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jetalkington
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Posts posted by jetalkington
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Well, I finished my rehab. Here are some links to rehab photos and the finished product. A lot of work. I like how it came out.
Rehab photos: Rehab
Finished product: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zkgYiRQvrjPkekyi7
I also created hatch in the floor to access the fuel tank, as others here suggested from one of the holes in the floor.
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Well, I have this figured out. My cousin owes an insulation company. So, I will have him spray foam it. R7 for an inch. My furring strips are 3/4 so about 5.3 on walls. I took out the metal cross beams and ripped some cedar to 1" and put them back. So, I will have r7 on ceiling.
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My plan is to use this in the winter for photography and I suspect I will need propane for heat. With it being a fixed tank you can't just run out and get more. I do have an idea to add an extend-a- stay on my existing tank to do just that. I am mostly concerned with cold weather. and propane.
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I didn't realize I have not posted any updates out here on my rebuild. I have been busy with selling my business and trying to retire I have not been doing much online except looking at FB. I got the outside body work done and painted. I started on the inside by getting rid of holes I won't be using. I am putting in a 12v fridge. So, I am getting rid of the top vent. I will be going to lithium batteries and am closing up the rear battery hole. I am starting on the rear hole as that is behind a box and since it is my first time doing fiberglass I suspect it may not look the best. I screwed in a plywood piece covered in plastic a s my backer and layed up some stranded fiberglass mat on the inside. I put three layers in. Once dried I layed chopped strand on the outside. Then mixed up some Qcell epoxy thickener and used it like bondo on the outside. Took me four tries and a new sander to get it smooth. Then I used a combination of paints Ford Wimberly, GM Dark white to try and match the color. Next the vent and taking out all the windows to reframe them
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Thanks Fred. Your right, of course. With a 26 gallon FW tank and technically 44 gallons of holding tank, I would run out of fresh water long before I had to worry about the tank. Plus I do not take 30 minute showers in my RV shower. My wife and I both take RV showers. Wet and turn off the water while washing, then rinse. I was not really thinking it through. On a water hook up would be the only time I could possibly over flow and if I was hooked up to water I would be in a park and likely use their toilets the most. It is really not a major concern.
So when they go back it will be plumbed to the Black water tank. With it hooked up to the black water I can actually spend more time boondocking.
I am also going to leave out that shower vent. If someone is draining the sink while someone is in the shower it would also have slowed it down as the sink drain and vent are in the same pipe. The shower will enter the black water tank from the top and be able to use the regular vent. Once I thought through the setup I saw why the shower vent was there. It is/was a correct setup.
I think the move will make it a lot better, overall.
Thanks for taking the time.
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That would be a crappy thing to happen. I guess once I realized my Black water was getting full I would have to pay closer attention to it or dump it. I wish there was a way to put alarms on holding tanks. I use my toilet mostly for a late night bladder dumps and then only if it cold. A 30 gallon tank is really big. I am still thinking it through.
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I like the idea that the shower water enters the black water with all the soaps and shampoos. Your thinking of the rinsing with all those soaps would do a good job of cleaning out the black water tank.
I wish I knew more about plumbing and that extra vent. It is a hole through the floor I would like to eliminate. Usually they are there to allow someplace for the air to go when draining. But these tanks are not huge and have vents on the other end of the tank. Literally 3 feet away.
Thanks for feed back.
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I just dropped my water tanks, to work on the floor above, and install my new see level gauges. I noticed something odd to me. Their sizes. My freshwater is 26 gallons, grey is 14 gallons, and the black is 30 gallons. This looks backward on the grey and black. They are from Ronco Plastics and the sizes are stamped on the outside.
My shower & sink are plumbed into the grey water and the black only has the toilet. So, for those of you with more experience on these, have you ever seen the shower plumbed into the black water tank? I am considering doing so when I re-install them. That, or maybe increasing the size of the grey water. I would think the grey water should be the larger of the two. The shower also has it own interior vent and I don't think it needs it. The tank is vented out the roof on the other end Any feedback would be appreciated.
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Looks really great Jay. I like the indirect lighting and the little shelf. The natural wood is a good look.
The state allowed us to open back up so I am back to 13 & 14 hour days. So, it looks like fall before I get much more done, unless I squeeze in a little here and there.
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Probably low point drains. Go inside and find the spot where they are draining from and see if there is a valve on them to shut them off. Mine had a small brass valve on them. Close the valve. They are used when you winterize the camper to make sure all the water is out of the lines. I took mine out, because I blow out my line with air and then pump RV antifreeze in.
