Purchasing a Used RV

Joys / Pitfalls of Purchasing / a Used RV

When you own a RV, the home will always be the same, it's just the yard that changes

Travel while you have your health. Do not wait until you are too OLD to enjoy it. Medical issues sneak up on us way to often. Do not stress about the money, just make it work however you can. No one ever wishes for more money in their last days, but experiences and memories are priceless.

Introduction ; For those of you who yourn for the freedom of being able to travel and not being confined to needing to find, or to check into a motel without pre-registering, a small RV (Recreational Vehicle) may have some potential benefits. However before you lay out any cash, I suggest you do a lot of looking, and even rent a few to become more in tune with the numerous joys/pitfalls that you may encounter.

ONE THING TO REMEMBER, don't be sucked into the thought that bigger is always better. Sure the larger units have more anemineties, BUT at what expense in the long run? Are you capable, or willing to learn of handling something the length as a freight truck? Mistakes made in buying the wrong one for YOU, and YOUR needs, OR possibly one unit that needs lots of repairs can become VERY FRUSTRATING and EXPENSIVE. However even some of us can get taken at times by trusting the seller too much.

Some ask why we have paid a high price for our RV, well --- let me put it this way. Many people have summer cottages or vacation properties that they only use a few times a year. They have spent as much or more on them than we do on our RV, and some of these are nothing more than a mobile home or old cabin. And these living quarters, and the property needs constant maintenance, AND taxes, along with the fact that the location never changes. They see the same view everyday.

Your vacation property could be on wheels and you don't have to travel to it to do any required maintenance. You can have a different view every morning, or stay in one place for extended periods. For many it's the perfect fit.

RVs Can Usually Be Classified in Two Classes ; RVs come in many types, sizes, makes and models. One is towed while the other is motor driven. Meaning Trailers for one, and "Motor Homes" for the other. Both of these categories range from small to large and come in many types, sizes, makes and models.

Trailers ; One probably being the most popular, being towable tag along trailers, which could including toy haulers, 5th wheel versions, pop ups or tear drops. The tag alongs are towed behind a compatible vehicle, using a regular towing receptacle, (trailer hitch) on the rear of the towing vehicle, (either a large van or pickup). The towing vehicle needs to match the size/weight of the trailer it is pulling.

Recently you will see new smaller (16-18') trailers designed to be towed by lesser powered SUVs, and then the smaller tear drops.

Vehicle transmissions need to be designed for this type of towing, so be sure to verify this before you buy your tower, and it fails you out on the freeway, or some lonely out of the way road.

On larger trailers (usually 20' plus) the vehicle needs to be large and powerful enough to handle what it is towing and heavy enough to handle any sway created by the passing of freight trucks. The hitch balls are usually 2 5/16" diameter, where standard utility trailers are or smaller RV trailers may be 2".

Trailers longer than probably 20' should also use a torsion bar / anti-sway system to help level and stabilize the trailer so it does not sway enough to put your towing vehicle out of control when passing or being passed by a freight truck. These will also have electric brakes so your towing vehicle needs to be wired to accept that, both at the hitch end and under the dash for a controller.

Toy haulers are a modified trailer and will normally be longer having normal living quarters in front with space in the rear for quads, kayaks etc. They also can have provisions for improvised sleeping quarters in the rear once the toys are moved out. They will always have one large hinged rear door that is actually a loading ramp for the toys, OR this ramp could be used as a LARGE picnic table if not let all the way down.

5th wheel units are another modified trailer, but require a pickup bed mounted towing receptacle very similar to the quick release commercial truck/trailer units.

These trailers will have a overhead bunk in this upper forward section. The older units may not have a lot of headroom in this overhead bed. Newer units are a lot taller on the front to accommodate full headroom there. But they also can have storage in the "basement", (under the regular floor)hese trailers will have a overhead bunk in this upper forward section. The older units may not have a lot of headroom in this overhead bed. Newer units are a lot taller on the front to accommodate full headroom there. But they also can have storage in the "basement", (under the regular floor).

In the photo below, it appears to me that the bed mounted hitch is too far to the rear, creating a negative trailer tongue weight (AND NOT GOOD) . OR the hitch on the towing vehicle's vehicle hitch is too high.

WOW, how would you like to have to back this rig up?
And would it be legal in all states, (essentially being a tandem) even with a CDL?

    Pop-up trailers, otherwise known as fold-out campers, have a utility cargo trailer-like base and a heavy-duty canvas sides with a solid top. Some hybrid models have hard wall sides up part way as opposed to fabric.   This alternative provides better insulation.   Pop-up trailer tops are raised using a manual crank or electrical powered system.

   Then getting into the smaller size would be the Tear Drops trailers which are the smallest type of RV available. Normally they are around six feet in width and about eight to 10 feet in length. There is usually no way to stand up inside a teardrop trailer and it is just large enough to fit a double bed inside and a small galley kitchen in the rear.

   If you have ever wanted to break into the camping world without too much effort or don’t have a beefy towing vehicle, teardrops are a great first step. They can be towed with a smaller, 4-cylinder vehicle and are easily and cheaply modified to fit your style.

Hard to tell the vintage of this teardrop trailer, obviously well thought out, & easily classified as economical

Truck Mounted Slide-Ins ; Truck campers could also referred to as cab-overs or slide-ins, They fit snugly into the bed of pickup trucks. These can range in size to fit compact pickups to units designed for 3/4 or one ton trucks and in lengths from 8' to 11 feet. Most will have sleeping quarters overhang that extends atop the cab, and may have slide outs, and other low top or Pop Up units have canvas extensions for additional headroom as seen below.

When it comes to these campers, the key is to have a truck that is rated to carry the weight (and tires to match). Heavy-Duty trucks are necessary for many instances. These campers also have to be tied down (securely fastened to the bed or frame).

They have to have some form of outer jacks to be able to load or unload them. Most being permanently mounted to the corners of the main unit, and can be either mechanical, hydraulic or electric operated.

These could be also be used when towing a boat or horse trailer, lending themselves into many recreational requirements.

Then here (below) is my combo that I made up before owning a larger RV trailer) so I could tow and park my sleeping accommodations, while still having my pickup free to tow my boat trailer to and from the boat launch for salmon fishing. Sure it took an extra trip to drag the trailer unit and park it for a few months, but it worked out well for me. At times, I would then load it onto my rear spring overload air bags supplemented, 1/2 ton Ford F150 if the wife and I wanted to just be out for a few days.

Here we have an 8' slide in camper fitted into a old 3/4 ton pickup bed trailer. This trailer was fitted with a mobile home axle / HD springs and 10 ply tires

Motor Homes ; Motorized units will have their our power, and usually mounted on van or truck chassis. They are classified into different classes A, B, C.

Typically, Class A is a frame rail chassis that the upfitter builds the entire body on. Class C is a cutaway van chassis (Ford E-Vans, Transits or Mercedes Benz Sprinter) that the upfitter builds the RV box on, behind and over the cab. Class B is a complete van shell that the upfitter converts the inside.

The Class A will be the larger motorhomes with the outer shell all built together including the driver/passenger compartment similar to a commercial bus. Simply a motor home on wheels up into 40' models. These will, by necessity be powered by larger gasoline or diesel engines that may be well known to be thirsty on fuel.

So exactly how long is a Class A RV? These models can come in sizes as short as 22 feet and as long as 50 feet.

You may even see many of these large Class A or C RVs towing a smaller vehicle (nicknamed a TOAD), as seen below.

Class A Cost ; A used 10 year old 36' Class A motor home with 60,000 miles can sell for $75,000

The Class B is a smaller unit built on a 3/4 or one ton van. Usually the 3/4 ton (2500 series) will be the 17' version, while the 1 ton (3500 series) will be the 19' model. One statistic that I read, said that Class "B"s only consisted of 1% of all RVs combined.

These will sometimes be called a conversion van, meaning the van company purchased a standard factory van and usually removed the top, being replaced by a whole new fiberglass raised top. Some are "wide body" versions, meaning the rear section of the van has also been replaced with a wider section allowing a full sized bed to be placed crosswise in the rear.

Do not confuse these "conversion vans" with homebuilt/modified regular vans, however not to run down some builders workmanship or ideas, but a homebuilt van's resale value will not be anywhere near that of a factory Class B, mainly because of the variables of the builder's quality. You will also see some of these home built regular vans, which usually do not include bathroom facilities other than possibly a Port-A-Potty.

These wider units are a bit more desirable instead of the narrower standard vans using lengthwise running bunks, or lengthwise running couches that make into a bed, where in some minds these tend to decrease the available "living space".

These small units can have all the anemineties of the larger units including bathroom, shower, micro wave, onboard 110 volt generator, 12 volt to 110 volt inverter, even possibly solar panels, possibly even a TV, everything just all compressed into close proximities. One thing they will usually not have is in a Class B is an oven. It is pretty obvious that these were not the designer's first product.

They will be built on a small enough frames that many of these units can be parked in a regular parking spot or not take up extra room/charge a on a ferry. They will all made on the "Cab-Over " style body where much of the cab sits over the engine, which adds length to the living quarters. They are not really built for comfort, but convenience and designed mainly for 2, or possibly 3 people depending on the interior floor plan, and all crammed into a condensed space. They also usually are fitted with smaller motors, giving better mileage.

Originally (20-25 years ago) these class B units were made on factory vans in 17' or 19' models. The 17' are a bit easier to drive/park, but they do not have room to accommodate a second coach battery, onboard generator, and do have a smaller fuel tank.

The 19'ers generally come with a onboard generator and a 35 gallon fuel tank, which extends your driving range, but the disadvantage is the price of a fuel top-off. They also usually have a 10 gallon larger (27 gallon) fresh water tank, which adds to the overall total weight, but extends your stay time. About all of these utilize a new fiberglass top, so they are not as susceptible to water leakage as compared to a fabric top.

Newer Class Bs could be built on Mercedes or Ford van chassis and could be diesel powered, in up to possibly 24 or 25', and could have slide-outs. To some, these longer than 20' are now being considered the Class B plus. These B pluses are larger than your everyday Class B but still not as large (wide) as a Class C motorhome.

Here is my 1996 19' Dodge Widebody LTV Freedom Class B	Here is the newer LTV class B + on a Mercedes chassis

The Class C is a combination of the A and the B, in that it uses the cab section of a truck attached to the rear section of a travel trailer. Usually they are fitted to a dual wheeled rear axle, in order to carry the weight involved.

For the Red-Neck front wheel drive Class C ? shown below. If I was a State Trooper, think I would blink more than a few times and find other important paperwork that needed to be done elsewhere.

Newer units may have slide outs to provide more room when parked, however they need a lot more attentions as for maintenance as to possible leaks and the tracks/channel supports becoming twisted or broken, or the extend/retract motors can get cantankerous. They also could somewhat limit access into the back areas when simply stopping at a rest area. They also need to have extra attention payed to when retracting (like remove leaves, debris, bird poop or snow from the top extended section).

As of yet, you do not need a special drivers license endorsement, however it seems inevitable. One suggestion however is if a couple purchases a large motor home, and only one does the driving, it may be a good idea for the other spouse/partner to at least become somewhat familiar with the operations and some of the driving, if it is only in a large church parking lot on weekdays or on less traveled country roads. The reason is if you are on a long trip and/or the driver needs a break OR has a medical emergency and can not drive, or is hospitalized, getting the vehicle home may become an issue, unless you have special insurance.

I encountered this one day when bringing my 18' boat home from a day of salmon fishing. As I approached a long low concrete bridge that had a sharp corner on the other end, in the middle of this bridge, straddling the center line, was a LARGE motor home taking her share right out of MY lane. The lady behind the steering wheel was glued to the steering wheel with her eyes as big as saucers. She never even saw me at all, but was totally concentrated on herding her vehicle off that bridge. I was barely able to slide over to the shoulder and get stopped before I made it onto the bridge, letting her pass by.

One very important thing to consider, (especially on the Class B units) is that they all take away a lot of room to do troubleshooting or maintenance. Repairs, or troubleshooting may seem near impossible, especially if you are of the older generation, wearing bi or tri-focal glasses, fumble fingered, and need a couple of extra elbows to get in to tight places.

Class B Cost ; Best value would be in a used unit as it is not uncommon to see some new units sell for well over $200,000, and loosing 1/2 of their value in 10 years. Some units retain their value better than others, especially the Class Bs which will usually be under 20' long. However there is one maker (Leisure Travel Vans) who is recently stretching this to 24'-25'. Where new, these may be in the $160,000 PLUS range, and at 10 years old maybe $50,000 to $60,000 but at 20 years old, $20,000 and don't drop much from there on IF WELL MAINTAINED, AND have proof of the repairs performed. Where a Class C in a 24' to 28' at that same 20 year age may be only $6,000 to $8,000, and probably somewhat because they are more plentiful.

BUT condition and mileage on these motorized units effects the used price on older units no matter the model. Geographical location may also be a factor in demand/pricing.

And be aware of scammers selling TO GOOD TO BE TRUE DEALS on Craigslist. Triple check the titles for alterations before you lay out any cash. I know of one such deal that was too good to be true, but at lay out the cash time at a Dept of Licensing office, they found that the title had a erasure on it, and it was supposed to being sold by a relative of the deceased widow. And the support vehicle's license plate did not match the make or model (on a hunch, I had taken a photo of that vehicle and plate). So the deal fell through, and probably all for the better on this one, as things were getting more weird with every passing minute. Here I was the buyer to be of the ladie's 97 Dodge Pleasure Way, and was at this transaction so she could drive the 2008 Class C away. And I would drive my new acquisition home. My deal also fell through as she also needed my money to add to hers to buy the Class C.

The original selling price of a Class B 1997 Widebody LTV was $75,000, but with todays inflated dollars what would that be now, about double or more, depending on the extras ? Then more added value after the Covid 19 calamity. In today's time, one in excellent shape will go for $30,000.

