2006 model 2350 Restoration and Modification

WOW!   NICE, Randy!

Mike

WOW!   NICE, Randy!

Mike

THANKS! 
It was definitely a great find. Not only fits through the hauler door (measured...will find out for real when I pick it up today!) But when Mrs V saw the color, we looked at each other and said 'THAT is the perfect color for the camper! ' 

Looked up the seats, someone spent $1K on that setup. Thicker padding, armrests, etc. We are fortunate for that.

Will look really classy. Black windows, not sure about any accents. I do like the looks of the early PC's that have the horizontal stripe I have seen here. The 'whoops and swoops' never attracted me. I know they hide the lumps and bumps of the delaminating and bumpy sides of other makers, but with the fine job PC does I feel a large flat surface will look good.

We used to haul a golf cart, but this will allow us the benefit of a street legal tow'd, AND keep the trailer along as guest bedroom/watertight storage. We were looking at a manual Kia Soul (read about it here...THANKS to whoever that was....) but this is a much more versatile setup for our wants.  Bike registration and insurance is a fraction of what the Soul's would have been. And no garage space needed for the trike when home, it will live in insulated, weatherproof comfort inside the trailer. 

2 hrs to go before pickup... on pins and needles. CANT WAIT.   

Keep all that chrome looking pretty and a lock on the hitch coupler !!

Ford had a really nice color  called Dark Shadow Gray Metallic that I used for my lower stripe. I looked at all  the Audi grays but they were either too dark or too silver.

In the green grass, the color looks like a metallic gray. It is called 'Challenger Brown Metallic'.

To the right - 2350 and the Carrier. Just rolled the trike out to take pics and polish chrome.
A bit of history on the left - you can see 'version one' of camping setup. The yellow 1971 VW bus (waiting for love...) and the flat trailer (sides currently on for mulch hauling) that followed it is partly visible in the foreground. Getting bigger and better!   

Happy New Year to all!

A while back, I found the shower skylight cracked and leaking. So... put some mastic tape on it and waited for dry season.

We got 7+ inches in December. WOW. I did not use the camper all month.

Went into the bath for something, and found a suspicious puddle on the floor of the shower. It looks like it came from UNDER the trim.. 



Looked up, and figured it out..    Evidently the mastic didnt seal?!? Been a 'bulletproof' fix until now. Good for YEARS (6 tested) outside to seal.

Water stains all the way over the sink, proving how tricky water leaks can travel.



Looked good, but evidently the mastic does not seal to the old self leveling sealant. Looked good, but peels right off. Sugar Honey Iced Tea.

And yes, pollen has been HORRIBLE. Almost yellow up top!



Opened up screw heads to remove, and found several rusted badly. Not sure how at this point, maybe they forgot butyl tape on the underside? The tops of the screw heads were sealed well.

Nope!  Butyl tape sealed well underneath. LOTS of water drops.





Turns out it was traveling down the inside of the dome, and going into the plywood part of the roof laminate at the edges.    For some time. I should be able to get a pic when I pull the inside 'bubble'. But we had sea showers threatening, so i had to seal this up ASAP.

I had expected the screws to be in the surround aluminum, but they were not! They fall outside the perimeter. The plywood was degraded back under the plastic top layer in a few spots to where the screws had little to bite into. Oh well, bless them all and seal it well! The entire dome was cracked at the  bubble rising transition, the sealant and mastic are the only things holding it together. 





Waterproof now!


So the roof is NOT rot proof, there is 1/4 plywood in the laminate. Both sides, I imagine. Will know for sure when I pull the inside bubble.

Have to cut all the carpet off the bath ceiling, and will likely refinish the whole bath in the 'pebbled plastic' sheet. The I can finally finish the floor.

The trike has been taking all my time, it had a MAJOR defect, but the parts are being shipped back to the factory for warranty repair as I type.

Motor Trike is a GREAT and honorable company. 

My mirrors are also yellowed or maybe they were yellow at birth.  The ad  you posted shows out of stock.  I wonder if the function of mirrors is the same as when my 2006 comes with.  If so, is it hard to paint them black or some other color?  The yellowed ones work fine but I would like it to look nicer.

