Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 After our trip to EOT last year, and down to GA and back, we took some roads that shook the life out of the 5th wheel! So...after the floor became super spongy, and I noticed the 'kitchen' had come away from the wall... we started looking at what needed done and how to do it. We found the support under the floor was minimal, and a major factor was a broken 3×4! Shanley rebuilt the floor, new tile. I chose a straight cabinet...butcher block top, a stove top to replace the stove/oven combo. I built a butcher cart I bought from HD, while Shanley inserted the stove top...and we both cut out the sink space...it did take both of us!!! So close to being done! I took down the outdated valances and sewed up some curtains...moved some things around and had my big sofa put in. (It is lighter than the one that came with the 5th.) By next weekend, I will be ready to clean up and pack up for EOT! Whew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog McCoy SASS #5672 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 It was a lot of work for Shanley...I can't help like I used to. BUT....when you can DIY, it is a blessing! About $1000 in all...when just having the floor done and old cabinets/flooring used would have run over $3000! Plus, it was fun customizing what fits best for us!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 1 minute ago, Maddog McCoy SASS #5672 said: Looking good. I don't have to tell you some of the roads we were on!!! Heck, that farm road you had us take was probably the best road we found!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 nice work , hope my project turns out that well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 1 minute ago, watab kid said: nice work , hope my project turns out that well What ya doing??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizPete Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Wow, girlfriend! Looking super. Enjoy EOT in your new luxury vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Nice digs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 3 minutes ago, MizPete said: Wow, girlfriend! Looking super. Enjoy EOT in your new luxury vehicle. I love my old 5th...openness is awesome!!! We use this guy at least 5 weeks out of the year...several times throughout. Best investment ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 So..............how come Shanley looks exactly like me but with whiter hair and a much longer moustache Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Rick Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Y'all did a really great job! When I was shopping for TTs a few weeks ago I was more surprised than I probably should have been by the CHEAP construction in most of these towables. Brand new units with flimsy wood, some of which was already starting to show stress cracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 4 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: So..............how come Shanley looks exactly like me but with whiter hair and a much longer moustache Is it a Marine thing??? He has been 'white headed' since he was 30... The 'stashe is because I won't let the chin get hairy!!! Oh, and he needs a cut...but just had a procedure on his neck...so has to wait a bit longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 What do you tow with? Gas or diesel? Glad to see he can DIY... much better quality and attention to detail when DIY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 6 minutes ago, Chief Rick said: Y'all did a really great job! When I was shopping for TTs a few weeks ago I was more surprised than I probably should have been by the CHEAP construction in most of these towables. Brand new units with flimsy wood, some of which was already starting to show stress cracks. The new ones are really bad...especially since 2020. This old girl was already 'sun faded' when we got her...but I loved her. Paid $10k for her. 35'...lightwieght. We have used her at least 6 times a year for the past 5. And, she is the Shanley Hotel while parked at home! Old photos showing what the kitchen looked like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 5 minutes ago, bgavin said: What do you tow with? Gas or diesel? Glad to see he can DIY... much better quality and attention to detail when DIY. We first used our Chevy Silverado 2500 (Allison tranny) gas engine...but it was pushing the weight limit. We found a steal on a 2500 Dodge Ram, diesel. Pulls like a dream! And get about 12 mph instead of 6mph!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 1 minute ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said: We first used our Chevy Silverado 2500 (Allison tranny) gas engine...but it was pushing the weight limit. We found a steal on a 2500 Dodge Ram, diesel. Pulls like a dream! And get about 12 mph instead of 6mph!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Eye Jake Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Nice job. You guys are pretty handy. Enjoy it and safe travels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Slim Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Welcome back Sue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 9 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said: We first used our Chevy Silverado 2500 (Allison tranny) gas engine...but it was pushing the weight limit. We found a steal on a 2500 Dodge Ram, diesel. Pulls like a dream! And get about 12 mph instead of 6mph!!! The big Cummins diesel is the gold standard. Back in my hotrod days, the Chrylser automatics were also the gold standard for ruggedness.https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=87 Here in the PRoK, the catalytic thieves also attack diesel trucks. The 2007 and newer are equipped with DPF particulate filters, etc etc. The cost of replacement is some $7,000 for parts, plus the cost of labor. This happened to the father of the mechanic I do computer support. They steal cats and parts in the driveway, at the movie theater parking lot, etc etc. We had the local muffler shop weld anti-theft cat cages around all our cats. This has already paid for itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 24 minutes ago, bgavin said: The big Cummins diesel is the gold standard. Back in my hotrod days, the Chrylser automatics were also the gold standard for ruggedness.https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=87 Here in the PRoK, the catalytic thieves also attack diesel trucks. The 2007 and newer are equipped with DPF particulate filters, etc etc. The cost of replacement is some $7,000 for parts, plus the cost of labor. This happened to the father of the mechanic I do computer support. They steal cats and parts in the driveway, at the movie theater parking lot, etc etc. We had the local muffler shop weld anti-theft cat cages around all our cats. This has already paid for itself. Ours is pre DEF... I am not sure about the CAT... Yup...the Allison in that Chevy is tough!!! Won't be replacing the tranny untill it stops!