What to Look For ; In buying a used unit, more so than like when buying a used car, here you need to look the whole unit over carefully. There can not be hard and certain rules about age/mileage, as there are too many other factors.

Condition is obviously one of them and all the related things. Has it sat outside, (very likely for any RV) uncovered in the rain during the winters, developing possible water leaks in the roof and windows, or in a hotter climate where a lot of the wall and roof calking dries out, and tire sidewalls start to deteriorate and crack? Has it been used near salt from winter road de-icing or near the ocean, etc. Has the paint/decal/striping deteriorated because it sat out in the weather most of it's life?

    On an older unit, have any/most things been updated, like sewer hoses, batteries, old lights to LED, or the in cabin sensors (smoke,CO2/LP ? All this will dictate what the seller / buyer need to agree on.

   The elephant in the room here, is how handy and willing are you to do major repairs and maintenance? If you need to hire it all done, older vans can turn into a very unpleasant experience. If you like to do that stuff, it also qualifies as a hobby so is much easier to justify. And a lot depends on your tolerance for problems and how risk aversive you are. Some owners here roll with most anything that comes up without much concern, and others are ready to hang it up if ANYTHING, even small things go wrong, so there is a very wide acceptance range.

   With this older, well used stuff, maintenance records become quite important, where past history of that vehicle around 15-20 years old and/or about 175K miles, of normal use, many vehicles are really starting to show their age. Most of the rubber parts will be worn or aged out and the mechanical systems are on the downside of the reliability curve. Most of it can be fixed, but the parts are also getting pretty scarce for some vehicles by then. Some persons always drive their cars until dead, and they will usually have been through it all, but will normally do nearly all maintenance and repairs themselves including the major stuff.

    Buying older RVs is not necessarily for the faint of heart, stuff wears out or fails outright. Being able to roll with the flow helps a lot, as does the knowledge of D-I-Y.   I would not recommend something older and well used if a shop will be doing most of the work. I have heard of a long, expensive, and drama filled story of dealing with a simple drive shaft issue due to taking it to a shop that may have questionable customer service. But how do you know beforehand? And (from my own experience) I have found that, just because a repair shop does good work on cars, does not necessarily mean that they understand the difference between a Van and a fully loaded RV Van. I would rather they refer me on to a better equipped/qualified shop than to make numerous mistakes stumbling around and never find the true problem.

Before you jump, the most important thing is that you really need to set foot inside of many makes/models, as simply looking at floor plans or photos can be somewhat deceiving. This is especially so with the smaller units, where layout/space/storage is at a premium where small things make a lot of difference and can be very important. Here, it would be best if you could attend a RV show, where you could compare one against the other, (along with price). But in this article, we are discussing USED RVs, however looking at as many as possible are the prime thoughts which will help you evaluate your needs. In any purchase, you will be spending a sizable amount of cash, and if you did not do your homework, sometimes buyer's remorse could spoil your whole experience and get expensive, if you decided you made a mistake and now want another make/model that fits your lifestyle better.

Another thing that I like to do, is to look for signs that it has been used as a RV, not just a means of traveling from point A to point B. Has it sat for long enough time being unused to where many things need to be addressed or replaced? How old are the tires or the batteries? Do all of the appliances function? Does it have a garbage bag, is there a a paper towel rack, how about coat hangers, even sink strainers/stoppers? And how about a cutting board over the stove or sink? Is there evidence in the outer under storage compartment that the sewer hoses actually connect to the outlet connector? What about the propane tank, or regulators, is there a leak where the owner simply turned off the tank instead of fixing the issue? Look for small things or modifications made to the interior that make living in it more comfortable/enjoyable, indicating it was used?

The above paragraph may be insignificant, BUT, it is entirely possible (if it is a smaller class B) that even if it was used considerably in the past, that it may have sat unused for some time, whereby appliances decide to start failing, the smoke, CO2 and LP detectors are long overdue being replaced, tires need replacing, even the black water tank may have needed to be dumped years ago, where the current owner may be unaware of at selling time.

Also look for any issue that has not been addressed as far as repairs. By this, some owners have NO common sense, (and/or mechanical ability) when it comes to maintaining their rigs. Some should not be left alone with a pencil sharpener, much less a dull knife. Look for van door locks that resist opening by the key, coach door/drawer latches that are inoperable, cabinet door hinges loose, light bulbs burned out, clutter under the seats, sink faucet leaking, water pump motor constantly running (indicating a leak somewhere), dirty propane stove top, or anything that has any indication of negligence. The thought here is if they let the small things slide, what else (a major item) is also bad?? This is the time to play the role of a Dept of Health or Building inspector.

Most of the older Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge chassis units are pretty well built. However with lots of miles, the front suspensions are always suspect of needing replaced as are the brakes (mainly because of the extra weight these are carrying). Then also many of these transmissions begin moaning at the low to mid 100,000 mile range. Another thing to check is the drive train (universal joints).

If it has a generator, is it REALLY operational? Onans (which are the normal factory installed generator) are said to be prone to needing being run every month to keep them reliably operational.

Most trailers will be made on a steel frame but of a light wood body framing, with aluminum siding and a metal or rubber top. These upper seams can be subject to the seal deteriorating, producing a possible water leak. If the top is leaking, many times you will see a brownish stain along the edge of the ceiling. Ceiling vents can also be a source of leakage. If a leak is bad and the owner did not catch it while being laid up over the winter and stored outside, there could also be enough water damage to leak down the wall and into the flooring, creating rot, making it soft.

On any impending purchase, check the tires for sidewall checks as if exposed to a lot of hot sunlight, they can become badly checked as seen in the LH photo below. Also check the date code on the tires, word is if they are older than 10 years old and you have a accident caused by deterioration and this age, your insurance company may not be very co-operative.

Here you can see DEEP sidewall cracks, clear into the fabrick	Here you can see an example of the tire date code

The tires will probably never wear out as far as tread goes unless being underinflated, or the front end or axle is out of alignment, but they can have sidewall damage. Also check for uneven wear on the tire tread. It is not imposable for a trailer to be backed into a spot where the axle may get pushed out of position forward uneven with the other side, or even rearward enough to get the axle/tires out of alignment creating excess wear on the sides of the tires.

Here you can see the tread wear on the RH tire, more on the inside, but still some on the outside also. This was caused by the axle out of alignment & not a underinflated tire

One very important thing to look at are the BRAKES. If it is a towable unit, does it have adequate braking? You do not want it your towing vehicle to be uncontrollably pushed into an intersection, or off the road in an emergency stop. If it is a motor vehicle, you WILL have a lot of weight under you, so the same applies as to braking here.

Also check for non-professional repairs to the outside because of minor accidents. Are they structurally sound and sealed properly?

Things to Ponder BEFORE Laying Out the Cash ; You need to really consider just what your needs/wants are going to be. Is this unit to be a camping destination vehicle where you go to a RV campsite, stay for a designated length of time enjoying other friends camaraderie, fishing, hiking etc. Or it it something that you would like to travel, see a lot of the country and be free to stop anywhere you see something that strikes your fancy? If the first, then you would most likely be better off with a larger unit. But if the latter, maybe a smaller unit like a small trailer, pickup slide in camper OR a Class "B" van. The issue ia when towing a large trailer or driving a 40' motor home, if you happened to see something that looks interesting, by the time you found a parking spot, you may have decided that it was not that important anyway, and keep driving. You will have to decide whether you want comfort, utility, and/or convenience, OR possibly a combo. Making the wrong choice here can get exasperating AND expensive. What could be ideal for some, may be disastrous for others.

Now for units with their own power, the Class A, B and C units. This is where maintenance records will really help. How many miles does it have on it? A 20 year old unit with only 45,000 miles may look like it could be a good buy, even one with 120,000, but usually the low mileage units of that age, means it has sat with no usage for a lot of it's lifetime. Possibly not a good thing as far as needed maintenance, OR the engine could be so large and a gas hog that was OK when gas was $2.00 a gallon it was not a big an issue, but now when it is in the $3.50 to nearing the $4.00 range at times, this situation is a whole different situation if you intend to use your new intended purchase and live on a budget.

But, if the seller of a motorized RV can't come up with maintenance records, do you trust someone you do not know where they are to gain monetarily by withholding information/or the lack of it? Or are they just plain ignorant as to all maintenance or again lack of it, like a innocent grandson selling grandpa's older vehicle. Are you a gambler? Horse traders and some used gun dealers have also been known to withhold information if it will gain them monetarily.

Also what about owner's manuals? Are they provided? If not, how do you as a non-Rver/newer RV owner even know where the hood latch is, or how to turn on the furnace? Where is the fuse/circuit breaker panel? What is the towing capacity? How large are the water and holding tanks? If you are going to have to re-create your own owners manual, it will take a lot of internet time searching, and reading, to match make/models and then do the printing. Not impossible, but time consuming and you may not be able to find the model of an appliance because of it now possibly being obsolete.

And if your plan is to possibly take your family to National Parks, make sure you look up size limits before you buy. Most National Parks have length restrictions on RV’s. Depending on the campground, some may have restrictions for the entire grounds, or just on specific campsites. The word is because of most are single lane. and may have tight curves making for longer units having problems negotiating them. And many RVers could not be as experienced in navigating in tight situations as others. A good rule of thumb is to stay under 35 feet in order to be eligible to stay at most National Parks. Then keep in mind that sometimes RV’s are labeled as say 24 feet, but in actuality, it may be 25.5 feet. Bring your own tape measure along with you if you’re looking for a specific length.

HELP ; If you frequent some of the RV forums, you will see numerous and somewhat frivolous HELP requests, (it seems to especially be from newer pre-middle aged RV owners, and almost always for the higher priced vehicles). It also seems that these persons are from the younger generation, where if they can't get an answer from Seri on their cell phone on how to replace a blown fuse, or other small minor problem, they go berserk. And many times they can't even describe their situation in RV language so others can even understand the situation.

One instance was where the owner of a new RV was concerned that at night the propane heater would shut off by itself and then come back on by itself. He checked all the wiring and fuses but could not locate a problem. Did he not understand that thermostats are used to control heat in about all types of heating systems and it was operating normally?

Did they not understand the seller / dealer's walk through? Or even ask for one? Or question anything that they did not totally understand? Have they not read the owner's manual? Sure, other RVers will be willing to step up and try to help, but it's hard to fix STUPID even with Duct Tape. Sorry that I may sound as if I am being sarcastic here BUT? Re-read the Friggin owner's manual Charlie.

Personal Experience (1) ; I have owned RVs of one sort or another for over 50 years. Starting out tent camping and then with a 16' travel trailer that we used on our beach lot while I was ocean fishing in the late 1960s. Then numerous (3) slide in overhead pickup campers, that were used mostly for a hunting base camp. Finally after retirement and at a beach family clam digging venture, where my wife had problems climbing into the overhead bunk of our pickup camper, we then sold that one and bought a used 23' trailer shown in the upper right header photo.

This trailer did not get much traveling use when we owned it because the wife was developing a disease where initially her balance was effected, then walking, then followed by her voice and swallowing deteriorated, called Primary Lateral Sclerosis, a rare form of ALS. But before I became her 24 hour caregiver, I would move the trailer to a friends property at the beach and use it as a base camp for my summer/fall salmon fishing ventures. But we never had the chance to take it out and do any traveling with it. And I am sure that she probably only stayed overnight in it less than 5 or 6 nights over a 5 year span before she passed away.

Decision Time ; I had done a lot of looking before (about 2 years total), and then after she passed away, I thought about selling the trailer and try to find a used Class "B" RV van. From this, I could tow my small boat and yet have a place to hang my hat for a week or so at a time if I wanted. And yes, I kind of missed the old pickup camper.

These vans can sell new for upwards to near $180,000+, way too much for my budget. Along with the fact that I have not really gotten accustomed to the new body styles. And getting an older unit that would be LESS reliant on computerization, seemed like a good idea to me. I settled my looking on something used in the 20 year old class, which on Craigslist would show up occasionally for from $10,000 to $20,000 depending on the make, model and miles or condition. More research and I finally settled on a Dodge chassis, because they used a 318 or 360 CID engine and with a 4 speed overdrive transmission, which can get 12mpg for normal driving and 15-16mpg freeway driving, as compared to the Ford's 460 CI of that vintage, at near 6-8mpg.

One problem is, these units seem to be very desirable, and if the model, where the price and condition are good, and have a good floor plan, they don't last long before being sold. I had set $15,000 as my top end, which eliminated a few.

I had found a 1996 (advertised as a 97) Dodge Pleasure Way about 100 miles away, the price was right, was well maintained and cared for, but I did not really care for the narrow dual side bunks that it had. And the owner needed to sell it before buying a larger one (as she was a full timer and used it as a base for her small carpentry business), so this stalled my purchase (which worked out better anyway). Mentioned above.

Finally one day about a month later, about mid-day, I got onto the computer and on Craigslist, found a 1996 Dodge Leisure Travel Van about 60 miles from my home for a asking price of $12,900 OBO. The photos showed that it appeared to have been taken care of as far as the outside and living quarters. It had 129,000 miles on it, which was a lot, but not excessive IF taken care of like the body appeared to have been. The add mentioned it had the transmission replaced a couple of years before, which I understood was a weak sister on these models). I called an hour and 1/2 after the add appeared on a Friday and was the first caller. I was committed for the following week-end so my daughter and son-in-law went to look at it. They found a few things wrong, like the oil pressure gauge was not working, the passenger power window had a wooden wedge to hold it up, and the onboard generator's carburetor needed replaced. They negotiated down to $12,300.

