolant off the top of the motor with paper towels, reinstalled the air cleaner and air pump hoses, went outside and shoveled up the dirt under the RV where the coolant had spilled to keep animals safe, topped off the radiator and installed the new radiator cap, and the coolant system project was done.

Next it was back under the RV to replace the headlamp plug and coat the connections in liquid electrical tape, then back inside to test everything.

Then I checked the oil and power steering fluid...both fine...and the brake fluid, and it was time to start the engine and test everything.

The engine fired right up and I let it reach temp...no leaks!  And at idle the temp stayed at 185 degrees.  On with the lights and the highbeams worked perfectly!  I left them on and checked all the running lights, and one bulb was out on the lower back driver's side...just a bad connection, so some bulb grease and cleaning the bulb, reinstalling it, and all the lights were a go.  Engine still running and the lights still on, I checked the battery voltage and it was 13.9...so the alternator is working just fine.  When I turned the lights off, the battery voltage went back up to 14.2...SWEET!  So its the gauge on the dash that is wonky, not the charging system...the gauge said it was putting out around 11 volts.  Lights back on and engine still running, I tested the new tow lights for the Jeep, and they worked fine as well.

So I shut down the lights, shut down the engine, reinstalled the doghouse cover, and pronounced the RV mechanicals done and ready to travel.

Now it was almost 2pm...so it was time to get the Jeep ready to tow.  I marked the holes in the bumper for the tow bar brackets, and drilled them out in graduating sizes with lots of PB Blaster until I reached 1/2 inch, wallowed them out a bit, then tried to install the first bracket.  There is a big round steel pipe behind the bumper, part of the Jeep frame itself, so long story short the bolts were just a 1/4 inch too long unless I used spacer washers on the outside, and there was no way to get my fingers in there to attach the back plate and washers and lock washers and nuts, never mind get a wrench on them to tighten them down!  So the bumper had to be removed.  An wouldn't ya know it!  Torx bolts!  Big ones!  I really need to invest in a complete Torx set for the Jeep soon.  Anyhow, off to the hardware store and the biggest they had was T45, way too small.  Then to Sears Hardware, and the T50 was way too small as well...so finally at the auto parts store I tried out a T60 on the bumper bolts, which was too big, and then a T55, which was just right.  They also had the shorter grade 8 bolts and washers and nuts needed so I picked those up...just as well, since the old bolts were grade 5 and well used...and back to camp.  A pipe on the end of my ratchet and the stubborn bumper bolts came out, then a simple disconnect of the fog lights and the bumper was free, the brackets installed, the bumper and lights reinstalled, and that part of the project was a done deal. 

Time for the break away switch.  Couldn't attach it right to the bumper because it sticks out too far and is too vulnerable to damage...The small part of the body I could attach it too was too high up under the bumper so the switch would face down at a downward angle...no good.  Easy solution!  I had a leftover Z bracket from the solar panels, and bolted it to the switch hole with a stainless bolt and lock nut, then bent the back switch bracket just enough so the Z bracket would align with the angle of the body panel under the bumper, drilled a hole, and used another stainless bolt and lockwasher and bolted it down...perfect!  Now the switch sits just where it should, high and tight to the bumper without sticking out.  Then I ran the wires and zip tied them out of harms way, through the firewall where the Posi Lok cable already came through, reattached the ends, zip tied them up for when not in use, and siliconed the hole in the firewall.  So that part was done.

Now to test fit the tow lights.  They fit fine in the hatchback and the wire is more than long enough, so I didn't have to extend them.  Good deal!

Next it was time to test the fit of the Brake Buddy....good thing I did!  The floor of a 92 Jeep Wrangler YJ is a very odd shape, and the seat rails slope back making the position of the Brake Buddy way too close against the brake pedal when on the flat part of the floor, and way too far away when back tight against the seat.  Solution!  There was some big 2x10 scraps sitting in a pile from a recent site project.  2 spacer boards on the floor under the Brake Buddy, one long board behind it to take up the space between the seat rails and the Brake Buddy and to give it something to push against, then one more small spacer board to slide behind the Brake Buddy and seat cushion, a ratcheting strap around the seat rails down low and through the back of the Brake Buddy and tightened down, and the Brake Buddy was sitting in the exact right position.  The pedals on a YJ also make attachment of the arm difficult, since the clutch and brake arms are so close together, but the big heavy bungee cord I use to retract the piston arm also now doubles as a keeper for the brake pedal to keep it in the clamp...so that project was done.

