New TV, let the games(or headaches) begin!

[FIRE UP]

Well Gang,
After seeing many, many of you on here do it, and reading about the procedures, seeing the pics etc. I finally got started on replacing both TVs in our '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 CAT. I think I can actually order up a lighter front axle now. I think the front end of that coach came up about 3" when I stepped off the step with that front TV in my arms. WOW IS THAT THING HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!

It's a good thing that Winne/Itasca built a super-structure up there to hold it in while we traveled on our FINE AND SMOOTH roads across America. Getting that big beast out was really not all that hard. A few screws here and there and the front Washed Maple face frame came right down. Then, the steel band that clamped it to the rest of the steel structure came off and, the big monster boat anchor was ready to come out. Luckily, I could reach around behind it and release all the cables that attached to it. That way, I didn't have to hold it in some precarious position, while the wife would do her best to release the stretched cables.

I had to really watch my step as me and the boat anchor headed down the steps. If something would have happened, I'd have been real PI.. OFF if I had to drop it and damage my epoxied floor!! I could care less about that TV, it's worthless but, my floor, that's a whole different story. Anyway, once it was out, it looked like I could haul a SMART CAR in there!!!

Since Winne had made the decision to install the DHS so-called "Surround Sound" Amp/control box in my left front compartment, I had some serious wire fishing to do, to get all 7 speakers worth of wires, from down there to up to the dash, where I'm now extending each and everyone of them, so they can be fished up the left windshield column and, all the way over to where the new 5.1 Dolby 300 Watt RCA DVD Player/receiver is going to be mounted, just where the original DVD player was.

The original system was poorly designed and, had very little definition between many of the speakers. While the brochure for our coach calls the system "Surround Sound", a phone call to a tech at Winne reveals that those systems are nowhere near a true Surround sound system. As you can see in the pics, I released and got rid of a whole ton of wires, loom, connectors, Analog-to-Digital converter, DVD player, TVs, (I also removed the rear at the same time, in order to pre-check the operation of all the new equipment, BEFORE I went through all it takes to actually mount all of it.

Wow, with wires stretched all over the coach, things hanging out like a bomb went off in there, I was able to test drive the new TV and receiver. I temp wired all the original speakers to the new receiver and, HDMI'd it to the new 32" Samsung LED TV.

Man, what a clear picture and, the sound is GREAT!! I could actually hear all the speakers, great definition between music and talking, my sub woofers (yep, there's two in that coach, one under the fridge and one by the driver)were both performing great. Even the test drive of the new 24" Visio for the rear went great, not very technical back there. Remove and reinstall TVs, that's about it. Oh yeah, there will be some structure to re-create but, that's down the road a day or two.

I'm only about 1/3rd the way into this project but, just knowing what the end result will be is worth all the effort. Yep, should have done it the day we brought it home, about 6 years ago. Oh well, waiting just allowed for technology to improve TVs so we got the latest one. I didn't remove that "Wart" or, filter from the old Sonys speakers. That's a waste of time. Using a new receiver with HDMI connections allows for all the sound control that's needed.

Anyway, as you can see in the pics, it's a mess but, I'm having fun in this change-over. The wiring part is not all that bad. Just have fish all the wires up and over and it's done. It's the restructuring of the front cabinet face that will need some finesse so it doesn't look like Jason or Mike Myers from Halloween or, Texas Chain Saw massacre did the cabinet work.

To be continued.....
Scott















P.S. For those of you that may be in the know and wondering, yep, I'm still keeping that "multi-switch box" up in the overhead cabinet, above the new Receiver/DVD player. I still need that for switching between certain operations, for all TVs, front and rear and, various input signals for the front TV. I'd really have liked to get rid of it since it's a CAVE MAN system but, it's needed. Oh well.

 

[megehrs]

Scott....this looks extremely familiar.....LOL....good luck on your little "project" [emoji106][emoji106]

 

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Scott-

Oh boy! A chance to clean up the dash wiring and shorten some ductwork, too! ;-)

Frankly I'm jealous. I'd rather be doing what you're doing than rebuilding our coach's sewer piping, as I'm doing now. I seem to have more "works the first time" success with wiring than plumbing. And carrying excess parts out the coach door is so satisfying.

It's always nice to see your thorough work.