No Manual or Maintenance Records ; The problem then surfaced that the seller had no owners manual, maintenance records or anything, they even had to file and get a new title before it was put up for sale. What became known was that Grandpa had bought this van new, Grandma had passed away a few years before the sale, and Grandpa was then moved into a assisted living facility. Apparently when he was moved out of the family home, all the information on this van had either gotten thrown away, or boxed up and was in storage. This all sounded plausible. And the Grandson who was selling it, said Grandpa would take it to a RV dealership every winter to have it gone thru, serviced and winterized, which was evidenced by plastic covering of the carpet inside the van at the time of the sale.

Bite the Bullet & Get Professional Repairs ; OK, I could probably do those known needed repairs. However in MY initial driving it (after the purchase), the steering was way loose, allowing it to be a bit sensitive (possibly from a trip or two on the Alcan Highway). The check engine light then came on and the brakes felt like they at least needed to be bled as they were on the spongy side. Well, I had just turned 82 at that time, with COPD, Arthritis and Wet Macular Degeneration in my only eye, so decided maybe I was not as nimble as I once was, and did not have all the newer test equipment to do a good engine diagnostic job. So I decided to take it to a well known local automotive repair shop that I was friends with the owner, so knew I would be given a fair deal, maybe not cheap, but fair.

When I left it, my desire was for them to go over it, and it be repaired so that I would not get broke down on the freeway or back-country road. When asked my repair amount limit, I had set $1,000, but figured it may go double that. BOY WAS I WRONG.

A few days later they called and the steering gearbox was worn out and it was so old that only a rebuilt one was available at a price of $560.71. The front suspension was also badly worn, including the ball joints and upper control arms at $246.12 each. Plus the power steering pump needed to be rebuilt. The master cylinder for the brakes also needed to be replaced. However the engine seemed strong and in good shape but only needed a tune-up, all at a estimated cost of almost $4,000.

Then later another call saying the front brakes needed new calipers, pads and rotors for another $500 but no labor on that as they were already there doing the front end repair. Then another call a few days later saying the rear brakes needed the drums turned and all new shoes and was a missing self adjuster, at another $400.

Lastly after them having it 2 weeks, another call saying that the "in the tank" fuel pump was failing, putting out low pressure (about 1/2) at an idle. It was old enough that these were hard to find, but they located pump for $850.05 and approximately another $1,000 labor for that repair as this fuel tank was nestled near the gray or black water tank. They had called the van manufacturer to see if there was an access hole thru the floor to the pump on this model. NO.

What option did I have now on the fuel pump replacement, as this would obviously be the best time to have it replaced as compared if I was on the road a 1000 miles or more away from home, or possibly even close to any repair shop, and would need it to be towed. I asked the shop owner if it was possible to install a electric fuel pump near the engine. OK, I learned something here. With the older engine mounted fuel pumps used on carbureted engines, the fuel pressure was at about 4#. But this vehicle was new enough to have a fuel injected motor which had the fuel pump in the fuel tank, and at a pressure of 50#, which was needed because of the fuel injected motor. And with this high a fuel pressure, the in the tank mounting was for cooling, extending the fuel pumps life.

My only salvation is that I bought this van reasonably enough that by now spending this $7,006.93 repair, I am now at the upper end, or slightly above the selling price of one of that model and year in EXCELLENT condition and in the spring of the year before vacation season starts. However it is rather comforting to know that now I will have the reliability (or even better as many of the newer bugs have been worked out) as compared to a new vehicle. But with my limited retirement funds, now it may have to be only used for shorter trips than originally planned.

OK after I got it back, I got the chance to take it to the beach for a couple of days to dig razor clams and fish for Coho salmon in the Westport boat basin (returning net pen raised fish). This vehicle developed another slight issue, the emergency brake and ABS warning light would not go out. And the starter only clicked a couple of times. Sounded to me like a set of burned contacts inside the starter solenoid. And they found the ABS sender inside the rear differential was bad and also replaced a starter contact pad, charging only for the parts. Were they just a little embarrassed of the earlier bill, or the owner showing his appreciation?

Onboard Generator - Electrical Repairs ; Between the above repairs in what little time I had it, since the owners grandson had said a mechanic advised that the onboard generator's carburetor needed replacement, I tried to see what that problem was. OK, it only ran if I was squirting starting fluid into the carb mouth, and surged when it was trying to run. I decided to tear it (the carburetor) apart and soak it overnight in carb cleaner and get it going. Another awakening, this generator (Onan 2800) was accessible through a access side door, but to remove the carb and do any work on this unit, I needed to remove 4 attachment bolts (front and rear) and drop the whole unit down and out the bottom. It seems as this unit had never been removed before as it was hard wired directly to the coach. I had to cut the output 110 Volt wires to get it out and be able to work on it.

The carb repair was no issue, but re-installing the unit back up and inside it's cubical and bolted in place, required help from my neighbor and using two floor jacks to position it so that the retainer bolts could be installed without being cross-threaded. This repair took only two days crawling in the gravel and on our backs getting this feat accomplished.

But after it being replaced, in trying to get it running, I could not get anything other than what I had experienced before to attempted repair. Back to the internet and I found that since these generators draw their fuel from the main van tank, however the manufacturers provide a safety feature by only extending the generator's fuel suction line down only 3/4 of the way in the main tank, so that if you are sitting boon-docking and running the generator, that you will never suck the main fuel tank down low enough as to not run the vehicle's engine supply out of fuel. Hell, there was nothing wrong with this carburetor to start with, just the main fuel tank (35 gallons) was low enough (and I had not topped it off) so the generator was starving for fuel all the while.

OK, in my onboard generator carburetor repair, after topping off the fuel tank and getting it running, then all of the propane powered appliances, hot water heater, furnace and propane refrigerator functioning. I shut off those all off and powered the van up on shore power (110 volt power from my barn outside waterproof receptacle). My neighbor, who had helped me reinstall the onboard generator, came over to see if I got it going, During a Brain Fart, at the rear of the van, I pushed the generator start button while still connected to the shore 110 volt power. All 110 volt power inside the van was lost. But even when hooked up to shore power, the 12 Volt DC coach battery charger worked, so not everything had blown.

I used a electrician's 110 volt receptacle tester in the front kitchen cabinet receptacle, no power after even trying to reset the GFI unit. Then in me doing a lot of electrical testing, the fuses and circuit beakers all seemed to be OK, therefore at this time, pointing to the 110V AC /12V DC transfer switch as the most likely culprit. I communicated by e-mail with the Parallax manufacturers technician, who said the dual input power should not have blown their transfer switch, but without actually testing he could not verify. This switch is mounted in the rear of the coach DIRECTLY UNDER the couch/bed but so close that the bed would have had to be removed to access the switch.

I was dreading this, so I retested everything in all modes of operation and it all pointed to possibly a tripped 110 Volt breaker. But where had they hid it, other than the normal panel box? I had heard of these afterthoughts being placed anywhere they could find space. Another trip to the computer and found a forum where the moderator emphasized checking the GFI outlets. I had already done that. OK, try to reset the visible one on the front of the kitchen cabinet by the sink again. BINGO, it now worked. Now I reset and tried the GFI that the microwave was plugged into, BINGO again, but I replaced that one at the microwave with a standard outlet, because it was behind the GFI on the cabinet.

The coffee maker GFI receptacle could not be reset, so I replaced it with a standard duplex receptacle, but it still did not work. Then after more searching, I found another tripped GFI near the the bathroom sink that fed the coffee maker. The circuit beakers I was looking for were right under my nose in the form of GFIs and the one by the sink/stove was questionable.

My neighbor who is a retired mobile home electrician, says there should have been only two GFIs in this van, one in each area where a sink was, all the others wired in as a slave unit parallel behind the GFI with the front one giving the protection for all, and not all of them being GFIs, as was wired in here.

The issue here is, I was not sure what to find in the refrigerator and the coach air conditioning units, as IF these were also GFI receptacles they would both now need to be removed or access gained to even reset their existing receptacles. But inspecting the refrigerator's outside removable grill, I found both of these were non GFI receptacles but wired inline with and behind the GFI receptacle on the face of the cabinet in front of the sink.

Needless to say, I have now replaced the main GFI on the counter front (which seemed to be partly defective), but wired in the others (excluding the refrigerator) thru and behind it like it should have been to start with. So now, if any of the others have a problem, just the accessible unit will be the only one effected. Seems that the installing electricians did not understand, nor consult with the factory electrical designers on this one.

In the breaker/fuse testing, we found a 3 amp fuse laying in the bottom of the panel, not plugged in. It came from the CO (Carbon Monoxide detector), OK, re-plug the fuse in the slot. Two days later this alarm goes off, well a bad 21 year old detector needed replacing, for another $75. And they recommend replacing those every 5 years. For this, I replaced it with another of the same manufacturer, and also since one had died, I also replaced the LP detector, (even though it was working, but was the same age as the CO one). Better safe than sorry while I was doing it.

New Electrical Outlet ; During the winter months, I try to run a small electrical heater in my van just to maintain a slight amount of heat to keep the mold at bay, but the only 110 Volt outlet was high on the cabinet in front of the sink, making for the need for an extension cord, which was then being in the way for any entering in the off season. Upon investigating, I noticed, in the outer accessible area to behind the refrigerator an outlet the refrigerator was plugged into. Using this electrical box as a junction box, I managed to drill a hole in the inner cabinet sidewall, run a 14 gauge rubber cover cable into the bottom area of the counters and placed a new duplex outlet near the floor to plug the heater into. Then I found a SMALL portable heater that may just be the ticket instead of the one with a cord to trip over.

Overload Air Bags ; This unit has an onboard air compressor which feeds air to the overload rear air bags. There is a switch under the dash with a pressure gauge and another rocker switch that I found deflates the bags. But I could not figure out how to inflate them. I added a Tee in the compressor output line and using my large shop air compressor, filled that line to 100#, but it did not change the gauge which was sitting at 30# (much too low for raising the rear of this van with 35 gallons of fuel and 27 gallons of water).

But with no owners manual, I was lost. I had no idea if the compressor was even functioning. Finally I pulled the fitting off my Tee and turned on the compressor, it was pumping air. With the pump still on, I next moved to the switch/gauge assembly, removing it from the dash, and was looking for possibly a check valve. None there. Somehow I moved the rocker switch UP and the gauge started to increase in pressure. What I found was this rocker switch is a 3 way, with neutral in the center, DOWN deflated air in the bags and UP opened the line to allow air to be pumped in. It now pumps up to near 100#. If the owners manual was more explicit, it would have saved me a lot of grief! But I was overthinking the construction and had my mind in a rut.

Reality ; It is now my conclusion that Grandpa probably knew very little about vehicle maintenance, and/or possibly thought the RV dealership had done all maintenance including the vehicle's. Or he was blissfully ignorant on these matters. And the grandson was simply in the dark as only being the contact person seller. I suspect grandpa fit in this category, being one of those who, if there is air in the tires and gas in the tank is ready to go no matter the condition of the rest of the vehicle. And these people seem to have an angel sitting on both shoulders when trouble starts to happen.

I have now visited a RV dealership that handles that model and received a reprinted manual. Then I have added to it, manuals obtained online for the refrigerator, onboard generator, air conditioning, space heater and hot water heater. I also add sales receipts for all items I purchase and add to this unity.

My thoughts now are it would be best if buying one from private sale, to make arrangements to pay a mechanic $200/$300 inspection fee before you lay down your money, or have a agreement signed with the owner for a return of your money within a specific time frame if the vehicle report proved not anything near what I have experienced. However with these units being that desirable, AND there was another possible buyer waiting in the wings on mine, I suspect this type of deal may not work out. Meaning someone will possibly be the one paying thru the nose. Maybe the early bird's worm was only 1/2 alive.

Shakedown Cruise ; As mentioned above, I had taken it on a short 2 day shakedown drive, and just relaxing a bit. I was impressed with the handling, all the conveniences and comfort available in this vehicle. I am not sorry that I have what I have, and look forward to getting the chance to use it when I get all the small things figured out, (and in resurrecting an owner's manual), I have found that they leave out a lot of needed information, being generic for numerous models. So, just bow your head and dig in, tracing things down, going down the wrong path at times, which when you do find the problem, it will not be forgotten. But make notes in the manual for yourself, or for other future owners.

DIY Modifications ; There are many small things I am doing to it internally to make it more livable and trying to find where I can store different items. There were no coat hangers or provision for garbage containers. I have also added 1X4 wooden lips on top of some of the shelves to keep clothing or towels from falling out when the doors are opened. And had to modify by cutting and re-welding a wire spice rack that is now screwed to a divider wall by the stove.

Interior Lights ; I have also converted all the internal lights to LED, even the fluorescent one over the rear table. Here this original one had a bad ballast so instead of replacing it, the LED bulbs do not need the ballast, so better lighting but expensive bulbs ($35 each, and 2 needed).

Counter Top Covers ; I have made a thin mahogany plywood work place/preparation cover for the stove top cover (hiding some existing rust) and a 3/4" thick mahogany cutting board that fits in and over the sink. And I have also added a paper towel holder, along with a simple grocery bag garbage mount from Baydos.

Under Sink Knife Drawer ; And like all kitchens, very minimal storage, especially for the knives. Again more head scratching and finally I came up with a new drawer under the sink. Here I measured and had fabricated an aluminum bracket that was screwed to the front and back counter walls. This bracket has a 1" lip on the open rearward side for stiffness being screwed to the outside sink cabinet wall. The forward side was also screwed to that part of the cabinet.

The LH cabinet door opening was narrower at the forward edge, necessitating a 2" wood filler there to provide for a non-wobble drawer. This size is about all that could be crammed into this existing space. This drawer does not need a retainer nor a pull, because it is held in place by the LH cabinet door (when closed), and the pull is simply a 1" finger hole in the front of the drawer. We now have a 5" wide X 3 1/2" high X 13" deep/long (inside dimensioned) secure knife drawer.

And this filled a pretty well wasted space under that part of the cabinet, forward and to the left of the sink.

