1978 Beach-Craft 27' refurbish

[LJ-TJ]

Nicely Done.

[PwrWgnWalt]

As the weather continues to get nicer up North here, have been able to get a few more things done and decided it was time to post some pictures...   

Found I had an intermittently (then completely) failing voltage regulator, so replaced both the plug and the regulator with NAPA parts VRC38 and VR38, respectively (this is the MOPAR electronic voltage regulator, from ~'70 and up, with the little triangular plug).  Found a non-standard relay in the wiring, too... it turns on with the ignition key to supply battery power to the voltage regulator and ballast resistor.  Not in the M500 Service Manual or the Beach-Craft Owner's Manual, so assume a PO put it on (looks like it, by the wiring) - the relay is pictured here at the back of a greasy/dirty engine:



Also found melted wires at the Starter Relay, and a hack-job of repairs to what were the fusible links.   D:oH!     If ever there were a place that needed to be well-wired, this is proably it - full battery power and lots of amps flowing around there. No wonder she cranked so slowly and poorly!   While in that area running my new battery cable and repairing wires, replaced the Starter Relay, too (NAPA), for good measure.  She cranks & starts strongly now!

Here's a picture of the Power Panel area with the engine running:


And here's a close-up of the Trimetric TM 2025-RV just after engine start-up:


In the second picture, at top left, is the Intellitec BD-2 Battery Disconnect. Here it is evident the two battery banks are "On" ("Use") by the bright red LEDs.  I found this control panel new online for cheap ($28), but the real sticking point (for me, anyway) was the wiring...  they wanted around $80 for it.  I was able to find some 10-conductor sprinkler wire at Home Depot for a few bucks (even has the same color wires as the instructions and the solenoids call out!), and after much searching found a 12 slot Card Edge Connector w/solder tabs (TRW 250-12-170) to use on the back of the control panel ($2).

At top right of picture 2 is the Trimetric unit - it is showing a green LED for a state of "Charging", and 14.4 volts for Battery 1 (the Coach Bty bank).  I used the Trimetric wiring since it was reasonably priced and comes in the kit package (along with the shunt).

Then, on the Beach-Craft monitor panel, the green LED I installed (Radio Shack pieces and parts) indicates the Blue Seas SI-ACR-7610 has automatically connected both batteries, because it sensed the charging voltage for 30 seconds.

In the last picture, I have pressed the "Select" button of the Trimetric to display the voltage of Battery 2 (the Chassis Bty). As indicated above, one would expect to see the same voltage reading on both battery 1 & 2, since they are effectively tied together with the ACR.

This all works the same way with shore power. When I plug in, the voltage climbs and the ACR will connect the Chassis Bty to also receive the charge.  I can use the BD-2 to remove either battery, or both,  from shore power charging (good for extended stays!), or can remove the Coach battery from the alternator's output (the BD-2 has a very nice lock-out feature that will not allow me to shut off the Chassis bty when the engine is running).

Other than running wires and figuring out where to put all this stuff (see previous posts in this thread), the process was straightforward and instructions generally good... Trimetric instructions were fantastic!   

[Stripe]

Nice..  I should go back to goodwill and grab the pilots flight computer and send it to you, it fits, that being a Beachcraft and all..

[PwrWgnWalt]

Wish I had a Beechcraft, too!   A lot faster (read: "aerodynamic") than this Beach-Craft, fer sure!

(side note - a Beech is a wonderful airplane!  Most are also a lot more aerodynamic than my Piper Archer...)
 

[Stripe]

Lol, I spelled Beech wrong..  But yeah, there was a comp at the goodwill here, was tempted to get it for myself tbh.. But I dunno if I will ever get started learning to fly for a while..

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

I have found 4 conductor trailer light wire to be useful for many projects.  You can get it in fairly long lengths.

Looking good.

Dave

[M & J]

Dang. Great minds Dave. 25 ft. At Wally World cheap.

[PwrWgnWalt]

Knock on wood, so far everything seems to be working as it should on this ol' gal...