I repainted the yellowed mirrors using white Plasti-Dip spray paint after a light sanding and wipe down with alcohol. If you want to just mask off the doors and windshield and spray the mirrors in place , any overspray will peel right off, unlike regular spray  paint.

If you prefer to remove the mirrors before painting them it’s a fairly simple job. Pry off the  round plastic cap on the end of the arm and loosen the Allen set screw. Pry off the square plastic insert on the bottom of the arm to expose the wiring harness connector and unplug  it. Lift the mirror off the mount.

My mirrors are also yellowed or maybe they were yellow at birth.  The ad  you posted shows out of stock.  I wonder if the function of mirrors is the same as when my 2006 comes with.  If so, is it hard to paint them black or some other color?  The yellowed ones work fine but I would like it to look nicer.

On mine all the functions except mirror heaters are there. Quick google shows them here - https://www.1aauto.com/ford-mirror-set/i/1amrp01962?f=1241341&y=2006&utm_campaign=gb_csv_br&utm_content=MRP&gclid=CjwKCAiAj-_xBRBjEiwAmRbqYrwgHL3knJuPi2JCAFBa-gu4IwV80kNQD929bYAvxNtjhDB5_PXVVhoCzM0QAvD_BwE



They DO NOT offer the same visibility on the right hand side as the larger mirrors. I willingly accept that for the (IMO) better look.

I like the bottom element being separate, i keep it pointed low and it is GREAT for seeing the road lines and keeping centered in my lane.


I wish there was a convex glass available for the right top element, but I have yet to find one. That would put them back up 'on par' with the big mirrors that were on there.

I put one of these mirrors on it, works well. Gives a similar field of view as the big ones now.

https://www.zoro.com/velvac-stick-on-mirror-convex-723075/i/G2214107/feature-product?gclid=CjwKCAiAj-_xBRBjEiwAmRbqYtJioZGzFZhQyZMyVmQ7jfgoX9-Ja6BFcoqFRy2Q_U5ilYnA0PkBiBoC1_gQAvD_BwE




If I were to paint the 'stock' mirrors, it is easy enough to take them off the door. Inside panel has a screw holding it, then (4) 10mm head nuts. It allows you to see any corrosion behind the door mount as mine had hidden.     Overspray would not be an issue either.   

Been too long since I updated this thread.   

'Fixed' my exhaust.   Had to have it exit out the back, and wanted it to have clearance for the wheelie bars. 



Got a six foot piece bent, and a stainless tip to weld on.      New pipe and tip - 15 pounds. Removed elbow and tip - 5 pounds. Net gain of 10 pounds, adjust CCC accordingly.



Detail showing length and angles. Flare to 2" in, center of bends at 24 and 36 inches. OAL 72".  Shown backwards for confusion.    sorry.



Blends in well on the side view. 




Has plenty of clearance. 10 pounds 'well spent' IMO.    We can now run the chassis motor when the side tent is on. 

We can now run the chassis motor when the side tent is on.

Now "THAT" is a very good reason to relocate your exhaust pipe.

Well!  Took care of the Motorhome exhaust routing, now for ours..... 

The toilet in the PC has never been a 'rock solid' throne. I had tightened up the mounting bolts, but the base itself never seemed too firm. But hey, beats a bush. But then things shifted, and flushes were difficult.



That wasnt good. Managed to pull the commode sideways enough to enable flushes, no leaks or anything evident. Appeared that the base may be a bit loose, hard to tell. Time to dive in!

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First obstacle was removing the top trim. Removed the commode first, and plugged the hole.  All but one of the screws were easy to get out... the forward one by the door not so much.    It was assembled BEFORE installation, and the vice grips were the only way I could grab it. A spot of white paint on the screw head after re-assembly covers any scars you leave on the screw head.



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The base trim is two part. There is a sheet screwed on to the base, with another glued on top. I used a putty knife to remove the top layer, it came off easily. 
NOTE:  They used -8-  stout #12 screws to mount the ring to the base. 