Here is the view of the sheetmetal drawer frame (believe it or not, but that metal angle is 90 degrees)	Here the drawer is in, and usable.

Overhead Kitchen Cabinet ; Another thing I found was, that OK, you have overhead storage shelves, BUT can they be enhanced? By this I mean, in the one you carry your kitchen plates, cups, bowels etc., if you try to put them all into a open compartment, you will not be able to do it efficiently, and if you do succeed, after driving a while, when you stop and open this door, they all come flying out.

Here, I ordered a couple of wire racks from Amazon, then modified them to fit around the vent hose in the back of one. This also made it easier to find what was there. However I had to add a thin aluminum extension with a 1" lip on top to prevent the dishes to follow the door when opened. I also made provisions for adding Velcro strips both top and bottom of this upper section so I could if needed add them to further secure dishes, while yet being readily accessible. In the photo below, the upper purple cloth straps are Velcro attached.

Then as for bowels/storage containers, those square stackable Rubber Maid that have sealable lids are hard to beat.

Here you can see the wire racks installed in the overhead compartment being used for cooking bowels, plates & cups, making a less cluttered, more secure usable location

Here you need to utilize as much space inside your RV as possible. In this unit, it had a 10 cup Black & Decker programmable coffee maker that was on top of the cabinet behind the driver's seat. Yes, my new wife drinks coffee, but I drink tea, and a Micro Wave, or simply heating water on the stove is no big deal for me. However we did not need that high a capacity coffee maker that was essentially just taking up space. So the original thought was to swap it out with a small Kurig coffee maker. The problem was in that location on top of this cabinet, there was not enough height available there to get any water poured into the Kurig.

I replaced the coffee maker with a paper towel holder and a plastic storage box. The one thing with this type of simple towel retainer, I then needed something to keep the towels from unrolling. This was solved using a elastic cord off a 9" ball bungee cord, and securing it with a screw eye/hook to the wall behind it.

Here you see the old original 10 cup coffee pot	And here in it's place, a paper towel holder and a plastic sealed lid storage box, with room behind for more storage, like used shopping bags, etc.

So a location was found on the rear (bed side) of the countertop divider for the Kurig. There was a small pop up/snap in place hinged table top there for eating when sitting on the sofa / bed before it (the bed) is laid down, Behind this table top base and attached to the divider wall for the stove was a 3/4" X 1 1/2" wood that was attached to the divider for mounting the table's hinge. This gave me just enough to mount a 3/4" X 8" pine shelf to mount the Kurig on. But the only place to screw the Kurig down was placing one screw under the pull out drip tray. So for added security to maintain the Kurig's location, I added a 3/4" fitted pine lip around the back 1/2 of the Kurig. And not wanting to rely on only the screws into the base, I also added a 6' X 8" metal 90 degree angle shelf brace from the divider wall down onto the top of the shelf behind the Kurig.

Here the top up shelf table top is still usable, but loosing a slight bit of rear space.

For electrical power access to the Kurig coffee maker, I drilled a hole in the rear of this sidewall and ran the electrical cord into the back of the food storage / refrigerator access area and plugged it into the duplex outlet that is now shared with the fridge.

The one thing we found was on this Kurig, is that we could not simply leave the bottom drip plate just sitting on the base when we were driving, as apparently it had taken flying lessons. So I purchased a small "ball bungee" to use just the cord and relieved enough on both the top front sides of the plastic tray and to give clearance for the metal plate to fit on top, then drilled a 3/16" hole close on each side and through the wood shelf below. Then threaded one end of the this bungee cord through both holes and over the bottom plate, tying a knot below to secure it. When both this metal plate and plastic tray is inserted into the main base, the bungee holds them down and keeps them from coming out. Using this method, we can still remove the tray and top drip plate for cleaning.

Here you can see the Kuring mounted and ready, while still being close, but out of the way & not taking up valuable counter top space.	Here you can see my Red-Neck retianer system

More Storage Modifications ; Behind the drivers seat is a 15" wide storage closet. I could not understand why there was a clothes hanger rod in the top, with the two shelves below. The way it was set up, there was a lot of wasted space. I decided to lower the original top shelf by 3" and add another shelf above it. Getting in to this project, I found that the original top shelf was just resting on side slats and could be removed. The bottom shelf was a folding unit that locked up as a shelf, but could be folded down giving the full storage height for long clothes. For us, no need for that type of clothes storage, so disable it and just go for shelves.

I had already added a wire basket rack on/under that bottom shelf. And the height there was needed to accommodate my knee boots, so it was left as it was.

After this modification, there was no need for the clothes rack bar, BUT I had to purchase a new screwdriver set because the attaching screws were 3/32" (smaller) than my regular 1/8" square shank bit.

Here you see the original storage closet	And here is it modified by lowering the middle shelf & adding a upper shelf

More Modifications ; On this model, it has dual bathroom doors both of which had large mirrors (18" X 30") on the upper outside of these doors, Why? We decided to see if we could get corkboard large enough to replace the front mirror with. I found one at Michaels that could be cut down to fit. But this existing mirror was glued into the door's routered out recess, so I had to break the mirror in order to get it out.

The corkboard that I got only had corrugated cardboard as a backer, and was thicker by about 3/32" than the mirror. This then required to deepen the routed out door lip to accommodate the new corkboard/cardboard thickness, and place a oversized aluminum sheet screwed to the back of the door over/behind the cardboard for stiffening. To ensure the cardboard and cork did not come loose and become unsecured in the middle, liquid nails adhesive was used to secure the cardboard to the metal backing.

Then after I got it all done, we were looking for a dry erase board for our home kitchen refrigerator door and found a Martha Stewart, 11" X 16" stick on decal at Staples. Wow how convenient, so we bought two, and now have one attached on this door's corkboard. However the self-adhesive does not really adhere well to the corkboard, so it is now additionally secured by using thumbtacks around the periphery.

More Storage Modifications ; Then while on this above door project, on the backside I installed a "24 Pocket Over The Door Shoe Organizer" as seen in the photo below. This organizer was purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond (and made especially for them in Vietnam), being 19" X 63", and selling for $20. It seems to be made of a medium weight canvas with 5 rows of 4 pockets.

It hangs over the top of the door with 4 supplied hooks (which I had to modify to fit the van's narrower door). I also had to cut off the bottom row of pockets to better fit my door height. Here this rack is probably not going to be used for shoes, but anything that is small enough it get in the pockets, and yet readily available.

In this location there will not be a problem when using the shower as the shower curtain contains the rear half of this room/hallway, so no water could get on it.

More Storage Modifications 2 ; Then after cutting off the bottom row of the above shoe rack, where to put it? No need to be wasteful. I found an ideal location in the rear in front of the bed, rear side of the bathroom and opposite the Kurig coffee maker.

   Here we hemmed the top of this cut off single row, then attached it to the wall using 3 metal snaps. How can I luck out with it being the exact right width for both the door and this back wall partition ?

   It will be ideal now for cell phone chargers, med containers, hearing aids at night, or other small stuff, and yet readily available.

   In the photo below, you will also notice two of the 5 coat hooks attached to the wall/overhead shelf.

More Bathroom Storage ; And looking inside the bathroom, there was a LOT of wasted space. More head scratching and finally a plan was devised giving more side storage, while not hampering the original design.

    Here there was not much solid structure to anchor anything to.   The inner parts of the outer wall was covered by a thin foam lined vinyl covering that was possibly glued to the inner wall. However along the side was what appears as a juncture of the metal box type shell running horizontally, providing a brace support or conduit for wiring? So by using this metal box tube as a base for adding sheet aluminum that was bent/fabricated to provide shelving that was screwed to this box.

   Initially I was going to make it as a cabinet, using 1/2" plywood attached to the aluminum, with hinged doors, but decided that I was overthinking this project and simply went with open, but a 6" high lipped shelf on top, and under it in front, a shorter shallower 1" lipped shelf. The reason for the partial shelf in front was that about in the middle of this room against the outer wall, there was another shallower vertical rib, so I stopped at it. This then gave me room to add a toilet paper holder at the rear of this rib. And the front part of this upper shelf had to be narrower to accommodate opening of the mirrored medicine cabinet door.

   When the aluminum work was done, I did not want to just paint it, or even cover it with real plywood like I have initially thought, but I found a mahogany door skin that had came unglued (being in my barn for many years), so here I overlaid the aluminum with that THIN plywood (using liquid nails as an adhesive and clamping it in place while hardening) and then varnished it, matching the kitchen stove and sink covers, giving a much needed contrasting color.

Then as this project was being finished, another thought popped up, why not add a shower curtain rod above this to be used for drying towels or what ever? However rod we picked, being internally threaded so it can be extended, but it would not stay in location if even slightly bumped, so a horseshoe shaped plywood bracket was made and attached to the walls by small nails and glue, giving a more secure mounting for this rod, yet allowing it to be removed if needed.

And as seen in the photos below, the bathroom garbage container is simply a 1 1/2 gallon Rubber Maid "Cereal Keeper" plastic jug. But to keep it secured in location, (yet removable) it is secured to the base shelf by two metal snaps in the bottom.

Here the original bathroom with just a shallow lip for storage before modifications	Here the bathroom after modifications, notice the toilet paper holder, medicine cabinet mirror on the RH side

Other Overhead Storage ; I have also found that Harbor Freight sells waterproof plastic smaller than normal 30 caliber ammo cans #63135 (5" X 11" x 7" high with a trade name of Bunker Hill Safety which sells for $6.95) that happen to just fit inside one of the rear overhead storage compartments that easily accommodates 4 of them. The vertical opening for this compartment is just 1/4" taller than the boxes. Here these provide secure, dry non-spillable storage. I did also find that now these really need to be labeled as they all look alike.

Loose Inside Van Door Handle ; In doing the remodeling, while going in and out the van side door many times, it became apparent that the plastic handle on the inside of the door was becoming looser with every time I passed through. Upon investigating, on each end of this handle was two screws that went thru the fabric door liner and into the inside of the metal door liner. These screws were becoming stripped, so I replaced them with larger, size #10 flat head sheet metal screws (giving a better grip in that metal inner door panel).

Dull Headlight Lenses ; Like many older vehicles, the headlight lenses were quite dull when I acquired this vehicle. I purchased a Headlight Restoration Kit, made by Meguiar's, from a local automate supply store. This kit contained a bottle of liquid paste, a 3" buffing wheel that fits into a 1/4" or 3/8" electric drill motor, and a small absorbent towel. Using it to buff off the oxided dull surface, proved quite easy and beneficial. One thing that I have found, is if you run out of their liquid, is to simply use toothpaste.

    Recover Floor Covering ; The vinyl floor covering in the front floor behind the seats and to the shower pan was a whitish color, which showed all the dirt, grass and tree needles. Along with that, over the winter with the van not being used, a tootsie roll must have fallen unnoticed onto the floor and a rich brown color had PENETRATED deep into this white flooring. With all the white walls and doors inside, with this floor also being white, was just too much of a light color for me.   My solution solved a couple of issues, which was to find 12" square self adhesive vinyl flooring of a darker color.

   The reason I wanted the 12" square ones was that these would be a lot easier to install, not knowing how square the area was and with limited tight working space. And there was no molding to cover any gaps along the edges. I had to be pretty darn close on the cutting/fitting.

   The problem seems that most all the flooring now is wood laminate and after visiting numerous floor covering stores, the only one that now carries vinyl in my area is Lowes, but they are an hours drive away. And when we got there, there was not much to choose from. We finally settled on a medium/light marble pattern. Now to find a paint to somewhat match the floor for the table base socket (which turned out to be machinery gray).

Here you see the old original Vinyl flooring, notice the dark stain, middle LH side	And here is the new darker pattern flooring

While doing the inner floor, the entry inner step area also showed that the thin glued down covering was coming loose at the outer edge and had rust forming under it forcing the covering up in places. Why not use the same vinyl here as was used inside? I planned on this when making the vinyl purchase and got a couple extra panels. Upon removing the rubber outer molding and this covering, lots of deep rust in the edge of the metal body floor was exposed. So I wire wheeled all the rust out with a angle head grinder, and filled all the rusted parts with Bondo. Then I sanded it down providing a good smooth attachment surface under the new vinyl.

And at the outer joint with the door trim, I caulked under the trim and added extra stainless steel screws to hold it down over the vinyl providing a better seal.

Here you see the old original entry floor covering	And here is the new vinyl pattern, the same as the inner floor

Refrigerator Not Cooling as it Should; I then found that this refrigerator/freezer has no circulation in the refer section, thereby inside temperature is not even by a LOT, freezing below the freezer section and about 46 degrees in the other parts. I have now purchased a "D" sized flashlight battery operated fan from Baydos, that has cured that problem. This fan runs on 2 "D" size batteries, which last for slightly over one month of constant usage. One thing I did find, is I needed to set the refer to a slightly lower temperature if letting it run setting in my driveway. I suspect this is because when traveling in the van, you open the refer more often than if it is just setting idle, so the inner temperature will raise a bit.

I also found that the refer door seal was not functioning as designed. It looked as if the door was sprung, closing on the bottom, but had a slight gap on the top. I found a new replacement door seal and installed it. And the traveling door lock did not pull it tight enough to seal completely. Either the door was sprung or the seal needed replacement (maybe both).

Birds Nest in Air Conditioner; Being Out Of Sight, but in plain sight has it's drawbacks. If you park your RV outside, you have a very good chance of having birds to build (or try to) a nest in the outer section up against the cooling coils. Initially this cleaning should be no big deal to remove the outer plastic cover (4 screws) and clean it. HOWEVER on mine, apparently this cover had not been removed for MANY years, and it was cracked in a couple places.

But getting it off proved to be a chore. These units are set in a recess in the fiberglass van top. Apparently when it was installed, and screwed down (from the inside) they did not get it centered sideways and rearward far enough from the RV fiberglass top recess to even get any kind of SHORT screwdriver in to remove those 2 front screws.

