1984 Winnebago Elandan Makeover

[Peter_Crowl]

Been working on a makeover...got a few areas at or near completion.
Thought I'd share what I've done as far as ceiling and wall treatments.
Needless to say it had the usual peeling vinyl wallpaper...the cloth covering the valances in the bedroom was falling apart...the PO had removed the bathroom divider wall...they had been such heavy smokers that the odor could not be removed so I had to strip out the carpet - which was nasty anyway - and all upholstery. On the upside they had just installed a new refrigerator and mounted 6 new tires :~) Mechanically it's pretty good as well. I had to replace one exhaust manifold.

Anyway - I don't know how much farther I'll get before I have to put it away for winter so I thought I'd post this now.

The big project was changing from the sideways full size bed to twins. Not only did I have to make the new bed boxes but also re-locate the leveling jacks.

For the walls I used two different treatments. In the bedroom I applied heavy upholstery vinyl to the Luan using Weldwood spray adhesive. Up front I applied a thin plastic sheeting that has a textured surface - also using Weldwood adhesive. The sheeting is nice in that it's heavy enough to cover the walls and defects but thin enough to cut with shears. I should add that having done this I recommend removing the vinyl wallpaper entirely using a heat gun. It comes off easily and leaves a better surface.

On the ceilings I used white CoroPlast. Here I used both Weldwood adhesive and aluminum channel strips to mount the sections. For the section seams I used the white plastic panel joiners that they sell at HD. I cut them down to the face strip and spine which nests into the seam crack. That and contact cement has them up there very solidly. You'll see in the photos that I also replaced the brown plastic cove covers with black ABS in aluminum channels.

In the Kitchen I'm using natural CoroPlast which is semi transparent. My wife is experimenting with a background as you'll see in the photos.

The Kitchen cabinet is out...I've laminated black 1/8" ABS to the face and side. I'll mount the original oak doors but I've refinished them using Formby's to lighten them to more of a golden oak. I made a new counter top laminating Formica that has a honed - non reflective - finish. We're installing a new sink that's not as wide as the old twin bowl sink but which is deeper. We're keeping the original Cooktop/Oven combo. I hope to have all that in palace before winter.

I'm using Alure flooring but won't install till Spring so I can deal with the expansion issues more gradually.

So that's about it. Not much progress for the length of time I've put in. It's really amazing how long it takes to get anything done when nothing is flat, level or square. Add to that the problem of having to go in and out of the coach a dozen times for each task and time just oozes away

http://photobucket.com/84Elandan

[cook elandan]

Good looking job you have going on there. I also have an elandan 1985 which I will be going down your path on the makeover. But I started with the rebuild on the engine and transmission and other external repairs before starting on the inside. Lots of good ideas you have that I have been trying to see what would work best when I get to that spot.
Thanks for the Pics, look great. Keep the information and pics flowing, love reading all the information that I can and alway willing to give some of my own information. I have posted some of what I have been doing on other threads but my restoration of my MH is taking some time since I am doing most if not all of it myself and we all know how much extra time we have to do all of this. Thanks again, and hope to see more.

[donandmax]

Lovin it !!

[dgapilot]

Peter, looks good. I've got to take care of mechanicals forst (transmission is coming out soon) then I'll get to the cosmetic stuff. Great ideas on ways to attack some of the problems. I like the red sidewals. How close are the pics to the actual color?

Cook, are you doing your engine/tranny yourself? I've found a guy to do my transmission for $350 + parts. The first shop I had it at wanted just shy of 4k to pull the transmisison and replace it with a Jasper unit. That's more than I paid for the whole camper! Had it towed home last weekend, now I need to get some jack stands and pull the tranny myself.

David

[Peter_Crowl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgapilot Peter, looks good. I've got to take care of mechanicals forst (transmission is coming out soon) then I'll get to the cosmetic stuff. Great ideas on ways to attack some of the problems. I like the red sidewals. How close are the pics to the actual color? David

Thanks!
The photos are close to actual color. We used red paint in the bathroom on the side and front walls. I used Luan to skin the divider wall and the shower bulkhead wall. I stained the Luan with a new Minwax color - I think it's called Sedona Red.

It's hard to see the grey wall skin - but it's nice and should hold up well.

