MattyBrown

Wondering if by some miracle anyone out there who owns a late 80's/early 90's Odyssey would happen to have some original BLUE curtains lying around? It's the bluish, greenish, greyish velour. I've seen a lot of Odysseys sold in the past where people have completely redone the curtains and I'm thinking it would be great if one of these people happened to still have the originals in their possesion. Or maybe you have a rotted out Odyssey in your yard you're looking to part out... My Odyssey's curtain set is nearly complete, only missing a few pieces... so its hard for me to justify making all new curtains. But somehow a couple pieces were lost (rear window valance, one cabover side window curtain, and privacy curtain for the cabover). I have looked EVERYWHERE trying to match the fabric but it seems impossible. Hoping maybe someday if I'm diligent I will find someone with some of these curtains who doesn't need them. If you can help me in any way... I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!! please e-mail me at: eternitycomplex@yahoo.com for a quicker response. THANKS!!

Karin, Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep that in mind. It's good to know I'm not insane and this is a problem other people have had. I thought I would have found more info searching Google but almost nothing comes up. Do you still have your original range hood? Has it been removed? Is it 19" wide or 20"? I'm wondering if there ever was a 19" range hood or if they just cut a hole in the one that originally came with my RV (to accommodate that pipe). Since you are removing your range hood, if its a match I might be interested in taking it off your hands if you wanna let it go. I don't mind if its in rough shape. I really wanted to find a matching range hood instead of modifying something 5Toyota, Yes, that is a good pic and I'm assuming that's exactly what I should have in my RV. Would you mind measuring your range hood for me? Wondering if anyone out there has one that's 19" wide. Thanks!! -Matt

Hiya folks. So I'm refurbishing an '88/'89 Odyssey and I've run into a problem. The former owner removed the range hood. No big deal, I'll just buy one online, right? WRONG! None of the options available on line seem like they will fit. FIRST, the sizes don't seem right. It appears as though my original range hood was 19" wide. But no one I've talked to has apparently ever heard of a 19" wide range hood. 20" is the smallest anyone seems to know of. SECOND, the cutout size is becoming rare these days. The cutout is roughly 7.5" by 3". Almost all current range hoods are designed for 10" by 3" (or something close to that) cutouts. No big deal though, because I've spoken to a few RV salvage places that have 20" range hoods with the 7.5" by 3" cutout... except THIRD the cutout seems to be in an odd location! Notice in the picture how it starts exactly level with the cabinet. Most range hoods seem to have the cutout about a half-inch or so below where the base attaches. What is going on here? Would anyone out there with an Odyssey mind investigating your range hood a little? Is yours 19" wide or 20"? Do you see a manufacturer name printed anywhere on it? Ventline says they never made a 19" range hood but perhaps Elixir did. It would be a big help if I knew who the manufacturer was and could hunt them down. Thanks for any info you can provide! -Matt

Here are some pictures of what's going on back there from different angles (Right side harder to show because of exhaust position). NOTE THE "RIPPLES" HIGHLIGHTED WITH ARROWS:

Okay, so I went to the RV collision specialist yesterday. He came out, shook my hand and looked under my motorhome (in the front near the cab) and said "This frame is in amazing shape for the year. I see nothing wrong." I made him stand back and look at the shape of the motorhome. He went to the back and looked underneath and DID spot something not-quite-right. Apparently, there is a kink in both rails of the frame in the rear, a little bit after the axle. It is very slight, but does cause a slight dip in the rear. Here's a graphic I made to illustrate the location: I will take pictures of the bend so you can all see it, but I don't want to right now because it's raining cats and dogs. Again, it is very slight but definitely explains why the rear has dipped and probably contorted the rest of the coach along with it. I guess it's safe to say that this is the cause of the problem although I'm reluctant to say it's the whole problem. Just not sure. I asked him if anything could be done. He said "No" and assured me that the frame was solid enough to support the coach safely and told me "Happy camping!' and that was it. I wish he had been a little more thorough but perhaps he saw everything he needed to see. He's the expert, not me. Still, his "No" didn't quite sit right with me. I feel like there must be something I can do. I started entertaining an idea of jacking up the motorohome from the rear and seeing if it would straighten out the frame. Perhaps the weight of the coach would straighten it out and I could weld some additional supports in the back. Hold, on, made a graphic (I love my graphics!): Whatcha think? Anyone got any ideas? I don't ever expect this rig to be perfectly straight again, but I'd love to feel like the back could withstand as many passengers as I might throw in it. Right now I will always have to feel like I'm making the problem worse. I'm up for any suggestions any of you can throw at me! As always, thanks so much for your help. -Matt

