Disappointed

Well, shucks.  It's looking more and more like we are not going to be able to take our planned Alaska roadtrip this year.  Hunny has been working non-stop on Scrappy and has everything done, EXCEPT the leveling jacks.  They will not come down.  He purchased a new control module thinking that was the problem.  He got that installed and lo and behold, the jacks still won't come down. 

The next item on the trouble shoot list is the jack pump.  He's been out under the rig trying to figure out why that won't work.  He has finally decided that the pump just isn't picking up the hydraulic fluid for whatever reason.  Soooooo,

We can purchase 4 hydraulic bottle jacks and pack a bunch of 2 x 6 boards for the trip.  This would mean that every time we stop for the night, he would have to put boards and a bottle jack under each of the 4 existing jacks.  It would be a tad more tedious than just pressing a button from inside the coach.  On the other hand, it would also be tremendously more economic since each bottle jack runs about $20 (x 4 for a total of $80) vs. the cost of a new jack pump for Scrappy at $900.

Going this route would at least get us on the road for our trip.  The few extra things that Hunny needs to get done are hook up the propane stove and oven in the rig, remount the toilet and get it reconnected to the water lines, and fix the gas line to the gas tank.  I think that's it.  There are a few cabinet drawers missing but those can be either made from scratch or ordered from another salvage location. 

At any rate, this Scrap Heap seems be saying she's not quite ready for a long haul trip.  So, we'll do what we can, put our trip on hold, get some new tires, and hopefully do our Louisiana history trip around the state or something for the month of July.

Inspected!!!

On Wednesday, we finally got Scrappy inspected!  If you wanna call it that.  Hunny drove Scrappy downtown to the State Police DMV inspection location.  We went into the office and handed the paperwork to Officer Douglas Robertson.  He then came out to the parking lot to do the inspection.  Basically, he climbed up into the rig, sat in the Pilot's chair and compared the VIN numbers to the paperwork.  Then he came out and handed Hunny a piece of paper and said, "Have A Great Day!"

I was truly surprised that he did not even do a standard vehicle inspection!  He didn't check the blinkers, brake lights, horn, emissions, absolutely NOTHING!  At any rate, she passed inspection!  And rewarded us with a bright orange SERVICE ENGINE SOON light on the ride home.

She still needs a bath.

Scrappy's Plumbing

While the Huzz was working on the new Formica, he took out the water filter feature that came pre-installed on the kitchen sink.  When he did that, he discovered some cracked PVC pipe under the sink.  That fact inspired him to go shopping for the new stuff to re-plumb the ENTIRE rig!!!  He did purchase PVC but had second thoughts and decided that perhaps PEX (flexible) tubing would be better.  He stuck with the PVC for the most part but did get some PEX for tight turns.

Today, he ran into a little plumbing issue and still hasn't quite figured it out.  He's having some trouble figuring out how the cold and hot water gets TO the bathroom.  It isn't under the sink.  A Youtube video showed us where the water gets into the toilet but we still can't figure out where that supply line is. 

A quick email has been sent off to Fleetwood.  Hopefully we will have a reply soon.

Project completion and Jack Issues

We're just about finished with the punch list and prepping to roll out.  A few projects needed to be completed before departure.  The first thing we wanted to was to get some new Formica laid down on the kitchen counter.  The old Formica was cracked and peeled back on the corner near the stove.  Instead of attempting to repair it, we purchased a new sheet for about $50 and some glue and just put that down.  It turned out really nice!  I would love to do the same in the bedroom but Hunny says that part can wait until we get back.  It'll be nice to have matching Formica on all surfaces.

We got the microwave and refrigerator installed but still have a couple of other things to do.  We still need to get the back up camera installed and the stove needs to get connected up to the propane.   But the biggest issue is the Leveling Jacks.  They're giving us fits.

First, when we first got Scrappy home and parked her, the jacks went down without a problem and then came back up without a problem.  However, now, they refuse to cooperate.  So, Hunny had to go through a trouble shooting list. 

He checked Hydraulic fluid levels, fuses, jack motor is running, dump valve is open, made sure the control module is getting power from the battery, made sure the under carriage components are getting power from the control module, etc, etc.  He's finally concluded two things.  Either the module is bad (but how would everything be getting power from it?) or the jack pump has gone bad.  He'll be doing more research on that tomorrow.  Hopefully, we can make some headway and get on the road soon!

The Scrappy Inspection that Didn't Happen

One of the last things that must be done to Scrappy before we embark on our Great Land voyage is to get inspected by the Louisiana State Police.

