and surprise surprise it all works !!!! installing a permanent meter by the dinette table, get two new batteries and I'm "off to the races"
in the last picture the fat blue wire on the left used to come from the converter, cut off, it's now connected to the (+) post....the black wire with the red band at the top is the positive side of the charger, also connected to the (+) post....the empty space where the power center used to be (first pic) will become a 12"wide x11"tall x14"long drawer (probably where shoes are going to "live)