1979 Dodge Diplomat (like Apollo?), 26' Class A, 440, Refurbish

[Rickf1985]

Paint the tanks flat black with stove paint or high heat paint. It will help to dissipate heat. I am surprised it did not come painted. Hopefully the fins are painted. They generally use a special paint for radiators but plain copper is not going to cool well.

[Piraterik]

Anybody Know What Happened  to This Member and This Project?

[Rickf1985]

If you are asking about Sasktrini I see by his profile that he was on yesterday. Why don't you send him a PM?

[sasktrini]

I've been around.  Just busy.  On the up side, I played music professionally almost each weekend until about mid September.  On the down side, I worked very little on the motorhome.  Weather has been cooperative, and I've been back on task.  However, my focus shifted back to the interior, hoping to complete insulating and panelling the walls and ceiling.  Success there will allow me to keep working even in freezing temperatures.


Stay tuned for pics.  The last couple months have included:

   
• Why don't my batteries charge with the solar? I'm tired of having to jump start my generator.  And why is the generator malfunctioning? I need to run tools, lights and heat! (I think it's resolved, but the paragraph describes the confusion that kept me from progressing more)
• The trials of hanging hardboard panels with contact cement in marginal  conditions (furnace to make application warm enough)… and "whoa… my eyeballs feel like they are melting" moments!
• Framing in a closet, reconfigured to include a pair of sliding pegboards (double-roller drawer glides salvaged from a commercial filing cabinet)
• Framing in my media desk, including the TV lift stand and retractible desktops (again using same double rollers)

Thats about it for now.

[M & J]

 

[sasktrini]

LINKS:


the closet rebuild story
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,11879.msg68920.html#msg68920


the custom media desk
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,11881.msg68934.html#msg68934


custom overhead cabinets
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,11903.msg69142.html#new

[sasktrini]

Let's talk electrical.  What's transpired since I got the motorhome two years ago, related to the coach electrical?


1) cleaned up the battery bay wires.
2) bought and installed 150W 10A solar panel system
3) bought and installed a used 3000W inverter
4) bought and installed a used Generac 5500W 50A generator
5) relocated all my electrical panels by the generator bay


Lately, I decided I better tame the interior wiring mess.





This corner of the bathroom will be an isolated cavity, accessed from the hallway, and protected from water and moisture hazards.  Notice above the door, I've left a cavity in my framing for allowing my wire runs to pass to the drivers side (kitchen, fridge, furnace, etc.).  That was an afterthought… I originally built a normal door header there with no cavity.  Started panelling the exterior so that the mess of wires could be properly corralled.


See the door on the bottom?  I cut down some steel mesh from a larger door, and replaced the broken panel from this one.  gave it a shot of some rust paint, and voila!





Behind there, where my coach 12VDC enters from the posts in the generator bay, is where my (from bottom up) inverter, converter and separate 120VAC breaker panel are.





Above my battery switch (to disconnect the converter main from the battery bank) is an idea I got from one of ClydesdaleKevin's (I think that's who) posts… using a rated switch rather than an automatic switching relay… to select the 120VAC source for the converter… the inverter or the shore line (which is set up to plug into the shore or the generator).  Thanks for the idea!


** EDIT It was DaveVA78Chieftain… thx… http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,9224.msg47465.html#msg47465





Up above are the system monitor and the thermostat.  Still have some wiring to run, but this little task is making my RV look a little more complete!

[sasktrini]

It's December, and we are still getting temperatures above freezing!  Good thing!


Yesterday, I resolved a problem with my furnace… the main burner stopped firing a few weeks ago, and I wasn't yet done with my interior wall panelling repairs… my kitchen wall had not taken well previously using liquid nails.  I stripped the panel off, but it was too cool to use contact cement.  I had to remove the furnace from the housing and I checked everything electrical, before finally opening up the gas line to the burner.  I found the propane orifice feeding the burner was coated with soot.  A quick brushing of the jet, reassembly and… voila!  So I have spent the rest of the weekend working on stuff!


