'84 Southwind observations/opinions

[raccoonman]

well; we've had the SW for a month and a half; slowly working my way through replacing worn out stuff, removing unnecessary stuff, and improving stuff Fleetwood thought was "good enough". i've learned how to rebuild a luggage compartment door; how to fill the water tank AND how to drain it quickly before a leaking water strainer floods the whole coach; how to access the fresh water tank and the rat's nest of wiring and plumbing alongside it, to replace the UV-damaged drain outlet....
how to be attacked by the front bunk overcenter spring arms when removing the bunk; how to jack one side of the coach up so pooling rainwater doesn't leak through the antenna base.....

but if you think these are complaints, you're wrong. i've been messing with antique cars for nearly thirty years, everything from Austin-Healeys and Triumphs to Mercedes, BMW's and more old Fords than i can reliably count. not many of these had the capability for you to take a breather and chill out in a nice comfy chair in between bouts of work....

but i do need to devise a setup to change the one-piece rear bed platform top into a two-or-three section folding arrangement, so as to access the underneath more easily. so much wasted space back there... as a matter of fact, there's dead space EVERYWHERE i look. it's anathemic to a sailor to have unusable storage space!

[Poptop]

Sounds like you have a "fun" project going on. On the bright side you're learing about your coach inside and out. More storage space is always better but make sure you don't use all that new found space to the point you overload the MH. Have fun and carry on.

[raccoonman]

thanks for the reminder about weight; it's always an issue to contend with regardless of the vehicle. i'm thinking along the lines of keeping "off season" clothing safe/secure and dry more than stashing more cans of food, though!
i replaced the kitchen faucet due to the spigot gland nut being broken; here's where i have a pet peeve. the original set was a standard laundry type faucet and regardless of who/where i asked, nobody could come up with a replacement for it.... so i bought a new set, $53, and installed it. and me being ME, out of curiosity, i unscrewed the spigot gland.... exactly the same threads. i COULD have just used the gland nut and returned the set to Lowes.... but it does look a heck of a lot nicer and it's easier to use as the faucets open 1/4 turn with levers instead of twist twist twist of the originals.
installed two new fire extinguishers as well; one by the side entrance and one in front of the engine cover. i have read far too many stories of coaches going up in flames.....

[raccoonman]

wow, time for an update, i think. i decided to take a chance and cut the factory rear sleeping platform top into three pieces, add bracing and hinge them to enable access to the underside for the water tank/lines and the inverter wiring... i kind of arbitrarily decided upon 25 inches as a section length... wouldn't you know, Fleetwood put the internal bracing in at 24" centers? not a disaster, really; as the bracing is put in "sideways", i.e. wide side flat, and my cuts fell satisfactorily inside the bracing! along with the added framing i installed under the bed platform, i found hinging the top unnecessary and with the front and rear sections screwed down, the middle fits snugly and doesn't shift. it's a LOT easier to access the internals now, without wrestling that huge assembly around.
i stopped by The Trail Center and snagged a replacement double light fixture and some new lenses, along with a fresh water fill tube and some replacement bulbs... spent less than 27 bucks, wow...

Dad came down from DC to spend a week, i showed him the Chris Craft nameplates he left that i'd installed on the header bar; tickled the heck out of him... so much, he now wants an RV of his own!