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dreamchasers
02-13-2011, 08:45 PM
Our coach is a 1995 model and we felt that the interior looked tired and dated. After 15 years of service the interior looked good and was very much serviceable, but this winter is interior upgrade time. I am removing all components ourselves and we will take the components to an interior shop in Nacodoches, Texas is is familiar with RV interiors. The Foretravel factory is located in Nacodoches, so remodeling RV is commonly done in the city. Their are no Prevost converters in this area of Texas, so Nacodoches is the best bet for my location.

I have take a few shots of the last two days work. Lee and I have done all the disassemble so far. It has taken approximately 7 hours of both of our time to get all the furniture out and half of the salon window trim removed. Not bad for us.

I am determined to do this myself. It looks like a good project that will yield great results.

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After all the furniture was removed, we covered the existing carpet with a stick on protector covering. I do plan on replacing the carpet, but wanted to protect the existing carpet.

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Part of the interior upgrade will include replacing the upholstery covering the lower part of the dash. I started taking the dash apart. The hole in the top of the dash is where CC puts a store box, "glove box".

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This picture captures the drivers side of the salon with the valance and window trim removed.

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Here is the removed interior, seats, couch and recliner. This is part of the load that I will take to the upholstery shop in Nacodoches, Texas.

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Here are several of the window trim components removed and ready to be removed. One of the window treatment panels is 16 feet long and 42 inches high. I will need to remove one of the windshields to get this out of the bus.

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Of course, here is the happy camper, me.

Does anyone have any recommendations concerning replacing carpet. My carpet is sculptured and I do like the touch. The feedback I am getting from RV carpet installers is that sculptured carpet is old style. What is the feeling from POG members concerning sculptured versus non sculptured?


I will update this post as the project matures.

Hector

Jerry Winchester
02-13-2011, 09:42 PM
I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Pete
02-13-2011, 10:22 PM
Hector, I know what you are going through having done pretty much what you are doing. I did not redo the driver and co-pilot seat, but did remove all of the cabinetry in the front, sofa, & front seats. We had all valances, & sofa, recovered in leather, new headboard, and new carpeting installed. Some of that stuff is HEAVY and hard to handle by yourself. We have been very happy with the changes and look forward to seeing yours when it is complete. I am now considering re-doing the side panels and am interested in seeing how you do yours....maybe I can get some ideas. Please keep posting pics.

Jon Wehrenberg
02-14-2011, 07:42 AM
Hector, I just finished my less ambitious project to reupholster the sofas and replace the carpet with laminate.

I opted for hard surface flooring and a surface on the sofas that we could wipe down (in lieu of fabric) for two reasons, First, I am sick of removing my street shoes every time I come into the coach. The laminate is easily wiped clean compared to the carpet so that was an easy choice. The sofas were originally covered in a chenile and they just looked ugly. The leather was chosen in a dark color so if the time comes when we want to bring our dogs we will not have to worry about them getting paw prints on the carpet or sofa fabric. These are supposed to be recreational vehicles and now it takes less work to maintain or clean the coach and is a real preasure to be able to walk around with our street shoes on.

JIM CHALOUPKA
02-14-2011, 07:58 AM
Great project Hector, looking forward to your progress story and photos.

JIM :)

dreamchasers
02-18-2011, 08:37 PM
An update on the remodel process. So far, nothing unexpected. You will need a second set of hands to help with some of the long window trim pieces. I will remove the windshield tomorrow to remove the long interior pieces.

Country Coach owners, take a look at the black module mounted on the back of the instrument cluster. Any ideas of what it is used for?

Hector

rahangman
02-19-2011, 12:19 AM
Hey Hector, in the 9th pic down, what is the Nelson Water Valve. I have the exact thing in my 90 coach and can't figure out what it is. Sure would help, 1 more thing out of 100's identified. Thanks in advance. Loved your Bus leveling production. Thanks again for that.

dreamchasers
02-19-2011, 06:58 AM
That is the part I mentioned in the text in the post. I have not detailed the wiring yet, but as I was disassembling, I noticed it attached to the wiring harness behind the dash cluster. I am not sure what it is or its function and was hoping that other Country Coach owners would chime in.

