Zeitgeist @ studiobfd

RV Motorhome Restoration

On 12.14.09, In RV Motorhome Stage One, By Guy LeClair

This portion of “zeitgeist” of StudioBFD.com shall document the restoration of a 1978 Fleetwood Tioga. With it’s re-built engine and it’s sound structure we will gut, re-wire, re-roof and re-plumb. Bringing this neglected vehicle into 2010. With the design(s) near completion and 3-D plans being made, actual production will begin in early 2010. Some of the immediate challenges I’ll face will be the replacement of the roof. There is minor leaking which I could probably repair by sectioning the roof and replacing the damaged areas. But with the intent of adding solar panels a nice flat area would be needed for their maximum efficiency. So a new roof was decided! With the help of TQR Roofing Inc. I was able to acquire quality roofing materials that was needed to start. TQR Roofing’s knowledge and experience was paramount in it’s planning.

: The Roof with leaks!

: …puddles of water

Wall Construstion

On 04.17.10, In RV Interior Build, By Guy LeClair

Overhead Cab Reconstruction

On 04.15.10, In RV Overhead Cab, By Guy LeClair

RV superstructure

On 04.15.10, In RV Superstucture, By Guy LeClair

Re-assembly of the superstructure.

Automotive Repair

On 03.26.10, In Miscellaneous Automotive Repairs, By Guy LeClair

The RV had the wrong mufflers installed. So I was sick of the RV sounding like a Harley or a GTO, so I installed the proper mufflers and it clearly smoothed out the noise. However it’s still not where I’d like it to be. The problem is the pipes from the exhaust manifold to the mufflers are to short. In addition there is limited space to run them further. I could have fabricated and bent the pipes but I would change the clearance (height) from street level to the under-carriage and I need that room to the RV up and down to the campsite (incline and uneven terrain).

: Old Muffler

RV Siding and Roof Removal

On 03.26.10, In RV Siding and Roof Removal, By Guy LeClair

: Siding

3D floor plan and overall design

On 01.15.10, In RV Layout and Drawings, By Guy LeClair

This is the current 3D illustration of the floor plan and overall design. It does not include the passenger side yet.

Removal of Current Interior

On 01.03.10, In RV Interior Removal, By Guy LeClair

It was 5 degress this morning when I started the removal of all that was old. I arrived at the warehouse which was a solid 60 + degrees which made for a warm working environment. Thanks to the ideal working conditions I have, things started out and went very smoothly which was kinda surprising since I was prepared for the worse. I was able to set up a skid where I could put all the debris which would later get tossed into a dump truck 15 feet away how perfect is that! I have a hand truck to go along with the skid which will be very helpful when I start to remove all the appliances and put them into storage until I need them. These old RV’s seem to have been slapped together with odd’s and end’s or whatever was handy. As I started to rip all the old out I felt better about how much material I will need to complete the project. When working virtually in 3D things tend to seem a bit bigger visually then they really are. So all in all, materials should be far less then I initially expected. I wish I could add a bit more but for the first day of the gut…no suprises. I will resume tomorrow to deal with plumbing and electrical removal.

RV Motorhome Paint Job

On 12.14.09, In RV Motorhome Exterior, By Guy LeClair

Originally the RV was re-painted by the previous owner in plain white “Kilz” primer from the original factory job…and they covered absolutely every surface with it. We took the vehicle to a wooded area and tried to come up with an idea on what and how to paint it. Finally, we decided on camouflage as it seemed the only thing that would look natural in the woods…after all the plan is to use this for weekend trips in a private forest area and not in public campgrounds etc. So we drove it down and into the woods and began to paint. I obtained the US Army’s color formulas for the colors and created a swatch for each of the four colors that were needed. In an ICC color controlled environment I printed the swatches and had the paint mixed. We applied the base, and with chalk drew the outline for each color and numbered them as you would see in a paint by numbers kit. Below are photos of the four stages of painting and drawing.