With the kitchen wall repaired, I replaced the lower cabinet, ran some wiring for lights and 110VAC, finished some interior panelling by the stove, and planned out my overhead kitchen cabinets.


Placing my hood vent and marking the height requirement, I realized my kitchen overheads were about an inch lower than in the living space.  Also, I had made my shelf framed with 2"X2" sticks.  But over a 5' span, it flexed under weight. I decided that I would build my drivers side cabinets (kitchen and living) around a 2"X4" roughly 9' long as the base for the whole run.  Now it supports the microwave oven that was previously there (which works, as I tested my outlet, so I may take some popcorn next time).


So since I'm happier with the shelf in the new overhead cabinet design, I will rethink my plans for finishing my living space overheads.





It's getting closer and closer every day!  I'm very close to finishing all the interior structural work, and can start enjoying bonfires with my leftover lumber!  As the structural gets done, I can focus on panelling and permanently mounting all my electrical fixtures… it's quite gratifying, installing your finish panels, isn't it?


My structural list:

Living Area

   
• Desk \ Media centre: 95%
• Sofa Bed: 95%
• Overhead Cabinet: redesigning, was complete… now 80%

Utility Area

   
• Closet: 95%
• Laundry: 95%

Bathroom Area

   
• Walls: 95%
• Vanity: 70%
• Bathtub: 80%

Kitchen Area

   
• Fridge \ Furnace \ Pantry: 100%
• Stove \ Sink \ Lower Cabinet: 95%
• Upper Cabinet (extending into Living Area): 60%

[sasktrini]

As 2016 approaches, progress...  Actually will claim that structural means framing.  I may not get to finish paneling and trim til later.  I still have a few electrical odds and ends to finish, so I will panel much later.


I've made a decision about my sofa bed.  The right "armrest" or side is bolted in to the kitchen cabinet.  The entire base unit is too cumbersome to work with.  So the framing estimate has changed because I am building a speaker box and pull out drawer as a separate base for the left "armrest".  You will see what I mean soon.

Also put some thought into seating for my desk.  I know storage is important, but I'm a drummer.  What better than to use cajones for seating... and then when a campfire jam breaks out, I have a drumset to sit on!  I'm not a good cabinet maker, but these turned out okay, sound-wise.  Basically my speaker box will use the same construction design (using MDF instead of birch ply), so maybe it's good practice.




For framing, pretty much all that remains is the wall between the bathroom and laundry (which includes an electrical riser or cavity where most of the wiring snakes out from) and to do the bathroom lower cabinet and vanity.

As far as wiring goes, I had a couple stereo amplifiers kicking around, and I decided to mount them on the wall behind the TV lift.  So I will have to figure out my speaker and subwoofer locations and run the speaker wires to them.  Before I finish paneling, I will have to run aisle lighting and possibly another 12VDC outlet or two.  Lighting is basically done now, and I'll have to supply some wiring for LP & CO alarms.


Finally... My 12VDC battery bank is done.  One battery does okay, but even it seems to overwhelm my converter charger.  While the generator is running, and I know my battery isn't full, it seems that the fan won't stay running (which I assume means it's not charging)... I will ask this in another post specific to that topic.  Anyways, expecting to spend money on batteries soon.


Oh... also on the list of stupid lessons I didn't want to learn firsthand... yeah, I never drained my fresh water tank when I had filled it with dilute bleach and water... yes, I ran it to test my fresh lines... now after several weeks of freezing temperature, I have a big swollen fresh water tank and a broken water filter canister.  So far, it hasn't made much of a mess.  But I'm applying gentle heat, hoping enough melts that I can pump a little water out at a time.  Hopefully I can make some room in that tank so that nothing bursts.


Oh well... carrying on with those things I can make progress on.

