My 2004 Grandby project/ travel thread

[eblau]

Finished all the roof latch rivnuts. I used M5x .80 stainless hardware with stainless washers. I sealed the holes with a dab of 3M 4200. A bonus to the rivnut conversion here was the ability to be a little "sloppy" when I was extracting all the broken old screws since the holes were being enlarged from a #8 to around 6mm. This was a very tedious project but I think it turned out great and is going to be a permanent solution for my roof latch hardware. My next project is going to be scraping some of the excess butyl out of the edge trim where it meets the roof and running a nice clean bead of 4200 around the perimeter.

 

[ripperj]

I have just researched sealants , 4200 turns yellow in the sun, 4000UV does not , don't know if you care

 

[eblau]

I have just researched sealants , 4200 turns yellow in the sun, 4000UV does not , don't know if you care

Lovely, I did not know there was a UV resistant version. Thanks! I'll probably grab a tube when I go around the roof perimeter.

 

[eblau]

I built my "dock" for the Grandby today. I wanted something that was the same height as the truck bed so there would be minimal cranking when loading or unloading. This will also take the load off the jacks and provide a stable base for tinkering inside when the camper is off the truck. I am fortunate enough to have a level concrete pad directly next to my house that is just barely wide enough for the camper with dually jack adapters and an outlet for charging the batteries.

I also found a really nice vintage cooler to replace my coleman extreme that got sort of melted somehow.

 

[ripperj]

I'm envious of your level concrete pad, I would x brace the camper stand if it was mine

 

[eblau]

I think I'm going to sheath the interior sides with pressure treated ply, it's already really stable but that should make it rock solid.

 

[Paul B.]

Nice to see all these little improvements up close. We just acquired an '88 FWC Keystone. It has many similar small issues, but overall seems pretty tight and right. Thanks.

 

[eblau]

I have really enjoyed fixing little things, cleaning this camper and making it my own. It also helps that these campers hold their value extremely well so in my mind it is totally worth investing in the right upgrades. If I had the selection of older FWCs like those of you out west do I would have saved myself a few bucks and gotten an older Grandby or Keystone to restore but the pickins is slim on the East Coast! I am going to replace the Norcold with a truck fridge TF65 12V model in the coming weeks, I plan on yanking the Norcold out this weekend. Ill post some pictures.

 

[eblau]

Pulled the norcold out, didn't put up much of a fight!

 

[eblau]

Today I received my Truckfridge TF65 AC/DC model to replace the norcold I removed a few weeks back. The install was really easy, it fits perfectly in the hole where the norcold was. The build quality looks great and there is a ton of room on the inside. You can reconfigure the upper shelf for taller items and the door pockets look well thought out and useful. I am excited to cool down a six pack this weekend in the new fridge!

 

[ExpoMike]

Nice! That was my first change on our Grandby. Installed a NovaKool DC only fridge. Had to add a 3/4" filler piece above to fill the little gap.

 

[eblau]

The truckfridge (Vitrifrigo in disguise) fit the norcold spot perfectly even with the little rubber feet on the bottom that I'm assuming are to absorb some vibration from the compressor. I was originally going to go with the DC only version but I figured for an extra $50 why not just get the 12v/110v.

Nice! That was my first change on our Grandby. Installed a NovaKool DC only fridge. Had to add a 3/4" filler piece above to fill the little gap.

 

[eblau]

At the track for Ana's competition license school. Going to be a chilly weekend but the little ceramic space heater is doing a great job.

 

[eblau]

Something burned up my Iota DLS30 at the track last weekend so I used this opportunity to order a new DLS30 IQ4 unit. I may pair this with an AGM battery but the flooded unit I have is still really new. It was ironic I had just installed my fantastic fan and wanted to use it all weekend (despite the cool weather it gets hot in the pits) but I could only run it on 12v which meant I had to conserve my power. That fan is awesome though, bolted right in and the wiring was tucked up neatly from the factory. All in all I have 4 nights in the camper and we both really like having it at the track. We have two more big weekends coming up in May, both 3 night stays.

 

[eblau]