<edit>I've read that folks have reduced their head hazards by cutting down the vertical dimension of the forward TV cabinet. It looks to me as if you could bring the bottom almost flush with the existing compartments either side (allowing room for future TVs of slightly different dimensions, of course). I suspect you've already thought of this.</edit>

 

[DryCreek]

We had the exact same TV in our 2006 Sightseer. It was incredibly heavy, and the wires plugged into it seemed to go on forever. The previous owner had re-reouted the power cable and it was where I couldn't get to it while holding the TV. My wife tried to get the cord out, but I (holding the glass dinosaur) was in the way. I ended up resting the TV on the padded dash while she reached up and cut the power cord. It was then that the DW noticed the small puncture in the soft dash material from the corner of that accursed box. It is just a small dimple, so I think that she'll eventually get over it, well except for the fact it is on her side of the dash...

If you are wondering what is the major contributor to the weight of that set, it is the CRT. For some strange reason the trash pickup company here requires the tube to be smashed before pickup. They said most folks just used a pillow to fill in the hole. Well, to my surprised the front of the CRT is about 3/4" thick! My ball peen hammer bounced off the front with the first few licks. I covered it with an old blanket, and I was wearing safety glasses (with brow and side shields) and leather gloves. That tube was rugged. I almost wonder if it isn't a special CRT for RV applications.

 

[FIRE UP]

Scott....this looks extremely familiar.....LOL....good luck on your little "project" [emoji106][emoji106]

Mark,
Yep, it's been a long time commin'.

Scott-

Oh boy! A chance to clean up the dash wiring and shorten some ductwork, too! ;-)

Frankly I'm jealous. I'd rather be doing what you're doing than rebuilding our coach's sewer piping, as I'm doing now. I seem to have more "works the first time" success with wiring than plumbing. And carrying excess parts out the coach door is so satisfying.

It's always nice to see your thorough work.

<edit>I've read that folks have reduced their head hazards by cutting down the vertical dimension of the forward TV cabinet. It looks to me as if you could bring the bottom almost flush with the existing compartments either side (allowing room for future TVs of slightly different dimensions, of course). I suspect you've already thought of this.</edit>

Hey Mark,
Well, at this point in the project, that new Samsung IS just sitting there in the cavernous opening. While some preliminary thoughts have cruised through this one-celled brain of mine for fitment of it, it's not the priority right now. Just getting the wiring for all the speakers up there is the thought/process of the day/week/month/decade Then onto the next phase.
And, that next phase is the rework of the dash radio system. You see, I'm sure that you and most other Winne and Itasca owners of this vintage know, that there's a dash switch that sends the SOUND signals from either the TV or the Radio, to the so-called Surround system. Well, that switch has been laid to rest. RIP!!!

Now, also, many of your coaches out there have the same type of cabinet arrangement in the forward section as mine. That is, there are the front cabinets with the two, framed glass doors, one on each side of the behemoth TV, correct? Then, on the sides, just above the driver and passenger, there is a single cabinet door. But, in front of each of those doors, between them and the front cabinets, is an upholstered, recessed section.

What I'm going to do is, install speakers behind those upholstered sections. And those new speakers, will be dedicated to the dash radio ONLY!!! What this will do is remove all the complicated, DOESN'T WORK VERY WELL ANYWAYS, link between running the dash radio system and TV system into the same speakers. My new surround sound system will be for the TV only and those new speakers, for the dash radio.

As for the TV enclosure, not sure just exactly what the war plan is, just yet. Surely raising the "head banger" lower side, would be close to the prime objectives. It sure bugs me that, for some odd reason, the TV makers, in this case Samsung, makes this fancy new, LED TV, considerably shorter in height, than the boat anchor that I removed. WHY??????????????????????????????

Why can't they make it somewhat tall too? Oh well, can't control the planet.
Scott

We had the exact same TV in our 2006 Sightseer. It was incredibly heavy, and the wires plugged into it seemed to go on forever. The previous owner had re-reouted the power cable and it was where I couldn't get to it while holding the TV. My wife tried to get the cord out, but I (holding the glass dinosaur) was in the way. I ended up resting the TV on the padded dash while she reached up and cut the power cord. It was then that the DW noticed the small puncture in the soft dash material from the corner of that accursed box. It is just a small dimple, so I think that she'll eventually get over it, well except for the fact it is on her side of the dash...