For now, it is a mystery component.

Hector

truk4u
02-19-2011, 07:47 AM
Hector,

Control board for the voice synthesizer?

dreamchasers
02-19-2011, 08:26 AM
Tom,

Good guess, but no joy. The voice synthesizer for my coach is located above, behind the television. I will trace the wiring today.



Hector

GDeen
02-19-2011, 10:45 AM
That right there is an amibitious project!

Gary & Peggy Stevens
02-21-2011, 05:54 PM
Hector, I guess NOW would not be a good time for me to come over with my bus, and have you help me with my House Batteries ? Maybe some other time. !!!!

I would go with hard surface flooring in the salon, like Jon did. We really want to remove our sculptured carpet and plastic floor covering, and install wood floors.

Gary S.

CAPT MOGUL & Sandy
02-21-2011, 09:09 PM
Gary, just a thought here. Don't forget to think of your babies(PUPS) with their toenails on the woodfloors.
Sandy

Gary & Peggy Stevens
02-23-2011, 02:42 PM
Thanks Sandy, for the thought.

Since we have wood floors almost throughout our home, along with tile in the kitchen, they have gotten real use to TIPPY TOEING around every corner to make sure they don't scratch nothing ? :D ;) They love to slide on their bellies on the wood floor under our leather sofa, that is big fun.

Gary S.

dreamchasers
03-03-2011, 06:35 PM
Country Coach owners, take a look at the black module mounted on the back of the instrument cluster. Any ideas of what it is used for?
Hector

I found what the module is used for!!

It is a water in the fuel detector module supplied by Prevost. It is not specific to CC only. Apparently, when the resistance changes between the sensors in the Racor fuel bowl as a result of water, this module outputs an alarm to the dash alarm light.

I found the device on drawing provided by Prevost D060815, page 5.

I believe all XL owners have this feature. I am not sure what XLII coaches use.

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Hector

rahangman
03-03-2011, 10:02 PM
Thanx Hector,solved just 1 more problem of identification for me, and I am sure it does for others.

dreamchasers
03-13-2011, 09:07 PM
CC Upgrade

After a few weeks of intense work, I thought I would share an update on the status of the CC Upgrade. Lee and I did all the disassembly. The only incident worth mentioning is one of the wall panels in the CC conversion is 16 feet long. I had to take the windshield out to remove the wall section. Taking a windshield out is "no big deal", you need a few simple tools.

Thoughts about taking on this type of project:

This is a big job, but doable.

Work on the dash requires concentration, which is harder to come by for us "not so young" guys.

To do this type of project, you must have a very patient wife.


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Yes, I did put the dash back together. I am very happy with the dash results.

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Another picture of the dash. The word is patience.

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This is what the dash looks like after you remove the fabric covered dash cover.

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And the best thing is, it all works. Actually, better than it did before. I now have dash lights that make sense. I converted many CC light assemblies to LEDs.
The engine sprang to life on the first attempt, with all indicators functioning. While I had the dash apart, I tested each lamp. As part of this work, I will test each lamp from the initiating device, to make sure all is well.

I am refinishing the woodwork now and should get my recovered interior back next week. I have visited the interior shop several times during the upgrade process. The interior upgrade is going to add a very nice touch.

So far, I have had no surprises. All has been expected.


Hector

LNDYCHT
03-13-2011, 09:25 PM
Looking good! There is nothing like the satisfaction gained by doing a job yourself and getting what you want. The knowledge of your coaches systems gained by doing a job like that is invaluable. I don't have enough time or roundtoits to complete a job like that.

Have fun!

