daveemac

Thanks as always Linda. I've not been ignoring your fiberglass epoxy advice--I'm just not sure how to implement it. I know it will strengthen a piece of wood, but are you recommending it as a means for joining wood? I have pretty much zero fiberglass experience... The method I've described above seems like my best option, but I'd love some more input before I cut my floor back to share the support beams. And: does anyone knows the proper way to deal with the ABS membrane as the wood passes under the wall?

I think if I cut it right I can position a piece of plywood so that it's supported on all four sides, plus one crossmember support. Three sides would rest on a metal beam (sharing with the old wood), and the back edge has its own support. I'd staple the edges at the seams, seems it'd be super strong My biggest concern is the back edge. I'm worried about how I'll get the new plywood under the wall and on top of the rear beam--hopefully the wall won't drop too much when I pull out the old piece. My biggest questions: 1) what thickness and grade of plywood should I use, and should I coat it with anything? The wood I'm pulling up seems to be 5/8, or maybe a compressed 3/4 2) I'm hoping to keep the membrane in place as I do this. How do I wrap the rearmost edge of membrane as it goes under the wall--does the membrane come under the rear edge and fold over the top at the edge? Thanks as always!

Thank you Linda and Doug. My floor doesn't seem to use the "sandwich" floor of Sunraders--no styrofoam, and no aluminum underbelly. Seems to be 3/4" ply plus the strong plastic sheet that covers the entire underside of the RV. I need to patch the holes, waterproof the patches, and fix the plastic sheet. I'm not sure how to graft the new piece(s) in, or how to reseal the plastic sheet to prevent water entry. I'm most concerned about how to get new plywood under the shell, but I'm hoping I can keep the piece that's under there now--reinforce it somehow and graft to it so I don't have to mess with shell stuff. I'll cut away all the rot today and get a better idea of what's usable. Is it easier to graft to straight edges, ie, should I cut away a rectangle? I'll keep reading the archives, any further links or suggestions are appreciated, thanks again.

1989 Odyssey Americana--rear door, rear bath. Previous owner made a LOT of changes, including removing the toilet. I felt a soft spot under the plank flooring and figured it was where the toilet hole is...I thought I'd have to patch the round holes, which only worried me a little. Now I've got the planks off and find myself with a situation--basically the holes weren't weatherized properly and water got in there, so there's a good sized chunk of rot. It's the center third of the rear third of the coach--in line with the trailer hitch, just inside the wall. The wood at the peripheral edges of this section seems fine, but the back edge is gone I think. I've watched a bunch of videos, but most of them are for campers with joists, or with metal reinforcement. I haven't seen anything quite like my situation, so I'm really not sure what to do. I dropped the black tank today which gave me a better look, but I'm still not sure how to do this. (Fwiw, I made many searches of the archives here....but it seems like 75%+ of the entries are about Sunraders. I couldn't find much about my situation.) I want to know: how much wood I need to replace, what kind of wood & preparation, how to attach it, how to integrate the new piece with the waterproof barrier on the bottom, integration and weather sealing with the back edge, etc. If there's a link that explains how, that would be great--I'm not expecting someone to type the whole thing out. I saw a thread from 10 years back where a forum expert said there was an easy way to do it, but he didn't explain the method. I'm also curious to know how much you think a shop might charge to fix it. I'm in Sacramento, and if you have any suggestions they are most welcome. Thanks!

Thank you for all the replies so far, very helpful and appreciated. The KYBs have <30 miles on them, so it's good to know they'll soften up some. If I understand right, the airbags will compress partially before the springs do, which sounds like it will noticeably smooth out the ride.

Is there nothing to be done to cushion the ride in the rear, except for removing springs? Thanks !

Thank you. Wow, so zero ride improvement? Is there anything else I can do to smooth out the ride but keep my stiff springs?