Latest Developments:

Finished roof repairs & reseal: 
   1. Replaced refer roof vent, holding tank vent pipe caps, and made 5/8" raised area at A/C units openings (idea from this site - put 5/8" plywood above steel roof frame, under aluminum roof skin)
  2. Cleaned roof well with TSP and then Acetone; caulked in & around all seams and holes, and over any screw going into roof - used Dicor self-leveling LAP sealant.
  3. Used Eternabond on all seams and a messed up area at vent pipe.
  4. Put two good coats of Dicor elastomeric Roof Sealant (white) on - first at A/C unit sealing areas since they were removed to put in the raised area, then with A/C's back in place did the rest of the roof.  Used wide painters masking tape (blue-kind) for a nice edge.
 
Got Onan 5.0 BGA Generator running today - and it works!  (had been sitting for at least 5 years)
  1. changed oil, oil fliter, air filter and both spark plugs.  Checked fuel pump screen. Checked fuses, wires, etc.
  2. she starts & stops at the genset, and from the panel inside, like it should.
  3. Was finally able to test the second A/C unit with genny running, and it works great, too. woo-hoo!

Next 'To Do's":
Pull the valve covers, clean them, install new gaskets, and new rubber PVC/oil breather seals/grommets (local Dodge dealer had them!) - hopefully this will stop the oil leaking onto the exhaust manifold.

Plumb a new LP gas line to the refer (old one too short for new fridge) - got a valve at Ace hardware.
   
Install Powermax Boondocker 75 amp 4-stage charger; and

Fix fresh-water plumbing. I saw a split copper hose while doing all this other stuff...

[Stripe]

Groovy!

[PwrWgnWalt]

Thanks Frederic;
Was greatly relieved the genset operates; tech at Onan said the carb would be shot after sitting (and it may be), and did not offer much hope of any easy way to resurrect it.  He was also concerned about the electric fuel pump on this 5.0 BGA. 
But, since it seems to run fine, guess I'll go with it "as-is" untill it doesn't work anymore... it did smoke quite a bit at first (from the oil I put in the cylinders, I suppose), but cleared up after a several seconds.  Now I just have to adjust the electric choke - it seems loose and wants to work itself about halfway down - then produces what smells and sounds like a "too rich" condition.

[77Midas]

Love your ride, just getting started in a very similar Class A myself. Best of luck with it.

[PwrWgnWalt]

Latest:

I have a big job this weekend...

Have decided to redo the PO's cobbled, spliced and bad job of wiring at the 120 vac and 12 vdc panels.

Have a new WFCO distribution panel, the proper 120 v CBs, and the 12 v ATC fuses to redo it.  Will be slightly relocating the panels, to be visible and accessible (they are stuffed in a bad area now).

Plan to retain the OEM method of switching from shore to genny power - plug the shore line into the receptacle from the genny.
Am going to wire in 50 amp shore power, instead of 30 amp, to be able to run both a/c units from shore power (and, to make use of the 50 amp EMS box I have).

I believe I have a full understanding of what I need to do electrically, including checking the genny wiring to output 120/240 volts. ( I'm pretty sure it's just wired for 120; currently one genny leg powers the rear a/c only, the other powers the rest of the MH).  Just have to combine the genny output into the new 50 amp receptacle.

Anyone done this and/or have suggestions, tips, etc.?

Thanks!

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Just be careful about how you split the services between the 240VAC L1 and L2 leads.  The amps on each leg should be balanced (distributed between L1 and L2) as closely as possible.   What mode WFCO did you buy?

240VAC operation is a bit different fro m normal 120VAC.  If you have a 20 amp load on L1 and a 30 amp load on L2 then, do to the way split phased 240VAC works L1 and L2 share 20 amps and only 10 amps is seen by the neutral lead.  You will note that a neutral lead wire is only sized for 50 amps.  50 amps on L1 plus 50 amps on L2 is 100 amps total.  L1 and L2 support each other  (ie the 20 amps above) and the neutral lead picks up the difference (10 amps in this case).  The neutral lead shall never see more than 50 amps at any one time (ie. L2 is missing but L1 has a 50 amp load)

Dave

[PwrWgnWalt]

Got a good deal on a brand new WFCO-8950 Ultra panel ($10). Wanted the one with the LED indicators for the 12 volt fuse panel, like (I think) you used, but couldn't pass this one up. Have thought about using the fuses that light up, but we'll see.  Where I am putting the panel, it should be no problem to view them.


