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A project that might yield an MH someday from the ghost of an '86 Conquest


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Howdy folks,

 

I open this discussion in the spirit of dissuading the next person.  And the argument for not doing this would be a LOT stronger if I had documented the grave as I started digging. But the skeleton is scary enough. That said, may be this isn't a huge deal for knowledgeable folks. I know nothing of the subject spare the readings of threads here.

Here is what I dug up: a 1986 Toyota Conquest. Slightly different than the one gloriously decapitated on YouTube. But similar enough. Rear bath. automatic. 100+k miles but smogged and registered.  That's all the good news.

In the opposing corner, we have: no or near no appliances. The propane piping is complete. The convertor/charger exists. There is a water pump, and its operating circuit. That's about it.  The floor will want its due share of attention. The roof has two spots that seem to need immediate care, but once dissected are likely to reveal nasty surprises. The front will need a total redoing. As will the bath. All cabinets, and so on.

Here, I document Mr. car as it is today, please peruse at leisure, the time to ask you questions about life and everything will be upon us whenever I can complete a dissection and cursory inspection.

http://imgur.com/a/MTLDz

Will add as I make meaningful discoveries or rectification/repair. Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

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Ok, so here is my first question. Whats the recommendation for cleaning this mess? Please advise regarding solvents/cleaners and so on. I havent done anything like this before.

20170623_221608.jpg

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Take your seats out first. No way to protect them from some serious scrubbing. I know people are probably tired of my Dollar store finds but the Wheel and Tire cleaner from there is amazing. That and a good stiff scrub brush and with gloves on, you will be amazed at how much crap comes off. Maybe some steel wool too. Little wire brush in the grooves

Linda S

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thank you linda. yes, the seats are coming off as soon as i can manage it. That will be wednesday at the earliest. Other things take up the time until then, so i csn probably only do supply runs for the next few days. the dollar store solution is great. will give it a go.

From reading up it looks like the seats go first, then any remains of the carpet. Then a putty knife to get rid of stuck on bits of padding. Then some wire brush and steel wool type solutions. Then some cleanup with degreasers and solvents.  Does that sound about right? Lets see what a first round of tire cleaner shows.

Is rustoleum or the like something to aim for eventually? Or is there a cabin paint alternative There isnt all that much rust now, but there will surely be plenty of unavoidable crapping to expose metal.

There is a dried up leak of some kind here. And its not likely water. This cleanup is happening now just to make the environment a bit friendlier to nose and lungs.  The leak will get investigated when the demolition/cleanup is done.

Anyone know if the 1986 toyota conquest had a water heater then where one is likely to find it? There is an empty port on the driver side and one on the passanger side by the entry door. Both have sheet metal on them now, with no clue as to what if anything was ever installed.

The seats too will need to be completely redone. The foam and the fabric are ruined. But one thing at a time.

The floor will eventually get new padding and fabric just for sound/noise management.

2nd set of questions: is it reasonable to disconnect the coach battery so it can be assessed individually? How does the converter/charger distribute charge in these things? Can I disconnect at the converter/charger and hope the alternator will still charge up the truck battery? Or does the converter charger supply both? The truck battery isnt holding all that much charge either. What amps does the truck want with a dead battery for a jump? 400 seemed to do it no good. The little smart charger immediately threw an error when the key was turned.

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Batteries, of course you can disconnect any battery and have it checked for free at most auto parts stores. Did you drive this vehicle home? If not and it sat a long time there's a good chance they are dead and might not be able to recharge. Coach battery charges directly from alternator when running. Charges from converter charger only when plugged in to shore power. A multimeter will quickly tell you if either of these things is happening provided you can get it running or can plug in.

Very cheap and sometimes free at harbor Freight https://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-90899.html

Also good to check water level in batteries. Add distilled water only if needed.

Linda S

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Hi Linda,

Thanks again. There doesnt appear to be anything in the water heater space then from a cursory look space. It has likely been cleaned up but I havent opened it yet. 