Pete
03-13-2011, 10:05 PM
Hector, looks great! I can't wait to see the finished product.

Pete
03-14-2011, 09:08 AM
Hector, were you able to convert the dash instrument lighting to LED's? If so could you please give us more detail? Mine are not very bright and I would like to improve them. I have been told that brighter standard bulbs would have a tendency to melt the inside plastic of the instruments, so have not tried to increase the wattage of the existing bulbs. Thanks

AmeriStar
03-14-2011, 05:10 PM
Is that Royal Purple carpet? If it is, our coach is back in style!

dreamchasers
03-14-2011, 09:20 PM
Is that Royal Purple carpet? If it is, our coach is back in style!

AmeriStar,

The carpet is more of a maroon than purple. The carpet was supplied by Country Coach when the coach was built. Our plans are to replace the carpet as one of the last things to be done. I do not see my carpet as bad, but definitely dated.

Pete,

The LED conversion was custom. Meaning I built "light boxes" using various thickness of Plexiglas. Each box was custom built to cover the particular element in the dash. It was a PIB to super glue all the Plexiglas pieces, but the results were worth it. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of the LED fixture process. The original CC lighting was mess of incandescent light bulbs stuck to the back of the dash to show through the indication on the front. It was terrible! I experimented with LEDs and resistor values to get the brightness I liked. Then after I assembled the fixture, I painted the back side flat black to prevent light back splatter.

It took a little time and patience, but the results were great. I see how the process I used would be costly for a coach builder, but again the results were great. My original back lighting was bad!!!

I did pick up my recovered interior today. It looks great! As I install various pieces, I will post pictures. So far, things have worked out well.

Hector

Pete
03-14-2011, 11:00 PM
Hector, I would like to learn more sometime when your time permits. My dash lights are just worthless, good thing I don't drive that much at night.

truk4u
03-15-2011, 09:48 AM
Pete,

My 97 Marathon had terrible dash lights, so I replaced all the 24 volt mini bulbs with 12 volt, then set the rheostat to produce 12 volts and the dash lights were nice and bright. I put a tag on the rheostat knob so future owners would know the bulbs were changed from 24 to 12. If your dash is 12v, just disregard this rambling.

Pete
03-15-2011, 09:57 PM
Not sure, but I think mine is 12 volt. Will check...good idea! Where are you guys? We are in Bay St. Louis Ms on our way to Bella Terra. See you tomorrow or thursday.

truk4u
03-16-2011, 09:03 AM
Home, see ya on Thursday.

GDeen
03-16-2011, 11:21 AM
I like others have very dim gauge lighting. On my list of things to do as a lower priority.

Hector, this is quite an impressive undertaking with very nice results. Congrats.

Jerry Winchester
03-16-2011, 07:11 PM
Gordon,

If the world's smartest dog wasn't riding in your lap, the lights might seem brighter.

dreamchasers
04-03-2011, 08:45 PM
I am getting close to the "replace carpet stage" in my remodel. I currently have sculptured carpet installed and I like it. When I talk with RV carpet installers, them respond that they have not installed sculpture carpet in 10 years or can not replace sculptured carpet because they can not make the carpet.

I live north of Houston and would like to have the work done in Texas.

My question to other owners is what do you have installed for flooring?

I am interested in replacing with carpet. I like the feel and sound absorbing qualities of carpet.

I am taking a ton of pictures and will post them when complete. The results is looking very good.

Hector

garyde
04-04-2011, 01:04 AM
It seems the current trend is wood flooring with a throw carpet over the wood floor. If you are like me, I'm in and out of my coach all the time.
So its really hard to have carpet.

Jon Wehrenberg
04-04-2011, 08:05 AM
We went with laminate because we got tired of trying to protect the carpet. We wouldn't walk in the coach with street shoes and generally speaking the carpet still showed a path where we had to walk. Despite all our efforts, when I pulled the furniture out the carpet we though was clean and well protected by our efforts was actually soiled.