The last thing to test fit was the safety cables, which I thought would clip right over the front leaf spring shackles, but alas, they were too small.  Solution!  For some reason I've been hanging on to two heavy shackles...and they were big enough to go on the leaf spring shackles, and the small enough for the safety cables to clip onto them.

So the Jeep was pronounced done and ready to tow!

It was now 6pm.  I pulled back the mattress and accessed what I would need for the hinge repair and went to the hardware store...all the way to Sears Hardware again...and picked up a 2x4, screws and the biggest piano hinge they had, stopped at the grocery store and got 2 rotiserie chickens for dinner and some Coffee Mate for Patti and some other stuff, then back to camp, where I called it a night!

This morning its fix the hinge, make and install the wire run boxes, clean up my tools and organize them, and start packing.

I figure it won't take all day to pack since we have so much less to pack down, and I have to wait for things to dry up a bit from last night's rain...don't want to pack up a wet tent...so I'm definitely going to fix the bed hinge and do the wire run boxes first thing.

So my coffee is finally kicking in, and its back to work!  I didn't think we could do it all, but we did!  Right on schedule we hit the road tomorrow morning, bright and early.  In the rain of course.

On a great parting note, I forgot to mention that when I was installing the last of the rear shocks and sitting up under the wheel well, I had a very pleasant surprise.  There is a cutout in the sheet metal above the RV frame, right over the gas tank!  You can get to the wires, the fuel lines, and even the in tank fuel pump from right there, comfortably seated with plenty of access, without having to drain and drop the fuel tank!  In the event of a future fuel pump replacement it certainly was good news that it wouldn't be a major project.  SWEET!

Okay, back to work!

Kev

Kevin............When the hell do your holidays start??  You are wearing me out............

Every time I read one of Kev's entries, I need a nap  ???

Hey Kev on those miserable old hose clamps instead of fighting them a dremmel with a reinforced cut off wheel will handle them quickly being careful not to contact radiator outlet  Frank

LOL Joan and Don!  That's our life...burst working like crazy during the season...then using the money to relax on our vacations...which we get plenty of.  We have from Thanksgiving until February off, thus all the boondocking prep for our adventures in Arizona.  Then we work like heck February and March and have the month of April off...plan on going to finally see the Grand Canyon this year if we can find a dog friendly hotel.  I don't want to drive the RV up that much elevation, although I'm sure she'd make it...I just don't want to beat on the poor thing.  We tried last year but every room was booked with spring break...Don't the college kids go somewhere warm like Aruba?  Patti is going to make reservations once we are settled in in Carolina.  Then we work our butts off for the month of May and will have June and July off, so we're thinking of a trip up north, maybe see Mount Rushmore, maybe funds permitting even taking a trip to the Northwest if there is a pass that isn't too crazy in elevation gain...would love to see Oregon and Washington.  Anyhow, that's how we get to have so much fun in the off season...lots of blood and sweat when its time to work!

And Frank, I thought about that, but the collar on my Dremel is messed up...can't get the sander head off of it, but the sander head is what I use on the catapults, its the older USA made Dremel and works great otherwise, and I'd hate to buy a new one since they're made in China now.

So yesterday went according to plan.  The first thing I did was fix the bed hinge and reinstall the hydrolic pistons with Patti's help.  Then stowed the new 35 gallon freshwater tank under the bed...gonna hook it up in Carolina to increase our freshwater capacity when boondocking...and called that project finished.

Then I took measurements and made a template for the wire run cover boxes and went to the workshop and made them out of oak and wood puttied and sanded them and came back and test fit them.  The one in the bathroom fit perfectly...going to have to notch out the one for under the dinette, but I can do that today before staining them with Minwax. 

I got all this done by 12:30pm, then the great packdown began.  Since I decided to take more care balancing the load in the RV, everything had to come out of the compartments first.  Then I took everything that was staying and brought it to the workshop to store it for the year...my buddy Matt is framing in and boxing off the workshop for me and isn't charging me much (we only had a canvas wall around it until now)...and then it was time to clean and organize all my tools. 

It took until 6pm by the time the last compartment was filled.  Heaviest stuff went in the passenger side compartments, lightest stuff on the driver's side.  Was able to get a lot of stuff out of the house while I was at it and now there isn't a single loose item in the RV that doesn't have a home in a cabinet or compartment...SWEET!

