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Old 04-04-2012, 07:57 PM   #1
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Which mods to your vintage rig do you like the best?

Sometime in this next year we'll be trading up from our current Class A gasser to a 40' bus conversion (still looking for the perfect rig, dontchaknow) since 34' has proven a little small for us for a full-timing rig.

We've put a lot of work and modifications into our '89 Southwind and we were thinking about what we'd repeat (and not repeat) in the next RV.

So the question is: what mods that you've done in YOUR vintage rig do you appreciate the most or were the most successful, and maybe, which ones were a waste of time or money?

One thing we'll absolutely have in our next rig is the Oxygenics showerhead- such a great (and watersaving!) shower experience.

Next would be the back-up camera; it makes whipping into any campsite a snap and helps a lot with passing and pulling into and out of too-small gas stations. We'll probably include an extra camera on the side as well.

The vacuum gauge we installed is an enormous help in improving mpg- (this is a carburated 454, mind you) By watching the gauge, I've found I can back off on the accelerator a bit and while not affecting speed or engine revs improve the vacuum by an inch or two (which improves my mpg). I believe faithful adherance to watching the vacuum and trying to stay in the 58-62 mph range gives me at least 1 more mile per gallon, if not 2. This won't be applicable to a diesel, but I wish we'd installed the vacuum gauge long ago on this gas engine.

Something we WON"T be buying again will be the SHURflo Platinum series vent fan- the motor and the control board have both failed (the motor twice) and although SHURflo keeps sending out replacement parts, I wish I'd bought a Fantastic vent instead We've gotten very few hours of use out of this.

Anyway, what has worked and not worked for you? We'd love to hear!
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Old 04-05-2012, 01:31 PM   #2
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Technically, my 1993 Gulfstream is not vintage. But since things break so often, I ask for some slack. Changing to 50 amp is what I like the most, so far. It allows me to run both air conditioners when needed, and I also live in Texas so that would mean about 9 months a year. And I can also run two electric space heaters for cold weather.

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Old 04-06-2012, 11:52 AM   #3
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While we didn't rewire the whole coach to 50 amp, we modified it so that we have a separate 30 amp cord that will run the rear AC/heater. We plug both the main 30 amp power cord and the secondary cord into a dual-30-to-50 amp adapter to utilize 50 amp hookups.

You're right, its great for hot summers in this old coach.
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Old 04-06-2012, 02:05 PM   #4
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Although there are many, one handy upgrade I made makes life a little easier for me.
When I installed my 600 watt inverter I also wired a 120 v outlet to my tool storage bay. Now when I need to use my cordless power tools, I can charge the batteries up without running in and out of the RV. It also provides an outlet at the very rear of the RV for other 120v items I need now and then.

x2 on the Shurflo power vent.

I consider my RV to be vintage even though it doesn't quite fit in this category.
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Old 04-12-2012, 05:57 PM   #5
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Weve a 95 Winnie Vectra. I THINK its vintage Which is good. AND,....I dont know if this is a "mod", but I love OUR central air/heat, ie basement air conditioner, nuthin on top, LOL! OF THE RIG! HA! Some have had issues with this , and then there are stories like mine. Its ice cold quickly, and heat like right now!

The thing is some of these rigs(as my Hubs pointed out to me) that are this old have been "lived in" at one time or another, and you can tell. Wear and tear makes it look old. B ut with 54k orig miles and bearly 300 hrs on the generator, this coach LOOKS NEWISH. It actually still smells kinda new. Certainly not that particular smell( If you have ever smelled it ya kn ow what I mean) like plastic breaking down in the heat, which is inherent to many older rigs. PARTICULARLY the ones that have been loved a lot,lol!Like our old pop-up, by the time we sold it to a friens for nuthin, and he was happy to get it for hunting season. Well thats my 2 cents. I love old anything, Buildings, houses, antiques, vitage, you name it. I even like old folk, cause most often theyre pretty colorful and know a thing or two. Sincerely, Sandy
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Old 04-12-2012, 10:36 PM   #6
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Although we try to keep ours clean and as close to original as possible, my fav mod comes in the entertainment department. We installed an Infinity stereo w/fantastic sounding 11 speaker sound system, complete concealed 8'' subwoofer. It's handy for those times when you're outside BBQing, and you want to listen to some tunes. We also added a very compact 3k generator mounted on the rear step bumper.
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Old 04-16-2012, 09:50 PM   #7
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I have to say that the laminate flooring we installed made the interior look great and it's easy to clean. The granite in the bathroom and on the kitchen counter have been a great addition as well. I also like the in-dash nav unit that we installed. As for questionable upgrades.......we added a hitch mount bar-b-que and I wish I did a little more research because it is definitely not what I expect from a bar-b-que.
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Old 04-16-2012, 10:13 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Winnebeater View Post
I have to say that the laminate flooring we installed made the interior look great and it's easy to clean. The granite in the bathroom and on the kitchen counter have been a great addition as well. I also like the in-dash nav unit that we installed. As for questionable upgrades.......we added a hitch mount bar-b-que and I wish I did a little more research because it is definitely not what I expect from a bar-b-que.
I would like to see pics of your upgrades.. any available?
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Old 04-16-2012, 10:46 PM   #9
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Yes, here's a public link to an album I have posted on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=8b3d6ded30

Here's another link of the nav unit and drop down LCD tv that I installed: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3&l=e4c30bb98f
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Old 04-16-2012, 10:48 PM   #10
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Dont have Facebook... :(
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Old 04-16-2012, 11:12 PM   #11
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Dont have Facebook... :(
Sorry, I posted the links from my phone which did not work, but I edited my previous post. The links that are there now are accessible by anyone with or without a Facebook account. I have posted the links on here before so you may have seen them. If not let me know what you think.
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Old 04-16-2012, 11:29 PM   #12
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Ahh.. thank you!
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Old 04-16-2012, 11:37 PM   #13
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Nice work Chris!

Question: In one of your kitchen shots, it looks like the ceiling is peeling around the cabinets.. In your 'after' shot it looks like the ceiling has been changed..?

Also, where'd you get the furniture?
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Old 04-16-2012, 11:48 PM   #14
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Quote:
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Nice work Chris!

Question: In one of your kitchen shots, it looks like the ceiling is peeling around the cabinets.. In your 'after' shot it looks like the ceiling has been changed..?

Also, where'd you get the furniture?
Yeah, ALL of the wall paper (ceiling & walls) was removed. The walls were cover with faux stucco wall paper that looks just like a textured wall in a house. The ceiling was recovered using a white vinyl and stain oak strips to cover the seams.

We got the furniture from: http://www.discountvantruck.com/
We love the furniture, BUT they're customer service is horrible! It took about six month before they finally got our order correct.
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