We started out this morning with spending a few hours on the phone calling the various phone numbers listed on the State Police website.  Between Hunny and I, I don't think we spoke to even one person who knew what we were supposed to do.

See, Hunny bought Scrappy off Salvagebid.com.  We learned Scrappy was at a salvage yard just south of Jackson, MS.  We spent a day going up there to get her and bring her home.  She operated fine.

We got her home and started working on her, buying bits and pieces, putting on a new rubber roof, installing appliances, and getting new tires.  We then went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get her registered and titled.  We hit a snag there.  The lady at the DMV handed us a packet of papers and tells us we have to list every little thing we've done to the vehicle.  We then contact the State Police to schedule an officer to come out to our house and inspect Scrappy before releasing her for road travel.

After spending all morning on the phone learning absolutely nothing, we decided to take a trip into Baton Rouge.  Having been instructed to go to Troop A on Highland Road, that's where we went.  We arrived, got out of the truck, and approached the door ... pulled on the handle and ... it was locked.  There was a sign taped next to the door that said, For Trailer Inspections, go to 7701 Independence Blvd, Inspections are done M-T, 9-4.  Well, Independence Blvd is another 20 minute ride.  We get over there and there are a whole commune of buildings.

So, we go to the main building (top and middle of the pic) and they directed us to the correct building (lower left of pic).  We were told that there's a sign at the back of the building that says "Physical Inspections".  So, we go over there and park the truck, get out of the truck and go to the door where we see yet ANOTHER sign.  This one says, "Closed, Will Be Back at 2:15 p.m."  We check the phone for the time and then get a tad confused when the phone tells us it is 2:33 p.m.  So, Um, now what?

We decided then to just leave and get something to eat, planning to come back before 4 p.m. and get the info we need.  We went to Cracker Barrel and while we were there, the bottom fell out of the sky.  Before we knew it, it was already 3:50 p.m. and raining cats and dogs.  There was no way we'd make it back to the DMV in 10 minutes with all the weather and traffic.  We decided to try again tomorrow.

At this rate, it'll be next summer before we get to go on this trip.

To Depart or Not To Depart

Today is the date we originally set for the big departure.  Sadly, the big departure did not happen.  There's still too much to do to Scrappy to get her ready.  Hopefully, we'll get to depart next week sometime.

Today, we made a visit up to Home Depot and Lowe's to purchase the refrigerator, microwave, and formica counter top.  Tomorrow, Hunny will be installing, gluing down, turning on, and hooking up all kinds of things. 

I think I'll spend the day cooking up a bunch of things "just in case" we actually get to start this adventure. 

Last week, we spent a whole day in New Orleans getting our passports because we were supposed to leave today for this big trip!

Here's the route we'll be taking ..... Hopefully .... someday.

Scrappy Gets a New Lid

When we got the rig home, the first thing we did was make a To-Do List.  Every time we stepped inside the rig, we'd add something to the list.  It got quite lengthy.  But the FIRST thing was to get a new roof on it.  There was obviously a little water damage and some black streaks on the ceiling.  I'm not sure that the streaks are from water.  They may just be from something else.  The ceiling is some sort of fabric/not fabric.  I sprayed diluted bleach on the black streaks and they faded to almost completely gone.  I can still see some discoloration but maybe that's because I was really looking for it.

The rig is covered with 2 large blue tarps to prevent anymore water damage.  Meanwhile, Hunny shops around for a roof kit.  We even drove out to the nearest Camper World and got a quote for a kit.  They wanted over $1000 for a 35 foot roll of rubber, 2 gallons glue, and whatever else comes with it!

We drove home and Hunny did some internet searching.

Evenutally, he found a Superflex Rubber Roof kit for only $460!!!  While he waited for the ordered roof kit to arrive via UPS, he got online again and started watching Youtube How To videos.  Within two days, the package arrived and he went to work.

The first thing he had to do was remove all the old stuff from the top.  

 That task revealed the thin wood foundation underneath the old stuff.  He saw a small 2 foot water damaged spot so he cut out the yucky stuff and replaced it with a fresh piece of wood foundation. 

His next task was to get this 35 foot roll of rubber up to the top of the rig!  Well, I'm a weakling so, I'm not gonna be much help in that effort.  But he tossed that stuff over his shoulder and climbed the ladder like a CHAMP!  Whaddaman my man is!!  

He got up there and laid that rubber down to get it started.  Here he is double checking his work.

In the middle of this, it started to rain.  So, he covered it back up with the tarp and then enlisted some help the next day.  Here they are finishing up the glue down.

Here he is finishing up the trim.

  

Working on getting vents and A/C's put back in.

  

It looks great so far and best of all, no leaks!