Finally I went to Sear's Hardware to see if they had a mini compressor/tire inflator that was capable of inflating to 100psi, and of course they either didn't have one, or else they store clerks had no idea about their product.  They had one that had a gauge that read up to 150psi, but the literature in the box said nothing about max pressure it would inflate to...so I'll get one later in NC and just air up the tires and front air bags with my compressor from the workshop today when the rain lets up this afternoon.

And that was the day, and every muscle in my body is sore...lol! 

We decided that since its raining cats and dogs and is supposed to all day, with a break in the rain this afternoon, we are going to pull out of camp this afternoon into the patron parking lot, hook up the Jeep and be ready to hit the road first thing Saturday morning.  The weather Saturday and Sunday is supposed to be very nice!

Not a lot to do today, so it will be nice to relax before taking a long road trip tomorrow.

Once my coffee kicks in we have to go to the post office and mail out 3 internet orders, so while there in town we'll get some road groceries, and I'll stop at the hardware store and pick up the brass screws and Golden Oak stain for the wire run boxes and stain and install them when we get home.  And see if THAT hardware store has a mini compressor that will reach 100 psi. 

Then this afternoon when the rain breaks we'll load the last few things in the Jeep...just a couple of light cases of stock, the grill, the porch mats and porch chairs, and the empty cooler and folding fire ring.  Then break camp, roll out to the parking lot, hook the Jeep up to the tow bar, hook up the tow lights, and be ready to roll at first light.  We'll run off the inverter tonight...so I'm really excited to see how the solar panels put out when in full sun and the batteries needing a charge.  Of course, we'll unplug the converter and put the fridge on propane.

Somewhere along route we'll pull into a Flying J and fill the onboard propane tank...its down to just over 10% so we've been using a pony tank for the last few weeks.  Its enough to make it to NC and then some, but its time to top it off! 

Going to be a long drive tomorrow though...losing today for travel means I have to drive the lion's share tomorrow to roll into the parking lot of the Carolina Renfaire in Huntersville, NC by Sunday afternoon.  Should be a nice ride though with the new shocks and tires and steering stabilizer, and everything mechanically sound.  And carrying and pulling a lot less weight!

Okay, gonna play on the internet a bit since I can, then get some more stuff done at a leisurely pace...for the first time in a while!

Kev

I use this for my away from home needs. Love it.

http://www.amazon.com/Industries-MV50-SuperFlow-High-Volume-Compressor/dp/B000BM8RT8/ref=sr_1_8?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1347933244&sr=1-8&keywords=air+compressor+12v (http://www.amazon.com/Industries-MV50-SuperFlow-High-Volume-Compressor/dp/B000BM8RT8/ref=sr_1_8?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1347933244&sr=1-8&keywords=air+compressor+12v)

Those Dremel tools are sure handy.  I'm sure you are aware that they have an excellent repair service in Racine, WI.  If not, here is the link:

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/customerservice/productsupport/ServiceAndRepair/Pages/default.aspx (http://www.dremel.com/en-us/customerservice/productsupport/ServiceAndRepair/Pages/default.aspx)

Good Luck with your trip.  I'm sure the new mechanicals will make the trip a lot less stressful. 

Thanks guys!  Got it all done today...tires all aired to 90 psi, front air bags to 60 psi to err on the side of caution, a final check, and then it was time for the final packdown. 

2 trips to the hardware store, since the first run I grabbed the wrong stain color...it was in the wrong rack and I didn't read the label...and the wire run looks great in the bathroom, decent under the dinette, so I'll have to redo it when I have time...big wires and not a big enough box, so I'll have to make a slightly bigger one, but at least its secured and protected.

Everything is loading in the Jeep, and we pulled out to the parking lot around 5pm. 

The Jeep is hooked up to the tow bar, lights all attached, and we are ready to roll at first light!

Or until after I have my coffee...lol!

About 650 mile for the trip.  Gonna get most of it done tomorrow!

And just the very short trip to the parking lot showed my suspension work paid off...its a different ride altogether!  There isn't even a comparison...felt like I was driving a Cadillac instead on a wallowing RV...really looking forward to the trip!

More tomorrow morning, then we hit the road and this chapter of our adventures closes and a new chapter begins!

Kev

Good morning everyone!  Its now 7am...went to sleep around 10 last night so I'd be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our road trip to Huntersville, NC. 

