Community Forums

DrDaveMA · 07-08-2018, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarynsDream

I designed and built the light actual light buckets. the Body shop cut and installe them with me and they did the finish fiberglass. The coach is 12" taller on the perimeter because of the roof mount Girard Awnings I installed still not as tall as the AC's onthe roof but it does eliminate the view of anything on the roof. I designe and fabricated the front cap structure nd the back cap "air fin" The body shop did the finish fiberglass insuring a factory look. I have full front to back awning that extend over 11' on the passenger side and a 23' Awning that acts as a slide topper or afull 11' awning when dry camping on the driver side. Here are a couple more shots and a before pic.

Wow, sure doesn’t look like any ‘99 I have ever seen, great work guys!

CarynsDream · 07-08-2018, 10:59 PM

Funny thing the body shop really had no idea what to do. They were really great at putting coaches back to the way they were. I would show them a pic of what I wanted but they had a hard time seeing the vision. Understandably they did want want the liability of installing the roof mount Girard awnings and questioned whether it would work. I bought a walabot x-ray stud finder that attached to my phone and located all of the roof ribs and wires to make surewe conneted to them with the mounts. I had a couple guys from my construction crew help me mount them at the body shop. The shop was very cool about letting me make the changes they were'nt wwanting to do. I ended up spending 2 months coming up with cost effective solutions that did not include creating a mold for the top front cap and the back rear cap. For the front I ended up buying a used semi truck roof fairing for $200 cut a section out to match the angle i needed then cut it down the middle to make it wider. I created the aluminum mounting structure and scoop. Once I set that up they draped the fiberglass on the scoop and then once we mounted it the body shop did a great job doing the finish fiber glass creating a factory look like it was built that way. The back part was a mystery until I decided to take the back wing that was on the coach cut it in half widen it to the width of the coach splicing in pieces of fiberglass from the fairing and extending it down and on the sides. the Body shop did some finish fiber glass and body work on that and it matched the coach like it was made for it. I spent more time thinking about and reserching how to do everything we did to this coach than the actual time it took to do it. It was over a year. Knowing what i know now I can do the whole thing in 2 1/2 months. Amazingly enough the exterior changes were minor compared to what we did on the interior. It literally has 3 original pieces left on the inside of the coach.
We are calling it the 2019 Alpine 40 FDSU
The U is for UPDATE.
We had a campground ask us what year our coach was and I told them it was the new 2019. Except for the BMW headlights that are halo lights now there is nothing on this coach thats says 1999.

JLWoodward · 07-11-2018, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarynsDream

Funny thing the body shop really had no idea what to do. They were really great at putting coaches back to the way they were. I would show them a pic of what I wanted but they had a hard time seeing the vision. Understandably they did want want the liability of installing the roof mount Girard awnings and questioned whether it would work.
We had a campground ask us what year our coach was and I told them it was the new 2019. Except for the BMW headlights that are halo lights now there is nothing on this coach thats says 1999.

Which model awning did you use, ones I see are max 20' long ?
Very ingenious and great looking results. Nice job!

CarynsDream · 07-12-2018, 01:08 AM

I put a 21' in the front and 18' on the back of the Passenger side and a 23' and a blank on the driver's side. Currently I am working on a way to put an 16' projection screen in the blank to pull out and do movie nights when dry camping. I know it seems redundant when I have a 50" big screen in the front bay on the passenger side but the grand kids love when we do outdoor movie night.

Refuse1 · 07-12-2018, 08:45 AM

WOW...just WOW.

Bruce and Caryn.....that is amazing !!!

Very beautiful work. Thanks for posting those pictures.

great work.

HamboneTHW · 07-24-2018, 08:13 PM

Bruce,

Any way you would be willing to post some more pics? Specifically what the roof looks like now and how the awning looks from the top. I would also love to see the interior if nothing is stock anymore. I love getting ideas from all of you guys!

Also, did you do any type of coating on the front end and cap? Our front end looks hideous and I'm trying to debate what to do. I've seen one guy that did that front generator slide in a spray on bed liner, color match (close). He claims getting bugs off is incredibly easy. I've got chips on the top of the cap as well. I also read that the new 3M diamond coat is guaranteed not to do what the old diamond coat on mine has done.

