rsbilledwards

Herman, Are you still going up to Wyoming if you are please send me a PM I tried to send you a note but system says you cannot receive. Bill Edwards

Very interesting, wish you were going north next year as that is when we are planning to go. Gotta get this Panther together first. Bill

Carl, Did they find a place for you to serve? When we were in Iceland last year we were in a restaurant that had a dry aging cooler facing the main dining room full of well aged American grown beef . It was surrounded by wines of all countries and ages and both were breath taking expensive. Yes Thank you, When we came home from service during Nam years it was not pleasant so you kept your mouth shut, different now. Closest I got was Japan and that was wonderful. Bill Edwards

This would be another interested party in where did you find it Carl? Why do all these folks bait us and the wait to see if we will ask Where????. I'm surprised Herman isn't here looking too. Bill Edwards

If it is 18 inches deep you need a lawn mower and a rake, not new carpet. Just think how crisp it will look. Bill

It was a very interesting and informative article, who would thought of those without the technical expertise. Thanks for the post Bill Edwardsj

He says he has only one inverter, but that many have two. Bill

Actually I rather enjoyed the "rant" or the dissertation as I learned something, very interesting. Bill Edwards

I will concur with most of this thread and about Camping World. Here is the rub, is the finish oxidized, dull and not shiny? If it is no amount of washing is going to help it! It needs a wheel polish to bring the finish back to life. No amount of wax is going to help it either. Depending upon what the finish is, fiberglass or paint, it will be a couple of days worth of work at a minimum for a small crew to bring back the beauty to the finish. Then the coach owner has to do their part to maintain it. Bill Edwards

Manholt, I really liked 7 as well but and I have a friend that is a real guru and not a youngster that convinced me that he could and would set 10 up to look like and respond like 7. I commented about auto updates and the inherent dangers. I also had an article that I believe was published in the FMCA mag a few months back explaining some of this stuff. He indicated that he was aware of the described issues. He also had me wait until after April 2016 to do the install. I cautiously said ok and I am better of now than before. It is wonderful, it is faster, it looks just like 7 on the PC and he has controls on what is updated automatically. I can tell you I would have no hair if it had been me setting it all up. My PC is a Dell760 monster and nearly 10 years old, There have been no issues and he was doubtful that it would be a good idea to install it, but worth the chance. He is a pro and I can not offer enough accolades to his abilities. He was amazed at how well this thing runs. I bought it new and was running what ever it was before XP. Bill Edwards

Yup you are right, I forgot all about that Park. Yes they are pretty uppity, I have purchase propane there in the past and decided not again but I have forgotten why. Maybe general attitude. I think they maybe the way they are is because the park appears full most of the time and they are weedin out the "shady characters". No seriously, it is too bad as it is a great location. There are limited spaces on the west end of town to boot. Bill Edwards

That park is close by us and I think run by a concessionaire for Jefferson County as it is located on county fair grounds property. Just for the heck of it I will check this issue out. Bill Edwards

I would agree with Brett, We live in Colorado, west of Denver and our power comes from a 330 CAT and have made it up every mtn we have tried. Sometimes it has been a slow go but it has never failed to get us home. Our weight is similar. If the load seems too heavy going up a pass, unhook and drive the Jeep, short distance, no big deal. Have a great time. Bill Edwards

My two bits is that the rubber is smooth and the fiberglass is textured at least on my two Safari coaches. I am sure that if you are pulling up the old caulk the rubber would give quite a bit, the fiberglass is not very flexible at all. You should use the etherbond, very sticky tape over the joint and then the Dicor self leveling caulk. Bill

Hey Byron, I am glad you agree and I agree with you as well. I sent you a note, PM some time ago about going your way this fall and looking for a load of qtr sawn white oak. You mentioned in a Post that there was a mill close by. rsbilledwards@q.com so I do not high jack this thread. Thanks a lot, Bill Edwards

jgcupp The way ObedBsuggested is a good very direct route, no fussin around and he is correct that the drive on 84 through Idaho and Oregon is nice all the way to Portland. If you would like a similar route but 2 lane nice wide but infinitely more interesting, look at a map for this. When you arrive in Pendleton look just a bit north and 25 miles west for Hermiston. Take that 395 HWY up to Washington 14 west. It is the Lewis and Clark Hwy route and it is spectacular and along the river all the way over to Portland and avoid the freeway which it is pretty but it is still a freeway. There are however many very interesting towns and history one can see and visit on the 84 side. On 14 there is not much traffic either way, mostly locals. The speed limit is higher too. In Oregon the speed limit for coaches is 55, period, just like California. 20 miles an hour over and it is a felony!! There are many portions of 14 where you will not do 55 either but the environment...wonderful. If you have some time I have an extra ordinary drive that we just did last October and again part of it returning from north eastern Oregon returning with our newly acquired 42.5 foot Safari 455 Panther towing a Featherlite trailer and an S4 Audi aboard. In any event you will end up at the same intersection of 84 and the 14 turn off. If you are interested I will be glad to elaborate. I will also offer that I grew up in the state of Oregon. There are numerous spectacularly great routes depending what you flavor is. PM me if you would like to have a meet and have a cup of coffee, I will bring the map. Bill Edwards Evergreen, Colorado