As a system test, we unplugged the converter when we got to the parking lot, set the fridge to propane, then turned on the inverter.  It works!  Powers up the microwave no problem...ran it for 2 minutes heating up some mashed potatoes for Patti and it heated them right up with no unusual noises.  Then we tested the Splendide washer/dryer on wash cycle for a couple of minutes to make sure it would work...not going to use it as a dryer on battery power, but we'd still like to wash some clothes now and then when boondocking, and it works great.  We left the inverter on all night, watched a couple of movies before going to sleep, and it powered the TV and DVD player with no problems.  We left the laptops plugged in and charging and the tablet and phones plugged in and charging as well.  Because we were testing the system we weren't all that careful with lights, so a lot of them were on.  The inverter is still on and my 6 battery system is still reading at 12.4 volts, which is around 80% of charge...SWEET!  It actually reads 12.5 when I shut the inverter off, so its even better than we hoped.

We're out in the middle of a big parking lot, so I'm hoping we get some sun on the panels before we leave...I really wanna see what they can do!

This should be a relaxing and fun trip, and a very nice ride with the new shocks and tires and stabilizer and all...just the trip here to the parking lot showed just how smooth the ride is now. 

So this chapter is about to come to an end, and a new chapter, North Carolina, 2012, is about to begin!

Its coffee time, then leash the cat, take the dogs out, and hit the road by 9am.

Kev

Safe travels...

We wish you the best of traffic and weather.  We will be virtually following you on the computer.  Google Maps is a wonderful thing.
Dan

12.5 and the inverter off, you are doing well. To really tell where the batteries are at you have to shut "everything off and let them sit and it will give you a true reading, likely at least 12.6 which means you didn't use much :) Well you do have 6 batteries !!! I'm jealous !!! :) Have a safe trip !!!

So remember that little fuel delivery problem we had on the way from Kentucky to New York?  The one I thought just had to do with overheating and gas perculating in the carb?  Yeah, that one.

Turns out it didn't go away, even though we never reached over 205 degrees the entire trip so far, even up the really steep climbs.  Average engine temp was 185-190, average transmission temp right under 150, and it never got hotter than 160.  But we left New York with half a tank of gas, drove down Route 17 to I-87 South, picked up I-287 South, and got as far as that before she started sputtering up the steep inclines like she was out of gas.  I pulled off the first exit that had a gas station, and ALMOST made it there before stalling at a light with a police officer right behind me.  He put on his lights and took me and my gas can to the gas station once another police car pulled up, drove me back, I dumped the 5 gallons in, and after a little coaxing, she fired back to life and we drove the rig to the gas station and filled it up.  It took 30 gallons, plus the 5 we put in, so there was still 25 gallons in the tank, but the rig acted like it was empty.  So we decided to stop and gas her up often and not let her drop much below 3/4 of a tank.  As long as we kept her nearly full she runs perfect, lots of power up hills.  Once it gets about halfway between 3/4 and a half tank, she starts to loose power on the hills, and we only let that happen twice...no more stalls at least.  My guess?  Weak in tank pump, clogged sock, clogged filters, or any combination of the above.  Solution?  Especially since I can reach the top of the tank easily without having to drop it?  She's getting a new electric fuel pump and sock in NC, a new Holley pressure regulator if I can find where they hid the thing, new mechanical pump, and new fuel filters.  Not gonna play around anymore...in fact, if I do all this and she still has some issues I,m putting in an Edlebrock 1411 with whatever adapters and tuneup springs I need to make it work...but I know its a fuel delivery problem and that can be easily dealt with.

Okay, so on to the positive.  We left just before 10am...had some business related stuff we had to go over with Todd before we left.  Rig ran awesome the whole way until the fuel incident, but we temporarily corrected that by keeping her topped off, and the police being right there and helpful didn't cause us to delay us long.  I looked at the bright side of all the extra fuel stops as being a chance to stretch my legs.

Our eyes were open to find the first Flying J so we could top off and fill the propane.  The first one we found was on I-81 South in Pennsylvania...and wouldn't you know it?  It was the first Flying J I ever saw that didn't have RV lanes or propane, or even a place for RVs to park for the night, unless they wanted to back into truck spaces, which you can't do with a tow vehicle.  Onward we pressed, topped off at a Pilot, then found a REAL Flying J a ways down I-87.  Had the propane filled, went to pay for it, and found out Chase froze our account because of all the gas purchases in rapid succession in multiple states...a phone call sorted it out, but its not the first time its happened.  Couldn't they just call us?...lol!  I guess I'd rather our account be secure, but its annoying.