Generator: Onan 5.0 BGA-3CR/16004A   (5000 watts, or 5.0 kW)
   (3=voltage code for 120/240 single phase; C=Reconnectable; R=Remote Start; Spec "A")
    120 volt:  41.6 amp
    120/240 volt:  20.8 amp each leg


Good thoughts on being careful with the 240 volt.  I'll be using 6/4 cable (6 gauge, 4 conductor wiring, cost $3.78/ft at my local Graybar distributor). Upon looking, it is currently wired for "120 volt, 2 wire" service (M1 & M3 joined, and M2 & M4 load wires joined inside genny junction box, behind start switch and fuse panel.  Of note, all of my M wires are white, and are imprinted with the M#).

So, here's the plan...  (please, anyone, let me know if I got something wrong!)

Will be 'reconnecting' so there is "120/240 volt, 3 wire output"; only M2 & M3 will be connected inside the junction box:
M1 will attach to the black 6 gauge wire of the 6/4 cable,
M2/M3 will connect to the white 6 ga. wire,
M4 will connect to the red 6 ga. wire, and
the green ground wire will attach to the genny case, as it is now.

From there, the 6/4 cable will run to the new 50 amp receptacle.  The shore power line plugs into this receptacle to power the MH from the genny.


The shore line/house power cable runs from the 50 Amp plug end, through the Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C, then into the new WFCO-8950 distribution panel:
The Black wire (M1) will feed the left-side 50 amp main breaker,
the White wire (M2/M3) will connect to the Neutral buss,
the Red wire (M4) will connect to the right-side 50 amp main breaker, and
the Green wire (ground) will connect to the Ground buss (connecting only to the vehicle frame, not to Neutral circuit).

The rest of the circuit breaker ("cb") and house wiring is std from there on... just have to decide which side to put each circuit.  Front A/C will go on one side (the EMS provides power to both lines (black and red) when using 30 amp adapter plug on shore power cable) rear A/C will go on other side (will only run 1 a/c at a time unless genny or 50 Amp service is connected).


Thanks!
-Walt

[PwrWgnWalt]

Here's a few pictures of a POs wiring of 120VAC and 12 Vdc service, placed under the bed area in a most inconvenient place... 

[PwrWgnWalt]

From the factory, our MH apparently came with a rear 'gaucho' seating area with a table, that converted to a bed.

A PO converted it to a full time queen mattress sleeping area, and in so doing (sorta) re-did the wiring to be able to get at it through a small cubby door.   

Here's an overview of the old, and here's what I've done so far to fix the poor carpentry work and electrical work...

[LJ-TJ]

Now isn't that interesting. In order to get into my rear storage area I have to lift the bed etc. Never crossed my mind to just install a door.Since I'm going to be modifying that part of the bago to do Dave's fix on my fuse panel I think that's a heck of an idea. That's why I love this site. You never know what your going to learn.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

You can move things around to better locations.  Just a matter of rearranging the wiring.  All depends on how much "work" one wants to do.

Dave

[PwrWgnWalt]

The PO had a similar facia (sorta) that was in the same general location, but his door faced the other way so I couldn't access the furnace; it's handle prevented the furnace door from opening more than half way.  D:oH!    That was also the access point to stick your head in to see the 120 VAC circuit panels and 12 Vdc fuses, unless you lifted the mattress and thin (!! 1/4" !?) plywood base up, as in this photo.

The big freshwater tank (white) is visible here, along with the water pump (at top, which is the drivers side of the rear area).
When a PO made this into a fulltime bed, the carpentry work was very rough. Hard to see, but some of the crossmember supports are floating, one is even hanging, 'wired' to a smaller, original seat frame (center left of photo)!

So the original door location would have been in the lower right corner of this picture, taken before I tore out the facade and started working on the area...

[PwrWgnWalt]

Stumbled into a thought-provoking issue tonight I had not considered...

12 Vdc ground wires were previously all connected together at a buss (see pictures above).  I know the common ground (12 Vdc negative) needs to go to chassis as the final terminus. However...

My new WFCO Panel only has busses for the 120 VAC side (one buss for ground, one for neutral), & 12 Vdc fused connections for the positive lines... nothing to tie the 12 Vdc ground wires together.