Vent Fan Cover; The "Fantastic Fan vent over the stove/shower area lid was apparently original and had became brittle over time. One day with this vent lid raised slightly, a hard gust of wind damaged the lips of it. Initially I bought a generic lid from Baydos, thinking that i could modify it. Well not really a good idea here, so I took it back and ordered a replacement $39.95 BUT shipping was $26.00.

However when trying to remove the old lid, the screws holding the hinge to the base were about as inaccessible as the ones on the AC. But, buy using my handy Dremel tool and a cut off stone, I ground off the 4 upper hinge rivets. Then used a 3/16" pop rivet tool to re-attach, using the original hinge which was still attached to the base by the original screws.

Trailer Hitch Not Wired ; Also I thought it was odd that there was a trailer hitch receptacle BUT NO plug in. Maybe the owner was never going to tow anything and did not order the towing package??? Well maybe so, but I now find that this hitch receiver's 1/2" hole for the retainer pin does not allow the pin to be pushed all the way through. Meaning it had never been used to tow anything. OK, I attacked it with a large rat-tailed file, removing internal burrs of the hole.

However there is no safety chain provisoio0ns on this hitch.

I did also acquired a used trailer hitch mounted aluminum rear carrier unit, that may come in handy later on.

Main Engine Battery Drains ; Then the main vehicle battery died if the vehicle was not driven often. It seems like a never ending need to replace items needed to maintain this thing. Even later after sitting for a couple of months, the new battery ran down to 12.1 Volts (NEARLY DEAD), causing inconsistent starting of the engine, seems like there is a slight battery drain somewhere.

So I installed battery terminal disconnect to be used during extended non usage. This only requires loosening the black knob and sliding the two connector halves apart, disconnecting the power flow. And as seen on the RH side in the photo below, there is a onboard trickle charger/battery maintainer, so I am double covered here. But instead of running a second extension cord, I am looking into wiring in a cord from the van's shore power input to this battery trickle charger.

Tires ; Then as for tires on this vehicle, the 4 tires were relatively new All-Season highway tires, but made in Viet-Nam so possibly of unknown reliability. And I wanted a more of a rear traction tire in case I encountered snow on any mountain pass if I decided to venture that way to visit my grandson in Montana. And also a set of tire chains would be another good idea. Goodyear Wrangler Trail Runners were selected at a total cost of $400 and an other $100 for the cable chains. We then used the best one of the highway tires/wheel as the spare as I had no idea of the quality of the existing spare, and the other tire, I brought home for use as an extra.

Door Locks ; I also found that if I locked the drivers/passengers doors by pushing the button down before I closed the door, or did it electronically using the key ring pendant, that I could not unlock either door with the key. It seemed that the key just would not rotate it far enough to hold the button up, like something was dragging inside. However I could unlock the van body door, reach in over the passenger's seat and pull the lock button up to access the cab. This was not really ideal, so next was to pull the inside driver's door panel off and trace down the lock linkage. I could not find anything that seemed to be defective. But did, by reaching in the inner door access holes, spray WD-40 into every linkage unit connected to the locking mechanism, which seemed to help somewhat but was not consistent. So another thought hit me at 2AM, there is a electric solenoid that operates the opener/closer that has a rubber boot over the plunger to keep dust out. Maybe this plunger was dry or slightly rusty and dragging inside the solenoid body.

So pull the panel off again, and cut a small hole in the rubber boot, then squirt more WD-40 inside that. This seems to be really helping, and maybe over time it will be 100% operational. It appears that this solenoid plunger was slowing the final throw of the key just to not allow the linkage to go over center maintaining the button in the up position. Next was to do the same for the passenger side lock.

Sewer Discharge Lines ; Another thing I found that the sewer discharge system that came with the van when I acquired it was woefully lacking. This van has a regular section of corrugated sewer hose permanently attached INSIDE a 4" ABS pipe that exits in front of the driver's side rear wheel-well. It is capped off by a threaded ABS pipe cap. I am not sure how Grandpa managed to dump his sewage without making a mess, as when I got this vehicle, there was no attached quick couplers anywhere, that would have made a reliable watertight connection. So another $65 for the right hoses and couplers.

Illusive Switches ; I am still looking for what a couple of aftermarket switches operate, and how to turn on both of the inner cabin dome lights but beginning to think the rheostat light switch is defective.

Step Pads ; One of the next repairs was replacing the rubber step pads below the doors on the running boards.

We also decided that there is no need to make the bed with sheets or blankets, as sleeping bags are easier to store. However the cold weather sleeping bags that I had were way too bulky, and with minimal van storage available which necessitated downsizing to lighter weight bags which have worked great for our style of camping.

I guess part of the reason that I have added the above personal information is, even if you happen to get one in a better condition than I did, that all the other smaller things needed to make it truly functional for us can add up and get expensive. For me, I enjoy making modifications and do want EVERYTHING to work properly. I guess that I have spent too much time owning boats, where if something goes wrong, you can't pull it over to the shoulder of the road, with no real worries until you get it fixed. But with a vehicle being stranded along any road, be it a back road OR freeway, is not my idea of fun, especially if cell phone service to call road assistance may be questionable.

One other thing that I do want to install is a back-up camera. The one that seems to be the most recommended is the Garman RV780LMT, which is a wireless combo GPS/backup camera designed especially for RVs that sells for about $500.

It has taken a bit of time and thinking on just what is truly needed in this vehicle and where to store it. And before long I will build a lean-to attachment to the end of my barn to provide for a winter shelter. This one will be high enough to be able to drive thru so I can go thru then turn around in the small pasture behind my barn, then drive into the shed from the back.

It seems that used RVs may fit among near the acronym for boating, B.O.A.T. BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND.

Everyone you will talk to tells you to get acquainted with your new toy so that you understand it's operations. I had not expected to become so closely involved here as I have been on this project. Here, a lot of this has been because my ignorance to the ways of a experienced RVer. Sure, I had owned others before, but they were mostly to tow it to a destination and use it for a place to stay while hunting or fishing, not something that would be lived in as you were driving, which is something totally different. BUT, things learned by the school of hard knocks are not quickly forgotten.

Cabin Dash & Interior Lights ; When I got this van, the interior cabin lights and some of the dash lights were not functioning. And the fuses all checked out. I really hated to delve into this issue, knowing that the main light switch was very likely the center of the problem. And trying to find a replacement switch may be a problem. Well one day on a RV van forum, one poster listed a source, which I grabbed and purchased one at a decent price. Only to find out after I got it, "Made in China".

OK, my work was cut out for me. In looking on U Tube, I could not find any videos for anything in the year or van models. Second I disconnected the main battery cable. I did get enough info from what I did watch to point me into removing the dash and the instrument cluster. The dash had a screw on each end, (one in the glove box) but it would not lift off at the radio section. I found 2 more screws going up into the dash at that point. OK, it came off.

Now the instrument cluster had to also come out so I could access the switch. Here the retainer screws were obvious and were removed. Along with the multi-prong power plug in on it's back. There was still one larger wire going to the speedometer that I did not want to disturb, but was able to jockey the cluster enough to access the light switch. This switch was held in place by a 1/2" threaded hollow bolt, that the knob shaft went through. The problem the arose how do I get the pull/twist switch knob to disconnect from the switch?

No position or combination of, could I get the knob shaft to come out. After then looking closely at the new switch, on the bottom center was a small (3/16") spring loaded button. Using this to locate the same button on the old switch that was still installed, I pushed it in, and at the same time pulled the knob, and shaft out. BINGO. With the shaft out, a large Phillips screwdriver in the smaller shaft hole allowed me to unscrew this hollow bolt that held the switch to the dash frame. All the wires that attached to the switch were modular and readily removed and the new switch re-installed.

Now before I re-install all the above, while everything was out in the open, maybe I had better check function of all the instrument cluster lights. Here I waited until it was dark to perform this test, being a whole lot easier on this one old eyeball. OK, at least one was burned out, but with my failing eyesight AND the black background of the instruments, along with their age (not being as bright a contrast as they were when new), I decided to replace all for a 10 pack for $10 from Amazon. A lot cheaper than from an automotive store at $10 each.

The problem with these LEDs is that they are polarized, meaning that they have to be inserted into the receptacle the right way. If on the first try and they don't light up, pull them out and rotate 180 degrees. This is not a problem if you can see the light come on, or if the directional lights work. BUT what about the other indicator lights as Check Engine Light or oil pressure where you would never know and run a 50/50 chance of ruining the engine by not knowing? My solution on these other 5, was to reinstall the original regular bulbs back in these.

Here you see everything tore apart, with the light switch being the black plastic knob on the left side of the main dash, just above the steering wheel, with access through the opening with the cluster moved away as far as possible as shown

Here you see the new light switch unit, LH side is to the rear

Replace Engine Cover (Doghouse) Storage ; When we got this van, it had a wooden aftermarket cup-holder/storage addition fitted as a drop in the top of the cabin engine cover. I need to have sun and night driving glasses readily available. The original space was too shallow, and the aftermarket one had great cup-holders but did not allow the glasses to fit anywhere, except the floor after a bump, stop or sharp corner.

   OK, another trip to my tinsmith and by fitting and screwing a 2 1/4" strip of aluminum inside the periphery of this factory engine cover recess and then welding a sheet of precut 1/8" at the rear that was cut out for larger insulated mug cup holders, we now have higher lipped sides providing a large catch-all, that accommodates my/our needs better.

   And by judicial positioning the cup cutout holes before drilling them out, we can still utilize the cigarette ash tray (with the lid tipped up and out of the way) for a coin/cash stash, that is inconspicuous, out of the way, but close. And when welding this cup holder section to this higher lipped unit base, we leveled it so a bubble level can now be attached for more convenient leveling of this van for long term parking.

   Also at this time, I had purchased a Garman 780 RV GPS unit that needed a mounting location. So a thicker aluminum "P" shaped section was welded to the front of these high lips with a provision for mounting this unit on the RH side.   This whole unit being installed and held in place by 3 screws tapped into the existing cover can be readily removed if need be.

Here you see the original engine cover	Here the aftermarket addition	And here, my custom addition with cup holders, level, GPS & sunglasses

Window Not Going Back Up ; When I first got this van, the passenger window had a wooden wedge between the window channel and the glass to hold it up. And no matter which button you pushed on the panel, I could hear the window electrical motor running, but it would not move. Obviously something was amiss and needed attention.

Never having gotten inside a door before, I Googled this type of repair. Ok seek out my favorite automotive parts store and purchase a door panel removal tool, which was simply a large screwdriver that had a Vee shaped split end that had a slight bend in the end.

On this door I found that the arm rests were held in place by a couple of Phillips headed screws coming in them the bottom. Then there were 3 or 4 other screws that were covered up with a snap on head button that was covered with the same fabric that was the inside liner. Pop these off, and unscrew the Phillips headed screws under them. then using the panel remover tool work your way around the outer edges, finding where it was secured, push the tool in and pop the plastic reusable anchors out of the inner metal door panel. Now the fabric panel could be worked off the door latch and swung out of the way still being attached by the wiring to the remove window and door lock switches.

From here , for further removing another smaller panel that was the backer for the door pouch, AND by cutting into the clear plastic dust cover, there was an access hole into the inner part of the lower door.

What I found was there was a bar about 12" long that was supposed to be attached to the bottom of the glass. This attachment appeared to only be by wedging the bottom of the glass into a tight groove in the bar. On the bottom of the bar was another channel on the inner side that was larger and made to accommodate a 1" roller which was attached to an arm operated off the motor, providing the upward/downward movement of the window.

Then by trial and error I discovered that this bar had to be positioned (timed) so the window would retract all the way down. On the very bottom of the stroke of the motor arm was a rubber stop in the door. To time the window, you have to run the power switch so the arm is all the way down with the bar resting on this stop. Now push the window down so you can locate the forward back position of the wedge attachment location of the two. You may be able to see this from the previous location on the glass. Locate the class into the wedge of the bottom window bar. While holding the bar and the window in sideways alignment, operate the electric motor button, pushing the window UP. You will have to follow it up until just before the powered upward motion forces the window down into this bar as it engages the top of the window opening of the door.

If the bar wedge area that the window that has to snap into may be loose enough that it does not stay after continued usage, you may have to do the job again, but pinch the top of the wedge opening in a few places VERY SLIGHTLY, just enough to provide further friction to hold the window. There may be an adhesive made for this, but the pinching seemed to work for me, FOR A WHILE.

Outside Rear View Mirrors ; These mirrors seem to be designed so that they will fold away, pivoting on the upright shaft, held in place by friction, if encountering a more solid encounter, saving the mirror from damage.

However this safety feature has it's downsides. One thing that I found was that these mirrors seemed to NOT stay in position (but rotating rearward) by the wind when driving. In doing some online looking (You Tube), what I found did not apply to my vehicle. And another senior RVer said that he simply used his cane and poked it out the passenger window to reposition that collapsed mirror.

OK, more seat of the pants investigating. What I found was on the outside mirror base was a Phillips head screw on the bottom. This screw only holds the plastic outer cover in place. Remove this screw and pry the cover up, it is retained by the tubular arm (Ell) holding the mirror. This tube also contains the electrical wiring for the remote controlled mirror adjustment. By carefully working the attached cover up, you will see 4 Torx head screws holding the outer tube clamp to the outer door skin. You can tighten them increasing pressure on the Nylon bushing beneath and around the tube's base. HOWEVER be careful not to over-tighten and strip the threads in the pot metal base. If you seem to not be able to tighten it enough, I have removed it all, and sprinkled baseball pitchers rosin or wood stove ash around the tube where it mates with the bushing before reassembly with limited success.