If you are wondering what is the major contributor to the weight of that set, it is the CRT. For some strange reason the trash pickup company here requires the tube to be smashed before pickup. They said most folks just used a pillow to fill in the hole. Well, to my surprised the front of the CRT is about 3/4" thick! My ball peen hammer bounced off the front with the first few licks. I covered it with an old blanket, and I was wearing safety glasses (with brow and side shields) and leather gloves. That tube was rugged. I almost wonder if it isn't a special CRT for RV applications.

I figured it was the CRT for the mass weight effect. You know, you kind-a got me thinkin'. I've been a DIY type for ever. And that includes a few zillion hours under a hood, of all the cars/trucks etc. that we've owned. And what do MOST mechanics/DIY types do that's pretty common? They lay down a "fender protector" of some type. Some have actual specific fender covers and some, have towels and or blankets etc. so that the FENDERs and paint, does not get damaged while one is doing something down towards the engine.

So, based on what you've stated, I SHOULD have placed a nice, large blanket on or, around that dash top, to protect it as much as possible, from all the debris, hand prints, black tape goo that is all over the wires we've removed. But, it's not too late. Thanks for the tip.
Scott

 

[l1v3fr33ord1]

4 x 3 vs. 16 x 9 Display Proportions

As for the TV enclosure, not sure just exactly what the war plan is, just yet. Surely raising the "head banger" lower side, would be close to the prime objectives. It sure bugs me that, for some odd reason, the TV makers, in this case Samsung, makes this fancy new, LED TV, considerably shorter in height, than the boat anchor that I removed. WHY??????????????????????????????

Why can't they make it somewhat tall too? Oh well, can't control the planet.

Scott-

From the murky depths of my memory I can (partially) explain.

TV tubes were made to display the picture in a 4 x 3 proportion, that is, the width measures 4/3 of the height. A 25-inch diagonal screen measures
20 inches wide by 15 inches tall; its area is 300 square inches.

The movie standard is 16 x 9. A 25-inch diagonal screen measures 21.8 inches wide by 12.3 inches tall. You gain 1.8 inches in width but lose 2.7 inches in height. Its area is 268 square inches.

Somewhere along the line, people started watching enough movies on their computers that manufacturers adopted the movie standard, too. And they stopped making the 4 x 3.

I own two 4 x 3 desktop computer displays and will be sad when they go kaput. My ancient laptop display has the same proportion. Dinosaurs all.

 

[FIRE UP]

Hey Mark,
Thanks for the detailed definition of how things are presented on a TV. I do see the settings adjustments that allow for filling the entire screen on some flicks and shows but, in many cases, it distorts the picture. CRAP. Oh well, we'll get by. We always do. "Dinosaurs" ,, yeah, I speak dinosaur. In fact, my last duty station on the SD fire department was called the Dinosaur Den. The reason, you had to be a DINOSAUR in order to have enough seniority to bid in and get a spot there.
The young bucks didn't have chance. Besides, ever hear of "eat their young"??
Scott

 

[SCVJeff]

Memories... La LaLa La La LaLa LaLa La.......

 

[CaptBill-WO]

Well, to my surprised the front of the CRT is about 3/4" thick! My ball peen hammer bounced off the front with the first few licks. I covered it with an old blanket, and I was wearing safety glasses (with brow and side shields) and leather gloves. That tube was rugged. I almost wonder if it isn't a special CRT for RV applications.

In one of my earlier lives, I was a TV/electronics repair tech, and I have replace many CRT's. There's nothing special about the one's used in RV's; all CRT's have very thick front glass. The easy (almost tooo easy) way to break one, is to remove the plastic cabinet from the TV. The back of the CRT funnels out to a thin glass neck, less than 2" is diameter, and maybe 10" or so inches long.

That neck is pretty fragile, and easy to break. Simply lay a towel over it, and one tap of a hammer will do the job. And when one breaks, as you probably know, they implode, as there is a vacuum in them.

on edit: since the whole thing is being discarded, no need to even remove the back of the cabinet. Just take a long shank screwdriver or piece of rebar, and drive it through the slots and into the neck of the tube. That oughta do it.

 

[CaptBill-WO]

Scott,

Nice project you have started, and I am interested to follow your progress. I will be doing the same upgrade of the front TV as soon as I finish the residential fridge, which will be here by end of month. I have already uphraded the bedroom TV several years ago, and should have done the front at the same time.

My rig is an '02, so I've got the old RCA curved face behemoth, with curved cabinetry on the front, so it will be even more challenging to convert to a flat screen, as I cannot re-use the cherry facia.

Keep the pics coming. Love it.

