Mothra Metamorphosis

[GrantRobertson]

Yep. I am now the proud owner of an almost completely hollowed out, shell of an RV. Even the support beams holding up the roof are almost completely rusted out. I have decided to dub this thing "Mothra" because it will be like a giant moth in a pupae, undergoing metamorphosis. EVERYTHING on the inside will be changing but the skin on the outside will remain the same.

I will post more info later. I am posting this here, now, just to have a link to link to from my old thread.

 

[ahh_me2]

Good for you for finding your new wheels with a project on top!

 

[masterplumber]

Congrats, now the work begins.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Some Spec's:

• 1993 Fleetwood Tioga Montar
• Ford E350 chassis
• 7.5L (460 cubic inch) engine with electronic fuel injection.
• I think it has the 400 turbo transmission
• 21' 6" long  (just the right size for me)
• 14' x 7' 9" body behind the driver's seat (inside dimensions)
• Both front seats swivel. {Of course there are no back seats.}
• Onan 30 amp, 1000kw generator
      {That supposedly works but the kids wore out the starter solenoid playing around, starting the generator from the inside switch over and over again. I'm sure I will be able to get it up and running.}
• Propane tank is intact. Don't know if it is up to spec or not.
• All tanks are intact underneath. Though I don't know how coated with crap they are. (literally and figuratively)
• Water tank is stuffed in the shower stall for now. Will probably want either a bigger one or an additional one anyway.
• Water pump is there, lying on the floor.
• Breaker panel is there and still hooked up, though lying on the floor.

It is actually not entirely hollowed out. There are still some upper cabinets along the driver's side that I will yank out. And the bathroom walls are still up. I will tear those all out as well so I can repair all the exterior walls and ceiling. There is still some random electrical scattered throughout. That will come out too. For safety reasons, I will not use an inch of it.

 

[BradKW]

Congrats Grant, great to see someone taking the next step!

Looking forward to pics!

 

[GrantRobertson]

Plans:

I plan to do an almost entirely open layout. I will probably go ahead and put the bed up over the cab, as per normal on these things. That will leave me a lot more floor space for other things and will put me up near the ceiling where the heat goes.

Most of these plans are not immediate. First I gotta de-crapify the thing and fix all the gaping holes where the rain and wind come right in. But I don't wanna think about that tonight. I just wanna lay out my longer term plans.

Heat:

• The previous furnace is gone (and I say good riddance).
• I plan to try to stick to living in areas that are a little on the chilly side as opposed to hot or warm. It is a lot easier and cheaper to heat a vehicle than it is to cool it. (Yes, I know all about swamp coolers and dry areas.)
• I plan to use a small wood stove. I am working on a new design of a rocket stove with a novel heat storage system. It will incorporate propane burners for when there is no wood available. It will also exhaust the fumes out the bottom through a cool-ish exhaust pipe, instead of out the top via a hot flue. (That is for another thread on another forum.)
• I even have some ideas for passive heating systems that can be deployed when parked.
• The water tanks will eventually be hooked up to the heating system to store additional heat and reduce the energy required to make hot water.

Water:

• I will not use a flushing toilet, so I can use the black-water tank as an extra gray-water tank.
• I am seriously considering making the roof into a rain-water collection system. I have to completely rebuild the roof anyway. All I need to do is add a bit of a lip around the edge then add a drain tube at each corner to catch that water no matter how the rig is leveled. Excess will just run off. I know, I know. I will be cleaning gutters on my RV. But I will also have access to free water when boondocking.
• I will rig up an instantaneous hot water heater rather than have a hot water tank.
• I am thinking of ways to add a solar water heater affixed to the under side of one or more solar panels. That will keep the panels cooler for better effectiveness and provide free hot-ish water. Anything to reduce the amount of propane I have to burn to have hot water. (Yes, they will be drained when they drop near freezing.)

Cooling:

• There is no standard RV A/C. The previous owner (PO) said he had it out while working on the roof and someone stole it. I don't care. Those things are expensive to run, repair, and replace. And I don't like having that monstrosity sticking up another foot above my roof.
• I will include a chamber for a cheap window rattler that will be hidden behind some vents on the outside, so no one will be able to see it. But when it goes bad, I can replace it for $99 instead of $500. 

Solar:

• Because there is almost nothing else on the roof, I will have about 148 sq. ft. of available space on the roof.
• Leaving some room to walk around, that leaves about 111 sq. ft. of solar panels.
• I plan to get residential panels because they are less expensive and produce higher voltages.

Wall Structure & Insulation:

• Because I will be rebuilding all the walls, ceiling, and floor: I will be able to add lots of insulation. I am thinking of using 2 x 3 studs for the walls and 2 x 4 studs for the ceiling instead of the 1.5" rust beams that are in there now. I will likely use steel studs rather than wood because it is lighter. I will fill the spaces with polyiso and glue everything in place so it won't rattle around and squeak.
• So, there will be 2" of insulation in the walls and 3" in the ceiling.
• I'm thinking of putting a 1/2" layer of polyiso above the sub-floor and below the underlayment.
• I will eventually blow some closed-cell expanding foam on the safe areas of the underside to insulate the floor even more.
• Because I will be in cool-ish (not cold) areas, I will put the reflective side on the inside.