If you do find these threads in the base are stripped, (very common here with prior DIYers) the method that I have used is, since the threads are 10-32 NF, is to rethread by using a Heli-Coil back to the same threads. This involves purchasing a Heli-Coil kit for the proper size, drilling over size and tapping with the supplied drill and tap, then inserting the Heli-Coil thread inserts, giving you new original threads.

One thing you need to be aware of in repairing this base, is the Nylon bushing has a rib on the inside that engages a groove in the base that needs to be aligned before final re-assembly.

Loud Generator ; It will not take long if you frequent the RV forums to see people complaining about the loud Onan generators. In my mind, it is not a problem with me, but I normally do not camp in crowded camp grounds. And the sound seems to be worse farther away from the vehicles. However the simple thing to do is to purchase a resonator made and sold by Cummins/Onan, Exhaust Resonator - #155-2449 for $37.49.

Coming out from the generator motor, a 1" OD exhaust pipe comes down with a pretty close 90 degree elbow and running horizontally, but close to the underside of the body.

Installation of this resonator on my van consisted of cutting the existing generator tailpipe off near the elbow coming from the generator (using a 4" angle head grinder), but leaving about 1' of this straight pipe so that the resonator could be slid over and onto that pipe up to the bend and then be clamped in place using a 1 1/2" muffler clamp. Then the existing outer exhaust pipe bracket had to be slightly modified.

After installing this unit, it did make a somewhat difference, but I was not really impressed, maybe better if away from the vehicle.

Then on the outboard end, I wanted the exhaust pipe to have a somewhat downward bend instead of straight out (to disperse the noise better, at least in my mind). But after getting this installed, there was very little distance available, and to not having it stick out much beyond the body. It became apparent that the factory must have not intended any extension of any kind because of the resonators overall length.

I still think that this slightly downward elbow is something I want to pursue, and it can be done later giving me time to think about how to proceed, if at all.

One thing to remember when you do your monthly generator warm-up is that it is designed to provide electrical power to your larger power drawing devices within the van, namely the micro wave and/or air conditioner. If you do not turn one or both of these on during this time providing a power draw, the generator will run, but will surge (meaning it will run, fast then slow and in quick succession). This would be normal, but not desired.

Other Experiences & Things Learned ; OK, I now have taken another week-end trip. this one again for razor clam digging on a Washington beach. A fishing club that I belong to does clam digging outings and they have a special location that in the past has proved good digging. This beach was known to be harder than most and almost impossible to get a vehicle stuck in the sand, no matter where you were on the beach. Bonfires and wiener roasting with fellowship afterwards was a bonus. I had not had time to attend any of these in the past, but did know the area, so why not incorporate another shakedown trip with clam digging and friends.

The problem (I later found out) was there was a LOT of rain the previous week and the sand was super saturated with water. The first two small creeks we had to drive through to get there were a bit higher than normal, but the third one was considerably wider, faster and deeper. I drove to the edge of it but was not willing to take the chance of trying to drive through it after watching numerous other 4 wheel drive vehicles bounce around while make their crossings.

I turned around and went back down the beach a few hundred yards. We were early before low tide, so I just sat and watched some early diggers using my binoculars. Not much happening, so I decided to move to another location. BUT, upon trying to drive away, the sand being softer and with my van being heavy, the rear tires had sunk down and I was about to be stuck in the sand again. It was a good thing that I understood driving on sand and stopped as soon as the vehicle did not move. Luckily, I had included a shortened handle shovel as one item to take along. I dug out in front of the rear tires, but hit water. NOT A GOOD FEELING.

To my rescue came about 6 young Mexican boys, DO YOU NEED HELP? They got two fathers, and with my digging out, and them pushing, WE easily got the van out. THANK YOU.

OK, I drove down the beach closer to the entrance approach, and stopped to look again, but this time on what appeared to be drier sand. After watching other diggers for a while, we decided to try it here. But for some reason, before I left the van parked here, I decided to try to move it.

We were stuck AGAIN, but not so bad that time and by again digging out in front of the rear tires again, and easing out, we made it. That was enough, we called the clam digging off for this week-end and headed for our friend's RV spot for the night. And a chance to feed his thriving deer herd their evening meal.

I finally decided what had happened on the beach was that with my van being so heavy, and the sand so super saturated with water from it raining for about 2 weeks straight, that my tire surface could not support all the weight. Probably if I it had dual rear tires, that may have had enough surface to keep the tires from sinking into the wet sand.

My real concern was if I got it buried to where it needed to call a tow rig, that with all the weight and water holding tanks underneath, (only about 7" of clearance) that the damage could be substantial. Maybe these vans should NOT be driven on some sandy beaches, or especially the torn up approaches.

Surprise ; Also on the above previous trip, when camped for the night, I could not get the propane stove or hot water heater to light. The monitor panel was not working for some reason, (found out later just a loose/corroded connection) but just a month before I had gotten the propane tank topped off, so was reasonably sure that I should still have a lot of propane. Thankfully my friend's RV hookup we were using had 110 Volt shore power, so we could use the Microwave.

When I got home, upon doing some investigating, I had left the main propane tank valve open, which should have not been an issue. WELL, what I found was two possible leaks, (1) that the tank's POL fitting was not tightened completely. This POL fitting was one of the old style using a slip on hand tightening outer knob. This knob was so close to the tank and fitting that there was no way to hand tighten it completely. However I found that there was just enough room to by using an 8" Crescent wrench, to tighten it securely into the female tank receptacle. (2) The regulator was not screwed in tight into the other end of the POL fitting. Then in taking the regulator off, I found that I could tighten it (thread it on) another one whole turn. And since pipe threads being tapered, so adding thread sealant and by tightening it one thread, I gained a better seal. Next was to mix up some soapy water and using a small paint brush and saturate all these threaded connections, looking for bubbles, meaning a leak. No bubbles, so I'm pretty sure that we now have no leaks there. But from now on, when this RV is setting idle, the main propane valve WILL be turned off.

Pleasant Surprise ; After thinking about how easy it was to pull out of this beach sand, (I had not spun the tires initially when it became obvious the tires had sunk down in the sand) I then began to wonder if this vehicle may have been equipped with a limited slip rear end. So later, I released the emergency brake, I put it in neutral, jacked up both rear wheels and tried to rotate one tire/wheel. It was hard to rotate, and the other wheel did also move in the same direction. This is pretty indicative that it does have a limited slip/locking differential. I was elated as this was one item I had on my wish list, mainly because if I was to launch one of my boats on a slippery boat launch, sometimes they get wet/slippery. And inspecting the differential cover, there was no identifying tag to verify, so maybe it was an aftermarket installation??

OK, after numerous repairs/re-modeling's, our second shakedown trip was a 355 mile, 2 dayer, with boon-docking for the night in a SMALL county park right next to the water, all of which which worked out quite well as the wife and I had it all to ourselves. Now, a few other changes, and other longer trips are in the planning mode.

Here, my 1996 Dodge, Leisure Travel Van is parked for the night just north of the Washington's Hood Canal floating bridge (visible in the background)

Downsize to Save Space; One thing that I did learn form the initial camping experiences, is that you will tend to try to carry way too much of about everything, yah you MAY use it, BUT do you really NEED it? OK, you do need your safety/emergency gear and other essentials, but plan ahead and select gear/food, etc. for your intended time spent on the road. Do not try to carry winter clothes and equipment during a spring or summer stay. In many of these units (especially the Class "B"s), you just do not have enough room for it all. That is unless you plan on doing this full time and then is time to really refine your ideas.

But in a Class "B" you are pretty much "improved tent camping" on wheels (but with slightly more accommodations). Otherwise, for each trip, unload/load your van accordingly. If you need a few items, that may be the time for you to visit one of the small towns and meet local friendly folks. I know of a couple of old time hardware stores that still have a old barrel stoves and more merchandise stuffed around than you can imagine.

And if you are aware, AND conserve water, you can make do for a surprising long time on the water supply that you can carry. But remember that all potable water (city water) may not be the best. Sure it may be Chlorinated, but sometimes so much so that it may even ruin coffee. And if you refill your water tank from an unknown source, you never know what issues you may have. Many Rvers will carry bottled water for drinking and cooking.

Potential Problem ; In doing the above experiment (locking differential), I came across another situation that may be disastrous. These vehicles are built very low to the ground, as I could not even crawl under to place the 8 ton hydraulic bottle jack. I had to place it by feel under the rear axle even with the air bags at 45#. And just looking at it sideways, it looked low on the rear (as seen in the photo above). If it seemed to be low just sitting on fully aired tires, what would it be like if that tire was flat?? If you can't get under to get the wheel off, how can you replace it with a spare tire/wheel?

Also there was so much weight there that with it sitting on a gravel driveway, the jack just got pushed into the gravel/dirt. I needed to place a section of 2" X 6" under the jack as a better support (depending on the surface). And on my vehicle it has fiberglass bumper covers, so the use of bumper jacks would not be possible. After more thinking, maybe I should carry a adjustable axle stand, Using this method, jack up the hitch extension and slide this axle stand under it, holding it up enough to then move the jack to be under the axle.

There is enough space under the vehicle's front end that this would not be needed there.

And forget the original manual screw jack that came with the vehicle. It may have worked on the original van before the conversion, but after all the add ons for these vans AND then add the fuel and water tanks weight if full will certainly be way more than this skimpy jack can handle. My suggestion is to purchase a 6 or even 8 ton hydraulic bottle jack, (3 ton ones only work marginally) and then you need an extension handle to boot.

OK, more thinking, If it was a blow-out and the vehicle was now LOW to the ground, not much preventative measures would help. But if it was a slow leak, like a nail or sharp rock, (a more common occurrence) probably the best bet would be to carry a couple of bottles of Fix a Flat / SLIME (a pour in liquid sealer). Of course now you would need a small 12 Volt air compressor. But if you want to really be prepared, just one more item to carry ???

So I began to investigate why the rear was sagging so badly. Upon weighing this van, the total LOADED READY TO TRAVEL weight with me as the driver was 8320#, with the rear axle coming in at 5480#. This van is rated at a total of 8500#. I took it to a local RV repair shop who said he had fixed the same issue on mobile repair trucks in the past by installing overload helper rear springs. But his search turned up useless because of the age of this van and no distributer had the part that he wanted, and were giving him the run around of it being so old.

I then took it to a well known heavy duty local alignment shop and upon inspection, they passed me off to call a spring manufacturer in Portland OR. The thought was to have them re-arch or make me new rear springs. However with fuel, water and the holding tanks underneath, many of which were foam insulated for cold weather, even getting those spring anchor bolts out would be a chore, much less getting new ones back in as these bolts were installed at the factory with no thought of ever having to remove them, at least under these conditions.

I finally went online again and this time after trying to verify if the overload helper springs would fit my van, got the run around again. It seems that all the web sites I looked at were only distributors and referred me to their catalog. I finally settled on the manufacturer (Hellwig) that the original repair shop was trying to get, but found a different series than my dealer was looking at.

What seems odd here is that on the normal vans and pickups, the spring width was 2 1/2" for the 3/4 ton, while 3" appears to be normal for the 1 ton. However my 1 ton rear springs were 2 1/2". I finally settled on their model 3520 which mounted on top of the original springs and used a U bolt down and under the original springs to pull it up. I wanted to be sure of what I bought would fit, so finally got connected to their shop technician. After conferring with him and giving him all my information, he agreed, but to use their uncataloged #3510 which was a bit shorter, giving more lift on this heavy rear axle. This also required a installation kit that supported the helper springs above the original springs. I then called my dealer and had him order a set at $485, which he had in 2 days. And it took 2 hours to install for another $100.

I wanted to know just how much this helped, so measured to the rear bumper before and after with the air bags at 45#. This initial measurement was 12" off the floor. After they were installed it then read 14", and by raising the air bag pressure to 80#, I gained another 1', and I still have about another inch of U bolt threads that could be further tightened, gaining more if need be. Using this spring, it did not interfere with the function of the airbags as they were mounted on the inside of the frame, where these helper springs mounted on top of the original ones. And by raising these weakened springs, it is now probably to near what they were when new.

My guess on the narrower springs on this van is that they (the van company) ordered it that way, as a 1 ton but with 3/4 ton springs to provide a softer ride, supplementing it with air bags on the rear. This guess was later confirmed by visiting numerous Class B message forums and reading everything possible from other owners regarding Dodge steering / weak spring issues.

This installation however required the front end alignment to be readjusted, explained below, and headlight re-adjustment.

Dodge Death Steering ; I was told beforehand, that these Dodges do have weak front suspension. But it was not explained to me as just what that meant. My suspicion was maybe shocks or ball joints, which could be readily replaced if they turned out bad. However the original upper A frame suspension ball joint arms seem to be poorly designed and wear the ball joint sockets out much over 100,000 miles.

But in reality this Dodge "Death" steering seems to be a combination of many things. Many drivers reported being "white knuckled" after driving in the wind, being passed by freight trucks, freeway driving in rutted roads and a few other types of conditions. And most repair shops (not being associated with the heavier RV vans) their first question is tire pressure. Next they may look at the front end (ball joints, alignment, dampner, etc.). But in reality, even weak rear leaf springs could also contribute by not distributing the weight proportionally, and the rear air bags would only be a weak Band-Aid on the problem. Read On.

Weak Front Flexing Frame ; Then after getting deep into this one and taking a couple of shakedown trips, it appears that the frame (especially in the front) is not as heavy (strong) as it is needed, considering all the weight being put on it, essentially allowing the steering gearbox to flex a slight amount. And when on an open freeway road you have to constantly be attentive, otherwise it's kind of like a drunken sailor going down the road. But there is a cure for it with a aftermarket frame/steering gearbox stabilizer made in the US and sold by Big D Off Road, LLC, http://www.dodgeramsteeringstabilizer.com/

Essentially this unit replaces the steering arm nut off the gearbox with a new nut that has a extended shaft that then is supported by an outboard bearing.