The coach looks amazing!

RVPioneer · 07-25-2018, 06:38 PM

Is that a 14,000lb triple axle stacker behind a 1999 Alpine? Yikes!

When is the 500hp and Allison 4000 going in?

Enjoyed seeing you at the house last May.

Bob & Cindy

CarynsDream · 07-26-2018, 09:49 AM

Yes that is the Stacker. Really pulls nice . Because of the tripple axel very little tounge weight. I am Installing a 20 K hitch for good measure. The 350 Cummins pulls the grapevine at 40 too 45MPH and just use the exhaust brake on the downhill rarely touch the brakes but when I do I have 3 Axel's of brakes plus the brakes on the coach. It was great seeing you. Apparently my wife wants me to justify the 500 HP Cummins before I spend another 15k. Probably a next year project.

RVPioneer · 07-26-2018, 01:58 PM

Guess I won't have any issues going from a 3,000lb Scion to a 5,500lb Grand Cherokee.

CarynsDream · 07-26-2018, 09:18 PM

We just got back from a camping trip with 33 of my family. I willl be cleaning the coach this week so pics next week. As far as front cap coatings during the months the Alpine spent in the body shop I was was able to see a lot of crappy looking 3M shields being removed and then replaced with the "better" 3M shield. I am not a fan. I also saw a couple with the spray on armor shield. It looked like it might last longer and probably would not discolor but because of the different finish it looked like a car that had a fender replaced and the color did not quite match. They did spray undercoting/bedliner type product on the airdam portion of the front cap of my the alpine (SEE PIC) that was tinted with the paint we used on the coach which was a dead match. Still not sure what to go about protecting it.

HamboneTHW · 07-27-2018, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarynsDream

We just got back from a camping trip with 33 of my family. I willl be cleaning the coach this week so pics next week. As far as front cap coatings during the months the Alpine spent in the body shop I was was able to see a lot of crappy looking 3M shields being removed and then replaced with the "better" 3M shield. I am not a fan. I also saw a couple with the spray on armor shield. It looked like it might last longer and probably would not discolor but because of the different finish it looked like a car that had a fender replaced and the color did not quite match. They did spray undercoting/bedliner type product on the airdam portion of the front cap of my the alpine (SEE PIC) that was tinted with the paint we used on the coach which was a dead match. Still not sure what to go about protecting it.

Bruce,

I really appreciate the feedback. I am looking hard to have the front cap repainted in the next 6 to 12 months, but I am at a loss as to what to do. I actually like the original paint on ours to be honest. It is a gold/tan color and hides being dirty well. On the car, I normally just focus on an extra coat or two of wax on the front end, but I really worry if that is enough on the RV and if I'll be repainting the front cap again in 3 years.

Can't wait to see pictures of the interior, as my wife is chomping at the bit for ideas to renovate in there.

Thanks again! The coach looks AWESOME!

CarynsDream · 07-28-2018, 10:12 AM

If our I were paint matching to the original paint I would probably do the Armour Shield. the texture/sheen diference would be less noticable with your paint scheme.

Kiddikop · 10-24-2018, 06:46 PM

Got tired of the faded, ugly plastic trim in the front dashboard area. I tried vinyl wrapping but discovered I was all thumbs. So I turned to Krylon plastic paint. It is a brown, rough-textured spray on that turned out pretty darn good, and is thick enough to cover any flaws. For example, there was a split in the trim on the dash and now you can’t see it. The roughest part was finding and reaching the numerous nuts that were used to fasten the trim. Good thing I have small hands!

Kiddikop · 10-24-2018, 06:52 PM

Took out the old green faded sofa and replaced it with 2 swivel recliners. Also painted the entire interior. Removed the faded valances and replaced them with day/night shades. What a difference! Added the cheap lick and stick tiles to the kitchen and bath areas, and someday hope I can replace with real deal tile because even these cheapies make my coach look so much newer.