Mr car was starting fine until it sat for a week. Tried jumping with the tiny 400A charger and didnt have good luck. The charger saw too much starting current and shut down. Plan on getting a set of jumper cables today to try with a real car battery, also have a black and decker trickle charger coming.

Have multimeters handy. Including the Harbor Freight ones.  The battery is just low, not dead. The cab battery also has some charge. Not dead, but not sure how much capacity is left. Am holding off plugging in until I have checked the wiring.

The coach battery probably gets disconnected today, along with the converter charger whenever I can get wire labels and loose wire management setup.

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Linda,

There is just a large gaping hole that was covered up with some loose insulation there where the water heater should be. This is the first part that I have opened that has yeilded rusted and derelict instead of just missing and misused.

Will need to post pictures. Welding is beyond me, so will have to workout a restoration plan carefully. If someone has a picture of what a water heater ought to look installed like in a conquest then that would certainly be very helpful.

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Conquest doesn't really matter. they install in all motorhomes the same. outside

Image result for motorhome water heater inside hook ups

On the inside there are water inlets and outlets that are hooked up to your water system. Like this

Image result for motorhome water heater inside hook ups

I have never used my water heater. I don't miss it at all. The water in your tank is not cold like water from a tap. it's the same as outside temperature and in California that's usually in the 70's or more during camping season. My shower drains into my black tank and 1 shower could almost fill it. I do have a generator and a microwave so if I'm not near campground with shower or lake to swim in, I can start my gennie and get a hot wet towel in a minute. Clean up nicely with that 

Linda S

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thanks linda.  Do these devices:

https://www.eccotemp.com/eccotemp-l5-portable-tankless-water-heater/

carry any reputation here? While I agree that california (which is where mr. car will also live) doesnt demand hot water, my personal needs tend to make a source unavoidable. So, mr. car will get its appliances back. And that includes, for now,

1. water heater.

2. refrigerator.

3. microwave.

4.  air conditioning of  some sort.

5. Solar energy arrangement of some sort.

6. a small generator as last resort backup.

The furnace and oven will have to be revitalized.

All water tanks exist. Though the straps holding them, as usual, have hit things that bent them out of shape. Fortunately, to no visible harm to the tanks themselves.

Day X+1 progress: Reinstall the truck battery after recharging overnight. Mr car started right up several times and seemed to run fine. Of course, I forgot to check the alternator. Not that it would make any real difference since its not driving or staying on for meaningful durations to charge that way.  Under the hood doesn't look very scary, there is some visible rust, and an odd loose wire or two.  In due time.

 

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19 minutes ago, neubie said:

Do these devices:

https://www.eccotemp.com/eccotemp-l5-portable-tankless-water-heater/

carry any reputation here?

 

 

IMHO, designed for outdoor use only.

"IMPORTANT: This is a portable, recreational water heater and should not be permanently installed or plumbed into any fixtures: sinks, showers, etc."

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If the alternator on a Toyota isn't charging the brake and battery light both come on. If yours didn't it's probably working. easy to check the truck battery with the vehicle running though.

I do know that water heater has worked well for some but in the past it had to be mounted outside. I see no warning about that anymore in the sales info. Strange. It is too tall to fit in you water heater space though

Linda S

 

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I have seen them installed on the outside back of a couple of motorhomes though and they worked nicely for them. I wonder why the altitude limits. Keep an eye out on craigslist Nuebie. Water heater do come up and sometime there are rvs that are getting parted out. Your space won't hold anything larger than a 6 gallon one

Linda S

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thanks all. Need to measure everything. Hadnt considered the box size conundrum.  The dumb rusted water heater cabinet scratched a finger, so I left it alone after a quick peek at the disaster.

The refridgerator and generator will likely be new, just for warranty service. But yes, I am watching both fleabay and craigslist. Craigslist in these here parts is unfortunately quite gougey and scammy to describe it humbly, but there are some reasonable items far and between. There is no rush on the water heater. Its still dismantling time. Then floor, walls, roof, wiring. It will take me weeks if not months to get past those.