More Front End Work ; After the rear helper springs being installed and with all the rest being done, the thought was that it (the van) now may be in need of the front end alignment being looked at AGAIN because of the weight repositioning. And while there, maybe I should install new front shocks and look at the steering stabilizer dampner, instead of just believing those are OK also.

What I found was that my repair shop took it to another shop for the front end alignment (but not to a true alignment shop). Who also readjusted the mounting of the stabilizer dampner (which one end was mounted onto the steering tie rod). After driving, it pulled to one side, but they knew they had the alignment adjustments right.

They found the dampner was what was pulling it. They said it was an aftermarket product and was way too large for this van, AND needed to be a hydraulic one instead of an spring type dampner. But they could not find one, so I got my van back with the dampner removed.

In driving it home, I did not like the sensitive steering that could be done with my little finger. More thinking, and I decided to remount this dampner. My thoughts were that if these dampners were made of two opposing springs, and to be effective here, it had to have a neutral center position which needed to be set in a position where the front wheels were aligned straight ahead. It took a couple of tries and short trips to get the dampner tie rod U bolt clamp set, but I now have it so that on a straight away road, I can let go of the wheel, and it tracks for about 100 yards before it starts to drift (which is probably the crown of the road). Well, at least I have it so that it is drivable and I know what to do in a final trial/error adjustment if needed. And I proved (at least to myself) that the alignment shop had no idea of how these small RVs operate.

I also found a copy of a original sales slip for a van of the same make/model and close year, which lists this dampner (STS brand) as standard optional equipment, so again the "alignment shop" did not know anything about RV vans.

Research tells me that a strong dampner is needed because your RV is heavier and taller than normal vans, and susceptible to possible high cross winds, or being passed by freight trucks, and it also helps dampen the power steering to recover when cornering. It seems that most regular repair shops do not understand that when you say you have a RV van, they do not hear the RV word, or understand the RV part, meaning a it's a lot heavier than just a ordinary van.

Here is the steering dampner in place, with the LH side attached to the frame & the RH side to the tie rod (which is adjustable). You can see the unpainted section showing in the center of it's total movement

Could This be a Problem ; When I started to install the above mentioned frame/gearbox stabilizer, I found what could be another issue. the frame and steering gearbox mounting bracket appeared to be cracked badly. This would explain some of the wondering down the road. Why the mechanic that replaced the steering gearbox did not notice this makes me wonder, but on the other hand he was probably not even looking for something like this.

False Alarm, upon closer examination, this "crack" was only in the thick undercoating tar, but what are the odds of two pieces, the frame and the power steering bracket metal having what appearing a fracture in line with each other.

Tires Riding in Road Ruts ; Then another thing that popped up, on these vehicles, the rear tire/wheels have a narrower distance (by 4") than the front wheels. The word was at that time, Dodge widened the front wheels to improve steering/handling.

So on freeway driving in truck tire rutted pavement, which set of tires try to stay in these ruts, or do they alternate, crating weaving, creating more steering issues? This may have not been as bad years ago at the time when this vehicle was new, but with all the increased freight truck traffic, and the trend to go to the in-line wheels instead of duals on trailers, AND more blacktop instead of concrete, ruts seem more predominate now.

In my mind, the cure for this could be to add 2" spacers between the brake drums/axle and the wheel, allowing the rear to track the same as the front wheels. And at the same time these spacers would also distribute the weight better sideways for any swaying problems.

Don't worry about clearance as there is plenty of room in the wheel well for this modification. However you may want to do some research as to pricing as they could run from $90 made from aluminum to $280 a set for steel. And for all the weight you are carrying, my thoughts were to lean toward the steel ones. However I have been reminded that all the freight trucks on the road now are running on aluminum wheels and carrying a lot more load than I am, so I settled on the aluminum ones. But was told to tighten them to the axle, torqueing them to factory specs (which was about impossible to be sure what I found was for my vehicle), and then rechecking them for tightness numerous times before traveling any long distance.

Here are the wheel spacers needed, here the holes you see are where the axle lug bolts go into & the protruding bolts/nuts hold the wheel on.

Well, I guess that I don't go to church often enough. These spacers arrived, but it was not until I took one of the rear wheels off that I started to have some concerns. YES, they were made for the 8 hole lug spacing, but this spacer's studs and nuts were 9/16", where mine are 1/2". However the 9/16" studs did fit the holes in the wheel OK, BUT the other recessed holes in this spacer that went over my existing 1/2" studs to now attach this spacer to the axle were a 5/8" hole, considerably larger, and no way to really align the wheel other than the taper on the inside of the old lug nuts, where any out of roundness would effect any balance issues. And the inner main support hole of the spacers were .100" larger than the axle's support extension size.

This left a lot of open area around the old studs (like 1/16" all the way around), meaning all the weight of the rear (5480#) would be directly on those sloppy holes and coned nuts AND INTO THE ALUMINUM SPACER no less.

And to make matters worse these lug bolt holes were counter-bored .100" deep and 1.100 dia. which was probably to ensure this spacer did not bottom out against anything at the juncture of the stud no matter what installation. The outer coned counter-bore that housed the 1/2" nut went way deeper that I would have liked, leaving less than 3/8" of stud length bearing in the spacer IF the hole was the full size.

Option #1 was to lathe turn a headed/flanged steel bushing, filling the rear counter-bore, and taking up the gap around the 1/2 stud, while being slightly short so as to not allow for any bottoming out on this bushing. The prime objective now was to provide as much bearing surface as possible for the existing 1/2" stud which should provide maximum concentricity of the wheel onto the brake drum/axle.

Option #2 was to machine a recess in the inner center hole dia., then turn a steel spacer ring to just match the axle's support flange, giving support and alignment there instead of bearing on the studs. But there was not really enough space/material to be sure that this ring would be secure.

Option #3 would be to have the inner (larger hole) of this spacer aluminum welded up enough to then lathe turn it to a CLOSE inner dimension (.100" smaller than the existing spacer hole) so it was the main support (and not the lug studs) of the vehicle.

   Option #4 is what I decided to do which, was both #1 and #3, which gives me the most support as I do not want to be stranded along the road somewhere.

   My concern was not so much now, with the inner larger diameter welded, and a pretty snug fit onto the axle's support extension surface, but any rotational looseness, and possibly be compounded by emergency braking thereby working/loosening in a OUT of SIGHT- OUT of MIND situation. Also there was some concern on vertical stress because of cornering and all that weight above them.

   In making these steel bushings, I had to take into account that the 1/2" coned lug nuts would NOT bottom out against the smaller diameter of the bushing that extended into the 5/8" hole, in essence the coned lug nuts had to exert all their force onto the inner coned mating surface of these aluminum spacers and NOTHING on either end of my bushings, as they are basically just for proper rotational alignment.

   I have been a machinist wearing many hats all my working life and refuse to put my name on something that may fail by having a faulty design, especially this situation with a total on the road weight of 8320#. I do not relish the idea of anyone having a preventable breakdown anywhere either on a freeway or a lonely country road.

Here are the lathe turned flanged steel bushings for use on both rear wheels	Here you see the 2 wheel spacers, showing inner & outer views. On the LH side top & bottom you can see the recessed & larger holes & the 3 bushings inserted. On the right in the middle & lower you can see the small ends of the bushings where the original coned nut goes

I did initially borrow a large torque wrench and got the feel of how much 200 foot pounds was, but had to return it before the machining was finished. I did try to match that torque by using a 18' flex handle (same handle length as the torque wrench) and a 13/16" deep socket, and with as much effort as possible applied to the nuts. Here I did not just go until it came tight, but bumped the handle a few times at the end of the stroke, seemingly seating the nut tighter into the aluminum spacer.

OK, with this job as seen in the photo above, thinking that I was in the home stretch, another glaring issue popped up. This being that these new 9/16" studs were protruding out a LOONG way, like 1 3/4", (maybe to also accommodate duals). Just how was I going to use a standard lug wrench on them if on the road? I needed to cut about 3/4" off the outer ends of them. I had this spacer already torqued down and did not really want to take it off again. OK, by using a 4" angle head grinder with a 1/4" cut-off stone, with the spacer still attached to the axle, I proceeded to cut off and debur those studs. I guess it is better to make it with longer studs, than too short, but it was another hassle.

The other spacer, not being installed yet, these studs were cut off with a metal bandsaw, (much easier and neater).

I had done a look up on the seller's website for compatibility and it showed that I had ordered the right set. But in my mind, here is not the time to cut corners on inventory and have ONE SIZE FITS ALL. And there was not much use to call the distributor as these spacers were made in China, (therefor not being able to talk to the manufacturer). I suspect that these spacers were made UNIVERSAL, to be able to fit all makes of vehicles and the varying tolerances. And/OR these 2" wide spacers were not designed to do what I wanted, but to be used on those jacked up or large tired pickup trucks that would only be driven to show off, or in the mud where weight was not an issue as compared to use on this heavy van.

Spare Tire, or Roadside Assistance ; Many of the newer units do not have provisions for a spare tire. There seems to be different opinions here, (1) Do you have the ability and equipment to perform this duty yourself? (2) Or, do you call your insurance Roadside Assistance? (3) The weight of this spare tire and brackets can approach 200#, so that may be an issue if you are pushing the total gross capacity.

Are you willing to deduct that carrying capacity off your total weight? OK, even if you do not intend to change a flat tire yourself, just carrying the spare will assure you that your Roadside Assistance will have a matching tire (size and ply of YOUR choice) to change to if you decide to not do it yourself.

For me, being a much older Senior Citizen (84), I grew up with vehicles always having a spare tire, and I would feel kind of naked without one, along with, I do not like the idea of being stranded and helpless along ANY road, especially if cell phone service could be bad there (and how do you know until you need it). And then to be sure that I carry the proper wrench and handle length to be able to remove the lug nuts is mandatory, especially if they were installed at a tire shop using an air impact tool. Essentially I need to try to be able at least loosen a couple of lug nut as a test before the time comes for the real deal.

Then be sure to carry a jack that will fit and able to lift the vehicle, along with some blocking.

Another thing, as far as gasoline is concerned, this is one time to re-fuel when you get much below 1/2 a tank, as if you are traveling into unfamiliar territory, you never know where or how far away the next gas station will be. And once I found a small out of the way self service gas station, that would not accept all credit cards, so I was glad to have had a second card in my wallet that I hardly ever used.

DIY or Hire it Done ; And I am glad that in my past life, I was a plant maintenance man and machinist, and have done my share of automotive repairs also (and still do own a well equipped shop) otherwise taking it to a RV repair business would rapidly become frustrating and probably expensive. However there are a few things that I foresaw the need for their expertise and was happy with their repairs/educating me.

As for now now, I have a way better understanding of how (at least for this van), things are located and function. I don't just blunder in, but do a lot of research and a lot of thinking (which for me is usually is waking up at 2AM with an idea) before I tackle a questionable project.

Conclusion ; In conclusion for newbies thinking about getting into the RV world, more specifically the motor home style, If you can not read and understand owners manuals, OR need help in replacing a light bulb, OR do not understand the basics of how mechanical / electrical things work, OR do not have any mechanical ability, then maybe you had better look for a different type of recreation, like maybe taking up golfing. And with the newer units being more computerized as they are, which is good IF it works, but BAD and very hard for the novice to repair.

Travel trailer ownership may not be as bad because you will probably have your tow rig pretty well maintained, and if something does go wrong in the trailer, (other than axle issues) you can usually limp by for a day or two, or drive to a repair shop, or to home where repairs can be done later.

HOWEVER if you opt for this trailer type RV, you really need to learn how to drive towing them, as corners are not the same as with a small car, and backing a trailer up for the newbie could be very intimidating. HINT -- get your partner to get out and help directing you on the backing process, (BUT GET A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN BOTH OF YOU OF THE HAND SIGNALS) which may save a lot of embarrassment AND repair costs to your RV. And practice in a empty church parking lot.

One potential problem is that I found starling liked the idea of building a nest up inside the Air conditioner, and they were determined.

And the rest of the story --- my wife and I had made plans for many short type trips covering two states. However before we could do this, she became ill, and within 3 months spent 45 days in 5 hospitals and one rehab facility. The hospital doctors were treating the symptom and not the root cause. I told one doctor my thoughts and reason citing a previous Ultrasound, that she needed a gall bladder operation, "NO, I do not see it that way" was his response. Finally a different ER doctor listened to my diagnosis, but by then her condition had deteriorated so far that if they would have performed the gall bladder surgery that she needed, she may not have survived the operation and most assuredly not the recovery. They sent her home on Hospice, where she passed away 7 days later.

Now I have put this van up for sale, as I just can not take OUR van and go to the places that WE had dreamed about. I still would like to go there BUT NOT in that van.

However what I have found is for most prospective buyers, they can be divided into numerous categories. (1) Looky Loos, have no idea of what they are even seeing after an hour of me giving them a complete walk-thru. (2) Those that have some interest, but one partner is really interested while the other is not. (3) Those that are genuinely interested, but are tight-wads and not willing to pay my FAIR asking price (or anywhere near it). Probably here enters the units age, but this one had no exterior body design change for over 10 years, the exterior condition is VERY GOOD, and looks a lot newer than it actually is. Plus there is no evidence that it had ever even had a fender bender.

The repairs that I can prove that I have done seem meaningless, OR they do not understand the terminology. I can tell as much of the history that is known. My comment to them, OK, buy that $7,000 piece of junk, add another $12,000 PLUS to it and you still may have an expensive piece of junk, mine has records to where it is near new or rebuilt condition in many areas, the engine is strong and reliable. In these days, 130,000 miles are not a lot. AND the modifications that I have made to make it livable are meaningless to them, but they would be very willing to accept them if they could buy it a a heavily reduced price.

