making parts for my Southwind

[raccoonman]

went to the company picnic today and had some fun, came home to get some work in on the Southwind. Yesterday i took off the badly bent rear bumper and today i made a replacement defroster plenum for the windshield. i used the inside vent for basic measurements, cut out some sheetmetal and took to hammering and cutting, then welding and more hammering and cutting.... suffice it to say, it's a good thing i don't weld for a living. the vent i made is pretty close to the size and shape of the factory piece, just made out of scrap steel. kinda heavy, but it's not gonna break.
i'm going to buy a length of square steel tube tomorrow and put brackets on it to bolt up in place of the rear bumper. i may work up some removable or hinged caps for it.
i found a 4' x 4' sheet of PVC at the thrift store for 3 bucks, shower pan liner.... in-a-pinch patches for the roof, maybe, or wherever i've seen leaks in the piping.... couldn't pass it up for 3 bucks.
also working up a pair of pieces to reinforce the water tank drain valve where it goes through the coach wall. material there is showing it's age and won't hold screws anymore.
ahhhh... weekends are too short.

[raccoonman]

haven't done much lately, but did make a small reinforcing plate for the new fresh water tank drain valve i installed. the underlying structure in the sidewall just wouldn't take a screw anymore, so i cut a piece of sheetmetal to fit over the hose inside the coach and punched two small holes in it for screws. i was actually able to wedge it onto one screw and get it started from outside without any assistance, and then tightened it down snugly. the modification i made to the bed platform made this chore a LOT less labor intensive, as it only required moving the mattress and lifting the forward section of the platform top.

i'm strongly considering removing the LP gas tank, piping, and stove. it's the only gas-fired unit left, and i'm leaning towards going all-electric with a battery bank where the tank is installed.