 

[FIRE UP]

A little update gang,
Well, this project has taken me a bit longer than originally planned. Mainly 'cause I can take my time right now. We've got a trip planned to Michigan for family reunion in the middle of July so, I've still got some time, but, the departure date is creeping up on me.

Anyway, as stated, I shi-canned the DHS unit, and re-routed all the speaker wires to the upper right front cabinet where the multi-switch box lives. There, installed a recently purchased Marantz NR 1506 500 watt, 5.2 Surround Sound Receiver. Since the Winne/Itasca system consisted of TWO sub woofers, I needed a receiver that could handle two. This Marantz fits the bill just fine, almost. I say almost because, not knowing that much about sound systems, I was lead to believe that, the two "Pre-out" RCA jacks on the back of that new Marantz would work just fine with the Winne sub woofers. Not so.

I learned that a PRE-OUT only sends a signal to the subs, but, NO POWER. So, I had to purchase an amp for those. No biggie. I picked up a two-channel Pioneer GM-A5702 amp. It is a 12V powered amp so, the I had to wire two, 8GA wires up to it. Again, no biggie. But, with the new amp and, Marantz receiver, along with a new Blue-Ray DVD player, we're now getting considerably better sound from the coaches system, than there ever was before. Later on, after this project is all done, I might, MIGHT look into some better speakers that will fit in the factory holes. We'll see.

At present, I'm installing some stand alone, older Bose 4' speakers into two areas that were just upholstered opening in the framework in the corners of the side upper cabinets that will be used for the dash radio only. As stated before, the combination switch that's in the dash, that's normally used to switch the output of either the dash radio or the TV, is now DEAD. The radio is now totally separate from the TV.

I'll have pictures to follow.
Scott

 

[FIRE UP]

Well Gang,
It's been long and well, interesting and, a pain in the A$$, all at the same time. I learned a lot in this project. Speakers, "pre-out", Amplifiers, "Channels", 5.1 and 5.2 systems, HDMI, Digital Audio Optical, "A.R.C.", and much, much more was learned (well, almost learned), while doing this project. Based on reading many of the TV change/over projects on here and other RV forums, it appears that about 99% of those leave the existing sound system in place and just change out the TV.

Well, as stated earlier in this thread, I was never really impressed with the sound as designed by Winnebago/Itasca. So, long story short, I changed all of it. And, while doing so, I segregated the Magnadyne radio from the new surround system I built. The Radio now has its own set of speakers to play with. In the pics below, you'll see how I did things and how it all came out. You'll also see that the original wood face frame around the original TV, had to be modified in a couple of ways.

First, the center speaker in the original sound system, like all the other satellite speakers, is only a 2.5" speaker. Pretty pathetic if you want at least decent sound. I'm not talking trying to wake the neighbors in the next zip code, just better quality sound. So, in order to get a better, larger, higher quality speaker up there, I had to replace the rail (horizontal) top piece to a wider one. To make that job just a tad harder, it's curved at the top, to accommodate the arc of the ceiling line.

Then, I did not want for that new LED TV to SIT on top of the framing. I wanted it INSIDE the framing. Well, that also meant modifying both sides of the styles and, actually making a new bottom rail, that has a notch in it to accommodate the infra red receiving eye of the TV. And, that rail had to be moved up to be close to bottom of the new TV. Both styles had to be "center" trimmed, to allow for the new width. But, not trimmed for the full length.

I had to build a new bottom and back for the new frame too. All that's left to do is, build a ceiling cover for behind the new TV 'cause the old plastic TUB that was there, is GONE. Not only that but, all that steel cage that was there to keep that U.S.S. ENTERPRISE boat anchor Sony TV in place, is also GONE! Between the old Sony and that cage, I removed about 140 lbs. from that front end. Not to mention, the new face frame for the new LED TV is two inches shorter in height so, I have more visibility for driving.

Then, you'll also see the pockets where what used to be just fabric installed for design, are now speaker chambers for the old set of Bose outdoor speakers I cannibalized and installed in their own little home built speaker boxes. I then designed some speaker grills out of some fabric the wife had hanging around that sort of matches the interior, sort-a.

Now, when the radio plays, it's very nice sounding and, is way better sounding than those tiny 2.5" speakers. And, because I installed a Marantz 5.2 system to handle the distribution and powering of all 5 satellite speakers, they actually sound better now then they ever did. The sub woofers are powered by a newly installed Pioneer amp. We can here them now!!! And I'm not talking about vibrating the next door neighbors mirrors off the wall, just better base.

