Weekend work on RV

Installed hammock stand and hemmed the curtain this weekend with the help of my parents.

Hemmed Curtain

Hammock Stand

New Muffler

The old muffler parts:

New muffler:

Muffler Diagnosis

• Cut off both mufflers
• Replace 4 hangers - 11527
• Replace 2 mufflers - 18106
• Replace piping to mufflers - X1911

Estimate: $831.88

See: First "Fix" - Muffler

Replace Headlights

While on a different errand, I stopped into Napa where I ran into a very knowledgeable employee that worked there.  We discussed my RV, and some of the existing obstacles including that yesterday I accidentally drained my starter battery by leaving the headlights on while I was in a store for about 30 minutes.  He then mentioned that he had a set of LED headlights that someone had ordered months ago and never picked up.

The difference in brightness and color is even more apparent in the photo above.  Will eventually replace the blinkers, clearance lights, parking lights, and break lights too.  The good thing about this fix is it exposed the necessity to replace the wiring harness (something I was fairly certain I would be doing irregardless) as the parking lights are now shorted to the left blinker.

Unfortunately, I dropped the headlight and it cracked.  Will have to order a replacement soon.  The sharp glass also did a number on my hands.

Fix License Plate Mounting Bracket

When I purchased the RV, I noted that the license plate was not mounted to the back, but placed in the rear window. Closer inspection showed that the mounting bracket had pulled away from the plywood.
 

After cleaning up the bracket, removing the rusty screw, I widened the holes in the plywood so I could run 2 bolts to behind the door.


I then ran the bolts through a washer, the bracket, the 2 holes I widened, and a metal strip. I then sinched it down with 2 nuts.
 
I can now lift the plate up to access the plug (as originally designed).

In the future I will need to do something about the exposed plywood underneath the bracket, but for now I am compliant with the law again.  I also purchased a LED light for the plate which I did not have time to install today.  May need to modify it so that it sticks out far enough to properly illuminate the plate.

Hang "Man Cave" Sign

The sign I purchased did not have enough room for the hanging screw head
 

So I unscrewed the metal plates, drilled out the hole a little
   

Since the sign back was made of particle board, I added some Gorilla glue to give the screws something to hold onto
 

Then I just drilled the pilot hole, and sunk the hanging screw
   

And here is the results

First real fix - Update Analog Clock to Atomic Clock

When I purchased the RV it had an analog clock that was non-functional.  While it may have just needed a new battery, I decided to use the opportunity to upgrade the clock to an Atomic Clock.  (There is no "before" picture because clocks that show the wrong time really bother me, so I removed the hands and face of the old clock within hours of purchasing the RV).


I picked up a generic clock at the hardware store and extracted the movement from it.  This was way more work then I had experienced before.  The movement was taped in with a strong adhesive.  Ended up shredding the casing to get at the movement.
 

The Atomic Clock movement (left) was slightly bigger than the original movement (right).  This worked to an advantage as it fit snugly in the slot.  The original movement had a lot of play and was barely held in by the strap of leather behind it.
 
The downside to the size difference is that the movement had to be mounted upside-down.  This was only a minor problem because I just inserted the hands in upside-down too.

I couldn't use the old hands because they were too big for the gears on the new movement.  The hands on the new clock worked fine, albeit they are a tad too long.
 

First "Fix" - Muffler

After purchasing my "new" RV, I attempted to drive back to Minneapolis ... but I didn't make it far.  Right before I made it to the first rest stop, people were honking and waving me down that the generator door was open.  Easy fix.

However, I didn't make it to the second rest stop before more people were waving me down.  My exhaust pipe was dragging and sparking, the muffler was gone.  I drove into the Elm Creek Rest Area at 2:00 in the morning, and was at a loss for what to do.  It was cold and I didn't yet have any of my bedding, I also didn't have any of my tools or any wire to tie up the exhaust pipe so it wasn't dragging.

Also, it was 2:00 in the morning on a Sunday, so who was I going to call to bring the supplies?  Even the custodian was out.  So I wrapped myself up in my jacket as best as I could, and tried to get some sleep.  I probably got 45 minutes of sleep at a time, and made frequent trips to the bathroom inside the Rest Area to warm up or use the vending machine.  At 8:00 in the morning I called a friend who brought some wire hangers, pliers, and her son to help string it up.

On top of everything it had rained all night and was still raining when my friend arrived.  Luckily she thought to bring some tarps.  Then came the next obstacle, getting under the RV.  The propane tank blocked where I needed to get, and the sides of the vehicle were really close to the ground.  It took several attempts to find a path I could use to get to the exhaust pipe.  I have never felt so fat as I did trying to squeeze under my RV!  There were routs I simply couldn't take because I couldn't fit.

I also learned that I have a much bigger fear of being crushed alive then I originally realized.  As someone who dreams of chasing tornadoes and who plays with fire on a regular basis, was fairly surprised as to the amount the fear overtook me.  But I told myself it was either overcome the fear or give up the lifestyle ... and a couple of panic attacks later I managed to get the job done.

 

RV Specs

Basics RV:

• Year: 1980
• Make: Travelcraft, Inc
• Vehicle Type: Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle
• Model: 23RB-10
• Model: Travelcraft 400
• GVWR: 10,500 ?

Vin Breakdown:

• Division: C - Chevrolet
• Chassis Type: G - Chevy Van & Sport Van
• Engine: R
• Displacement: 6.6 Liter / 400 cid
• Type: V8
• Carburetor: 4B
• Model: 3 - 1 Ton
• Body Style: 2 - Chassis Cowl & Forward Control Chassis
• Model Year: 9?
• Assembly Plant: 0 - GM Truck-Pontiac MI.