So - what's the best route to go with this? 
Install a small buss for all of the 12 Vdc ground wires near the back of the distribution panel, or bind them all together another way? (and run to chassis)

Thanks for the great ideas!
- Walt

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Typically the common buss collection point for auto and coach 12VDC is the vehicle chassis itself that is then directly tied to the battery.  Thats why there is no common DC ground buss in the new distribution panel.  However the converter itself normally has a ground wire going directly to the battery ground point to ensure proper voltage sensing.  If you do have a group of ground wires, then yes you can use a separate buss either mounted to the chassis frame or run a ground wire from new buss to a chassis ground point.

Dave

[PwrWgnWalt]

Have decided that while I am fixing up the back end for the bed foundation, it is prudent to fix it all up.

A PO had replaced the original fresh water tank with a big, flat 56 gallon tank (39-1/2 x 60 x 5-1/2 inches), which takes up an inordinate amount of room.  I don't know the size of the original tank, but a faint outline on the floor and height of original gaucho seating lead me to believe it was about a 30-36 gallon tank.  I can fit a 46 gallons tank in the space available (max useable space about 20w x 15h x 48l), but wonder if that is needed, or if a smaller 36 gal tank will do.  Like: http://www.ebay.com/itm/33-Gallon-Fresh-Water-Holding-Tank-for-RV-Camper-Trailer-Marine-/190721617428?pt=Motors_RV_Trailer_Camper_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c67e4ee14&vxp=mtr

Will also be replacing wall paneling, ceiling panels, and cabinets at the rear, and resealing the windows.  Will take pictures as I go...

[PwrWgnWalt]

The past several weekends have been busy, so have not had as much time as I'd hoped for, but am almost done...

The first picture is what it looks like when the paneling is removed (cabinets, wall paneling, ceiling, PO's water tank and all existing bed structure was removed).  You'll see 1" square steel tubing serving as wall studs, and some doubling.  1" styrofoam sheet for insulation in the walls.

The red stuff is the spray-on adhesive Beach-Craft apparently used... it is not very 'sticky' any more, so I used some 3M-77 spray to hold stuff as I installed the new paneling and ceiling.

Third picture is of the ceiling.  Here the structure is 1" x 2" steel tubing, with 2" white styrofoam insulation.  Above that is a thin luan/ply sheet, then the aluminum roof.  One of the styrofoam panels is out in this picture, and the plywood 'roof lift' surrounding the A/C area is visible.

The last picture is underneath, and shows the PO's liberal use of expanding foam to try to seal out the cold.  All it did was trap moisture and pooch out the side of the MH a little. That came out, too.

[PwrWgnWalt]

Took out all the windows to do this job right, cleaned and re-sealed with a white butyl caulk when re-installing (from a tube, for 'Gutters & Rainspouts'). But first, had to cut the new paneling...  not much of a selection anywhere around here, so ended up with this...

Windows were easy to remove - just unscrew (some were rusty and broke off) from inside, leaving a screw at each corner, while a helper outside holds slight pressure to make sure it doesn't pop out. Then take out last screws as helper applies inward pressure.  Carefully removed aluminum inside trim and set aside out of the way.  There's enough of a lip on the window frame that I could hold on as I then pushed the windows out and lowered them to my wife.  The old putty tape was more like dust, way beyond it's useful life, and all the POs attempts to seal around the edges were obvious by all the assorted goop we had to clean off both window frames and the coach skin around the windows.   Reinstallation was easy enough, just a reversal.

The last picture shows the new bed frame area and some work on the floor.  The new fresh water tank will be in the back right.

[PwrWgnWalt]

Here's the work on the floor repair. 

1)  Here's the nasty part in the back driver's side corner.  Will cut out the too-far-gone rot and replace the wood, and use the Rot-Doctor's CPES epoxy to strengthen and renew the wood that still has life in it.

2) Here's the CPES I used.  It has a very liquid consistency, like water, and the old wood soaked it up like a sponge!  All the dark areas in the photos are where I applied it (around edges).  Used up the entire kit on this project.  The tech guy I talked to before ordering cautioned that the volatiles in the epoxy might attack the styrofoam, but I tested a rogue piece and it had no ill effects on this fossilized stuff.

3)  Here's the passenger side rear, behind the generator box.

4)  And lastly, here's the repaired area - same photo angle as the first picture. Used a 5/8" piece of ply and was able to wedge it under the steel side structure, then tap it into place.  It rests on the 1" x 2" steel cross beams under the ply. The original floor is held down with screws into the cross beams.