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Using the 'Socket drive and screw bit' assembly, most of the inner screws came off easily.



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The ones in the rear corner were tighter. I did not have a 1/4 ratchet wrench, nor one of the 90* ratcheting screw driver in Phillips... so a 1/4 wrench and bit worked slow and steady. 


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I found THREE screws held the base to the floor.     ( But remember...there were 8 (!) big screws holding the ring to the base.  )

One in the rear -



And two in the front -



And I could wiggle the base a bit,   

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Originally the base was put on before the plumbing was installed, with the screws installed through the hole. I am NOT removing the pipe, so a combination of wobble extensions and a u-joint allowed removal.



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So what happened?  Poor selection of screw.  Looking at the picture below, the screw with the arrows was one of the three hold down screws.  About 2 1/2 inches long. Holding a piece of 1/2 plywood against 3/4 plywood, with the threads going into foam after.



Looking closely, you can see a rusty area between the red and green arrows. That was where the 1/2" base plywood was moving around.

Now look at the area between the green and blue arrows. A bit darker, there was not movement of the wood next to it.

But note how much thread there is at the bottom... MAYBE 3 turns?  Thats all that was anchored in the 3/4 floor wood.    The remainder (still sorta shiny! ) was bedded in the foam, giving no support. This didnt secure the base to the floor well, and allowed movement.

Time for improvement!

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First, I used a (slightly blurry    ) 1/4" drill to put a hole JUST in the base, not floor. I am using 1/4x2" lag bolts with fender washers for fastening.



Then I used a smaller bit, ~3/32,  to make a pilot hole in the floor wood. Its only 1 1/2" to the foam, so no need to go deep.




Why did I do so?  I want the threads of the bolt to anchor to the floor wood. I want the washer to pinch the base wood to the floor wood. I do NOT want any space between. If the lag threads threaded into the base wood, they would hold a space between it and the floor and NOT allow the washer to clamp down. So thats why the bigger hole in the top piece.

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The finished hold down repair.  Solid as a ROCK now. What a good difference. 




Reassemble things, and now we are sitting pretty AND SOLID.     I didnt even have to glue the top layer on the base, the trim holds it just fine.

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Hope this is helpful to others that may need to do this repair. 

You did real good....better than new!
 

I am surprised that the commode platform is custom made like that, not something purchased from a supplier.

You did real good....better than new!
 

I am surprised that the commode platform is custom made like that, not something purchased from a supplier.

Might that base have been created by a prior owner or is that the way PC did it back then?

Quote from: Ron Dittmer on March 07, 2021, 10:17:01 am

You did real good....better than new!
 

I am surprised that the commode platform is custom made like that, not something purchased from a supplier.

Might that base have been created by a prior owner or is that the way PC did it back then?

My 2007 2350 commode base is constructed exactly like his.

Can someone post a picture of their 2019-2021 2350 commode base?

Back in the day, Phoenix used to keep their employees busy during the slow season, making unique things of which it seems the commode base could be one of them.

Quote from: Ron Dittmer on March 07, 2021, 10:17:01 am

You did real good....better than new!
 

I am surprised that the commode platform is custom made like that, not something purchased from a supplier.

Might that base have been created by a prior owner or is that the way PC did it back then?

I am of the opinion that it is 'Factory Stock'. Especially installed with only three incorrect length screws.     Checks out.

I had not considered commercial base risers, but the way the plumbing runs inside of it I think a commercial riser would not work.  I did a QUICK search, and toilet risers (link to RV 2.5" rise - https://www.amazon.com/Thetford-24967-Toilet-Riser-White/dp/B0006H9364 )  would lift the toilet height, but not allow the offset needed in the plumbing. Note how much closer to the wall the pipe is at floor level than at commode level.  This is necessary to sneak the pipe in INSIDE the frame rails to the back tank.  (this is the best pic I got to show the offset)



Of course, like the 'Roof Fin" (THANKS to RON D for the clarity there!)  the base with the offset may be a '2350 only' type of thing. Be interesting to see if other models have it.