Bounder: Restoration of 1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34V

[superk]

When I introduced myself on this forum, a few people asked me for pics of the coach. I sure am proud to be a fleetwood owner, and even though this coach is/was a little worse for the wear, shes just as much a fleetwood as any.

We havent found a name for her yet, but before our big trip this summer we will have one.

Enough jibber jabber, onto the pics!

These are pics as it was when I bought it. At this point, I needed to do the following to be able to drive it home:

1. Front and rear brake lines
2. Manifold studs

notice the top right hand corner of the right closet door. The glass is cracked. The door is also not latching so its held in place by string in that pic. This is how I got it.













The previous owner(s) removed the carpeting and installed a laminate flooring product. Its a nice floor, but they did a terrible job on it and its obviously see far too much moisture as its got some ripple. This is one of the last things on my todo list.















The above images are the ones sent to me by the dealership I purchased it from.

When I bought it I was informed it needed the manifold studs and lines. I was also informed it needed 5 tires, and a tailpipe.

Upon bringing it home, to complete and pass a mechanical inspection it needed:

• Front right shock
• 6 tires
• tailpipe
• 5 inoperative lights made working
• Brake lines and manifold studs have already been completed

[superk]

HERE IS THE COMPLETE, RUNNING LIST OF WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO THIS COACH SINCE I PURCHASED IT. ILL TRY TO KEEP THIS LIST UPDATED, AND IN ORDER.

Done by dealer before at purchase:

• Brake lines
• Manifold studs
• $0 -- Included in purchase price
• $ Purchase 1999 fleetwood bounder 34v AS IS $10000 + tax
• $11300 (yes, its a steal, but not stolen lol)

Done by local transport repair facility a few weeks after:

• Front right shock
• Tailpipe
• 4 tires
• Replace 2 (side) clearence lights, orange.
• Repair 1 side clearence light (red, rear left side)
• Test Main battery and starter, pass
• Test coach battery, fail
• Change engine oil and filter
• Change air filter
• Change transmission oil and filter
• Change engine coolant and radiator flush
• Mechanical inspection, P A S S!
• $2000

A week after those changes were done, I did

• LED Light bar, 48 inch wide, flood and spot capability
• $800, self installed

A week after that:

Went on a trip out of town with my girlfriend of almost 5 years. Did our winter holiday shopping and had some time alone

• SHE SAID YES!!!!
• $ A gentleman never tells...
• Now the real journey begins. This coach already has some very important memories now. Welcome to the family.

On that trip where she said yes, the backup camera failed. It was old anyways, and monochrome!

• Remove existing camera on rear of coach
• Replace with Color Infrared night vision camera kit
• Remove existing monochrome display top-mounted
• Remove existing television to access camera display
• Throw tv as far away from coach as possible (heavy, not far)
• Silicone/seal camera wires from outside and inside
• Run wires via channels on top left side of coach (hidden wire access, YES!)
• $20, misc supplies

At this point, it became too cold to continue working on the coach, despite it having the polar package with propane forced air furnace and heated holding tanks/floors, the moisture/condensation was going to become a concern. Parked for winter.

SPRING 2015!

Mar 14/2015

• Reinstall hidden wire access covers complete coach length
• Replace panels removed during wiring and old wiring removal.
• Determine proper wiring for new system. Old power/reverse wires compatible. Re-Use.
• Test camera/display. Operational.

Mar 15/2015

• Begin fabrication of tv mounting panels
• Begin cabinet conversion (reclaim freed space)
• $100, screws, wood, stain, misc supplies

Mar 18

• Repace 1 of 2 remaining original tires
• Discover tire issue. Previous shop declared wrong tire size.
• Install new tire. Loaned tire matching size (all 6 same size now)
• Ordered/prepaid for last matching tire.
• $409 for last tire installed
• $409 for remove/replace second last tire
• $78 to correct valve orientation on rear inner tires. Valves now accessible. Inflate rear tires to 100psi, front to 80psi. Torque all wheels to 150 ft-lbs.
• Purchase fuel filter, $14
• Install fuel filter
• $910 total

Mar 21

• Purchase Tv ($200)
• Purchase articulating arm-mount ($40)
• Complete camera installation
• Complete TV installation
• $240

Mar 23

• Trip to go pick up new toad (2014 ford edge SEL AWD)
• Slight vibration in rear. Retorque rear end
• $20 for retorque, 1 lug nut to replace beauty nut which self-discharged.

• Mar 24
• Severe shaking in rear end diagnosed
• Forum posts conclude to replace spark plugs and coils as solution
• 5 people concur
• Ordered 10x coil, 10x motorcraft spark plug
• $180, shipped, tax, import fees included. *relief at price compared to ford dealer parts*

Mar 28

• Oil entry and bathroom door hinges
• Silicone kitchen window seal
• Silicone backup camera cover (original cover from previous system. Repurposed.
• Inspect chassis
• Store spare tire under rear bedroom tire holder
• Determine frame support for water-tank corroded. Replace as soon as possible.
• Entry automatic steps have not worked since purchase. Attempt diagnosis. Observe wires disconnected. Test with multimeter, red and yellow wires. Not grounded, no voltage, door open. Short between two wires. Inspect control module further in future.
• Inspect brakes. Good
• Check for other corrosion. Not present. Factory undercoat intact. THANK YOU FLEETWOOD.

[superk]

This is the TO DO LIST!

Priorities:

• Ignition coils and plugs. ON ORDER
• Destroy and replace damaged framework under fresh water tank
• Buy OBD1 Scan tool and diagnose ABS code when it shows next.

