Monitor Door Modification - Journey Express

[f14av8r]

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to share a little upgrade / mod I made to our coach.

We were touring some coaches at a show recently and ran across a few that had a door covering the monitor panel. I liked the clean look and decided to try and add one to my coach.

While in Forest City this summer, I ordered a custom door to fit over the panel. I also ordered the door hardware. Winnebago made the door to my specifications and it arrived a few weeks later.

Installing the door was easy. The only difficult part was routing the slots for the hidden hinges. In retrospect, I would have had Winnebago rout the hinge slots. I muddled through it with a dremel tool and a router though and it came out fine.

We elected to leave the knob off for now. The door is easy to open by just grasping the edge. I'm afraid we might catch things on the knob while walking down the aisle. We'll see. For now, we really like the clean look and having all the mechanicals hidden makes for a much more residential look to the interior.

[Cougarkid]

Nice Job!

Looks really good, like it was there from the factory.

[tderonne]

I thought about doing the same thing, but was worried about covering the thermostat. Any problems with it yet?

[f14av8r]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cougarkid Nice Job! Looks really good, like it was there from the factory.

Thanks Cougar,
That's the beauty of the mod. The Winnebago Factory made the door to match the rest of my cabinets and it matches perfectly. I was really happy with their willingness to make a custom door and the price was quite reasonable. It cost me about $150 including all the hardware.

[f14av8r]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tderonne I thought about doing the same thing, but was worried about covering the thermostat. Any problems with it yet?

Hi Tim,
Very astute of you! I share your concern and only time will tell. I ran the A/C for about an hour after the install but that really wasn't enough time to see the thermostat do its thing.

I decided to proceed with the mod after considering the following:
- I saw the same setup in another new Winnie (2011 Journey)
- There aren't any major heat generating devices on the panel, especially below the thermostat (heat rises). There are a few lights and things back there though and I'm sure they do generate some heat.
- I installed the hinges such that I can extend the door out from the wall another 1/4 inch if necessary to improve the airflow.

It's a great question though. We have a trip the end of the month. I'll update the post after we have a little more experience with it.

[JimM68]

The thermostats generally have a remoter temp sensor located "somewhere else"
Covering the themostat won't bother it.

[SCVJeff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimM68 The thermostats generally have a remoter temp sensor located "somewhere else" Covering the themostat won't bother it.

Not these... This is just like any other residence thermostat.

[SCVJeff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cougarkid Nice Job! Looks really good, like it was there from the factory.

Oh wait! .. It WAS

[Texas TC]

If your Journey Express does not have external sensors, it must have changed in 2011 when they went to roof air. I have a sensor in the bedroom and one in the living area for the thermostat. And....I really like your modification. I think I would like to do the same but have smoked glass/plexiglass with a wood trim. I might have to look into that.