OUTLAW Mods and Easy Fixes

[Scarab0088]

Like Jeff said...the aftermarket is full of offerings. But, I found that you might not get the Alcoa logo.

I believe "real" Alcoa parts are labeled as such and will reflect a price point to match.

I don't think Alcoa sells retail direct, so you need to find a dealer.

Hope you post what you find.

P.S. You might check the hub fluid while the cap is off (It's a Workhorse thing)

[focker]

Originally Posted by JeffAZ

I lost a front hubcap about 4 years ago, and ordered a couple replacements from
bigrigchromeshop.com. It has stayed on, and I still have the extra as a spare.

I just loaded up my Smart 4-2 in the OTL garage. Will be hauling it starting tomorrow on my first long trip bringing it along. Going from AZ to Nebraska for a couple weeks.

Thank you so much for the tip, I will get an order in to keep the Outlaw pretty

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Like Jeff said...the aftermarket is full of offerings. But, I found that you might not get the Alcoa logo.

P.S. You might check the hub fluid while the cap is off (It's a Workhorse thing)

I have had a touch of leaking from the passenger side wheel when it is parked turned somewhat or the jacks have lifted most the weight off the wheel in bad level situations. I might be time for a rebuild of the wet hubs at some point.

[focker]

Originally Posted by JeffAZ

I lost a front hubcap about 4 years ago, and ordered a couple replacements from
bigrigchromeshop.com. It has stayed on, and I still have the extra as a spare.

Would these be the ones you ordered?
https://www.bigrigchromeshop.com/fro...l#.W7-fYvZReUk

[JeffAZ]

Hey Scott, it's been so long I don't fully remember. That looks about right, except I ordered the stainless steel one.

This is about the only motorhome part I have ever purchased that pleasantly surprised me with a reasonable price. In fact, I splurged and bought one of their T-shirts, too :

"Lookin cool ain't cheap, and lookin cheap ain't cool"

[JeffAZ]

I've been doing and having a lot of mods done the last couple of months. I posted earlier about the inverter installation, finally got that completed. I have been wanting to get the vinyl flooring and carpet replaced for awhile now. I finally got the vinyl done, hopefully the carpet will follow soon. I used a guy who has done a lot of residential floor work for me the last few years. He finally got a couple days freed up and took on the vinyl in my coach. It is very convenient having it done at my house. It looks sooo much better. Here you can see how the old ugly vinyl had split (nothing a rug couldn't cover, though ). I did most of the demo myself, and he provided the skill work.
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I borrowed heavily from f15epilot's post about his remodel, so I placed foil-backed foam insulation under the cockpit floor. Happily, I didn't have the floorboard water damage he had from the FQP. I guess that's an advantage of of living in Arizona versus Florida.
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Here is a photo from the install. One long piece of vinyl flooring from the accelerator pedal to the garage door. And a separate piece for the bathroom.

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[JeffAZ]

So here are some photos of the final install, though I do need to finish up the rest of the baseboards. Again, I copied f15epilot's idea of using vinyl cove baseboard in the cockpit, which I like the look of. You can also see the captain's chair I had recovered. That crumbling pleather was driving me crazy. And a rear-ward photo that shows the bigger tv and fireplace that I copied from a few of you guys.
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[JeffAZ]

Also, I don't know if anybody else has that problem with the long, narrow, curvy plastic strip that connects the instrument panel "bubble" with the rest of the dash? Mine was all cracked and broken in about 5 pieces and looked terrible. I showed it to the guy who did my tv and fireplace install, and he was able to replace it with a custom piece that replaced the old one. I don't know if this is just Workhorse phenomenon or not. Anyway, here's a photo of that.

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One more thing, I want to replace those old brassy, ornate cupboard handles with something less "grandma" looking. I found this one at Home Depot for only $2. But the footprint is different, so there is a difference in the appearance of the wood from the old handle footprint. (Reminds me of my exterior decal replacement ghost challenges ) . Any recommendations for mitigating this? Oh the joys of a 10yr old coach! Thanks for reading!

