Last October I purchased this RV used. Superficially, it looked good, but, like so often happens, looking beneath the surface revealed a lot of problems.
The water heater was MIA, the range top roached. The
fridge had been replaced with a 120 VAC dormitory model, which does me no good as I am usually
boondocking. The
battery was dead and much of the internal plumbing had been removed or was so badly deteriorated, it needed to be replaced.
I replaced the dead wet-cell
battery with and AGM, which required an new 3 stage charger. It was cheaper to replace the whole
electrical panel than just the charger. I then added a
solar charger and panels (movable). I also added a number of 12 volt outlets, a USB charger and replaced all the incandescent bulbs with LED's. Running
lights too!
I installed a tankless hot water heater (propane and DC) and repaired/replaced a good bit of the plumbing. Next, I removed the
fridge and found a Coleman Extreme ice chest that fits in the space and has room for 2 shelves to be installed above it, which I use for food storage, etc.
The kitchen drawer was falling apart so I replaced it and increased the width to 12". I also added a second narrow 4" wide drawer in the corner to store knives, etc. I used scraps of the wood grain printed pressed board for the new drawer fronts.
I added carpeting to the new storage area where the
refrigerator was, replaced carpeting in one cabinet and under the kitchen console that was so dirty it could not be cleaned.
I removed the rusted out range vent hood (the fan bearings were shot!) and replaced it with one I made using a couple of 12v computer fans. I also added an LED strip
light over the range. Finally,I added a shelf under the kitchen console and a folding shelf.
Over all, I spent over 9 months on this project, but I have had the camper out twice. The first time a couple months ago, where we found some
leaks in the dump manifold and replaced that and more under the kitchen sink, which was also repaired. Last weekend I took it to the Julian StarFest, an amateur astronomy festival in Julian, CA where everything worked great. I even used my "swamp cooler" in a 5 gallon bucket while I took a nap in the 90+ degree afternoon heat! It worked, but I am currently working on a more powerful version. I have attached several pics. Enjoy!