The Fat Van rides again

Photobucket wanted me to pay them to show you the photo i just took and i said no

Here's the old thread https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-The-Fat-Van
still a bunch of pictures and links/prices of the stuff i bought

So i bought a 1977 chevrolet g30 based Chinook Concourse

And then i destroyed it

added some bolts in the floor




cleaned up the cab some


definatly needs sound deadening/heat shield on the floor and doghouse,there's 400cid next to you and you know it

A reason why you destroyed it?

yep,400cid small block siamese cylinder chevy so






new trans and oil coolers,links in original thread

painted the oil cooler black

didn't like the wasted rear suspension

so i replaced it



but it didn't fix the axle centering


so i added a centering kit a 2 inch lift


and now it shouldn't eat the fenders

need this one to put it back together



and some gear porn for the ranger

new marker light




but the backup light are not working and that's where we left off

the main power wire for the backup lights is right there above the door so i disconnected them,brought out my pre damaged rv battery and hooked them direct and both worked,where the chassis wire harness goes from the cab up into the house it is bare wire with no grommet so there could be some damage there but i'm putting my bets on the connecting in my loosy goosy gear selector

but i didnt feel like wire/electricity stuff so i chopped wood

woke up the next morning with a pinched nerve in the lower back and a swollen knee,so i dont want to chop wood anymore and still dont want to do electricity so i painted that door again


then cleaned up the battery box and added some reinforcement

2x10 and some deck screws,pretty sure it will take that side of the rig if it goes but 2 batteries and light storage is about all i would put in it

and then this thing

it's a pop out for a residential electrical outlet for a ac unit that has been leaking for a while,you can see the outline of the 8 different sealants they used including duct tape on the pop out and vent that i did a quicky clean and seal right after i got it


plugged the hole with a piece of wood and did fill that little space to the left with a piece wood and dug up a void up top there



4 layers cut to the size of the hole and 6 over it all,filled the void with resin
http://bondo.com/products/bondo-fiberglass-resin-repair-kit-420.html had just enough for the job

at this point my knee said enough ladder so i gave it one good noodle arm sanding,primer,paint and walked away

not that pretty but will never leak again


might be doing the vent to,why may you ask


see two spots for solar panels but if the center vent was gone three? and if the bathroom vent was gone 4?
and if you lower your eyes a little that a 7'3"x2'3" giant widow that opens at both ends,i got ventilation,but that stuff is way in the future

CautionToTheWind said:

A reason why you destroyed it?

Click to expand...

common rv crap build materials and quality,see through plastic and particleboard

That came out really good for a one-armed-noodle-sander !

i removed the water heater and this fell out of the burner


took of the cover and it looks solid,i'll hit it with a wire brush

inside of the tank looked good

when i turn the water heater on and press the red button shouldn't i be seeing a spark in there?because i am not

these propane appliances are not precision machines are they? blow a flame in a metal tube to heat water and this is my stove top plumbing

i guess those holes are the air/fuel mixture and the propane is under enough pressure to make it by?

A lot of great work so far!!

Gary68 said:

when i turn the water heater on and press the red button shouldn't i be seeing a spark in there?

Click to expand...

Not unless you have a piezo electric starter. I doubt that vintage motorhome would have one. You need a long lighter to reach and light the pilot.
Glad to see your pictures of the MH again after the PB fiasco. Looking good.

it has an igniter


should i be seeing a spark from one of those little tubes or is it happening inside the control box?

I don't think that's an igniter.  When you turn the big knob to where the small button on the left can be pushed down it lets gas go to the pilot light.  After the thermacouple get hot enough you can let the small button up and the pilot flame will burn.  You will need to use some kind of lighter to get the pilot flame(light) to burn on its own.  If the pilot won't burn on its own after holding down the small button for a minute or two the thermacouple will need to be replaced or at least cleaned up so it can prove to the gas valve its ok to  allow gas to come into the burner.   This keeps you from getting the burner filled gas and then blowing your ass off if a spark happened along.  Hopefully someone can explain it more clearly.  I have been wrong before, but that's what your system looks like to me.

Looks like you are enjoying this!!! Keep the pics coming! Good luck!