Bigfoot Interior Reno Completed

[Lora]

Originally Posted by jimmied

Hi Lora, I thought that it was ugly, no offense, and did not think it was necessary. . . I put in a new exterior vent and then framed in the opening, using small strips of wood and adhesive. , , I plan on doing a lot of cooking on my propane stove outdoors, hooked up to a 20 lb. tank.
BTW, I just purchased a Mr Heater Portable Buddy propane heater, which I will be using with a 20 lb. tank, stored outdoors, and have long propane hose to run into the trailer. Gotta keep myself warm during the cool evenings we are experiencing.

No offense taken, what works for you is what's important. I really appreciate your taking the time to answer questions.
Is the exterior vent mounted in the opening I can see on the wall above the stove?
I too like the idea of providing a connection for the outdoor stove to the 20 lb tank.
The PO installed a catalytic heater. My brother said it worked great to take the chill off. He slept in it the night he picked it up for me in Eugene, OR.
I'm also curious about where you put the new converter, or is it behind the panel between the cooker and fridge?

[jimmied]

Originally Posted by Lora

No offense taken, what works for you is what's important. I really appreciate your taking the time to answer questions.
Is the exterior vent mounted in the opening I can see on the wall above the stove?
I too like the idea of providing a connection for the outdoor stove to the 20 lb tank.
The PO installed a catalytic heater. My brother said it worked great to take the chill off. He slept in it the night he picked it up for me in Eugene, OR.
I'm also curious about where you put the new converter, or is it behind the panel between the cooker and fridge?

Hi Lora, I do not mind answering questions, as it was a learning experience for me and I have learned so much from this forum, and without the help of so many people, I could not have accomplished what I did....Yes the stove vent is above the stove, in the original position. The new vent was not the same size, so I used epoxy to fill in the holes and drilled new holes and then used butyl tape before installing the new vent and put in additional caulking as well....overkill, but it is worthwhile.
The catalytic heater is a great idea, but be sure to allow plenty of ventilation, with a few windows slightly open and even the overhead vent.
The new PD4045 converter was put in the original opening where the previous converter was, but I had to enlarge the opening and rebuild one of the drawers below the converter. The old converter was not working properly and the new converter is a state of the art unit with a distribution box built in. I had to get someone else to help me install it, as the connections were not the same, but now have plenty of power, but still kept the 15 amp wire in place, rather than replacing it with a 30 amp cord, as I felt I did not need the additional wiring but put in additional 110 plugs and two 12 volt receptacles using 12 gauge wire Yes the new converter is between the fridge and stove. When I will be using the heater, I can either run the propane hose through the open door, or the screen above the kitchen counter actually slides, so can run the hose through there and connect a longer hose to it. You will note in the pictures, that when I joined the panelling at the corners, I simply cut an inch of 1/8 inch panelling into strips, using an utility knife
and attached it with adhesive. I still have to put in new vinyl flooring, but no hurry for that project, as I want to get camping.
It is going to be so great to be camping again, as I have been working on this project since October. Feel free to ask more questions, and if you want more pics, I can send them to you regarding the removal and replacing of the dry rot panels and painting.

[natez]

Hi wonderful job on the reno I as well love the brightness you have archived. I would love to see the photos on the replacement of the dry rot I have some in my trailer as well and I'd like to strip the interior this spring and repair what I can. Also do a nice face lift. I purchased a 86 Bigfoot this fall and well.. Alberta winters and never home with work leaves it sitting in the yard !

[Donna D.]

Hi Nathan. Welcome to FiberglassRV! We're glad you're here.

[jimmied]

Originally Posted by natez

Hi wonderful job on the reno I as well love the brightness you have archived. I would love to see the photos on the replacement of the dry rot I have some in my trailer as well and I'd like to strip the interior this spring and repair what I can. Also do a nice face lift. I purchased a 86 Bigfoot this fall and well.. Alberta winters and never home with work leaves it sitting in the yard !

Hi Nathan and thanks for the comments. It was a fun project and if I can answer any more questions, please let me know. The dry rot panels were replaced with 1/8 inch birch, not 1/4 inch.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115372598270155897455/BigfootRenos#

[calindor]

Originally Posted by jimmied

Hi Nathan and thanks for the comments. It was a fun project and if I can answer any more questions, please let me know. The dry rot panels were replaced with 1/8 inch birch, not 1/4 inch.
https://picasaweb.google.com/115372598270155897455/BigfootRenos#

I removed 4 dry rot panels and replaced them with 1/4 inch birch plywood. I put on 3 coats of Bullseye 123 primer and 2 coats of General High Performance interior/exterior paint in the interior.

Hi Jim! What a great job on everything!
Did you come across any challenges or tips/tricks for painting the paneling?