Beings that I was in the automotive restoration business for 35+ years Jleamont and Blake's answer hits it on the nose. Clean it first with a solution including TSP, rinse well and dry well. Mask of what you do not want to color and spray with a vinyl oriented spray paint. Another paint you could use since it is a plastic is SEM bumper coater. It comes in a wide variety of colors. Available at any store selling auto body supplies that the professionals use, Finishmaster comes to mind. Bill Edwards

Yeh, those little buggers love Peanut Butter in placed in those traps and so often they lick the stick clean. I've tried the Irish Spring and had them eat it right up, just to smile in our faces as the left their little black traces. Try a bit of cheese stuffed tight into the crevasse of the trigger and you'll get'um every time. But I like the idea of the peppermint oil and never seeing hide nor little black traces from the little devils. Bill Edwards

Better than 50% of Morrison's budget comes from that curvy section of S bound 285. I drive it daily. There are frequently 2 cars there. the real deal is that he cars look like Christmas trees when they hit the lights, pretty intimidating. It is a training ground for beginner cops to develop their attitudes. Then They go to Denver. Bill Edwards

If you do go to the AERO I have one I bought for my coach that was incorrect, it is 4 in 4 out. I needed a 5 in and 5 out. I It was a newbie mistake, I will make you a great deal. It is new in the box. PM me I live in Evergreen, Colorado Bill Edwards

Huffy I passed the storage idea on to a friend that does not follow any of the FMCA stuff and he just installed it and sent pictures, he's lovin it. Mine is next! Bill Edwards

J, Thanks for the vote of confidence and the plug For BASF the worlds largest chemical company. All of the paint manufacturers have increased material costs markedly over the last 10 years in part thanks to the EPA. BASF's Diamont is currently about $130 a quart shop cost. When I closed the shop in 2000 I had a serious inventory of the primers, catalysts, and hardeners. I bough most of it years earlier, which I am still using here and there for projects such as mine and yours. In the case of Safari, the paint codes were never formulated into other manufacturer lines. Thus even if one has the formula codes they are not mixable in anything other than Diamont or possibly BASF's Glasso line which is even more expensive. Todays water borne finishes are infinitely more difficult to shoot and require longer dry times and ever more expensive paint booths creating more sophisticated environments. They are harder to match and the list goes on and on. Bill Edwards

No, it is not necessary to remove it all. The cost just escalates to the point of just leave it be and or where do you stop. The flaking material is broken loose and then blown away high air pressure, in the blowing process, it will remove a little more. That which is left will have a sufficient mil thickness that I would not worry about it in this particular situation. As long as the scrubbing/scuffing with the gray (fine) Scotch Brite is through and the application of the clear is something near 3 mils = or- a bit, it will bury the remaining loose edges. If this situation were occurring at eye level it would be a different animal and treated otherwise. I used a small, flat blade screw driver to gently scratch the broken clear a bit to forcibly break it, in addition to the Scotch Brite. The end product, will likely out last you as the owner and the loose edges will be invisible to you naked eye. On top of that it is eight feet above eye level. Really, the critical element from my point of view, is that the clear is a true high solids clear. Safari coaches were painted with Diamont, a sub-set of BASF and a very good product. My coach, both of them had the issue in question, now invisible and do I dare say you would never know any thing was done. In my humble opinion BASF's Glasso is the best out there and Diamont a hot second. Amongst painters, plenty to argue about.....and plenty of differing opinions. Bill Edwards

I spent 3 and a half decades in the autobody restoration and collision business. The simple answer is this: the clear coat is not oxidizing but dying. It is doing so because it was not thick enough to begin with. Unlike automobiles , coaches are for the most part, assembled and then masked and then painted in an aftermarket fashion, like at a regular collision shop in you hometown. For a 5 year finish, by paint manufacturer requirements, the clear coat must be a minimum of 2 mils thick. In the affected areas it is in all likelihood not. A 3 mil thickness will return nearly 15 years of life +. The affected areas are the fade away areas, that is they are out of sight and just do not get the attention. The easy fix is to scuff with gray, fine, scotch brite and reclear. If the clear is flaking, it can be scuffed harder breaking the flaking up and then maybe a bit of color and 2 heavy coats of high solids clear applied and you are on the way, bright and shiny. Really it is no big deal to repair, mask, and reshoot outside and without a booth. It should be less than a $1,000 dollars as it can be completed in half a day and less than a quart of clear on a 40 footer Good luck Bill Edwards.

Not giving Don a hard time but he sounds like he is from the Texas flatlands. True the section from Ouray to Silverton is a drive to test your concentration it is an absolutely spectacular drive through one of Colorado's major historic mining districts. This section is not for the faint of heart! Make reservations now for the park in Ouray. Have fun Bill Edwards