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 10 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said: Is it a Marine thing??? He has been 'white headed' since he was 30... The 'stashe is because I won't let the chin get hairy!!! Oh, and he needs a cut...but just had a procedure on his neck...so has to wait a bit longer. Nota Marine thing at all. I started our a red head ("Rusty", "Carrot Top", "Ginger", "Red") then it got a lot darker and by the time i was in high school it had grown to raven black. Sometime in the late sixties / early seventies it started to fade and by the time I left the Corps in 1978 it was medium brown. Over the years I have become prematurely blonde. I have some darker streaks still but it's getting lighter day by day....and thinner, too. I have been accused of coloring my hair, but it ain't so. Closest I ever came to coloring it was when a friend and I spray painted his dad's garage. We wore masks and goggles but both ended up with robin egg blue hair...and foreheads, ears, necks and.... well, you know. We got it off the skin but it had to wait for the hair to grow out. Took about a month, give or take a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smuteye John SASS#24774 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 My Dad helped a guy at church rebuild his camper when I was a kid and I, naturally, went along to do important stuff like fetch mislaid or forgotten tools, hold flashlights or an extra handful of screws. I was amazed at how surprisingly complex the whole thing was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 18 minutes ago, Smuteye John SASS#24774 said: My Dad helped a guy at church rebuild his camper when I was a kid and I, naturally, went along to do important stuff like fetch mislaid or forgotten tools, hold flashlights or an extra handful of screws. I was amazed at how surprisingly complex the whole thing was. Right? And they were built considerably more 'stable' then. We bought ours, a light wieght, not 4 season, aluminum frame 5th because the price was right and we didn't need a different truck to tow it. I was suprised the lack of support beams, especially in the walk path. And, Shanley had to actually reinvent the heating ductwork, in order to put suport by the vent...as it had an entire chunk of floor missing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 2 minutes ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said: Right? And they were built considerably more 'stable' then. We bought ours, a light wieght, not 4 season, aluminum frame 5th because the price was right and we didn't need a different truck to tow it. I was suprised the lack of support beams, especially in the walk path. And, Shanley had to actually reinvent the heating ductwork, in order to put suport by the vent...as it had an entire chunk of floor missing!!! Only 2 of the long 3x4's are what was there to hold up the floor. No sub-sub floor, just beams and moisture barrier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smuteye John SASS#24774 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 6 minutes ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said: Right? And they were built considerably more 'stable' then. We bought ours, a light wieght, not 4 season, aluminum frame 5th because the price was right and we didn't need a different truck to tow it. I was suprised the lack of support beams, especially in the walk path. And, Shanley had to actually reinvent the heating ductwork, in order to put suport by the vent...as it had an entire chunk of floor missing!!! Mr Lewis' camper also got 'custom electrical and plumbing' systems along with a substantial 'redesign' of the support system. They basically stood there trying to decide 'how is this supposed to support 2 full grown men?' the whole time. I swear, I think the only original parts on the thing when they got done was the windows, doors and sheet metal on the outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP McLintock Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 11 hours ago, Chief Rick said: Y'all did a really great job! When I was shopping for TTs a few weeks ago I was more surprised than I probably should have been by the CHEAP construction in most of these towables. Brand new units with flimsy wood, some of which was already starting to show stress cracks. Thats so they are light and you can pull them with your toyota mini van! I used to build horse trailer interiors, we would get people wanting repairs on campers, those repairs were the hardest money to make, just because of the poor lightweight construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconKC Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Well done! It looks really nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 8 hours ago, Smuteye John SASS#24774 said: My Dad helped a guy at church rebuild his camper when I was a kid and I, naturally, went along to do important stuff like fetch mislaid or forgotten tools, hold flashlights or an extra handful of screws. I was amazed at how surprisingly complex the whole thing was. One of my first jobs after high school was working as a plumber, exterior wall builder, final finish inspector then on site repairman for Wilderness trailers (a division of Fleetwood). Our facility built predominately bumper pulls in addition to "K" model 5th wheels. The thing is they are very complex to repair but exceedingly simple to build. Essentially a 3-D puzzle that if you know the sequence of build even a high school kid (like me) could put them together. Conversely when they needed repairs since you generally did not completely disassemble the unit, getting them apart enough to fix the problem without demolishing everything was frustrating to say the least! More than one of the repairmen quit over trying to bend over double to get one restraining bolt out of the watertank mounts to replace it for a leak, or having a gas line mounted with the restraints above the frame instead of below. When I left I swore I would never own one of those trailers until I started helping friends repair their RV's! By comparison ours were head and shoulders above many other brands in build quality. But the same construction techniques were used across the industry so at best it is a cr@p shoot what you get. Regards Gateway Kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted February 1, 2022 Author Share Posted February 1, 2022 I can't wait to get before and after once cleaned up and set up... But already a big improvement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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