Galvanized Knight

So I have not made much head way as far as the renovations go but we have got to camp in it a bunch ( research!) Harrison Lake was one of our recent camp outs for 3 days and 3 nights. We 4x4'ed up to Clear Creek Hot Springs. Here is some pictures. West Coast Firewood Harrison Lake ( Clear Creek Hot Springs) Clothes Line Peace and Quite. You would have a hard time driving up here without a 4x4 Us and Hot Springs It was a great time. Only 3 or 4 others show up over those 3 days but no one but us camped over night.

George101, My original layout was the bed down the long side but we decided to go with the across layout. I found that while the bed was folded down longways you really couldn't access the storage of the Chinook or access the fridge. So on a raining day you have fold up the bed to cook, clean and just hang out. I did prefer the bigger bed of the longways layout though. I did redo the walls a little so my overall interior width is slightly more then stock ( 5' 9" - 5' 10" ) and 39" wide , I am 5' 9.5", so if we are both sleeping in it, it is a little tight . My girlfriend and I have gone camping with the new cross ways layout quite a few times. At first I thought I made a big mistake with the cross ways layout but we've got use to it and I enjoy being able to cook breakfast or access all my storage while one of us still hangs out in bed. Normally we leave the bed down the entire time we go camping. If you are any taller then me then cross-ways is going to be uncomfortable for sure. How are you doing the heating in your Chinook? Did you post any picture of your interior renovation? I did think of trying to install toilet and black water tank but I never came up with a good layout with a bathroom that didn't eat up all the storage space. Thanks a lot for your comments, I cant wait to see some pictures of your build! Lance

So we are still testing the mock up layout of the chinook. We've gone camping twice now with this layout, once to Kootenanny Festival in Creston BC. What a mess without drawers! but the bed is comfortable. Kootenanny Information Google Map of the Kootenanny Grounds and once to the Christina Lake. Google Map of Christina Lake

Thanks . Just remember a teardown/rebuild will cost you 3 times as much and take 3 times as long as you think. lol

We have made progress on the camper and have got to camp in the mock up interior a few times. My girlfriend and I made a few design changes based on what we learned from camping in the mock up. It looks like we'll have to miss Ratatat this time around. Both of us are very busy at work and just cant make it work out : ( Once I get my girlfriend camera I have alot more pictures on the build and from camping to post. Clay i do really appreciate your hospitality. Lance

with bed down

More Cabinet Layouts and I got my slides in from ebay. Here are the new 18" soft Closing Slide from ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=310309984437&si=Dk1A9Xg9z7wdfc7ckiEqX03EZWk%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT#ht_2878wt_932

http://cgi.ebay.com/SF3600-Inverter-Generator-Electric-Start-n-Remote-/320684790647?pt=BI_Generators&hash=item4aaa4d9377#ht_5232wt_1032 I've been looking at these with the remote start. its a little big but you could wheel it out into the bush then remote start it and keep its 59 db away from your quiet camp scene. I believe this would run your roof top ac. I have a Yamaha http://cgi.ebay.com/Yamaha-2400-watt-Inverter-Generator-EF-2400iS-/320574181593?pt=BI_Generators&hash=item4aa3b5d0d9#ht_928wt_932 for work and its quiet and starts first pull every time but is also huge. Most of the Honda s can have remote start kits added to them. What all are you running in your rig? What kind of durations? If its small and short enough you my be able to get away with a battery bank and an inverter.

Fyi: Ratatat is playing June 3rd in Missoula, MT. My girlfriend and I hope to attend and bring the Chinook down to stay in.

Thank you. I cant wait to see your project, please post pictures soon. I think Krj is from Whitefish as well. Lance

It is truck canopy weather stripping. That is the trim sealer piece I re used from the original Chinook. It s a L shape rubber piece that is sprung against the camper and riveted to the truck..The couch is not really attached to the cab, its press up against it extremely tight and I weld two new couch mounts as close to the cab as possible and bolted it down tight. I have about 5000miles on it so far have not noticed any leakage or terrible squeaking. I have searched for a great new sealer /trim but no luck yet. The music is Ratatat Classics Motanita , great tunes! I like the pass through and here in BC its has to be done to register it as a RV. With no pass through it is much quieter in the cab. Lance

I have also made some progress on the dinette. From this Mock up I did a Sketch Up model Today we picked up the 3" memory foam for the bench seats, backs and bed topper.

Work has been crazy busy lately but some progress has been made. I removed the two cab over windows of the Chinook. And replace them with Lexen. I will tint these in the future.

THIS IS TOO AWESOME! I'll be posting some videos and pictures on my progress soon. Stay Tuned.