Okay, so we leave the Flying J and stop at the first rest area for the pups, who do what dogs do, then we got back on the road.

The shocks and steering stabilizer are amazing!  I mean a really good ride!  Even over the rough first half of I-78 W before hitting  the much smoother I-81 south, she soaked up the bumps better than she ever has, and better than I thought possible.  Between the new directional Samson steering tires in the front and the new steering stabilizer, she was a pleasure to drive with very little fatigue...Semi wind push was still there but greatly diminished comparatively, and wind gusts didn't move us as much either, and we hit a few!

The new heavy duty fan clutch works just as its supposed to, unlike the one we removed.  Any time the gauge approached 200 degrees, it would kick on and bring it right back down...consistently, every time.  SWEET!  Temps are running consistently cooler now than at any other time we've owned and driven her.

We definitely have some electrical demons in the dash to contend with though before leaving NC.  There is a short in there somewhere, and it has to do with the lights, or when the lights are on that is.  No problems during the day, but as soon as the lights came on, things got weird.  Highbeams worked fine for a while, but starting flashing after about a half hour, so we stuck with low beams.  Volt meter on the dash dropped to 11 volts as soon as the lights came on, even though the digital battery meter I installed showed 14.2-14.5 volts throughout the day and even at night, so I know that wasn't the solar alone...the alternator is putting out the volts, but something isn't right obviously.  And periodically I'd notice the left signal arrow start to glow softly by itself while the light behind the speedo would dim, then go out and the speedo would brighten. Put the signals on, and the volt meter needle bobs back and forth in time with it...yep, there's some shorts in there somewhere!  Another odd thing it does is once the lights come on and the voltage meter drops, all the other gauges go up a bit, about the same amount as the volt meter drops!  So the water temp reads 185 with the lights off, then goes up to 200 when you turn the lights on.  Same with the trans temp meter and the oil pressure meter...sure is weird!  Can't be the ignition switch or headlight switch, which are brand new.  So looks like I'll be inspecting every wire and connection and running down the short or shorts.  The needle bobs during the day as well when using the signals, but not as bad.  Fortunately I have a switch that operates a solenoid that cuts all the chassis power down when not in use, so I'm in the habit of shutting off chassis power when we're parked...don't want any electrical fires!  I'll run down the wire demons though, even if I have to remove the whole dash and rewire everything!

Onward through the night we drove, through a little rain, which was just as well since I forgot to clean the windshield before starting the trip, and drove and drove and drove.  Stopping often to top off the tank.

Finally, after about 12 hours of what was otherwise a pleasant drive, we get to the exit for I-77 South, exit 80, and decide to go down one more exit to a Flying J to stay the night and have dinner at Denny's.  So yep...its the SECOND Flying J I ever saw that didn't have RV slips or fuel lanes...oi vey!

Luck was with us though, and there was one pull through parking spot left back with the semi trucks, and pulled in, took the pups out, and had our dinner at Denny's after all.

So now we are back in the rig, ready to sleep for the night, batteries fully charged from the alternator and/or solar panels, inverter on and Patti watching the telly, me drinking a much deserved bourbon, and only another 120 miles left before we pull into the North Carolina faire.

Back on the road bright and early tomorrow morning!  Gotta set up camp completely, and then run to Walmart for a new workshop tent.  Then the next day offload our workshop tools out of our friend's booth into the workshop tent, set up the Underhill Pavilion and tables and get our booth ready, and maybe get at least a couple of days off to relax before the faire opens and we start all over again...lol!

Now its time for bed so I can get up early and try to get to camp before noon.  At least its a short drive, the weather is supposed to be nice, and we won't have to use the lights!

Kev

Oh yeah...not quite sure yet how to interpret all the data the remote monitor for the solar system logs, but they were certainly the highest so far...too tired to do it now, but in the morning I'll take out the manual, figure out what all the data means, then let y'all know what kind of amps it put out and watts and whatnot.

