Has anyone done a overhead TV replacement on a U225? I need some ideas and have searched the pics and came up empty. Hate to be the first to tear things apart. My Allegro's TV was in the dash and it was very easy because I did not have to worry about it falling out. I turned the hole into a cabinet and attached the TV to the cabinet door that I made. But this overhead deal ::)
Hi Pat, We have a 1995 U240 which i think is almost the same floor plan as your U225. I remove the old over head 13" TV,and replaced it with a 19" flat screen. I used the same cabinet, but i installed new braces for the brackets to hang the flat screen on. Put your new brackets so your new TV fits against the old 13" cabinet. The 19" flat screen still gives you the same field of vision as the old 13". :)
I am in the process of replacing our old CRT TV with a Samsung 26" LED/LCD TV. I am removing the old TV cabinet and am working on the design of a "store against the ceiling/view vertical hinged mount.
Should have more details within a week or so.
Brett Wolfe
Okay Brett, your week is up!
I removed the old TV. Am just going to put in a piece of panel to mount the new TV mounting bracket to and drill a couple holes for the cords. Have to find a inverter cause the rig does not have on and the TV I got isn't 12 volt and that is all that is up there. Am hoping that the old Wingard switching unit is still working, so I don't have to get the newer style and run new coax. Also will have to run a Dish coax line and line switch for switching from the regular antenna to the Dish antenna.
OK, OK.
Remove old TV and old TV cabinet. Build HD "brackets" (I used 1" oak) that will screw to the sides of the old TV area (inboard of overhead access doors and fit flush with the "back" of the FG area where the overhead access doors sit. I used a piece of 1" thick walnut to match interior that "faced the open area (but did not extend below it) that was very well fastened to the "brackets" (glue and screw).
Cut a piece of 1/8" plywood and covered it with dash material to cover the bottom of the old TV hole.
So far, there is no TV cabinet and no longer any obstruction of driver or passenger's view as there was with the old TV/TV cabinet. It just looks now as if there are three walnut "doors", though the center one is fixed in place.
Buy a 26" LED, repeat LED TV, as it is only 1.2" thick. I used 1" aluminum (actually, the pieces from the old Wingard antenna) to make the long supports to which the TV's recessed nuts (4) are screwed.
I then built a plywood frame around the TV/aluminum beams and covered it with Ozite carpet to match the interior ceiling material. Also installed a vent grill opposite the TV's upper vent and installed a super-quiet 12 VDC muffin fan so the enclosure would not cause the TV to overheat.
The enclosure is stored up against the ceiling when not in use (only intrudes 3.0" down from the ceiling). It is hinged in the "front"/"top" on beautiful ss hinges from West Marine. The back/bottom is secured in the store position by a barrel bolt with captive detent.
A big job was securing the barrel bolt to the ceiling. The ceiling in the forward area is part of the inner cap-- so you have to remove the trim strip and metal at the back of the front cap to interior ceiling. That gives you only a little access, but enough to see that there is a well-secured wood block fastened to the upper cap just forward of where you need it. I cut a piece of 1/8" steel plate that I lag bolted to this block to allow me to extend a secure location aft, as the barrel bolt is located only 2.5" forward of the front to coach ceiling seam. I then held the forward ceiling and barrel bolt in their final location, determined thickness of shim needed between steel plate and inner ceiling (so bolting up the barrel bolt would not change ceiling location). Then drilled the plywood shim and steel plate, removed the shim and over-drilled the wood and then tapped the steel plate to accept the bolts holding the barrel bolt.
It looks great in up and "view" position and has held up just fine on a 2500 mile trip since installation over rough roads.
LOTS of work, but good end result. Total project time about 30 hours (much of that design work) and cost of around $100 plus cost of TV.
Brett
OK, here are pictures of the original 13" TV installation and my new 26" LCD/LED installation in both the up and down positions.
That looks great. Mine is a bit different setup but I think you've presented some steal-able ideas.
Great work, Brett. I can see how the design & planning phase took a while. As my father-in-law shop teacher (RIP) would have said "that's as close to an A+ as you'll ever get from me".
Very nice!
;)
Slick installation!!! :) Looks great, now you have me thinking about relocating my T V from the lower cabinet between the seats to an overhead location... ::) ::) ::)
BTW, in the last photo (TV down) you can see the new flush-mounted color LED monitor (Tim at http://www.rvcams.com/ (http://www.rvcams.com/)).
Brett,
Very nice, clean installation.
Very nice Brett! Am finding out that you are not only a mechanic's Mechanic, but also a bit of a Finish Carpenter! Very nice match on the wood stain.
Wow!
Would this be doable in the living room area with a larger TV (37")? We're new fulltimers who are preparing to take off in about 4 months and trying to get our RV set up :)
Candikane,
Just a suggestion... People can answer your questions in more detail if you will fill in your "signature" with your coach model info. For instance, knowing if you have ducted or non-ducted AC would make a big difference in the answer to this query.
as Chuck said , let us know the coach model so we can suggest things.
Depending on the ceiling strength you may have to remove that panel and do a bit of framing behind to support the weight, but anything is possible in a FT. Take a few pics of ceiling and area and we will design something for you
JohnH
I just finished a conversion on my 1990 U280. I converted the cabinet in between the drivers seat and the passenger seat where the TV used to be into a bar cabinet (who knew?). I found a fold down tv mount on eBay for $15 bucks, mounted a 20" flat screen on it then built a walnut trim to cover the TV when in the up or travel position. I'm out of town until Monday, but will try to post some pictures of the installation. It wasn't too difficult, had to pull a few wires and do some cabinet work.
Brett, I give up trying to figure out your hinging. Does it slide from the up to the down position? Pretty sure I understand the enclousure and the slide bolt lock, nice idea on the fan. How about a pic of the attachment of the hinge to the tv box.
I showed you how i installed on another post :))
It has been awhile, but these are the hinges I used. They just open/close-- no complex sliding or movement other than to "hinge".
WEST MARINE Heavy-Duty Stainless Strap Hinges | West Marine (http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--heavy-duty-stainless-strap-hinges--P024_721_002_538)
Brett, thanks I am thinking from photos the 6" which gets you 3" when stowed,
Thanks ^.^d
This was one of our first upgrades/modifications when we bought our U225 in 2011. I wrote it up here: LED HDTV Flat Screen installation (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=14377.msg83447#msg83447)
Pretty simple. We did want to keep the two overhead cabinets so that restricted our installation in TV width. But, as it turns out, 19" is not much of a problem. Besides, both the DW and I grew up in an era when 19" television sets were big. :P
Craig
Craig, my first flat screen was a 50", I felt it was too boisterous so took it back got a 40" panasonic. Had it 10 years, bulb went out got a new one for $80, had it another 4 years, went full time.
Put a 32" in the 88GV. Now Have a new 40" flat much lighter than the 32" for the u280, so that is what im working on. ^.^d
Is there a good source for the Ozite carpet used on the ceiling?
Howdy D J, Someone on the forum previously posted this link: 80" Wide Superflex Ozite Automotive Carpet (http://www.yourautotrim.com/80wideozite.html)
I have no personal experience with this company. I just bookmarked the website.
Good Luck, Dave A
Here is how i did mine:
What did you do to your coach today II (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=17940.msg144518#msg144518)