John Here U R, this will give you an idea, when I get home and get the toad away, I can take better pix.
There is a full length stainless piano hinge on upper end, with gas struts. Bottom sits on the original rubber bumpers and then he added brackets so a pair of 1/4 X 20 cap screws thread into a new fixed bracket, very professional, or good enough for me.
Dave M
Nice!
I like it. Did you have the lights done too or were they like that? The 2 lower ones are they back ups?
John
The rear LED lights were done last year when the paint job was done, all lights are LED except head lights, the fog lights, dock lights and license plate lights.
On the rear, there are three, top running & stop red, next down amber turn, bottom bright white backup. Headlights have been converted from the Ford to the new smaller brighter you see on most updated units.
Rance at Xtreme Graphics in Nacogdoches also did our rear engine door access the same as Dave's coach. We like it very much and there is no longer a chance for the heavy door to fall on our back when we are working in engine compartment. Xtreme also offers a vertical split rear engine door with vertical side hinges that i don't like very much.
Barry, A funny for you, Rance had to go to your pictures to get the gas strut part number, as he forgot the weight rating.
Also, I think the only difference in our rear door mod is on mine he formed a nice grab handle with a drain hole below the license tag area. I think on your door, he used a handle, I could be off track on that.
I also prefer the hinge a cross the top, not the two side doors.
Classic Rance job, like few others could have it turn out so correct.
Dave,
We also have the same finger space with drain hole below the license tag area. This is Rance's latest enhancement to his rear door mod.
Why is this safer than the original arrangement? In both arrangements, it looks like doors are supported by gas struts when the door is open. Our door has always seemed to be stable in the fully open position.
J.D. Good question, I think the big part is the upper door is so much lighter as there has been a tremendous amount of structure/weight removed from the assy. Yes, anything CAN happen at ANY time, I think the keep your head aware of what is around you is good. Also with the gas struts, wen you open the upper, you notice the effect of the struts. If this is too difficult, I recommend sticking with the original setup. For me and others it is a no brainer.
If those gas struts get a bit weak or the door gets a tad out of adjustment, a gust of wind or starting the coach can cause it to come slamming down AT SPEED.
It WILL hurt you. That door and hardware is over a hundred pounds. BTDT. Got the bruises.
I never work long in there without a 2X2 brace. Going to the newer design takes a serious chunk of 'overhang weight' off the back end.
Dave H, Yes, but there is not nearly 100 lbs in the current configuration, I do not know exact weight but there is a lot of metal left on the floor after the modification. Of course anything can and will happen, I often think about the poor fool that destroyed his anvil with a feather ;D
You do loose the ladder and being full timers we need all the space in the bays we can. Telescoping ladder does handle that small problem. Also, makes for a very nice clean look. Another great innovation from Rance
After we had Xtreme modifiy our rear engine door, we still had the upper half of our rear motorhome ladder, which we recently rebuilt and found most of the inside supports fully rusted out.
We have always carried a Lowe's regular 8' aluminum "A" ladder inside our bay for all around maintenance and cleanning. We also have used our 8' ladder when climbing to the roof to keep our weight off the half of the rear motorhome ladder, so now that the lower half of the motorhome ladder has been removed, we don't miss it very much.
Slightly off topic, but a warning, when I got home from my last trip I discovered that my louvers were down to being held by one screw.
Here is a picture of my coach with the twin door conversion from Extreme.
Keith