Now that we have been living with the laminate it has been a real easy floor to live with. A damp mop or a quick pass with the vacuum does the job of cleaning and if there is a difference in noise level I cannot tell. We have two throw rugs to break up the and expanse and out future redecorating will be a visit to Wal-Mart to buy two more of a different color or design.

Gary & Peggy Stevens
04-04-2011, 01:28 PM
Hector, I think you probably have already found out the scupltured carpets are impossible to find. We have been wanting to replace ours for awhile now, with wood flooring, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Are you sure you don't want to put in a hard surface and decorate with throw rugs?

With all of the updating you are putting into all the other items in your bus, don't let the floor date the bus. JUST MY OPINION, probably not worth much? !!

I still have the plastic cover over all of my carpets, makes it so much easier to keep clean, with 8 little paws and my big feet going in and out all the time.

Gary S.

JIM CHALOUPKA
04-04-2011, 09:24 PM
Hector, check out this place and see what they have. If you like it you could have some sent to you for installation by your favorite local guy.

http://flooringandmore.blogspot.com/2010/03/sculpted-carpet-where-is-best-place-to.html


JIM :)

JIM CHALOUPKA
04-04-2011, 09:49 PM
Many beautiful designs here, you just might find something you like.

http://www.landryandarcari.com/GalleryOverview.php?f=Contemporary-Sculpted-Carpets

JIM:o

dreamchasers
07-06-2011, 07:03 AM
I recently (a couple of months ago) finished my interior upgrade and we are enjoying the great results. I am one of those guys that feels if I can do it, anybody can. So their is an alternative to interior remodels.

I posted details of the upgrade on my blogger travel site. Please feel free to comment.

http://texasdrifters.blogspot.com/2011/06/country-coach-remodel.html


Hector

Loc
07-06-2011, 08:25 AM
Hector,

The new interior looks great. What a big job.

Loc

Gary & Peggy Stevens
07-06-2011, 08:41 AM
WOW, Hector what a great job you guys did. Now to get out there and burn some diesel.

Gary S.

phorner
07-06-2011, 09:02 AM
That's incredible, Hector!

Congratulations on a great job. Your bus looks fantastic!

michaeldterry
07-06-2011, 09:25 AM
Hector - the upgrades look incredible! Nice job!

truk4u
07-06-2011, 09:30 AM
Hector,

When can I get in the shop?:p

JIM CHALOUPKA
07-06-2011, 10:12 AM
SUPER JOB HECTOR, BE PROUD!

JIM:)

Alek&Lucia
07-06-2011, 12:31 PM
Fantastic job !
Would you let us park next to you next time ?

Alek

gmcbuffalo
07-06-2011, 12:36 PM
Hector very impressive. Could you post on your web the items and vendors you used for the work that you did, or was there nothing special that you needed?

BoaterAl
07-06-2011, 01:42 PM
Nice looking interior and it the detail of your project makes it extra special. Thanks for the pictures....impressive undertaking

Gary Carmichael
07-06-2011, 09:53 PM
Hector truly amazing work congrat's on a job well done!

Sid Tuls
07-06-2011, 09:57 PM
What a great job!! I wish I had that kind of skills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pete
07-06-2011, 10:24 PM
Looks GREAT! Lee is an awesome supervisor!

garyde
07-06-2011, 11:26 PM
Great work and I have to say, it takes a special person to take on this type of job and see it thru. Congratulations. I'm sure you will enjoy your coach for many years.

lonesome george
07-07-2011, 08:59 AM
Hector, way good!

BrianE
07-07-2011, 03:13 PM
Beeautiful Hector, Congrats to both of you................One wire at a time eh?

Denny
07-07-2011, 06:00 PM
Hector and Lee,
You did a beautiful job on the new interior; you are to be commended for the excellent work. I included Lee because she is the tail that wags the dog.