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Todays effort was ordering new lavatory sink + faucet + pipes and couplings. These were missing in action.  Will take a while to come yet.  The kitchen sink exists, as does most of the piping and kitchen faucets. So a trap here and there and some woodworking later I should have a complete system.

I am planning on taking off the wardrobe that is next to the lavatory (this is a rear lav jnit, wardrobe/some drawers on top of water tank/pump right next to the entry door.  The opened up space will house the sink portion of the lavatory.  There doesnt appear to be any real obstruction there, it looks like a pretty thin partition between the wardrobe and lavatory with nothing really installed on the top hslf that will move from being a separator between the lavatory and closet to the wall next to the entry door where the cupboard used to be. Depending upon the plumbing ( not to be moved, just rerouted or added where missing) needs, I might keep a drawer or two of the cupboard as it is. 

This is the only real storage but storage is easy to add as the sofa was never going to be resurrected and the top of the generator cabinet makes for an ideal place for moving the cupboard while creating a usable mini lavatory instead of the micro unit with almost unusable toilet seat/sink arrangement. From reading about it, it looks like this had that tiny corner lavatory sink next to the toilet seat.

Are there any structural/support issues likely just by taking down the wall between the cupboard and the lav? The rest of the structure will remain the same.

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This is a very long thread but in it are tons of videos Ben made while cutting an 86 Conquest apart to make it into a band transport with some sleeping space. You should be able to get a better view of what's behind those walls and where the structural support is and isn't. He does a crazy good job of putting it back together. might help with some ideas. Oops completely missed the part where you already saw these. Oh well

Linda S

 

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Thanks linda. That car had a rear kitchen, this one has a wardrobe in the rear and no window. It looks like there is just a thin piece of ply there. There should be time today to look it over and start measuring stuff.

Next question: There isnt much holding the original floor, the linoleum is mostly dying to get out by itself and the bottom appears easy enough to expose. Ben adds what looks like a new sheet of plywood and that is later painted as a floor. Do you need something, anything, if the floor will be a plank floor of some kind. The current arrangement is whatever that plastic floor originally was and a thin cardboard. Pictures to come.

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I don't know cause I don't own a Conquest and have no idea how the floor is made. A hard plank floor though has to be put over a level surface. If your floor has soft spots or is uneven a sheet of plywood would be a good idea for sure

Linda S

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Thanks Linda.

Today I had a first detailed conversation with Mr car, and it agreed to give up the 90% of the linoleum and its backing without any major argument. The floor is the same as in Ben's videos. I will need a sheet of plywood.

Some of the carpet also went, but a couple of the seat bolts are rusted and want a bigger intervention than the tools today could provide. I plan on snipping most of the rug first and then getting to the seats. 

The rest of the carpet should leave tomorrow, hopefully. And then remaining insulation under the sink, and bed. Then mr. car can come where power tools are available, and get its roof covered up to protect from any downpours. Am hoping to document the current state tomorrow as well.

I would like to make a change in the roof as well. How hard does one expect a replacement from the current fabric and insulation to something a bit more presentable? Any recent roof repair threads where people did a good job? Am looking through DIY as well.

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On 6/25/2017 at 3:01 PM, Derek up North said:

IMHO, designed for outdoor use only.

"IMPORTANT: This is a portable, recreational water heater and should not be permanently installed or plumbed into any fixtures: sinks, showers, etc."

I actually own one of these. They burn propane and make great hot water and I think they could easily be plumbed in, provided that the unit itself gets its own exhaust to the outside or is mounted on the outside of the RV.

The plumbing isn't the problem, the carbon monoxide is. That being said, the one I own i use as a "camp shower" and hot water provider for an  off the grid cabin in the woods... not for an RV

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19 hours ago, linda s said:

No longer made. Fix it you can. If you need to upgrade to a new one it's hard and maybe impossible to find one large enough to fill the space. have to make a filler panel to accommodate it

Linda S

Thanks Linda. Thankfully its mostly mechanically complete, including keys. Doesn't want to come off the door and I am picking the battles selectively for now.