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I think the black water tanks can depend upon what has happened to them in the life of the Sunrader. I have read were they were put in from the top. Which if true would mean cutting and fabricate a new holder.
Mine has been taken out at some point. I have two bars across the bottom. It looks to me I unbolt them and it will come out. Your would likely be different. Best for someone else to chime in that has seen it done
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Sorry to hear of your issues Rick. I hope you get them worked out in time for summer fun. I worked on vehicles for years and our minimum charge was 30 minutes. Guys around here are earning upwards of $80-$100 an hour. That would be $40-50 dollars to do simple greasing. It is getting crazy. Fortunately that kind of stuff is simple with a can of white lithium grease.
Good luck. I know you didn't need any more on your plate. Your right buying a Sunrader is not for the feint of heart.
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I would keep the test light connected to ground and test each wire coming from the floor. Do them one at a time. Turn on your turn signal and find the wire that flashes the test light like a turn signal. Then connect it to the wire coming from the amber section of your new light. Then do each wire testing as you go. Brake light have some one step on the brake pedal and find the wire that lights up. Connect each wire immediately to the light before moving on or tape and label them so you do not get confused. Do the same with the reverse. Set the emergency brake and put the Sunrader in reverse and find the wire that has power. Once you find them all and connect them you should be done.
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I think I screwed up and caused my own problem on the leaks. I had taken the plate off the inside of the ac to put some furring strips on the ceiling. It is a plate with all the electrical and duct in it. I plan to make a change so I did not put it on when I brought my Sunrader home. Since the plate has long screws to it I am pretty sure it sandwiches the roof between the roof mounted and the inside controls/ducts. This would squeeze the gasket and create the seal. I plan to put it back today. It is still raining here so I will know. It looks like the state is going to let me open around June 1 so I have a lot of permits and licenses to renew today. I delayed as it was looking like they were closing us for the summer. They are expensive and a waste if we do not open.
Anyway, were your lights all working before you started this conversion? The first thing I do when things are not going right, on 12v, is to verify my ground. This makes sure the path to ground is complete and has always been a problem on campers and trailers, due to moisture and corrosion. To do this you clean off the wire coming through the floor, that all your white wires are connecting to and expose clean wire on the end of it. Turn on your lights. This will put power on your marker lights wire. Then with a test light, clip the test light lead to the exposed wire on the cleaned ground and tap the end of each of the wires coming out of the floor. On your original picture that would be the black wire that feeds the license light and tail lights. Your test light should light up on the wire for the tail lights. Turn your lights on and off a couple times to be sure you have the right wire. If that works then connect up the green wire from the light, the wire from the license plate and the black wire you just tested. Those wago connectors I see connecting all the white wires work good. The wire insulation should go slightly into the wago. They should be taped when done. Cripping is better, if you have all the tools. Make sure and tape every connector. Cover the connector and at least an inch of wire sealing both ends of the connector. Use good tape (Scotch 33 is good) Waterproof heat shrink are the best. If you have the tools.
If this does not light up your test light you could have a bad ground. This being fiberglass it makes it a little harder. On my sunrader there are bolts in the floor mounting to the frame. Scrap one to expose clean metal. Connect the clip on the light to the tail light wire and touch the bolt. If it lights up you know you have a bad ground and you will need to follow that wire underneath until you find the bad connection. Couple things if this is the case. Do not probe through wire insulation with the 12v tester. A lot of people will. That pokes a hole in the insulation and allows water in to corrode the wire. That kind of problem can be hard to find later. Do not use the wago push connectors under your Sunrader. Those must be crimped and taped. You should have a jack came with your sunrader. Blocked up you could raise it an inch or so to give you a little room. I wouldn't trust it any more than that.
My wires ran down the inside of my frame. I hope I am not making this overly difficult. You said you do not have any electrical experience and I am trying make it clear. Since your just starting on your electrical, if you do not have a 12v test light you should get one. Any auto parts store, or home center will have one. They run $5 and up. You can use a volt meter but I find the test light quicker and easier.
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Got my Sunrader out in the sunlight today. First time since October. Front cab is all painted. Decals when the paint fully cures. Likely first week of June.
Now that it is at my house it will a lot easier to get some hours in on it. Raining so I see a couple spots leaking around two fixtures. I plan to get it cleaned out and take a garden hose to it to make sure before I start furring out the side walls.
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Yeah, it started raining here. I got my Sunrader out of my workshop today and with the rain I found two small leaks. So I am tracking them down.