Hey guys, Sorry for the delay. Let me try to address the most recent messages in order. John, the floor to ceiling is almost even across the coach but does lose about an inch in the rear. In the front it is about 75" (which, according to the sales brochure is exactly where it should be). In the back behind the axle it is about 74" so I did lose an inch somewhere along the way. Karin, there was never any rot where the side meets the floor. The floors in this RV are what I would call "aged" wood but never rotted. All of the rot was in the rear ceiling and both side walls. When I took the panels off, this allowed the generator box to drop significantly (even with generator removed). Had to hold the box up with a jack while I reframed the wall. Everything was put back together right where it should be though, I tried to put everything back together exactly the way the camper was originally designed. There IS some slight warping/bowing of structures inside the coach but it is relatively mild. The floor in the back (after the axle) does seem to curve down very gradually, but it is very mild and hardly noticeable. One interesting thing though: when you first step inside the coach there is a soft spot in the wood floor. It is right in line with the door and in the center of the coach. I don't believe there is any water damage in this area, it feels almost like the floor has lifted slightly from the wood frame beneath it. I have an appointment Monday with a guy from an RV collision shop in Lakeville, MA. I trust that given his experience he will be able to spot if there is anything going on underneath the rig vs. it just being the way the coach "settled" over the years. If this is simply the way the coach settled I will live with it. If anything can be done from the exterior I will definitely go for it. Here's something interesting I just found on Google image search. Looks kinda similar to mine! This might just be what happens when an RV as heavy as the Odyssey is improperly maintained over the years. Thanks for the input everyone! I'll let you know how I make out Monday! -Matt

John, thanks so much for the pics. Holy crap, does my rig ever look crooked compared to yours! The only thing I should note is that the line showing the frame might not be entirely accurate because the rear bumper in mine appears to have been pushed up on that side. I took a pic to show that below (although it should also be noted that the coach also sags on that side a bit when no air is in the airbags). Here's some more pics with 10PSI in both the driver and passenger side. I do agree with you that the problem is mostly the coach although I don't think the cab is perfectly straight either. BOTTOM LINE: This thing is a mess. I'm thinking about taking it to a local RV collision specialist and seeing if they can pinpoint any areas where it can be straightened. I'll keep you all posted on that. Thanks again to everyone for your input! -Matt

Thank you folks very much for the replies so far. Before I continue this discussion any further, would any of you be willing to snap some comparable photos of the sides of your motorhomes? I'd love to compare (especially the relationship of the frame to the cab). Most of the pictures I find online are taken from a front angle and its hard to compare. Thanks!! -Matt

Hello everyone! Let me introduce myself. My name is Matt and I'm the proud owner of an '89 Leisure Odyssey, Mesa Lounge style. This RV has been my project for almost a year now. It had extensive water damage in the rear and required new wood framing and panels. I have finally reached a point where the rig is almost finished. There's not a speck of rotted wood to be found anywhere in this thing. I've refurbished almost every nook and cranny. Here's my dilemma though: Now that its all legal and on the road I am noticing that when I park on relatively level ground, something doesn't look quite right about this rig! It was hard to notice on my slanted driveway (or perhaps I just blocked it out) but it appears the coach and cab are sort of cockeyed to each other! Has anyone ever experienced this before? I feel like I've seen several pictures of other Toyota motorhomes that had this same thing going on, but most only slightly. But on mine (particularly the passenger side) it seems pretty intense depending on what angle its viewed from. Here's some pics: The interesting thing is that the cab/chassis frame underneath appears to be perfectly straight. It's not like there's a big kink to be seen anywhere. Does anyone have any theories about what's going on here? All I can say is that there's a LOT of weight in the rear of this rig. It was designed so that the generator, air conditioner, water tank and up to three passengers where ALL located BEHIND the the axle. Probably not the best idea. Over the years it seems to have warped the shape of the overall motorhome. It's strange though because there wasn't any water damage to be found in the middle of this rig, only in the rear and a corner of the cabover. All wood in the middle of the coach is rock solid, haven't had to replace any of it. Just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this and knows of a solution or at least a place to start. One more note: Motorhome drives down the road perfectly straight and headlights are okay too. Perhaps a previous owner compensated for the tilt? Also, you are seeing the rig with about 80-90 PSI in the driver's side air bag (to help with genny, AC and full water tank) and probably 40-50 PSI in the passenger side. Thanks so much!!! -Matt