My suggestion is to take it to a RV dealership and put it on consignment, where at least the salespersons may have more experience dealing with these idiots. And may be more convincing as to price than this old country boy.

Another Project (2)-- This Time a 97 Freedom Wilderness 17' Trailer . After I disposed the van, I wanted something that I could drag to the beach for a few days of clam digging, and later as a place to hang my hat during salmon season. More looking, but in the 18' trailer category. Seems when ever I start looking, the sources dry up, OR they are way out of my price range.

Have you noticed, that (and not only during the summer months) that you will see more of these size trailers on the road than any other size. My thoughts are they are used, not just parked most of the time. The larger ones may be used for a vacation home maybe a couple of times a year, but these smaller ones seem to be used for week-ends throughout the year.

    I did not want a newer one that had a slide out. I found one that was cheap ($600) but needed repairs, made contact and was waiting for another response to set a time and location to look at it. But the seller must have found that he was underpriced, and deleted his post, and did not contact me. Found another one, but this one was highly repainted/decorated by the female owner who gave wrong length (longer 26', but actually about a 21'), and more than I wanted to pay like ($8,000). So I passed on that one. Another I found was listed as a 97 Wilderness 19', and needed the floor repaired in the bathroom and some front internal water damage, (found out later that it needed A LOT of front repairs).

   The listed price for this one was what I could afford, ($3,000) BUT it was an hours drive, clear out in the boonies in the end of a dead end road. It had been sitting for a while as they had been using it just for a place for quests to sleep in. My concern was what was the condition of the tires? I did not want to try to make that long a drive home on bad tires. No, the tires were good, as was the spare, and they had a air compressor to re-air if needed.

    If the rest of the internal condition was visibly good, (considering the rot) and I figured that I was up to doing the needed repairs as a winter project. I inspected my cash savings and it was $2,800. OK, maybe I could negotiate. I made the drive, the outside of this trailer was in great shape, (apparently recently pressure washed) tires very good and the awning worked. I offered $2,700, figuring the other $100 would cover may gas to get there and get it home.

I then became the proud owner of this little gem. No owner's manual, so a lot of internet searching. Seems it was actually made by Fleetwood, but discontinued in 2010. Also the model was 19LE but the overall length of the unit from the rear bumper to the front of the body was 17' 2". It has a full bathroom across the rear, including a large clothes closet. A large refrigerator with a decent sized freezer on top, and a 3 burner propane stove with a oven. Factory Microwave and stereo sound system. Also a retractable TV and radio antenna. The table makes into a bed. And lots of storage space. Dual propane tanks and batteries. And the tires were good. One propane tank was even about 1/2 full. Fast forward, she found the owners manual packet, which has helped considerably in tracking down the inoperative refrigerator and heater.

But the front couch had been removed and replaced with a twin sized mattress. This was about 6" wider than the couch had to have been, and for length it just fit. I considered replacing some sort of a couch, but decided to leave the mattress and make a better frame under it. This would actually be an improvement, with a better sleeping facility.

The bathroom floor was soft, but function able (for a while at least). The front inside wall had evidence of being wet for some time on the lower sections. So to modify for the twin bed, it involved being closely associated with the lower front wall. Which proved to have been very wet (AND STILL WAS in places). After tearing into it, the below photo shows it all. It appears the front edge molding and the window molding had also leaked. So I will leave the door open, hoping for it to dry out in the warm weather and then to replace the support framing and a new inside front panel.

Then to remove the outer corner molding (and the badly gooped DIY caulking job) and re-caulk that after all the inside work is done, but before winter set in.

Now the work starts. First, I measured the location of the curtain brackets in relationship to the window frame. Then I unscrewed the front window frame from the inside, and took out the window.

For the bed frame, the mattress needed some support, which I added three cross beams, then a sheet of 3/8" plywood.

The rotted wood front wall framing was a non standard size, so it required ripping 2" lumber (the walls were1 1/8" thick) to match up with the original. And finding a way to patch them in place (from the inside), yet be secure was a trying job. Then trying to find a panel that was the right thickness AND color also proved interesting.

Since everything had to be done from the inside, these repairs needed to be a bit unorthodox. Initially the wall structure faming and outer skin had apparently all done using a fixture laying flat and, and tipped up into place matching the side walls. And it was all stapled together (using an air nailer) using 1" wide by 3/4" long staples. Which over time became really weak, especially below the front window, as the front cross piece was made using 3 pieces (not one solid piece). OK, I ripped a 2" x 6" down to the 1 1/8" thickness and lowered it by 2 inches for better support across the front and under the window.

To supply material to later staple the internal paneling, I screwed and glued 2" X 1 1/8" material onto the inside front side supports and added the same as new vertical "studs".

Then as an afterthought, this front wall below the window and at the height of the new mattress had a 6" shelf, that I decided I would add 6" in height at the front, making a full length double hinged lif storage box. But now to supply a base for the hinges, I had to also added another (by liquid nailing) a 2" X 4" below the 2" X 6 " (as seen in the photo below being held in place for curing by a long cabinet clamp).

In the photo below, you can see one side of the paneling in place and being held using c clamps before the final fastening. Trying to find any thin paneling these days proved unfruitful. However The Home Depot had a 3' X 6' sheet of 1/8" and only in white, apparently for use in bathroom shower stall remodeling, at a price of about $25. This was not long enough to go crossways as I needed 92". So by carefully measuring, I found that I could cut it in the center to do both sides. Then by using what was removed for the window opening, that would give me just enough to cover the center between the two, top and bottom.

The old paneling on top was glued good enough (and not a lot of water damage there) that it was not feasible to remove it. And I needed it there on top to attach the new panel as the frame was not visible below the ceiling panel.

The method of attaching these panels was to first measure (and record) the locations of the support framing, then using liquid nails, on the old paneling and support frames. With the help of a neighbor, holding it in place and using a air pin nailer, staple this panel to all the framing, holding the edges at the window with C clamps as a precautionary measure. Repeat this for the other. Then the next day fit the upper and lower missing sections with the cut outs of the window. Here, I did a slight bevel on the mating edges so that caulking could be troweled in that if not perfect was not noticeable or looked like it was designed that way.

Then to solve the initial original water problem, the outside corner aluminum molding was removed. First the vinyl cover trim insert had to be removed, then the molding could be unscrewed from the outer trailer siding skin. Under it I found that the molding was originally sealed by what was now hardened putty, which had shrank enough over time to allow leakage. This was all removed with a putty knife. But the hardest part was to remove the after thought non-professional re-caulking that was done too late to be effective.

As seen in the photo below, the older non fluid calking was ineffective. I also found that the 1" hex head sheet metal screws that were used to attach the molding were very rusty on the threads, indicating that water had probably got under the molding and followed the screw threads into the wood. Therefore using the same screws would for useless. I purchased a box of #8, 1" and 1 1/2" screws. By the way if you buy them individually you will pay 30 cents a piece but by the box of 100 only 11 1/2 cents a piece. Now I drilled new holes in between the existing ones in this aluminum molding, used the 1" there and the longer ones in the existing holes.

Here, the front molding started on top, was formed around two partial front corners, which allowed me to lift it up enough to get under all the way to the top without bending it out of shape too much and be able to remove the old stuff underneath.

The caulking I used was DAP Dynaflex 230 in white, which matched most of the skin coverings. Here I wanted enough caulking to completely cover the juncture of both the outer skins, which was hard to judge, therefore there was a lot extra oozing out. The instructions say you can clean up with a wet rag, but it does not say you only have about a few minutes time. What I found was to use painters masking tape and lay a strip just outside where you think the molding will cover. The problem is you need to get the molding screwed in place, and that takes too long. Here, once you the molding pretty well attached, you can, by using your finger, clean up/and or force the caulking where you want it, and after it cures you can remove the masking tape, saving a lot of extra work to clean it up later.

In the photo below, you can see the aluminum molding pulled away (to the left) enough to clean the old caulking and ready for the re-caulk job.

   Buying a Used RV, General Information . In the world of resale, (not counting age)... TIMING is MUCH more important than mileage, as you will NORMALLY have to pay more in the spring/early summer when people are starting to think about getting out, as compared in the winter. However geographical location could also become a factor (North or South).

   Please remember that all vehicles regardless of miles depreciate steadily until sometime between 15 and 20 years....then they seem to level out to a base price.

   Normally, you may not be able to finance an RV if it's already over10 years old, so, if you are looking for an older RV be prepared to pay cash. If I recall, the maximum number of years for some financing any old RV is 20 years.

   There's really no good time to sell a newer vehicle of any kind without taking a huge financial loss. The best thing you can do is keep driving and enjoying it for as long as you have it.   It is definitely NOT the same as real estate. Houses generally appreciate.. sadly.. not vehicles... unless they are classics... despite what you might like... very few vehicles become classics.....   The least expensive thing to do is to always fix and keep your old vehicle if it's serving you.

   How many of you are planning on keeping your vehicles until the 20 to 25 years time period??   Hopefully, you have made a wise choice, and you'll have it paid for and have the title in hand by then.   Just drive and enjoy your vehicle while you own it. Sure, the newer models may have more anemineties, or a better floor plan, but are they life threatening to the point of being a real necessity ?

   An RV is not a necessity of life. It is not a house, or a mode of transportation. It is a luxury item. If you have to finance it, or if you have to worry about resale, you probably can’t afford it.

    Buying a Used Motorized Van ; It would be best to make a list of your needs/wants, then set a price that fits your wallet. If you are not familiar with them, try out www.rvt.com and www.rvtrader.com to get an idea of what is available around the country. There are lots of them out there. If you are looking for older rigs, stick with something on a Dodge, Ford or Chevy chassis you should be fine as virtually all the RV "stuff" is off the shelf regardless of the name on the rig. You may have to travel a ways from home to find what you want, but they are certainly out there.

   Buying any RV of that vintage you should plan on checking out lots of things including the age of the tires as well as condition, how many hours are on the generator, a big mistake by Newbies is thinking lower hours is better. The opposite is most usually true on gensets, how many owners, and how it was stored over the years (they need to be run monthly).   Check all systems carefully and even spend a couple of hundred bucks having an independent mechanic inspect the chassis stuff if you don't feel qualified yourself. If you have not owned an RV before, find someone that has and make him/her your best friend. They can be invaluable in helping you determine any potential problems.

There are many different makers of the Class "B" vans, some of the older ones (mid 1980s) have went out of business, but are still good units if well cared for. Chinook and Coach House are an upper end rigs but there are few of them around.

   Roadtreks? The older ones on the Chevy or Dodge chassis will run forever and were very well engineered. Some Dodges had a few issues with swaying and steering in a limited number of years, but there are aftermarket cures for that. We owned a 1996 Roadtrek 190P on a Dodge and traveled all over the country in it and had a ball.

   I've owned a 1998 Coach House Wide Body, a 2001 Coach House Wide Body, and now a 1999 Roadtrek 190 Popular. I have a friend who has a 1994 Pleasure Way. All four were/are on the Dodge chassis.

   The main difference to me is the layout. Otherwise, they were/are all good vehicles. I liked my first Coach House's layout better, and I really liked the floor panel for the shower (panel that you pick up and move to expose a dropped floor and drain for the shower) as is with the Leisure Travel Vans. I also really liked the slide-out pantry and the day/night blinds. I had that one for 5 years and drove across half the country in it.

   Length equals more space.   Usually the 17'ers do not have enough room for a generator, while the 19'ers have enough room for one of these underneath the rear. Each maker also will have different models of layout or seat/bunk/bed designs, and if you can figure out the model codes for each, you have done a lot of research and have a good memory.

   The Roadtrek has more cupboard and storage areas (it has the optional armoire and the slideout drawer above the cab) than the Coach House, but I don't like the floor/shower drain design since water goes all over the floor. The Coach House always seemed like I needed to be more careful turning it, as if it was top heavy, but that could have been my imagination. The Roadtrek handles well and turns in town well. A brochure from that time showed that they did rollover tests with Roadtreks, and with full water tanks being centered under the Roadtrek to make them less likely to be able to roll over.

   My friend's Pleasure Way seems to be a cross between the Coach House and the Roadtrek. It's interior is more like a Coach House with an enclosed shower instead of the aisle shower. It doesn't have as much storage as my Roadtrek though. It seems like they've wasted some space where they could have had cupboards. I think I would have liked to have gotten a Roadtrek 200P just for the little extra length. So, my suggestion is to look at the layouts of each of the brands and see which one you prefer, as well as looking at the condition, mileage, etc.

   Another unit in this category to consider is the Leisure Travel Van. They are well laid out, have lots of storage and with the wide body models sporting a couch across the rear which by the push of a button converts to a full size queen bed, and again made on the Dodge chassis. One model with the large bathroom which seems to waste valuable space, but if you get imaginative, with this room being a non-living area, you can add many things in there that are still readily accessible and can improve RV life, while still not compromising the intent of the room.

   One thing to keep in mind when buying a motorized van is what engine is in it?   The early Dodges usually have a 318 CI, with the later ones had an option for the 5.8 liter, 360 CI engine (being just a pumped up 318) which when accompanied by a overdrive transmission, give pretty good mileage , (15-16 highway mileage). Chevy used 5.7 liter (345 CI).   And in those years, Ford made a change in engines, prior to 1997 you could have the 351 CI or the 460 CI engine (the 460 was more of a truck engine, which is known for power, but was a gas guzzler). Starting in 1997 Ford introduced their Tritan series of engines, the 5.4 liter (330 CI) or the 5.8 liter (353 CI).

   Finally, don't buy from a dealer if you can help it! Buy used from private party if possible. Let the "other" guy take the big depreciation hit. You might have to travel a bit to find the right one. Both of ours were clear "across" the country.

Here we have a Tear-Drop trailer	Here is the compact kitchen in the rear

Here you can see the new Duplex electricl outlet	Here the 400W heater plugged in