neubie

Gary the virus basically took the time I had to enjoy it. Unfortunately life has moved in a different direction over the last three years and demands different choices. Better to let someone else actually enjoy it than have it just sitting as it does now.

sort of. the virus took away a good chunk of time that i would have used it for.

If someone wants this in norcal, i am open to offers. Cant do much with it myself anymore,. Its from 86, so expect usual niggles for the age and have space/time to finish rough edges that dont show in the pictures.

My '86 conquest is documented here. If someone in norcal wants it, I am open to offers for it to go to a good home.

Here is the front half of the roof bare to metal and tubes.

There is certainly plenty of aluminium in the main roof. The AC rests on two tubes going across the width at the front vent, kerping the roof from sagging the way many other models do. My teardown thread probably has pictures of the roof aluminium. And the rear has a few tubes going through it too. There is one tube going across with width in the rear just above the rear lights thats easy to verify by just taking off the rear lights. There is another at the bottom. There are probably a couple where the ladder is attached going top to bottom. You are not supposed to step on the sloping part on the cabover, so that might be just plywood and insulation. Ben must have used the same pattern as original. It looks very similar to what I found in my walls/roof.

By the way, did you get any original manuals with yours? Conquest paperwork isnt yet discoverable in the wild.

For the rest of the body I can confirm from personal experience too. Come to think of it, I met aluminium tubing in the rear light housing, so its a complete tubular frame just as Ben shows it. He just rewelded it. Not spaced all that close though, roof tubes are spaced about two feet except for the air conditioner vent where it 14inches. But its quite a bit better than purely stick framed models.

The frame of a conquest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77H4aPptpd0

This series of videos

gulfstreams have plenty of metal framing in the roof, though even more would not have hurt. The rear wall is likely mostly wood like any other model, not sure whats going on there. They had ladders, so presumably some support structure was embedded, cant say for sure since its been a while since I saw the back walls undone. There is a set of videos of the deconstruction of an 86 conquest by a forum member on youtube that should provide definitive answers.

For those of you that need to go through this every couple years, is it even more of a scam than cars? I felt like I was taken advantage of by some shady merchants, but that's par for the course here in Norcal.

Yes, there is aluminium framing even on the older models. If you are tearing down the roof then you will meet even more metal than just the frame.

I can post?

extend a stay on a slightly newer tank -- after the tank shut off, before the regulator.

these are having a generational turnover right now. Even on amazon, you can get a 1080p front, 720p rear dual setup in various shapes/sizes for under 40, sometimes under 30. The wire (if wired) for the rear camera is not usually long enough to reach the back of these trucks but extensions are cheap and available. The rear cameras have 4 IR LEDs embedded which means they can sort of do night vision. In this price range, they all run the same software and have same features. The differences are cosmetic in the appearance of the display monitor such as touch screen or not. Amazon reviews are often faked but there are a few honest ones in them that describe quality issues. Main problem seems to be the inability of the displays to handle excessively warm temperatures. Being on or near the windshield they get full exposure to the sun. The WIFI cameras with an RCA connector as used on the youtube above are a significant notch lower in video quality -- analog 640p, no IR/night ability. Newer versions with integrated IR LEDs typically will use a 5 pin s-videoish digital cable interface.

Illuminating discussion right here.

A popular brand is progressive dynamics. Unless you are restoring to vintage standards and using vintage technology -- bulbs and all, the lowest power rating is more than adequate. The load center is one part of the electric circuit, its main spec is the 12V current that passes through it. You should estimate your load if expected to be unusual. The furnace fan is likely to be top user, unless there is a 12V only fridge. Your specific existing power panel has a 110V to 12V convertor thats just a step down transformer. There is 1 110V breaker and 2 12V fuses. There is no invertor, that 110V socket provides shore power only. You can simplify your renovation effort by buying a loadcenter that is plug and play, like the progressive dynamics inteli power series. Or, you could wire up parts separately ( this means wiring 120V AC to code), and use parts from marine grade suppliers like Blue sea, and removable battery charger from NOCO and so on. Old 12V electrics had their own integrated switches in each bulb/device. New ones, depending upon what you use, may benefit from a switch panel.

yes, unfortunately that was the approach then. Soon you will meet the staples in the house portion. You can use a filler, or alternatively just new screws. You will probably need bondo here and there either way at this age.

Fixed this one, now the holding tank o-rings seem to be leaking. If its not one thing....

Ok. Looks like the U ring is still on this one but I can fidget now that I know thats the issue. thanks.

Does this 1980s valve for draining tanks accomodate an o ring replacement possibility? Its dripping a bit when closed, I tugged at the valve a little bit fearful of breaking it, it didnt come out of the line easily. Anyone recognize the fixture?

Yes, not trivial. However, I do know that leaving the truck battery disconnected for a while turns them off at night. Thats something. At least the coach circuits arent leaking into this pair. Have the meter, doubt if I can even buy the patience needed. For now, keep truck battery ground disconnected while poking slowly at the fuses. It will resolve eventually.

Best way to ask for advice is to post pictures of what you think needs work, including details of the defect if its not obvious. These old workhorses will always do with more improvements, decide what is essential and/or preventing you from using it.

Drove around for a while until I located shops with higher bays. Fortunately one of the no wait jiffy lubes had tall bays. Car has new fluids. They fidgeted with the oil filter for a bit before managing to get it off. Hopefully nothing stripped. Cant say I could tell if there was anything in the oil but it sure didnt look too bad from a distance. There is a fair bit of condensation from the tail pipe, so I have been worried about the engine leaving me stranded. None of the telltale signs appeared in the fluids so I am hoping to drive a few hundred miles and test out drivability. Cant say the same about shocks and brakes. They will need a looking into. Dont inspire a lot of confidence in limited driving. Lesson learned: Learn the height of the truck well. Everything including tree branches, low bridges, and low bays are real and often unexpected enemies. On the positive side, havent scraped my bottom in a while.