There has been progress. The old carpet is gone except under the seats. The linoleum is gone too. The bad news is that the refridgerator was removed very recklessly. The good news is that the rest of the wiring is still nearly all functional. The monitor and its LEDs and sensors even work. The propane connection for the water heater is capped. So it was taken out some time ago.

The floor is softer than I would like. The roof has those two patches that need investigating. Given that the roof will take some kind of planks it will soon be time to peek under and see what secrets it holds.  The walls aren't terrifying, thankfully. And while the cabover window needs work from outside, the space itself is only in need of a refresh, and not a tear down.

 

pano.jpg

fridgespace.jpg

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A first application of dollar store wheel cleaner happened to the grime in the footwell. Its percolating, so to speak, for now. Its too dirty for a quick wipe. Tomorrow, perhaps one more round. A sander should arrive sometime soon, so a lot of vacuum, wirebrush, sand and repeat after that.

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Lets hope so.

There isnt a timeline, and the painting will most likely happen somewhere else. Once I understand what is needed I can try to find local resources. The initial cleanup and assessment is time consuming, and probsbly unavoidable to do by oneself. I probably cant tackle many things I already know so not a bad idea to find norcal rv resources for parts, painting, servicing of the truck, and so on. Anyone know/recommend any people/places?

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There has been some progress. Weather gods have been very kind, and adding a move of mr. car closer where power tools can now be used means a lot of examination was completed. In one word: flimsy. Add the recklessness of previous owners and you have a fairly bad mess.

When we left off, the truck footwell and front in general was getting cleaned. Well, the rusted bolts finally agreed they had to come off with proper tools. With the seats moved, it was trivial to get rid of any remnants stuck to the floor.

Now I had tried various solvents to get rid of the slime that is dust, grease, oil, bits of carpet backing and adhesive. Lots and lots of adhesive. Makes no sense why you want this much of it. But it's there. So far, had little to no luck with wheel cleaners and such. Rubbing the goo(f)-off type solvents with a breathing mask on wasn't very attractive starting option for my lower back. So I tried my stand by home remedy -- oven cleaner. You know the easy off type. Its usually handier than toilet bowl cleaner types, which was the stand by. 

Easy off made mush of the leftover backing and took quite a bit of all the grime off. Encouraging enough that I would consider another couple rounds and then a rub/wipe with some goo-off solvent.

I also treated the door lock to a good helping of easy off. It finally understands me. But not before locking me in to the point of frustration first.

There is a black coating of some kind in the footwell. Not sure what the deal is there, but I plan on leaving it alone as the last (or original toyota) paint/primer coat went over it.  A wire brush disc on the drill is next after solvents. Anything left over is probably not going to bother the new primer/paint.

Yes, it all reads like a neubie. Probably because that's what it is. I have very little idea of what I am doing.

Off to the middle, the home battery is out and talking to a float charger. This revealed that a stone or *something* had fractured its plastic housing at some point. There is a small crack/hole in the black plastic rear wheel covers.

All the way back, it turns out there is a bit of framing in the wall between the loo and the cupboard over the water tank. But it doesn't get in the way of expanding the bathroom if all you want to do is add a sink, instead of the corner joke of a sink that would have been there had mr. car not been treated so poorly.

What does get in the way is a light, a 120v socket and most importantly the plumbing for the black/grey water exhaust vent. It goes up through that space to the vent. Again, not the end of the world, but it will have to be rerouted along the wall to the roof to the original vent. Just plumbing. shouldn't be hard. The light and the socket are easily moved.

So I will leave half the cupboard alone. The drawers stay as they are. I mean the organization will remain. The drawers themselves will need to be rebuilt. On top there is a 24x16 space in the right half of the cupboard that will give me my sink. The plumbing only needs small adjustment as the whole thing is moving all of 16 inches to the side instead of the old back corner of the loo.