My structural list:

Living Area

   
   
• Desk \ Media centre: 95%

   
   
• Sofa Bed: 50%

   
   
• Overhead Cabinet: 100%

   

Utility Area

   
   
• Closet: 95%

   
   
• Laundry: 95%

   

Bathroom Area

   
   
• Walls: 90%

   
   
• Vanity: 80%

   
   
• Bathtub: 100%

   

Kitchen Area

   
   
• Fridge \ Furnace \ Pantry: 100%

   
   
• Stove \ Sink \ Lower Cabinet: 100%

   
   
• Upper Cabinet (extending into Living Area): 100%

[sasktrini]

Winter… the kind like they had in Minneapolis for the Seahawks / Vikings game Sunday… is finally here!  I haven't spent as much time at the RV as usual, but I've made a lot of progress… mostly at home.


1) The split-base sofa bed / subwoofer speaker box… built!  Challenge before was that I had to disassemble and move around a 6-foot sofa, to do any work, and though I could easily screw the one side into the kitchen cabinet framing, the cockpit-side did not have good points to secure it to.  Now, a couple blocks under the subwoofer box will make it easy!








2) Framing is 98% complete!  Basically finished the bathroom walls, and only have the bathroom vanity dimensions to sort out!  Next time I'm out there, I can unload all the lumber, panelling, insulation, etc. in to the shed and / or firepit!


Even did a little panelling!  A few years back, my brother re-did his basement, which included several wall panels that my nephew treated as canvas for his psychedelic expression.  Well a couple of his panels became sliding closet doors and my entrance wall!  The rest of the rig is being panelled with white hardboard, so these panels are going to really pop, yet not overpower the rig!  I'm proud of my nephew, and he did help a bunch with demolition and hanging panels while rebuilding the walls and roof.








3) Finally, I've given up on restoring the two 12V Marine / RV batteries.  I'm going to take them to the local Interstate store and exchange them for a pair of golf cart batteries on Friday!  I already have a replacement chassis battery, so the battery bank will be brand new this year!  I expect it will cost me about $350 CAD for the pair after core refund and taxes.


That's all for now.

[LJ-TJ]

Love the last picture. Kind of reminds me of the way most of us feel, most of the time, trying to figure out "WHAT WAS THE PREVIOUS OWNER THINKING" when we're trying to restore these old girls. D:oH!

[sasktrini]

Love the last picture. Kind of reminds me of the way most of us feel, most of the time, trying to figure out "WHAT WAS THE PREVIOUS OWNER THINKING" when we're trying to restore these old girls. D:oH!

I was thrilled that the dimensions of that panel suited the wall of the closet where it would feature!  My "hippie nephew" does inspire me!  I really wanted to close in that wall so I could protect some wiring I had run, and mount my outside light switch and thermostat.  The closet doors were a bonus.  At the end of the day, if I go a different direction with the closet doors, I'll be fine with that.  But I think this graffiti wall will stay, even if the rest of the interior looks a sterile white!


I don't think there will be any more crazy surprises in my design.  That said, this remodel will double as a mobile music studio.  I think my nephew's artwork will make the rig rock!  Looking forward to doing some clean up this weekend and taking some better pictures!  Thanks for the compliment!

[sasktrini]

Finished spreading clear coat on my cajons / desk chairs, and here they are nested for transport.

[sasktrini]

We almost broke the freezing mark yesterday, and it was my day off, so I changed my focus a little.


I updated my battery bay thread… that was my first task… I thought I might need the engine battery to jump start my generator, and I tidied things up relating to my isolator.


Fired up the furnaces and heaters, trying to relieve the pressure on my frozen fresh water tank.


With the coach warm, I decided to clean and finish carpeting the cockpit, and had enough carpet left to do my entrance steps over my battery bay.  I thought about using spare vinyl, but thought that carpet would provide better traction and insulation from the cold.  Dropped in my seat bases in the cockpit while it was easy to find the old mounting holes through the floor.  I used the heavy duty contact cement, so it was a bit fumey.