There's lots more to explain and tell about but, just take a look at the pics and see what you all think. By the way, there was NO STEEL involved in mounting the new LED TV. It's all done with wood, and the modified face frame. I can't take credit for that. Another member gave me the idea and I ran with it. By the way, in the old system, the face frame was held up and on, by two, really small screws, on each side. Well, now that, that face frame has the sole job of supporting and holding that TV, which by the way, is a whopping 8.5 lbs, I used the same holes that the two screws used to use, and drilled them out to accommodate 1/4" - 20 x 1" bolts.

In order for those bolts to grab on to something, I drilled the wood sides to accommodate T-nuts, inserted from the back side. Talk about a seriously secure system, and all without adding any steel what so ever.
Scott




















P.S.
I'm making a nice speaker grill for the newly mounted larger speaker on top of the TV. That's why there's no grill on it in the pics. Many aftermarket speakers don't come with grills or covers. And, in the last pic, you see what I've built for the bottom and back of the face frame for the TV but, at the very back ceiling part, I'm creating a cover for that too. THEN it will be all done!
Scott

 

[AKIQPilot]

Looks great Scott. Really nice work there. I think the speakers are a nice touch. Your efforts really paid off.

 

[cobalt-WO]

Wow, that looks great. My 04 itasca sunrise has a plastic bezel in front of the TV so I'll need to craft a new oak one to match the rest of the woodwork.

I have to say your description of the project gives me pause... not sure I want to take all that on. Maybe just the TV to Start with.

 

[FIRE UP]

Looks great Scott. Really nice work there. I think the speakers are a nice touch. Your efforts really paid off.

Thank you Sir for the nice comment.

Wow, that looks great. My 04 itasca sunrise has a plastic bezel in front of the TV so I'll need to craft a new oak one to match the rest of the woodwork.

I have to say your description of the project gives me pause... not sure I want to take all that on. Maybe just the TV to Start with.

Cobalt,
One of my many "side jobs" when I was a fireman was cabinet making. So, having a bit of background in how things are constructed and designed, helps quite a bit in a situation like this. Not only that but, also having the right tools too. If you're now aware of how those "pocket" holes are drilled and just how they work, it's pretty simple. Cabinet shops use a very expensive machine called a "FACE FRAME MACHINE". All the styles and rails are clamped down on a large table. Then, a two-step drill is inserted at a very sharp angle from the bottom.

That drill drills not only the hole for the screw but, the clearance hole for the screw heat, all at once. When the screw is inserted, it actually clamps the two pieces, a style and rail, together forming a "T" intersection. Well, the tool I use is called a Kregg Jig. You can get it everywhere, Lowes, Home Depot and more. It does the very same thing only, it's a lot more portable.

If you already know all this, sorry for being redundant. But, having that tool, sure helped in creating the new components for the modified face frame for the TV. Then of course, there's random-orbital sanders, vibrator sanders, table saws, chop-saws, Jig saws (all of which I used on this project) all helped in creating what I needed to make this project work.

Anyway, thanks also for the nice comments. If you or, anyone else would like any tips on a project like this, I'd be glad to help with whatever I can. Still working on it.
Scott

 

[CaptBill-WO]

Scott, this is a project that I've been "planning" for several years, and in fact, bought a 32" Samsung smart TV almost 2 years ago, just for this. Well now you've inspired me to get off my seat, and begin.

Yesterday I removed the old RCA 32" curved screen boat anchor, and am going to remove most of that steel cage for the tv. There's going to be a lot of cutting, and I'd like to know what you found as best method. I'm thinking sawzall or jigsaw with several steel-cutting blades, and some sort of tent and trashbag taped in place, to contain most of the mess.

How did you go about it, and do you have any photos of what of the steel frame, you left in place? Any add'l pics or details greatly appreciated, and helpful, I'm sure, to others.

 

[FIRE UP]

Scott, this is a project that I've been "planning" for several years, and in fact, bought a 32" Samsung smart TV almost 2 years ago, just for this. Well now you've inspired me to get off my seat, and begin.

Yesterday I removed the old RCA 32" curved screen boat anchor, and am going to remove most of that steel cage for the tv. There's going to be a lot of cutting, and I'd like to know what you found as best method. I'm thinking sawzall or jigsaw with several steel-cutting blades, and some sort of tent and trashbag taped in place, to contain most of the mess.