[ronspradley]

Great information here on remodels. Sure appreciate all of the good ideas. Has anyone used the embossed paintable wallpaper to replace the failing vinyl attached (or maybe not attached) to the luan on walls? Thinking about trying to use that to help cover the irregularities on walls. Thanks again for all of the help here..............ronspradley

[Peter_Crowl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronspradley Great information here on remodels. Sure appreciate all of the good ideas. Has anyone used the embossed paintable wallpaper to replace the failing vinyl attached (or maybe not attached) to the luan on walls? Thinking about trying to use that to help cover the irregularities on walls. Thanks again for all of the help here..............ronspradley

I gave that a lot of consideration and in fact bought a roll of the "Stucco" texture paper. My problem with it came down to hanging it. I'm not a paper hanger. I could just see it looking like crap when I was done. Would the pattern look good...would the seams be tight...would the seams open up with temperature changes...would the adhesive hold.
The 4 x 10 plastic panels were a snap to install and look good.

That said I know the wall paper has been used by others and they reported satisfaction.

[Ragingbull]

The Stucco pattern works very well. I have a few rolls that I'm planning to put in my pace arrow

[jmurphy5]

Nice looking job! I may need some advice on afew projects I'm getting ready to start.

Jim

[cook elandan]

dgapilot...yes i am doing the rebuild myself. I bought the unit with a noise in engine which not a problem since I would rebuild it. Unit had 113k miles on it, plus price was right 2500. with motor out found 4 of the rear connecting rod bearings spun. with it out I decieded to pull the 400 trans and then traded it for a 4l80e trans to get an overdrive. Will have about 900. in it with a trans controller and rebuild kit and new torque converter.
The engine I should have about 1800. in it with 1400. on the engine and the rest for new water pump starter ect...
For you and your rebuild trans, sounds bout right if it is the 400.

[jmurphy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cook elandan dgapilot...yes i am doing the rebuild myself. I bought the unit with a noise in engine which not a problem since I would rebuild it. Unit had 113k miles on it, plus price was right 2500. with motor out found 4 of the rear connecting rod bearings spun. with it out I decieded to pull the 400 trans and then traded it for a 4l80e trans to get an overdrive. Will have about 900. in it with a trans controller and rebuild kit and new torque converter. The engine I should have about 1800. in it with 1400. on the engine and the rest for new water pump starter ect... For you and your rebuild trans, sounds bout right if it is the 400.

My engine was making noise when i got it. i thought it was the flywheel making the noise but it turned out the bolts on the tork converter where loose. Pretty easy fix about 30 Mon. I got real lucky.

[Teachrz]

I updated an '82 Allegro with granite paint over paneling. It was tough as nails and went on like a milkshake covering scratches and dings completely.

[Winnebeater]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Crowl I gave that a lot of consideration and in fact bought a roll of the "Stucco" texture paper. My problem with it came down to hanging it. I'm not a paper hanger. I could just see it looking like crap when I was done. Would the pattern look good...would the seams be tight...would the seams open up with temperature changes...would the adhesive hold. The 4 x 10 plastic panels were a snap to install and look good. That said I know the wall paper has been used by others and they reported satisfaction.

We installed the "Stucco" textured paper throughout our entire motorhome. The real nightmare was removing the old paper (I know I had to listen to my wife complain about it, LOL). The adhesive on the back of the paper will hold for about five minutes, so we resorted to using a heavy duty spray adhesive. It's been in up for about 8 months now and no peeling problems. There is separation issues with the seams, but it is minor. Plus since it is a heavy textured pattern we used paint-able silicone to fill the cracks and add some texture to hide it. Once the cabinets, furniture and other things are re-installed you don't even notice. The wall paper is also paint-able so you can paint the wall just like a wall in a house. I'll post a link to a before and after album on my Facebook page of our motorhome so you can see the wall paper installed. The bathroom photo is probably the best photo of a large section of unobstructed wall. Oh and it is definitely a two person job!

Facebook

[cook elandan]

Hey guys, Have a roof question. My roof of course has been weathered good. It is still pretty much smooth but you can see the fiberglass strands. What can I use to seal it for now. I plan to repaint the whole coach at a later date but just looking for something for now. Should I give it the red max treatment.
thanks.