Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Class C Motorhomes: B+ motorhomes

Print | Close

Topic: B+ motorhomes

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 10/14/12 02:53pm

Alright, the bed is starting to take shape. One of my Aha! moments was to screw 1x2 "wall plates" down to the floor so I'd have a solid surface to measure and build from. The walls in the photos are just temp'd in place right now.

[image]

Currently RV-less but not done yet.

Posted By: RV er on 10/14/12 07:44pm

That's some nice work Snow,just the type of ideas I'm looking for.I removed one part of the dinette today and will remove the other part next weekend and wait till Spring to begin my project.I will use the Winter Season to plan my remodel job. Which may include converting the dinette area into a media center, converting the tv console area into a mobile device charging area and replacing the sofa with something more comfortable to sleep on. And an Inverter.

By the way, can someone kindly explain to me how to upload photos.

THANKS
Ralph

* This post was edited 10/14/12 07:59pm by RV er *

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 10/14/12 08:01pm

Re posting photos, there is a tutorial posted as a sticky in the Forum Technical Support forum. However I think I can make it simpler.

The biggest hurdle is that you have to be using a photo that is online somewhere. In other words, this site does not host your photo. The photo has to be externally hosted. If you are using a photo you have taken, then you need to put them onto some online photo site. I use picasaweb.google.com. Others use photobucket.com, flikr.com, etc. I can't speak to the others, but I use Picasa the same way as I use a photo that is on ebay or any other website. Namely, I right click on the photo, and select Copy Image URL. That is 90% of the battle.

Then when composing a post here, click on the icon that looks like a mountain and sun. A box will come up, in which you paste the URL of the photo you want to post. Secondarily, you set the dimensions of the photo. Set it to 640 wide, or less.

That's it. You are allowed to practice it at the Forum Tech Support forum, if you are so inclined. I would first practice with a photo that is already online. Once you see how easy that is, then you can proceed to find yourself a place to put your photos online.

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 10/14/12 08:11pm

burlmart wrote:

A framing option to effectively reduce the 3/8" plywood span is to place a post on the aisle side and directly across from the center of the access door opening. Run two beams diagonally from this post back to the two posts on the sides of the opening.

I think I am going to do this, or a variation of it anyway.

Posted By: Gene in NE on 10/14/12 10:00pm

Snowman9000 wrote:

That's very neat, Gene. There is a lot of structure by the slideout but on the back half there is almost none. That agrees with what I've always read about this type of wall. I'm going to save those images to my PC. Would you happen to have the passenger side or the rear wall too?

Zircon makes metal finders

I wish I did have the passenger side and the rear, but was glad I got what I got. Somewhere out there, I'm sure the blueprints exist. I believe that your "Zircon" metal finder works, but first I will try my $2.58 "rare earth" magnet that is supposed to lift 30 lbs. Lee Valley Limited - rare earth magnets

2002 Trail-Lite Model 211-S w/5.7 Chevy (click View Profile)
Gene

Posted By: burlmart on 10/15/12 03:50am

If further stiffening seems necessary, screwing a long strip of steel along the edge of the plywood would help. A C channel that is 3/8" inside would be sweet, but likely hard to find. Perhaps a square 3/8" steel tube ..

2005 Trail Lite 213 B-Plus w/ 6.0 Chevy

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 10/15/12 06:07am

Gene, I don't know how well the Zircon finder works. Thanks again for posting those sheets, that is a nice help. Someday I might put a solar panel or two on the roof and that sheet will be very handy. I have however read many reports where people don't hit any framing on the roof when they mount their panels, and the mounting is still solid when the appropriate materials are used.

Burl, I am probably over-thinking the bed platform top. The main reason I am doing that is because the overall thickness will affect how I trim out the top edge of the box. If I need to sandwich layers together or add battens or such, that will cause me to adjust my plans a little bit.

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 10/17/12 06:14pm

Well, the bed is functional! I still have to trim out the side wall, order a custom foam cushion and a pair of wedge shaped bolsters.

I had another Aha! moment and realized I could re-use the upholstery from the skirt panels which hid the sofa frame. I checked it and found there was just enough extra material so that it would fit my panels. The end panels are thin OSB (5/16?), and the aisle panel is 1/2" OSB. I stapled cleats on the back of the thin panels before I upholstered them. The 1/2" panel, I just screwed into it from the back side. It seems strong. If the screws won't stay tight I will have to glue cleats onto that panel after the fact.

The result of this is a very factory looking job. Could I ever return it to factory stock? It would take some work and some new and different paneling. I probably will hang onto the sofa as long as we have the RV, just in case. It could be sold to someone who doesn't mind having the frame exposed underneath, such as for a toy hauler or cargo conversion etc.

I bought a 4" heating diffuser (vent) and a length of foil dryer vent tubing, which is the exact same stuff the factory used. I installed the new diffuser on the end behind the cab seat. I am not using the vent closest to the furnace. (There is not much use in having a heat supply vent about 3 feet from the cold air return.) My new setup should give a little better coverage. I don't know if this was needed or not, but it was easy and cheap enough to do.

Prior to this I just threw my photos quickly onto my Picasa account. At some point I will make an album for this project. When I do, the earlier photo posts of this project will probably lose their links. I guess if you want to make sure you have any of them, right click on them and save them to your PC.

In the last photo in this sequence, I stuck the dinette cushions on there just to give an idea of a finished look. That's NOT how we will be using it, I just did it for grins.
[image]

Posted By: burlmart on 10/18/12 03:26am

Nice

No interior supports for plywood?

Good thinking on duct too close to air return

I know it's a pain, bit could you leave your current posts w/ pics and make an album by duplicating/renaming them for your album?

I am blown away by the added floorspace you get doing this.

* This post was edited 10/18/12 03:37am by burlmart *

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 10/18/12 08:03am

The plywood is (labeled) 19/32" sheathing. I had a sheet of it in my little pile of plywood. It seems to be just fine as is, for me. I'm not very heavy though. I have something else I'm going to try too, and then pick which is better. That piece of plywood is very "splintery" and if I use it I'm going to have to glue on some light carpeting or something, just to spare the cushion from snags and rips. If I had a power sander, I suppose I could make it better by sanding it.

Re the floor space, I think I could have made the box even narrower. I made it 32", but 30" with a 2" overhang with the top cantilevered out would have worked too. Or 31" with a 1" overhang, whatever. Moreover, when I stuck the dinette cushions on there and laid them flat, they hung out 3 or 4 inches into space and still were functional that way. Probably because you don't actually put any weight on the outer 3 or 4 inches of a mattress, but it still supports your arms. So I could have built a 28" box and still used a 32" cushion, I think. That extra floor space would be good for smaller dogs, shoes, etc.

Good thinking on the pics. I'm a very linear thinker and often cannot see simple ways around an obstacle.
:/

That's why I'm a prolific poster in the forum, because I get a lot of good ideas, many of which are obvious to someone not thinking like me.
[emoticon]

Print | Close