I haven't taken pictures of the results yet… I jumped right into sorting out my dash electrical.  recall the before:





What we have going on here is
1) broken panel… accessory switch section broken, switches are missing, heater controls are glued in to a separate piece of acrylic, car stereo section doesn't exist, does not properly secure to the dash
2) a set of mechanical gauges and a fuel gauge were added for me to hit my shin on.  The previous owner wasn't even certain if they worked, indicated fuel gauge on the dash didn't work
3) I can see the wires behind the switches are complete chaos, surely the fuel tank selector switch has been improvised… yup.  And the other mechanical gauges… yeah, connected with speaker wire, some to the unfused side of the fuse panel… at least it was on the run-circuit.
4) Stereo wiring… haven't quite sorted that out, but it too was patched in with dangerous splices and fuse panel taps.


My intention is to replace this panel.  My initial thought was to make it out of luan panel, but once I got the old one out, I see the reliance on acrylic and backlighting the instrument panel.  So I'm again not sure what solution I will find.  Photos to come later (maybe a separate thread).

[LJ-TJ]

Well I don't know if this is a help of a hindrance. I had a similar problem with all my gauges and after hours of pissing around I said the heck with it and build my own panel.One thing I wanted was GOOD made in the U.S. gauges so after look for a while I settled on Autometer. I love them. BUT when I went to buy them there not cheep. So I started looking on Kijiji, E-bay and Craig's list. An interment panel that should have cost me over a thousand dollars ended up costing me $400.00 dollars and worth every penny. Now some might call it over kill but it sure is nice to cruse along and be able do a system check. I ended up with two fuel gauges, Volt gauge,Vacum gauge,Oil pressure,Oil temp, Trans Temp,Water temp.Tach.and Fuel Pressure,  Hm?

[sasktrini]

I definitely read your instrument cluster thread… a few times!  A thing of beauty!


I'm already on my way to eliminating the mess though.  Found and repaired a few broken pins on the cluster, which feed the fuel gauge, hi-beam indicator and the left turn indicator.  Can't tell in this picture, but the pin on the far left was loose and feeds the temp gauge.





A few pins (and salvaged the originals out of the harness), a bit of solder… and we have continuity!





There is a little unit underneath with idiot lights for low oil level, low coolant level, low tranny level and a tranny temp gauge, so that's pretty good.  If I get them all working, the only gauges I don't have are vacuum and a voltmeter (fuel pressure and a tach, and we'd be tied!).  Somehow, I may be able to fit them in the factory space. (Hmmm let's talk about that).


I wanted to make the dash face with wood, but I think I would sacrifice dash lighting and believe I must rebuild the acrylic panel the way they did.  It will give me some flexibility (and better craftsmanship… you don't wanna know how many holes were misaligned for mounting the components).


The switches… I think I can make some room if I relocate the ICC Courtesy and Fuel Tank switches to the other side (where the fuel gauge and light switch is… makes sense).  Also, I have a Generac panel with Hobbs meter, so I think I could get them to fit there better.



On that side, I think the clock is useless.




I also think I might be able to skootch the indicator light panel to the left a little to make room for a gauge or two.


But now I'm stuck, contemplating how to work with acrylic sheet (and figure out how much that will cost.  But you can see the dash is crap.  Too many things poorly mounted, causing failures, and making P.O.s try to put in bandaid fixes. 


That's where I'm at today.

[sasktrini]

(Mark, do you think it would be possible to move the posts from January 23rd forward to a new topic specific to Dodge Dash panels / instrument clusters or projects?  I'm near finished, and it may help)


While I've got the dash apart and fixing things, I recalled this topic / upgrade on older Dodge clusters using mechanical voltage regulators / limiters, and did the deed.


Allpar link: [size=78%]http://www.allpar.com/history/mopar/electrical2.html[/size]





Using some leftover Luan, I made a couple templates and experimented with the layout of the new dash panel.  I'm not happy with the upholstery adhesive, and have spent the last week and a half using a variety of adhesives and clamping methods… seems like I will just have to install this thing and hope the installed devices will hold the vinyl in place.  Anyway…





I decided to lose the clock and locate headlight and ICC courtesy light controls above the vent, and the fuel tank selector near to where the fuel gauge is in the cluster.  Skootched the transmission panel over a little which gave me room for wiper, washer and overhead blower switches.