Can I assume you cleaned, light sanded, then did the primer and paint?

Clayton

[jimmied]

Originally Posted by calindor

Hi Jim! What a great job on everything!
Did you come across any challenges or tips/tricks for painting the paneling?

Can I assume you cleaned, light sanded, then did the primer and paint?

Clayton

Hi Clayton, Thanks for the comments. To prepare the surface of the old panels, I just wiped it a bit with a damp cloth, did not use TSP as it was suggested not to use, and did not sand, then put on 3 coats of Bullseye 123 primer with a 4 inch foam roller and used a small foam roller to do the corners and tops (cutting in) the primer went on very well and sanding was not required. The primer went right over the birch panelling and the panels were very easy to cut with a utility knife and left a clean edge. When you put on the panelling over the Styrofoam, make sure you use the proper Styrofoam adhesive and I temporarily fastened a small piece of wood to hold the panel in place with screws while the adhesive dried, then filled the screw holes after removing the temporary wood piece. The most difficult part was doing the corners and were the wall and ceiling met, as I had to cut small pieces, aprox. 3 inch wide to fill in the gaps. Hope this helps and good luck as the results, once painted and the LED lights are in place, looks like a new trailer.

[jimmied]

I forgot to mention one thing about restoring. If a person is planning on replacing some of the interior panels, it might be a good thing to remove the windows at the same time and put in butyl tape before reinstalling. I cleaned all the old tape from the window frame as well as the frame on the trailer and also replaced all the window screens at the same time. Removing and replacing the windows can be a two person job but I feel it is very important to do this to prevent any leaks.

[miromo]

Hi there,
You mentioned replacing panels that had dry rot. Was the floor still solid with no rot issues? You didn't have to do any repairs there?

[jimmied]

The floor had no dry rot, so just replaced the wall panels that needed it with 1/8 inch birch.

[Donna D.]

I really like the new bright interior. I'm seriously thinking of doing something similar with my Scamp. You're motivating me!

[jimmied]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I really like the new bright interior. I'm seriously thinking of doing something similar with my Scamp. You're motivating me!

Donna, Thanks for the compliment. When I first saw my Bigfoot as well as other older eggshells, my first thought was to brighten it up. It takes a little time and effort but in the long run I think I made the right choice. Having the 7 LED lights are great as they give off so much light.
I am seriously considering selling it in the fall when I complete my two volunteer music festivals on Vancouver Island. It was a fun project, took about 4 months but with the help of the forum, here, as well as your input, I really enjoyed working on it.
Jim

[Carol H]

Jim your trailer is looking great. Well done!

[funtimes]

Hey Jim,
Nice job. Trailer looks great. Could you tell me where you bought the LED directional lights from. I have been looking for replacements for our 21 footer and haven't found any that look as good as yours.
Thanks Rick

[jimmied]

The lights were bought on E bay Its the first item on the page. They give lots of light as well. I asked for fast shipment from Hong Kong and recd it in 4 days, and paid $15 customs and shipping to Canada...not bad at all...would definitely recommend them...I ordered the warm white light. Jim

12 volt warm white led bed side light | eBay

[James McG]

Jim, I notice in your posts you mention using the correct glue to fix the wood paneling to the foam on the ceiling. I am currently purchasing a 1985 bigfoot 17 that the front ceiling panel has delaminated and want to put it back up. What kind of glue did you use and how did you prop up the Panel? Thanks in advance, I'll be a newbie trailer owner and new to this forum.

[jimmied]

I used the adhesive that states it bonds wood to foam..lepages i believe....i only did side panels and screwed a small piece of wood on either side to hold panel in place then after it dried removed the wood and filled in the holes. Hope this helps

[Ben in WA]

Hello,
Would you mind reposting your pictures. The link isn’t working anymore. I’m thinking of renovation my Bigfoot and I’m looking for ideas. From the comments, it sounds like your Reno is amazing.

Thanks,
Ben

[Jon in AZ]

The OP might get an e-mail notification and respond, but I note in his profile that Jimmied hasn’t logged in since the last post in 2016.

This is the reason the site encourages folks to upload photos directly to the posts. Old photos are a tremendous resource for future owners and rehabbers.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

The OP might get an e-mail notification and respond, but I note in his profile that Jimmied hasn’t logged in since the last post in 2016.

This is the reason the site encourages folks to upload photos directly to the posts. Old photos are a tremendous resource for future owners and rehabbers.

Jon do you mean from albums created in user CP? As opposed to links to outside sources?

From what I can tell, we're not able to upload directly to the post, but instead must either link to an outside source or provide a link to the photo in one of our albums here. If there are more options, please let me know (because lately I'm even having problems uploading to albums)