Kev

Forgot to mention that at my second gas stop I did a quick walk around inspection of the RV and Jeep, and was glad I did!  I don't know what we hit or what little bit of road debris got kicked up, but the front passenger signal light assembly was broken off its back mounts and just dangling by the wires!  Maybe a small bird hit it?  Anyhow, glad I caught it before it fell off the wires!  No doubt it would be near impossible to find another!  Eternabond to the rescue!  2 small strips to hold it in place and its secure and functional.  The assembly itself wasn't damaged, but the little plastic tabs on the back were broken off, so I'll have to make a bracket of some kind for it in Carolina and reinstall it...and figure out how to get the Eternabond residue off of it when finished...lol!

The remote meter log is hard for me to interpret, but according to the meter it stored 87 amp hours and produced over 900 watts, but doesn't tell you when, or peak amps reached, at least not that I can find yet...I'll figure it out.  I think the most useful data to me is going to be when parking in the full sun and reading the current current output as its happening, which is easy to do on the meter.

Gonna hit the road by 9am...didn't drive that hard to waste hours at the Flying J...so we'll get to the faire no later than noon, and thus will end this chapter.

I'm going to be taking a lot of pictures this week of all the projects done, but won't be uploading anything until after the 7th when my billing cycle resets for Verizon...too close to the limit right now with all the research I've been doing and files downloaded.

Alrighty then!  Gotta finish my coffee, take the pups out, do a walk around safety inspection of the rig and the Jeep and tow setup, check the fluids, and be off!  120 miles to go!

Kev

The remote meter just logs the min and max voltages  and max amps and watts. also logs the total ah since reset. So to see what its doing for the day just reset the logs.

Thanks Gadgetman.  This meter also records 7 days worth of data so you can compare them day to day.  Sitting in the full sun yesterday, early afternoon and not much cloud cover, the meter said the panels were putting out 740 watts...more than the specs for the panels say they are supposed to put out, which would be 705...hmmmmm....

Voltage was a bit higher as well, at 32.5 coming in. 

The real time amps at that given moment was 9.97...SWEET! 

Even with the low winter sun and flat mounted panels, and even with the inverter on as Patti was watching TV, the charge controller was still charging the batteries at absorption stage voltage, 14.5 volts, and keeping up with it all.  By the time we got the RV backed into our campsite and hooked up to shore power in the late afternoon, under trees in the shade again, the battery bank was full...when I plugged the converter back in it just cycled right to float voltage of 13.2.  Granted, the batteries had been being charged by both the solar panels and the engine alternator the whole trip, but still, that's pretty darn good!

So it looks like the system I put in wasn't overkill, but was just right.  Thanks again for all your advice and input!

Kev

You are very welcome. Sounds like it turned out nice. Hope you have a great trip and keep the reports coming :)

the meter said the panels were putting out 740 watts...more than the specs for the panels say they are supposed to put out, which would be 705...hmmmmm....

It is pretty normal to see more than rated. Some days it could be as high as 20% more. Cool panels and the right sun/hazed bouncing ray day will produce the best

And thus endeth this chapter. 

Kev

Quote from: ClydesdaleKevin on July 23, 2012, 09:02 AM
Hey JT, we are over here in Tuxedo, NY, off of 17 A.  The tires are 19.5s, pretty standard on the Chevy P30 chassis. 

I got all the ceiling taken out yesterday of the site fifth wheel...and what a nasty job!  Aside from the wet wood and mold and wet fiberglass insulation, when I took down one panel, about a million black carpenter ants fell out and rained down all over me!  I didn't get bit, but they were crawling all over me and sent me running out of the RV, smacking at myself, and screaming like a little girl... :)rotflmao   Glad no one was around!

So after getting the ceiling out, it is obvious that the roof is still leaking in spots, so today's project is to seal the heck out of that roof, and get my platform for my show tent rebuilt...then tomorrow I'll install the new ceiling, and hopefully have time to set up my tent while I'm at it, and then finish setting up my workshop.

After my morning coffee and PT routine I'll get to work...and then sometime this afternoon I'll install the new ignitor board on our water heater...its going to be nice to have hot water again!

Kev

Kevin, I'm so sorry I was just cking my previous posts and saw that I never replied to this. For some reason i'm not getting notifications when people reply. He wouldn't have had that size anyway the biggest I believe were suv 17" or pickup truck duelly tires.
but again i'm sorry that I didn't respond.
JT
if your ever in the area and in a jam (or just shoot back a couple cold ones)
my number is 91seven- eight42-18zero9
I just found out they had a pretty good size renny fair (a month or 2 ago) in lakewood n.j. thats a stones throw from me.