How did you go about it, and do you have any photos of what of the steel frame, you left in place? Any add'l pics or details greatly appreciated, and helpful, I'm sure, to others.

Based on that highlighted statement above, I'd think you were filming me doing the process. I was going to describe how and what I did but, that statement is just about, word for word, what I did. With the exception of the use of a Sawzall. I just figure'd that would be to big to handle the semi-close proximity micro surgery that's needed to be done.

By that I mean, there's things like the naugahyde ceiling of the dash, the close proximity of the side face frame cabinets on both sides etc. I wish I'd have taken closer pics of how I cut, where I cut, and what was needed or used for a particular situation. I wanted every micro-inch of that lousy, heavy and bulk steel cage out of there since there was absolutely zero need for it as, it has no structural value once the boat anchor is gone.

Once that Sony is out of there, you'll definitely see how close to the naugahyde ceiling you can cut and, how and where to cut at the upper and right hand corners where it attaches to a steel ceiling joist. Mine was welded to a small piece of angle iron (about 3" long) and attached to the said joist. That made things a bit more complicated pertaining to the ability to cut that part of the cage out.

Now, as close as this old memory can remember, I'll try and detail for you how I went about it and, what tools were used. By the way, this all happened only a week or two ago so, my memories not good for that length of time.

The first thing I did was, cruise on down to my local Harbor Freight and picked up two saws. The first was an electric body saw. I have an air version but, it uses a ton of air and my compressor goes nuts when I do long cuts. So, when I found out H/F had an electric version, I jumped on it. Here's that saw:

https://www.harborfreight.com/electric-body-saw-65766.html

Now, that saw, like many H/F electrical tools, is not the greatest. I didn't expect it to be so. But, based on how and where I used it, and what kind of force I applied to it, I think it did actually quite well. I did have it SMOKING once in a while, not good. But, I picked up two packs of blades for it, some fine and some course blades. Not cheap, about $7 per pack.

The second saw I purchased was an electric 3" cut off saw. Again, I have an air version but, same scenario. Those two saws were about $ 50.00 total. I figure'd I use them many times past this TV project. Anyway, I started cutting on the left side, right close to the naugahyde ceiling, very close to the bend where the steel goes from horizontal to vertical. The little H/F saw started to perform pretty good at first but, within about 2" of cut, it slowed down extensively. So, then I broke out my trusty Dewalt Jig saw.

At the time, I only had two fine tooth steel cutting blades. Both were Lenox from Lowes. The one I stared with was already used quite a bit. But I thought what the heck, it's worth a try. So, since the cut was already partically done, the Jig saw fit into that area nicely. I progressed slowly but, it kept going. I finished that side and, the entire length of the same type of cut, that's paralell with the windshield. But, on the passenger side, I had to break revert back to the H/F unit.

Between those two saws, a few blades and some (many) breaks in time, I got the entire lower end cut. When it came to the top, those two cuts, one on each side of the cage (drivers and passengers side), would be shaped like a "U". This was to get around the welded upper sections. Besides, leaving what would be left after as tight a cut as I could make, would make no interference with my mounting system for the new TV anyways.

Now, as for those two cuts. Those are the problem child of the project. The close proximity to the other steel, about an inch away, and the Maple face frames, was too close to use any jig saw or air or electric body saw. So, out came my drill. I used a 3/16" drill bit, and drilled holes, so close to each other that, the interconnected and formed a cut line. Albeit seriously jagged but, a cut line never the less. But, even that got to be a pain in the a$$.

So, out came the new electric H/F cut off saw:

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-heavy-duty-electric-cut-off-tool-61944.html

I used it to cut that top section on the right side (P/s) I used the drill and the electric body saw on the left side. (D/S).

Once things looked like I was going to be done cutting, (the drivers side was completely cut away and the cage was hanging by the top right corner only) I had to get the wife out there to support it while I made the last cut. Once it broke free, I dropped the saw and helped her hold/catch that 40 lb. + cage.
It's big and awkward. But, we carried it out and put it on the floor in the garage. Man that thing is big and heavy. But we went back in and sat down and looked at how much it opened up the driving visibility. Wow!

I knew some of it would be blocked by the new TV and wooden frame work but, I still gained some. Not only that but, I lost very close to about 140 lbs. from the front end of that coach.