The cupboard ply is merely wedged against the wall, and the bathroom wall is the thinnest ply we have all already met. There should be no problem cutting half of it off and the creating a sink space, mirror and roof lighting there. The loo has no door as of now. It will get a closet style sliding door now that there will be room when one of the doors of the cupboard is gone.

Next up, taking off the cupboards and hardware.  And then emptying everything that comes off under a tarp in the garage. And adding a tarp as cover against elements for the roof too.

1. Anyone have a handy link for the fridge vent replacement? Don't have one right now. There was a towel and duct tape there. As well as recommendations for grey/black water vent, and the maxxair/fantastic fan type solutions. It gets close to a 100 inside and improvements in air flow will help me last a bit longer than the few minutes a day I can do now.

2. Lights and choices for having a room light panel like your non mobile home. Presume lots of you have moved over to LEDs. The original fixtures are beyond yellow and have to go.

3. Cupboards and shelves? The front seems reusable but the bottoms are hardly worth restoring. Not in a great state and have had holes drilled for speakers of a sound system that is also coming off. Closets and shelves are for storage, not to be used as boom boxes. Is new plywood the way to go?

4. Corner seals. The old trim is mostly in pretty bad shape. The corners are, as usual a little hastily repaired underneath and are probably best resealed. Is a layer of dicor/butyl tape, replacement of the corner covers and new vinyl trim sufficient of a protection? Obviously some liquid sealant does in any irregularities.

Happy 4th.

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I work really slowly, for various reasons. So, slow progress. The cab and coach are bare now, almost completely. Except for the 1. kitchen sink+oven+furnace, 2. the shitter, 3. the shower pan, and 4. the two ceiling cupboards that run along the length.

I was hoping that I could keep the ceiling. But now that I can touch them, there are three spots in the common leak places. So ceiling must go. Probably means cupboards come down first,then the roof panels and wet insulation go.

So, next questions:

1. what is the most favored insulation board and where does one get it?

2. The thin roof ply. How thick, what kind and where does one get it?

On a positive note Lowes had some clearance, that got me three ottomans and their cushions for 7.50 each delivered. If they dont cancel. These have a metal base. I plan on using them creatively for both seating and structural strengthening. If Lowes reneges on the deal, at least I know what I want and where.

If I can get past the 4 hurdles,then reconstruction of the coach can at least be thought of. By the way,markwilliams, all the lights have LED bulbs in them. But there is no mark or model to help. The housings are beyond reuse and I am going for a light strip on the kitchen side and a couple recessed lights on the passanger side. All LEDs too, but not sure which yet.

good day.

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The Lowes furniture finally came, it will do very well when there is space ready to receive it in a couple months. In my quest for having as little space for dust to hide as possible, and lighten the load as much as possible I have ended up with both a metal dinette and metal bed/sofa. This leaves the whole floor area open to cleaning. Allergies and such, likelihood of cats wanting to ride along. Wood or leather is going to be in as few places as possible. Washable fabric, or cleanable metal, vinyl, whatever.

But, this is still far in the future. Still have to cleanup over the cab, take down cabinets, roof, shitter. Never ending removal.

Edited by neubie
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http://www.all-rite.com/hehr-glazing-bead-seal - 1/8 or 3/16? 

 

I was looking for rubber/plastic trim that goes around the windows. Looks to be 1/2 or 7/16 or 9/16 shape as in picture. All I can find are the U shaped ones that go over stuff. Anyone have a handy internet link. I searched the forum too but came up empty.

20170709_101305.jpg

Edited by neubie
all-rite
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Hey neubie, wish you'd have pics of the inside before restoring but Good Luck Man. You got a lot on your plate! If you look @ my post "Grannie got a Face Lift" you'll see the LED fixtures I bought. Made by Optronics. A good supplier of LED fixtures . Other brands of multiple LED fixtures I've tried invariably have 1 or 2 LEDs in their cluster start to dim, burn out or blink (the worst!) Same with LED light strips. Buy the best you can afford! Your descriptions are eloquent but for me pictures are worth way more than a description! Look forward to more from you!

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