Then I have a bunch of room for my generator switch, aisle light switch, heater controls, aftermarket gauges, and eventual stereo.


I cut up the old acrylic dash to retain the backlit labels.  I've only so far been able to get them to stick to the wooden dash with construction adhesive (like you hang drywall on framing with).  But I'm not sure how well it will work out.  I may eventually have to redo the entire dash with acrylic and paint out all the markings similar as the factory would have done.





Oh yeah… though I am losing the white-face mechanical gauges that were mounted under the edge of the dash, I did grab a voltmeter and tachometer from Princess Auto.  Also redid the wiring loom for the instrument panel lights, and moved the 12V lighter socket to the lower console.


Today, hoping to reinstall.

[M & J]

 

[sasktrini]

Thanks... got most of it put back together!


The pictures don't do it justice (or just reveal imperfections).











And the console:

[sasktrini]

It's been a while.  I'm now full-time in my partially-constructed motorhome.  Tripping over tool boxes, trying to deal with mini-projects in order to eliminate the clutter.  One unplanned mini-project... pressure switch wiring on my water pump rotted, so I've bypassed it until I can get a new switch.


Anyway, part of my clutter attack is to finish the cockpit, and the wooden dash was not working... everything I tried to cement to the rear was falling off.  And I wanted to finish my wiring and button it up for good.  So I had to bite the bullet... $120 for a 2'X4' sheet of acrylic, hours with a Dremel, plastic shavings everywhere... I redid my template.





I've painted both sides white, mounted all the instruments and backlights with double-sided tape, and am happy with the results.  I am still troubleshooting electrical, so progress pics to come.  In the meantime (since I'm finishing wiring), I added a stereo.


Also I am finishing the new doghouse / console... gotten some good ideas here.  I cut a wedge for the doghouse to clip under and hold it down.  Few pics...








What else have I been up to?  Oh, finished my "laundry room" by venting through a stack into some perforations I drilled into the generator bay (just need to add a deflector to route the dryer air directly out the grille in the compartment door).











Still have to finish the cockpit and interior paneling and trim... it's coming together.


Oh... 150W Solar, new golf cart batteries, inverter... I've been able to run with that for three weeks, and only needed the generator a few hours... I'm quite comfortable in that regard, and glad I did the electrical upgrades!

[sasktrini]

finished trimming the layout.

[sasktrini]

Mice = no sleep!


I'm real frustrated that I've taken residence while still needing to finish construction.  However, I have an opportunity to do some other things better.  Particularly, I've seen a few threads where mice have used insulation around stoves and ovens for nests.  I also learned late last night that it is a freeway from under-cabinet to counter-top.  So since I have a bit more wiring i want to run in the kitchen, I'm going to remove and clean the stove, enclose the cavity in the counter (cut off their access to the countertop), and doublecheck any access they may have to my pantry.


Just when I was making such good progress on my bathroom.  I have a couple sunny days, and so will clean everything (mostly construction mess) out tonight, and deal with this ish!


Corey

[Rickf1985]

And poison or trap the mice!

[sasktrini]

Never thought that a motorhome was so small that one mouse could seem like many... because it was everywhere in no time.  Only trapped one, and have been on a mission.


Decided I could seal up all electrical openings as the wiring is done... double-checked everything.  I pulled the fridge, furnace, pantry and stove and dealt with it all.  It was actually sealed up pretty good with my previous work, but I definitely wanted to cut off access via the stove.  So I boxed it in, applied all my finish panels, and permanently mounted all the appliances!


Always wondered before why sometimes stoves were boxed in... now I know!





I got my engine parts, but weather was a little soggy this weekend.  But I am 95% done all the coach work!  Replaced the pressure switch in my water pump, added a switch for my toilet pump, added 12V plug and RGB LED strips, and hope to finish my paneling tonight!


Last couple days... no unwanted tenants larger than spiders (well there was a moth)!  I'm pretty happy, and have a supply of traps!  VERY CLOSE TO DONE!  Music festival a little over two weeks away... gotta finish!