As for what I used for taping things off. I used everything in the book. 32 gallon trash bag, cut down one side was taped up to the underside of that cage. I had to cut it because it would not open large enough to encompass the bottom side of the cage. So, that did the trick for about 85% of the catching of "most" metal shavings/dust etc. I also had the entire dash covered with an old sheet. I jammed old paper and plastic grocery bags into all the corners etc. that lead to the the other two cabinets up there so tha nothing could enter the back side of either of those.

What that left was, a cave I was working in and that was it. So, in summation:

1. H/F electric body saw with a pack of fine tooth blades and, course ones
2. H/F electric 3" cut off saw with a 10 pack of cut off wheels
3. DeWalt Jig saw with metal fine toothed blades
3. Dewalt 3/8" 2500 rpm drill and a 3/16" drill bit (your choice on drill bit size)
4. A small, hand held hack saw (the kind that you hold the handle but, the blade just sticks out with no support on the other end.

That little hand held hack saw was used in precarious positions to finish or start cuts, that could not otherwise be started. It's not necessarily needed for this project but, as stated, I used everything in the book to get this cage out of there. I'm sorry I don't have picture of the cage, after it was out, I knew I should have taken one or two.

As for what I did to hide all that newly open space that was created by the removal of the large plastic original tub and, the removal of the cage, that was simple. I purchased a quarter sheet of Birch 1/4" plywood. It's about as close in color and grain, as the original Maple as we could get. I used the original plastic tub as an outline and hole tracing guide for the new ply wood that was cut into the same shape as the foot print of the plastic tub. That turned out way better than I thought it would. I'll get pics of that for you to see.

Anyway, enough of a War and Peace novel right now. This information ought to get you going. If there's anything else I can help with, please surely ask. It was a pain in the a$$ project, I learned a lot, "We" spent more than I thought we would before the project started due to changes along the way, and it took quite a bit longer for all kinds of reasons. In all reality, what took me a month and 3 days, SHOULD have taken less than a week. Knowing what I know now, If I had an identical coach, I could probably do this job, with ALL the parts pre-purchased on hand, in under 3-5 days.

But, it's in an RV garage, in semi-nice cool working conditions, I'm retired, can work at my own pace, and had to do a lot of research on things like speaker ohms, resistance, wiring, receivers, amps, and a whole lot more, while I did this project.

In the end, both new LED TVs are FLUSH mount, inside the face frame cabinets, just like the original ones were. And my sound system simply DESTROYS the original version. Hope this helps some, ask away if needed.
Scott

 

[cbeierl]

Nice job, Scott!

 

[FIRE UP]

Nice job, Scott!

Hey thanks Chris. I envied all of the folks who've already done this project on our era coaches for quite some time. I just kept putting it off and off etc. Finally, a gent who'd we met at the Quartzite RV show, who'd done this project on many coaches, offered to help me. And he called one day, just over a month ago and said: "I'll be there in three days to get my coach worked on so, while it's being worked on, how about we tackle your TV project"?

Yeeeeeooooowwww!!! That meant no more putting it off. It meant get off my butt and, GO BUY A TV that's gonna work, NOW! So we did, and, it's up and working, the sound system is far superior to the factory 5.1 system, we no longer need the digital to analog signal converter, the picture in both these new LED TVs is so superior to the old Sony, I've got more vision for driving due to the loss of that low hanging plastic tub, I've segregated the dash radio from the surround sound due to the install of new and dedicated speakers for radio use only, and a few other benefits.

So, we got kind-a pressed into doing it but, I'm glad we did. Both the front and rear TVs have been changed out and the coach is at least partially upgraded. Sooner or later, we'll tackle the flooring and upholstery.
Scott

 

[CaptBill-WO]

Thanks Scott, for your detailed and informative reply to my questions. I removed the old ship's ballast yesterday, and as if this project isn't already going to be a pita, the old TV is not a Sony like the one you had; it is an RCA with curved glass picture tube, and of course, the cabinet front is also curved cherry wood, so I will have to completely build a new one. I did cut the old one apart yesterday, and have salvaged the sides. None of the other cherry wood can be re-used, as all of the pieces are too short for the Samsung.

I was just out there in the barn, taking a closer look at how that cage is welded in, and I think I'm going to try to grind off most of the stitch-welds, instead of cutting everything. But that story may change, once I get into it.

Meanwhile, as you can see, I'm committed. But some of the projects I've already done, looked a lot scarier than this one, so here we go.