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[Scarab0088]

I believe all Outlaw dash shells are the same within any individual model year...Ford, Workhorse, and Freightliner FRED. The instrument panel inset is what is different.

Originally Posted by JeffAZ

Also, I don't know if anybody else has that problem with the long, narrow, curvy plastic strip that connects the instrument panel "bubble" with the rest of the dash? Mine was all cracked and broken in about 5 pieces and looked terrible. I showed it to the guy who did my tv and fireplace install, and he was able to replace it with a custom piece that replaced the old one. I don't know if this is just Workhorse phenomenon or not. Anyway, here's a photo of that.

...

We have that issue with the dash hump edge mounts cracking.

That molding looks very nice...could you provide any specific info on it?

Thanks

[Scarab0088]

Outlaw owner lost full steering arc...turns out an aftermarket steering aid can slip off-center and disable steering
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/what...ox-419220.html

Great-easy fix to what looked to be a VERY serious problem

Credit to ScottnKat

[ScottnKat]

Thank you Scarab008. I had lots of help and input. It occurs with an ultra tight turning radius. Shifted, at the u bolts, about 6 inches off center. So thankful I was at home. Others have been out on the road.

[JeffAZ]

Well, it finally happened to me. I have had a couple of close calls, but last weekend it finally happened. Yes, I fell down the loft stairs all the way down to the garage doorwell. The loft carpet had been removed earlier that day, so of course I had to remove the steel handrail that fits along the staircase up into the loft (or should I say "sky bunk"? No, not gonna do it.) .

I was up there with a large shop vac cleaning up the carpet remnants, working my way from the farthest back to the front and started down the stairs backwards. With the vacuum hose in one hand, I instinctively reached for the railing, but of course grabbed nothing but air. After a couple of futile adjustments to recover my balance, gravity assumed full command of my rapidly accelerating descent. On the way into the doorwell, my right bun of steel hit the knob of the open garage door. After my completely ungraceful landing, I assessed the damage. The door knob had been forced downward and the bottom of it has cracked the fiberglass there. I will need a new doorknob assembly, maybe I'll get a powered one like the Bauer entrance door. I may put a thin metal plate there to cover the cracked fiberglass. And of course my pride and right glute us maximus is still sore. Thankfully, there were no witnesses or video cameras present.

So my floor guy had a heck of a time removing the loft carpet, as a lot of glue was used. The loft floor is metal, so now I know why it gets chilly up there if I sleep with the garage deck open on cold nights. Hopefully the floor guys come tomorrow to finish the new carpet install. I am going to have a pad put there under the carpet for insulation.

[JeffAZ]

Steve, you asked about the dash trim molding I had installed. I used a local guy who specializes in RVs, all terrain vehicles, etc. He showed me a '32 Ford he was making a whole new custom dash for, so I asked him if he had any ideas about my broken trim to go ahead and do that if he had time after doing the other stuff I had him do. He explained to me he made a mock-up of it out of some material, then made the final out of plastic, and wrapped it in a matching vinyl. He charges $65/hour and only charged one hour and some material for this. I was amazed how nice it looks, we'll see how it holds up long term.

This guy works out of a large garage he had purpose-built for his business at his home. He takes pride in making mods that look OEM, and I think he does great work.

[JeffAZ]

After the carpet was removed from the doghouse area, I could see why I have a hard time while driving staying cool on hot days, and staying warm on cold days.
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In the top photo, the joint between the doghouse cowl or collar, and the structure forward of that (where the carpet is removed) has a gap, all the way across that structure, of about 4 mm. of width. In the second photo you can see the gap going vertical, on the passenger side. There was also a similar gap on the driver side, but not as large. I had previously placed Dynamat on the underside of the doghouse door. Today I used Dynamat to fill in those gaps from the underside. I also lined the entire cowl along the whole perimeter of the doghouse. Much easier to do with the captain's chairs out. Hopefully this will keep the flight deck cooler, warmer and quieter.

[JeffAZ]

P.S. Here is the photo that somehow got deleted from my post #2400.

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