Anyone interested in 83 Pace Arrow Tear down and Rebuild?

[fulltimin]

Started to look into some water damage in the kitchen of our 83 Pace Arrow. The more I looked, the more I found. I have some pics of the damage so far. Anyone interested in following a rebuild thread?

[fulltimin]

Just as a side note ...... this is how you never want to end up, or should I say side up.....

And yes, that is, (er, was), a Southwind....

[fulltimin]

RCtime wrote:
The stairwell slide idea jerked my memory a bit. Years ago I met a fellow camper an he had a simple solution for his stairwell opening.
He simply had a hinged covering that folded open and down as needed. He had covered it with matching flooring. solid, simple and easily made.

Usually the simple solutions are the best. No motors, no electric, no switches....Nothing to go wrong.

I like it.

[RCtime]

The stairwell slide idea jerked my memory a bit. Years ago I met a fellow camper an he had a simple solution for his stairwell opening.
He simply had a hinged covering that folded open and down as needed. He had covered it with matching flooring. solid, simple and easily made.

[fulltimin]

jmaotto wrote:
I like the propane stove idea. Cleaner in operation and you will not have to hunt firewood.

Agreed, there is no convenience like a propane stove. Just push a button, pull a lever, etc, and you are good to go. No muss, no fuss.

[fulltimin]

Jim@HiTek wrote:
The wood stove isn't such a good idea IMO. Finding wood, and then carrying it along on the road wouldn't appeal to me. The propane stove is nice, but I wonder how well it can be controlled in a small RV? This rebuild you're doing will likely include some excellent insulation and having an Off/On stove might be a problem situation in a small, well insulated RV without dual pane windows. Giving a too hot - too cold teeter totter effect.

So unless you're planning on doing lots of boondocking, I'd suggest one of those electric fireplaces (or just an electric wall heater) with continuously adjustable temp control. Those oil filled electric heaters do a good job too, giving even heat. Along with being easily movable to other areas of the RV.

Just a thought.

We do plan on doing a lot of boondocking. Electric is fine for when you are plugged in, but I will try to limit being plugged in. For us, it's much more fun being unplugged.

Some of the propane heaters are somewhat adjustable in their output. I am not sure that it is automatic, but even with on/off technology, if the flame is manually adjustable, that is a big help.

[fulltimin]

cobra350 wrote:
How about an electric stairwell cover like a lot of diesel pushers have.Might be easier than re-engineering the steps

I love that idea. I didn't know they had them. I was thinking a little bit along that line earlier, but kind of discarded it.

That will provide the solution I am looking for.

Thank You.

[Jim]

The wood stove isn't such a good idea IMO. Finding wood, and then carrying it along on the road wouldn't appeal to me. The propane stove is nice, but I wonder how well it can be controlled in a small RV? This rebuild you're doing will likely include some excellent insulation and having an Off/On stove might be a problem situation in a small, well insulated RV without dual pane windows. Giving a too hot - too cold teeter totter effect.

So unless you're planning on doing lots of boondocking, I'd suggest one of those electric fireplaces (or just an electric wall heater) with continuously adjustable temp control. Those oil filled electric heaters do a good job too, giving even heat. Along with being easily movable to other areas of the RV.

Just a thought.

[cobra350]

How about an electric stairwell cover like a lot of diesel pushers have.Might be easier than re-engineering the steps

[jmaotto]

I like the propane stove idea. Cleaner in operation and you will not have to hunt firewood.

[fulltimin]

Brian in Michigan wrote:
As far as the step/non step is concerned how tall will the door be? Do you have that ceiling height?

I do have enough height. There won't be much extra space between the top of the door and the header over top of it.

The step we have now, has about 10 1/2" high steps, which is kind of inconvenient, so I was thinking, of maybe going off the deep end and completely re-doing the steps.

That's why I was looking for suggestions.

Thank you.

[BrianinMichigan]

As far as the step/non step is concerned how tall will the door be? Do you have that ceiling height?

[fulltimin]

Or then again, maybe a propane heater, similar to this.........

[fulltimin]

Here is another idea, that I think would be cool inside the motor home......A little wood stove, maybe something similar to this...........

[fulltimin]

Currently the floor is 32" from the ground. There is one step inside, which is about 21 1/2" off the ground, with a 10 1/2" step up to the floor level, and a single step outside, which is about 10 1/2" off the ground.

So, basically, we have 1 step outside, 1 step from the outside into the motor home, and then another inside up to floor level.

Below is a setup from a 5th wheel. This 5th wheel is 37" from the ground up to the floor level inside.





That is where my thought process came from, not that I am interested in using the same setup as on the 5th wheel. The steps obviously have to go out first, when I am inside, as I am not jumping 32" onto the ground to pull out the steps. Lol. Exercise is good, but, I just "ain't" doing that!

[BigRabbitMan]

What is your ground to floor level distance in inches?

Mine is 16" and one step outside is great and works well. Admittedly, my floor is lower than most units but that is one of the things I really like about the coach. One step and I am inside putting the groceries down on the counter.