Would like to do:

• Clear check engine light created as a result of tire size change/speed sensor error
• Get cruise control functioning

Curious About:

• Where the musty smell is coming from and how to correct. Suspect carpet?
• Hot water tank. More to read. Never used it. Need more info. Product manual must be downloaded.

Maybe next year:

• Complete repaint and/or body skin.
• Bankspower exhaust

[Steve N Sal]

Looks like the project is moving right along. Keep up the good work and it will be all personalized to your liking in NO time at all. Have fun and enjoy your travels. Be Safe!

[superk]

Here is what I have been doing since.

In the pic below, you will see the tv and backup camera from another fleetwood bounder (unfortunately, I dont have a 'before' pic of mine, so I used another virtually identical)



Here is what I replaced that old and obsolete mess with.

A 28 inch LED LCD Display!



And its on an articulating swing arm for better viewing angles!



7 inch lcd display for the new color backup camera. The kit came with 2 but I only installed one for the time being. The other might end up on the back of the toad. Still not sure. The toad is displayed in the image on the screen lol.




This bounder had the worst headlights in the world. Impossible to see at night on the ride home. VERY Nervous. So I picked up this, and its like having a personal sun attached to my front-end lol.



The console was looking kind of plain. Steering wheel also left a very odd scent on my hands. Updated upholstery on the 3 captains chairs. (PLEASE IGNORE THE ARMWRESTS!!! The chairs themselves will be replaced with newer models soon, this is a temp solution)

[superk]

Thanks SteveandSal, much obliged

While you were viewing and writing your post, I was documenting the maintenance history of this coach since I purchased it, please see the post #2 formerly 'reserved'

[superk]

Pics of the backup cam cover and siliconed seal. You dont really see it in the pic, but I left a small hole in the bottom for any accumulated condensation to drip out.







New bead of fresh silicone. I am almost thinking I should have kept the white silicone. Unfortunately this will dry clear. I kind of like the contrast.



2 more things to add to the TO DO list.

This is above the wheel well on passenger side. The driver side is the same. I think I am going to take 5 hex head drill tip screws about 3 inches long and screw them in there about 4 inches apart. This will add some character. Alternately, i may drill a hole, run a machine screw through it, and put flat washers at each end for added strength. 5 of these each side ought to hold it?





We never used this, and had the system pressurised. I can only assume then that this was caused by the previous owner and not mentioned (and ultimately, not noticed by) to me.



^ The hot water line looks intact, and it in fact looks like it has a splice in it. from perhaps a previous repair.

[SarahW]

Holy cow, she looks great! Good job, and congrats on your engagement! Thanks for sharing the pics and I look forward to seeing your future projects.

[Gordon Dewald]

Always enjoy seeing the classic units refurbished and brought to or above their former glory.

This is a well documented thread and I am enjoying seeing the progress. Keep up the good work.

[ga traveler]

Originally Posted by superk

This is the TO DO LIST!

Priorities:

• Ignition coils and plugs. ON ORDER
• Destroy and replace damaged framework under fresh water tank
• Buy OBD1 Scan tool and diagnose ABS code when it shows next.

Would like to do:

• Clear check engine light created as a result of tire size change/speed sensor error
• Get cruise control functioning

Curious About:

• Where the musty smell is coming from and how to correct. Suspect carpet?
• Hot water tank. More to read. Never used it. Need more info. Product manual must be downloaded.

Maybe next year:

• Complete repaint and/or body skin.
• Bankspower exhaust

Your coach is OBDll not OBD1

[Lt46]

Looking good, but might want to consider using Dicor Urethane caulk and not silicone. Silicone will not adhere well and with time will loosen. Nothing else will stick to silicone, so retreatment will require complete removal of existing silicone.

[superk]

Originally Posted by ga traveler

Your coach is OBDll not OBD1

I wish!



Unfortunately, as the sticker says, OBD1. If it were OBD2 I would happily grab a scanguage and deck it out, unfortunately its not compatible.

It does have an OBD2-style connector, however I have confirmed with multiple sources that OBD2 was not introduced to these coaches until they hit, more info http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/obd-d...10-172086.html

Originally Posted by Lt46

Looking good, but might want to consider using Dicor Urethane caulk and not silicone. Silicone will not adhere well and with time will loosen. Nothing else will stick to silicone, so retreatment will require complete removal of existing silicone.

Your probably right, thanks for the advice. Going to leave the silicone for the house *without* wheels!


On another note, I discovered the following while searching for possible causes of the OD OFF switch (on shifter knob) not working, and perhaps the cruise.



A completely severed wire! I wonder if that might be my culprit!

And



Hard to see, but in the middle of the electrical tape is another exposed wire. It appears intact, but barely. Pics are almost impossible to see :(



Notice the broken clip in the above connector? I dont know if its worth repairing or not. Somebody thought so at some point I suppose, looks like someone tried.




I wonder what that connector is for? It is under the 'lift-up console', off in the left corner all alone, with no other connectors nearby for it to plug into.

The more I work on this project, I seem to get more questions faster than I can get to the answers lol!

[ga traveler]

Call Ford if you don't believe me. You have a OBDll. There is no such thing as a OBD l system with a OBDll connector. Borrow a OBDll scanner and plug it in. You will see that it works. How do you expect to use the Obd1 scanner when it will not plug into your connector. I am not some armchair mechanic. I have worked on hundreds of these motorhomes.

[NLOVNIT]

Great work! Thanks for saving a classic.

Lori-