I find winter camping to be very peaceful and beautiful. At least the tarp prevents the snow from actually freezing to the roof. I have no roof vents on my chinook but I can see how the snow and ice could loosen up the seals and open up the cracks. I prefer to store my motor-home inside during the winter but thats not always an option. up here many people build a few small trusses to put on the roof of their camper before the tarp so it'll shed the snow ( I ll take a picture of one if I see one around and post it ) Us and Friends enjoying tons of winter snow Lance

Ceiling/Roof insulation. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to insulate the ceiling/roof space? the space is 10' x 6' x 2" . The ceiling board is one piece and in great shape but would be very hard to take down without destroying. My idea is this.: cut a few holes is the roof with my 6" hole saw. do wiring and other infrastructure that will be concealed in this space. fill with polyurethane spray foam insulation ( approximately R10 ) 120 board ft at 3$ per replace hole saw plugs and fiberglass in Re coat roof with sealant adjust pop top tensioner for the new load and ultimately I would like to install solar panels on the roof Solar Panel Link these you can walk on Let me know what you think.

I just recently cut the rear of the cab when I began the interior rebuild. wall no wall At first I had I beach seat in the cab and wasn't sure if I'd ever cut it out. I am sure glad I did through makes the beast look huge. I really hope it'll turn out well. I have put a ton of thought into it. My girlfriend and I were working on it this weekend test how the flow of it was working out. We both can comfortable lay in the bed and the dinette is good for 2 but can seat 4 tight. STORAGE is are main concern...we want a place for everything ( tall order in 46 sq ft ) I wont have too much time over the next to weeks to work on the project but the goal is still total completion by may long weekend.

Looks like we are at the same stage. What kind of designs have you come up with? Last sunday I banged up a quick mock up out of 2x2 and osb to get a real feel of the space. I am hoping on going camping for 1 night this weekend with my girlfriend to see how it is and get her input. What are you using for materials? Do you have any drawing of the design you can post. Your super modded sunraider is looking sweet ! Thanks Lance

Kevin if you check 2:44 in that video I posted there is a good view of the cab camper seal. The top portion of the seal is attached to the chinook shell itself. Does your Newport have the cab roof cut out as well?Lance

Have you thought about just getting a little trailer with good ground clearance? weight hanging off the bumper can work well if weights are kept low. As is early comments the mounting point for the bumper itself is about 3' plus in from the rear of the motorhome. If you hang some off the back thats 5' + - from the "actual" mounting point of the bumper, depending on the weight you end up hauling the leverage on your rig could be very great and under extreme scenarios cause you to lose weight over the front tires ( poor steering) Small Trailer is my suggestion. Lance

I bought new rough country leaves and struts. Then I cut out 3 springs out of the old leaf pack, also grabbed one overload bar. Bought a new center pin from lordco. bolted it all together and installed it on my rig. I have almost no sway now even under load with gear. I think air bags can work great.....just not for me.

Here is an example of the layout i am going for: Expect with a twin ( 39 x 74 ) if the chalet is shorter it may be a twin pictured

Today I went into the shop for a few hours and made a quick and dirty, but extremely square interior mock up. I wanted to see and feel how my layout was going to work before cutting up good material. I may even go camping in it a few time to really get a good feel for it. Here are the pictures: A made the bed solid of now but the design is for a dinette that turns into a bed in that same place. The bed is a 39 x 69 ( a 39 x 74 is a twin ) I will have to cut back into the walls and insulation to gain a few inches The white area on the right is the sink template ( its a huge double sink ) Left to Right. ( Bed Platform , Small Storage area, Fridge 1, Fridge 2, Tall Closet ) blury picture of the Passengers side . The mock up is going to make great research and templates. Hopefully tomorrow after work I can tweak it and finish it off.

Lol . Pt. 2 video will cover that story. its a real wake up call for anyone who plans on actually 4x4 ing with their 4x4 chinook or other. My next video ( slideshow ) will cover from that time to new years 2010. I learned alot that day :s . Lance

I am hoping the system will be nearly inaudible. I plan on insulating the mechanical room with roxul again because it has an incredible acoustic level. I have been tossing around the idea of tank size and one main factor is to be able to camping away from everything for at least a week straight. 10gallons of heating and domestic water and 3 gallons of drinking ( completely separate system ) . I 've looked at some tanks online and at our local rv store and I think it 'll down come down what actually fits. I been thinking of having the floor an open loop set up too and due away with the antifreeze, this would make the system half as complicated but serious risks of freeze up. The system will be thermostatically control and coupled with the high BTUS and high R values it should run very little(especially with the pop top down) . I plan on fabricating a air system to deal with fresh air, moisture control and air quality too. It may seem over kill but I want to be warm, toasty and dry when i am camping in -30 C weather. Thanks for the comment and I look forward to more. Lance