Photos of my camper mods

[JonesFamilyJayco]

I have been working on several small projects this year on my camper-most of them from great ideas I learned here.  My favorite is the 12V pump I installed.  Mods are one of the things I love about Pop-up camping.  I do not know of another camper style that people can personalize & adapt to their needs.  I hope to add more photos soon.

http://community.webshots.com/user/kaaljonesfamily

1.) 12 volt Shurflo water pump & new faucet
      -Pump installation was easy-good space within the galley.
      -Power switch place on the front of the galley.
      -Faucet had to be "addapted" to allow galley to fold over.
      -by making many small bends using a vise, the faucet would fit.
      -One faucet valve goes to pump, other to CG water hook-up.
      -Used a small piece of sheet metal & white vinyl molding to addapt
       new faucet to hole left by old faucet.
      -As of now, water source is still the 5gallon tank that fits under  
        the sink.  I will try to stay with this & conserve, but may later
        need second tank or larger tank.
      -Pump is surprisingly quiet-only runs when faucet turned on.

2.)  New drain vent system
      -With new pump came new problem; slow drainage
      -my old drain vent could not keep up
      -Used brass T-fitting to allow maximum flow-much better than
       I was getting with standard Y-fitting for water hose.
     
3.)  Rear lights to help with backing camper
      -Used inexpensive fog light kit from Wal-Mart ($20.00).
      -Kit had everything! Lights, switch, & wire(although I did need to
       add some more wire to reach the battery)
      -Switch is inside the camper door for easy access.
      -Light should also help with safety-I can turn on light from inside
        camper at night before going outside.  I plan on adding lights to
        front of the camper to again help light up any shaddows.

4.)  Two 12V outlets
      -I bought the outlets (with face plate) at my local RV store.
      -They are directly wired to the battery; each with a fuse.
      -Covers made with water hose end covers-simply trimmed away
       the loop that fit over the hose, and attached to face plate using
       one of the plates screws-no more missing covers.
      -AC inverter located near 12V outlet-attached to wall with
       strong velcro-always easy to find & still out of the way.

[tlhdoc]

Thanks for posting your mods.  I really like the backup light mod.  I want to add them to my PU.  My old 1987 had regular back up lights on it.  I wonder why they stopped putting them on PUs?

[B-flat]

Back up lights would be great for those late night set ups when arriving at the campground after dark.  It would save the crunk on the trees or the picnic table.

[JonesFamilyJayco]

The lights were really easy to install.  The kit, made by optronics had everything in it (I just needed to add some extra wire to reach the battery).  The lights had there own mounting bracket; couple of holes & the screws it came with later, they were installed.  The switch was easy to install, too.  I used my rotozip tool to make a small opening to fit the switch.  The wires I ran under the camper.  

I know it is something I did not have to have, but I really love working on these types of projects when I cannot go camping.

As I said before, I hope to add some to the front of the camper.  I did not see the safety benefit that the lights would provide until after I installed them for help backing.  Since the switch is inside the door, I can turn them on before going outside.  The lights are so low to the ground that they would not blind any near-by campers (also, the fog lights are designed to make a wide, flat beam).  By having lights on the front & rear, you could luminate all shadows making walking around an unfamilar site a lot safer.

Last, then "blue" lights are cool!  Bling-bling.

[Starryart]

Hey Great pictures of your family and camper! Our first camper was an '86 Jayco. Those mods are just what we need for our Rockwood (water pump and faucet). Too bad you don't live closer to me I'd hire you to fix'em for me. LOL!
Have fun on your next trip out.

[tlhdoc]

J-F,

Do you have the lights wired so that they come on when you back up or just to the switch? :confused:

[JonesFamilyJayco]

Just a switch.  The switch is located just inside the camper door for easy access.

[JonesFamilyJayco]

Added some more photos of some of our camper modifications.  The new pictures show the A/C unit, mods to bench seat, & hitch system.

http://community.webshots.com/user/kaaljonesfamily

[Watchman]

I don't want to take this thing in a different direction but: While looking at the pic's of your mod's.   I really like the shots of your trip to Hidden valley.  Looks like a great place to take the kids. Excellant photo's. I would like to learn more about what you thought of your trip there.

[JonesFamilyJayco]

It was a great campground.  My son & daughter went with my brother in-law's church for a long weekend.  They have a lot to do with the swimming pool, water slide, paddle boats, volley ball, playground, putt-putt, & game room.  They do charge a small fee for the extra activities, but they were worth it.  The only down side was the bath house was not as nice as some other campgrounds (about average).  The campground is located near Marion, NC, just off I-40.  I don't think that they have a web site, but they should be listed under some of the campground directory sites on the web.