Note: This list is extremely old and is not a full list of our current mods
While at the 2018 Winnebago GNR (Grand National Rally), the Winnie B group (class B vans) gathers in a row or three and parties together. We also like to have rig tours. This involves opening up your rig so others can see what's different in your model, or what changes you have made to appearance or functionality - i.e. what mods have you done. I figured I'd gather my list of mods here to share it both with the touring group and those watching my blog. Half of these are not (yet) documented elsewhere in this blog.
Electrical mods:
- Added 2 lithium batteries (in parallel) from BattleBornBatteries.com under the bench seat (connected to 12v bus with a circuit breaker) for a total of 200aH.
- BMV-700 on the negative leg of the lithium batteries to monitor charge percentage (has bluetooth adapter for phone app)
- AIMS 6000 inverter/charger/transfer switch that handles 2000W continuous. Power from original/existing ATS is routed through inverter's switch before the circuit breaker panel, so the entire rig has power (until the batteries run out) even without shore or generator. The charger function provides up to 55amps at 14.6 volts to recharge the lithium batteries which happens automatically with shore or generator power. The transfer switch automatically and instantly kicks in the inverter if the shore power is not present, or is out of spec on voltage or frequency. This is a secondary level of protection in addition to having a surge suppressor.
- Installed 2 180W solar panels (removed TV and antenna) in series with Victron MPPT charge controller tied to lithium batteries. Includes bluetooth adapter to communicate with phone app.
Kitchen mods:
- New butcher block countertop, kept original sink but recessed it slightly into the counter
- Replaced burners with induction, mounted flush with the counter top for more space
- Counter now extends several extra inches over switches, which protects them and removes the need to have a flip-up section
- Metal (glass in later models) shield over cooktop removed completely. The bottom of the overhead cabinet is now covered in copper sheet. The switch to turn on the over-counter lights is relocated to the side wall in place of the coax outlet.
- LED lighting strip installed inside overhead cabinet with a switch that shut it off if door is closed (also goes off with over counter lights).
- Backsplash wall (that had offset section) replaced with single plywood sheet and covered with copper stick-on "subway" tiles. As a part of this, the screen door and plastic trim pieces were temporarily removed until I have time to recreate a new wood trim piece to support and reinforce the sliding door base.
Bathroom mods:
- Installed "Marlon" thermostatic faucet
- Second shower sprayer holder in center for easier use.
- Rod across ceiling for hanging things to dry
- Back wall organizer
- Ikea suction cup bins
- Cedar "Bath Mat" Deck, customized with laser etching of US State boundaries
- Larger filter installed on drain to reduce cleanings
Plumbing mods:
- Installed new above-floor plumbing, replaced 90% of original pex and plastic fittings with new pex, brass fittings and copper compression rings. Removed winterization plumbing, reduced drain points and complex plumbing sections.
- Slot routed in floor near sliding door for plumbing to cross between kitchen cabinets (pump area) and water tank box.
- Although technically not plumbing: added "heat tape" strip into additional routed slots in floor to prevent pipes and feet from freezing.
- Installed new "floating" floor to cover above mods
Furniture mods:
- Removed cabinet above dinette area (after having previously removed TV and Jenson Radio) which facilitated running wires for solar. Replaced it with new larger cabinet to hold portable printer and scanner, cellular and wifi equipment, and store laptops, phones, and tablets for charging (with all cables hidden).
- Changed dinette table mounting for more stability:
- Larger screws holding bar to wall
- Moved plastic bar-holding flanges about an inch inwards to allow table to be moved further forwards and backwards.
- Added additional spacers above plastic bar-holding flanges to force them to press down on bar more firmly to prevent wobble
- Tightened screws and various adjustments to improve operation.
- Reworked "water box" to have less wasted space. The framing around the water tank next to sliding door has a large amount of unused space on either side of the tank. Box was cut down on both sides to widen walkway from sliding door and allow the passenger side front swivel chair to rotate full 180 to face backwards. As a part of this mod, a new cushion was built to cover the smaller box, and the metal leg frame to slide the cushion into puzzle bed mode was also removed. In order to be used in bed mode again, some additional work will need to be done to create a way to bridge the gap to the table.
- Can storage under floor: the step-up walkway between the dinette table area and the water box was reworked to provide a hatch access to unused space under the floor. The original floor was cut to create a large rectangular section that can be lifted up on a piano hinge. The area below the floor was reinforced to cover the plumbing and support the floor when down. To allow for easy storage of pop (or other beverage) cans in the two sections under the table, a sled was made with pull straps to allow the cans to be extracted. Each space stores 2 12-packs, and an additional 12 cans can be stored under the lift-up area for a total of 60 cans.
- In various places (water bench, dinette bench) the fabric covering over vertical surfaces was removed and the original wood surface sanded and stained, or covered with veneer. Some cabinet and wall spaces (especially in the kitchen) have been recovered with veneer. In part this it to provide a fresh lighter color wood feel, and may also incidentally cover up defects or holes in the walls.
- Over-water-bench shelf installed, with wood end attached to ceiling so that entrance/exit is not height restricted.
- Exterior carpet (left over from previous domicile) trimmed to cover entire raised dinette and front cab area (wall to wall).