Engine:

• V8 400-4v (6.6L) 175hp LF4
• RPO (Regular Production Option) Code: LF4
• Size: 400
• Configuration: V 8
• Horse Power: 185
• Torque (pound-foot): 300
• Bore: 4.125 in
• Stroke: 3.75 in
• Oil: 10-W30

Chassis:

• Chasis: P30
• Make: Chevrolet

Service Parts Identification Sticker:

• Base: 146
• Model Number: CG31632
• A02 - Tinted Glass-W/S
• GT8 - Rear Axle-HD-1.0 R
• KC4 - Engine Oil Cooler
• LF4 - V8 Eng-400CI-6.6L-4B
• NA5 - Fed Emission System
• N33 - Tilt Steering Wheel
• XRS - 8.00-16.5/D HWY POLY
• 89L - Polar White Solid
• AV5 - HI-BK FRT BCKT SEATS
• A57 - Auxiliary Seat
• JB8 - HYD PWR DS/DRM BRK-A
• K30 - Speed & Cruise Control
• M40 - Automatic Transmission
• N31 - Custom 16" Steering Wheel
• QE6 - 16.5X6.00 Spare Wheel
• Z73 - Special INTER TRIM
• YRS - 8.00-16.5/D HWY PLY
• 62 - Camel Cloth Trim

Battery - Starter:

• Group Size: 75/86DT
• Manufacture Date: ?
• Make: Rayovac
• Series: ?
• Part #: SLI75DT
• Voltage: 12 V⎓
• Cold Cranking Amps @ 0°F: 475 Amps
• Cranking Amps: 575 Amps
• Capacity: ?
• Dimensions:
• Height: 8.125 inches
• Width: 7 inches
• Length: 9.75 inches
• Weight: 32 punds
• Chemistry: Lead Acid
• Type: Starting
• Design: Flooded
• Maintenance Free: Yes
• Product Category: Auto/Light Truck
• Terminal Type: DT, SAE/M6 Side Insert

Battery - Leisure:

• Group Size: 51R
• Manufacture Date: Feb 2012
• Make: Exide
• Series: Classic®
• Part #: 51R-60
• Voltage: 12 V⎓
• Cold Cranking Amps @ 0°F: 450 Amps
• Cranking Amps: ?
• Capacity: ?
• Dimensions:
• Height: 8.7500 inches
• Width: 5.0000 inches
• Length: 9.3750 inches
• Weight: 28 lbs
• Chemistry: Lead Acid
• Type: Starting
• Design: Flooded
• Maintenance Free: Yes
• Product Category: Auto/Light Truck
• Terminal Type: SAE, Automotive Post

Generator:

• Make: Generac Corp.
• Model Name: MC-40
• Model Number: 6897-5
• Fuze Size: ?
• Power: 4000 Watt
• K.V.A.: 4.0
• Phase: 1
• Hertz: 60
• R.P.M. 3600
• KW 4.0
• Volts: 120
• Amps: 33.3
• Power Factor: 1.0

1980 Chevrolet Travelcraft 400 - Facebook Marketplace

At the suggestion of my co-workers, I added Facebook Marketplace to the venues I was searching for my next RV. I found this RV for $3000 and asked to come take a look.

Spoiler Alert: I bought it

   

   

     

   

New curtains for the RV

As the temperature continues to rise, the need to properly shut out the sun is becoming more urgent.

Last summer I used a moving blanket.  Cheap and easy to install, just hung a bungee cord across and draped the blanket over it.  The problem is that it is dark, and thus absorbs a LOT of heat.

Many full-timers use Reflectix, which is effective on blocking radiant heat but looks cheap and sketchy.

One idea I had was to use poster board with adhesive backing.  Being white it should reflect most of the radiant heat, and it would be easy to cut to size.  The problem was that it looked like I spray-painted the inside of the windows, and did a poor job of it too.  I looked at the window and thought something shady was going on inside, so I ditched that idea immediately.

Probably THE most stealthy thing I could do is make something that looks like the metal back of a shelving unit.  But I had an easier idea.

I took a few yards of a fabric that I liked and used some Gorilla brand tape to tape it to the frame of the window.  This looked really nice, and after covering the fabric with a blackout curtain was really effective.  Actual curtains would have looked a little better, but I don't have a sewing machine and this worked for the time being.

RV Name Index

In order to better fulfill my dream of chasing tornadoes and responding to disasters, I have planned to move into a RV as my primary residence.  Since I will likely own more than one RV (especially as I try and figure out what works best), I decided to "name" each vehicle.  Since vehicles do not have genders, I have selected 26 gender-ambiguous names (listed below). 

• Alexx - 2001 Ford e250
• Blaike - 1980 Chevrolet Travelcraft 400
• Charley - 2000 Ford e250
• Dakotah - 2015 Ford Transit 250
• E [TBD] - (Future RV)
• F [TBD] - (Future RV)
• G [TBD] - (Future RV)
• H [TBD] - (Future RV)
• I [TBD] - (Future RV)
• Jaime - (Future RV)
• Kris - (Future RV)
• L [TBD] - (Future RV)
• Michal - (Future RV)
• N [TBD] - (Future RV)
• O [TBD] - (Future RV)
• Pat - (Future RV)
• Quinn - (Future RV)
• Rorey - (Future RV)
• Skyler - (Future RV)
• Tobie - (Future RV)
• U [TBD] - (Future RV)
• V [TBD] - (Future RV)
• Weslie - (Future RV)
• X [TBD] - (Future RV)
• Y [TBD] - (Future RV)
• Z [TBD] - (Future RV)