I've been planning to install load-lifters, but recently read a comment in a Toy group stating that they make no improvement in ride quality. The author says they help with sag & carrying capacity, but do nothing for comfort. My Americana already has re-arched & beefed up springs, plus brand new KYB gas-ajust shocks, so I'm not worried about sag or capacity. But I do wish that the rear absorbed road bumps better, was less tank-like. If I set airbags at a lower pressure will it help offset my very stiff springs and brand new shocks, smooth out the ride? Thanks!

Thank you for the replies, very helpful 🙂

My mechanic is estimating 3+ hours to *check* my rear brakes. Is that reasonable? If I do it myself, what's the fastest/easiest way? Thanks!

Cheapest I can find Thunderer is $87. Yoko Y356 and Hankook Vantra both available around $115. Will Yoko or Hankook fronts give me an appreciably better ride (or tread life) compared to Thunderer, or should I just save the $30/tire? Thanks!

Thanks Linda ! I've seen some off 4x4s, wasn't sure if they worked, thanks

1990 Odyssey. I'm looking forward to re-gearing to 4.56, trying to do it as cheaply as possible. There's an 8" 4.56 a couple hours away from me, taken from an unknown parts car. Do I have enough info (Toyota 8" 4.56 V6) to be sure it'll fit? Also, if it looks good, is it pretty safe to assume that it'll operate properly, or is it kind of a crapshoot? Thanks! https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/5475562242572726?hoisted=false&ref=saved&referral_code=null

Thanks for this thread! I'm just gonna jump in and say that if you have a later model truck ('89 & up I think), then these springs won't fit, you need CS019R....more expensive unfortunately

Thanks for the great replies. I think I'll try another location for my battery

Here are some external views:

Thanks for the replies. Compartment is under my kitchen sink basically, under drawers. It fits a 24, and the 100AH is 2" too long But I want to remove the compartment regardless, so that I can use the opening to install components along the wall--there's no space coming from the other side. Maybe I'll need to just cut it out? Any suggestions appreciated

1990 Odyssey, Santa Fe layout. I want to remove the coach battery compartment so I can fit a 100AH lithium battery. It would be ideal to retain the compartment door to provide ventilation to the components I'm installing nearby, but I can add an aftermarket door if necessary. I don't see a way to release the compartment. It seems to be sandwiched into the shell of the camper, I don't see any screws or anything. Do I need to use a cutting tool and just cut the compartment out, or is there a way to release it w/o cutting? Thanks as always !

Thank you for encouraging me to look--sometimes I'm lazy The wires were the DC distribution to one of my overhead storage bays--glad I didn't cut them! Thanks again, and please feel free to delete

Thanks Linda. I should have said "coming from my isolator to the converter-charger" The metal box in the photo is my propane enclosure. So--those wires are coming from the isolator/alternator, yes?

Hi--I figure these wires coming through my firewall must be + and - coming from my alternator (isolator box) to the converter. But I want to be sure before I cut them, so I'm confirming here. Thanks!

Thanks 5, I think I'm gonna do it !

Thanks Linda ! Hey, is there any market for used horizontal tanks, or are they just scrap?

Thank you Linda! Compartment measures about 25wx13hx12d

1990 Odyssey w/original horizontal tank. It's a drag getting it out each time, and kind of a wrestling match once it's full and kinda heavy getting it back in. And because I've had three hip replacements it would be dangerous if I ever needed to lug a full canister, even for a short distance... It would be cool to not have to remove the tank(s) and have the propane person just hook their hose up inside the bay. Is there a way to do that w/a horizontal tank? If not, would changing to two squat vertical tanks allow them to be filled in place? Also, do you think it's bad to keep the original POL valve? The propane guy at U-Haul said he had never seen a valve like that before, and didn't have an adapter. But regular propane places don't blink. So my second question is: if I keep the POL will I have a significantly harder time getting gas while I'm roaming about in small town USA? Is there any good reason to modernize my valve? Thanks!