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Chances are if you have a faint light you have a bad ground. On mine I had to follow the wires through the floor under my vehicle and found several crimp connectors that were severely corroded and had to be replaced. Don't worry about that relay at this point. If your lights were working properly before they should work now. Once you get everything working you can replace the relay. Electrical can be tricky but with a basic understanding it is very straight forward on 12v.
You have a ground, a load, a switch and a power source. What electricity has to have is a path. The path to ground is your white wire, the load is the light, the switch is the brake pedal switch or head light switch. and power source is the truck battery. Work on one at at time. You will always use the ground. It comes from the power source, through the switch, to the load/light and then to ground. If the path is interrupted at any point the light/load will not work. Do you have a 12v test light? Post a complete photo of the back of the new light with all the wires and your wires coming out of the floor showing. Also check under your sunrader for bad connectors or broken wires. I had several and when I messed with my wires a couple pulled out of the connectors. So, I replaced my wires all the way to the original harness. You can follow the wires back to the where they connect to the original harness.
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Your white wire is the ground. Look on the rear of your Sunrader and match up the wires to the existing lights. The new ones can be in a different order than your existing ones. You shouldn't need a ground terminal. Tie all the existing grounds, looks to be two, to the one coming from the main harness. In your picture it is the white one and it looks like it goes to a black one. You don't need that short wire going to the harness ground. Try to tie them together in a single connector, if you can. I used heat shrink connectors on all my connectors.
You should have ground, Turn signal, reverse, brake light, and marker/tail lights. The license plate light comes off the marker lights. From your picture it looks like your marker/tail light are on the right since that wire also leads to the license plate light. That is the black wire next to the red. Red wire is likely the brake/stop light. I looked at one of your old pictures and your turn signal is currently in the middle so the yellow wire is likely your turn signal. Your reverse is on the left. It is really a matter of looking at the outside of your current lights and looking at your new lights and matching the function of the old to the function of the new. Based on the color of wire you have there are likely splices underneath of your sunrader. The wires are never the same color coming to a light. So look at function and match them up. Hope I am not confusing you.
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I glued 3/4 wood strips to the ceiling and then used trim screws to hold the ceiling "panel" If you do this then you can remove it. Short dry wall screws would work also. This is what I am leaning on but I am just getting started on my inside. I am concerned about leaks around those windows as well. What I am working on is trimming out the windows with 17 mm- 3/4 wood strips about 6-7 mm away from the gasket/seal. I want to create a shadow box effect with room to work on the seal, if need be. I have already painted the fiberglass black around the windows. I am planning to paint the wood black, before I install it. Then I will use the wood strips to fasten my panels to. I am insulating my whole camper so I will have some support behind the panels with the insulation. I am planning the pole wrap for the front area. Just not sure if I am going to paint it or stain it. I really like the look of your ceiling.
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You seem pretty handy with the wood. I have been looking at Pole wrap. I used in an egg camper I remodeled. It had a curved ceiling front and rear and I didn't want to put back carpet. So I used pole wrap in reverse and screwed it to blocks I glued to the ceiling.
You can see it in the back of this picture in the center of the ceiling. It takes shapes pretty well. This trailer was a total gut job. The wrap is oak strips like an old accordion desk.
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Mine is white and went all the way around the outside of my side panels. Like yours but along the top also. My panels are rotted at the bottom so I have make more. I don't know if I can get away with out the trim or not. I think at the top it would help cover the joint as I think that is going to be a pain to get a good looking seam with out it. And as others have said that plastic will stop squeaks from wood on wood.
I just noticed that your panel is upside down in the picture. So, mine is like yours but white.
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You could glue it with thickened epoxy or loctite Power grab ultimate
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You have inspired me to try. For $33 I would love keyless entry. What brand did you buy? Does it seem "well made" . I have all my panels off right now and this would be a perfect time to add it in.
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Got around to replacing the leaking pinion seal today. Got the truck all cleaned, sanded, and every spot fixed. Took the windshield out due to rust around it. The problem with rust around a windshield you never know how bad it is.
I lose my body shop space next week due to this virus. I own a park concession in Illinois and we have been told we may not get open this summer. Ridiculous. Anyway, with no income I can't keep paying rent on a building when I can do it outside now. So, I pushed getting all the truck body work done so I can paint it while it is indoors. Looking good. Paint tomorrow. At least that is today's plan.
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1990 Sunrader Rehab
in General Discussion
Posted
Thanks. It was a long row to hoe but worth it. I know what I have and it handles and drives nice. So far the batteries have held up good.