OK. Gotta go to sleep.

 

[wagoneer]

Does not give you a lot of time to get ready LOL. If it drives set up a tent and cot inside and make it to the RTR

 

[GrantRobertson]

I had actually thought of that.

 

[mayble]

Congrats!
Looking forward to all the pictures

 

[LoupGarou]

Consider framing by cutting up 3/4' marine grade plywood for studs instead of 2x3's and 2x4's.  Join them together using glue and a pocket hole jig. Two by materials will eat up floor space.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

Congrats! can't wait to see the pics!!

 

[compassrose]

I suggest you hop up in that overhead bed section and sit up real fast. My daughter is 4'10" and would almost knock herself out about once a week. She also said it was real cold/hot up there. You will want to have a ceiling vent up there too.

Make sure you round that roof a bit (an inch or two is all that is needed) so that no water ponds up there.

So here's the nosy, personal, none-of-my-business question we all want to know...... What did you pay for it?

 

[speedhighway46]

Yep. I am now the proud owner of an almost completely hollowed out, shell of an RV. Even the support beams holding up the roof are almost completely rusted out. I have decided to dub this thing "Mothra" because it will be like a giant moth in a pupae, undergoing metamorphosis. EVERYTHING on the inside will be changing but the skin on the outside will remain the same.

I will post more info later. I am posting this here, now, just to have a link to link to from my old thread.

Grant: 

Congratulations on finding your new rig. I have been reading your posts and you have certainly done a thorough job of looking at many different vehicles. I hope this one is just what you want. Enjoy the transformation of Mothra. Please post some pics soon so we can all enjoy!

Have a great time!

 

[GrantRobertson]

What did you pay for it?

I got it for $1000, cash.

The PO said he had paid $4000 for it at a dealer (Booth Motor Co., in San Antonio), who told him the body was in great shape, with no rust or rot. So, when he started gutting it, you can imagine his disappointment when he saw all the rust and rot. He is well aware of, and honest about the condition of the house. He said he had considered ripping off the whole house and converting it to a flatbed.

So, I paid $1000 for a flatbed 1993 Ford E350 which happens to have parts for building an RV already piled in the back and partially assembled. Check, the plywood up on the roof is worth at least $100 all by itself.

If I sell my car for more than $1k, then I will actually come out ahead.

 

[rvpopeye]

Grant
You've finally moved from lookin' mode to buildin' mode! Major step .

There are many here myself included that will be watching this thread to help you make it all you want it to be.
It sounds like you've already got a plan going and I'm sure it will change as you progress to completion.(Are any of our rigs ever truly "finished"?)
Happy Trails

 

[GrantRobertson]

OK, here are the pictures the PO texted to me before I came out to look at it:

[img=301x402]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U...dqzQQEJZHEYoGrxtaQEnC55AIQ=w481-h641-no[/img]

[img=296x393]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y...hPtODaHFx-2JLXHWgJ1V-8VevA=w481-h641-no[/img]

[img=300x400]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U...5d8TcVemzzWJBV9V5xydpEA0LA=w481-h641-no[/img]

[img=400x300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/E...Ufkhc5N-6HfpI6qzyKTN_tHOfw=w855-h641-no[/img]

[img=400x300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s...M-7J_-TZdpXNINySJYaEvrSvyQ=w855-h641-no[/img]

[img=400x300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m...8uolbqGMNVDmg5Zi3J5dD_EM_w=w855-h641-no[/img]

[img=400x300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_...jnognVga7gR1bcUla5ViLBYucg=w855-h641-no[/img]

[img=400x300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/V...zf4otdSf37j9F_eRZjZTaAweiQ=w855-h641-no[/img]

[img=400x300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s...M06I0dkGyeiYdcce-WIe6t986w=w855-h641-no[/img]

Yep. It is exactly as ugly on the inside as it looks. You are correct, Sir. There IS a giant hole in the side by the door. Heck, half the door is missing too. But it is nothing I can't easily handle. Most of the floor actually feels pretty solid and seems to be 3/4" plywood. I will treat all the wood that I keep with waterproofing sealant. All the interior walls that you see will be coming out.

 

[GotSmart]

One thing is a certainty... You have a project on your hands. If done right that can be a gem. Just do not take down all the supporting walls at once.

From your posts, I believe you can do it.

 

[GrantRobertson]

One thing is a certainty... You have a project on your hands. If done right that can be a gem. Just do not take down all the supporting walls at once.

From your posts, I believe you can do it.

Oh darn! That is exactly what I was gonna do! [emoji12]

 

[GrantRobertson]

Here's a link to pictures of a bay window replacement I did:

https://goo.gl/photos/VGH4cmZSz1ktyLeu5


And here are pictures of a rotating Tablet PC hinge I replaced. It was an eight hour operation:

https://goo.gl/photos/A8vNAzmMVrYiqwj39

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

If I were doing this project, the very FIRST thing I would do is have all of the automotive mechanicals inspected and have any and all needed repairs done BEFORE I invested any time or money in rebuilding the RV part.

I'd hate to put a lot of time and effort into the RV, only to discover too late that a lot of expensive automotive repairs were going to be needed.

Regards
John