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"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730 RV Hauler Build


bmzero

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There are two Rallies for HDTs. The National Rally in October, and the ECR (East Coast Rally) in the spring. LINK.

 

Off topic: we need to get the Rally info updated for ECR!!!

 

There is a thread that has been started so I know Carl is thinking about it.

2012 F350 KR CC DRW w/ some stuff
2019 Arctic Fox 32-5M
Cindy and Tom, Kasey and Maggie (our Newfie and Berner)
Oh...I forgot the five kids.

 

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I had the local stereo shop install a new head unit in Willy today. This one has all of the features I needed and it was only $55 on Amazon. Granted, it might not last two weeks, but I'm going to give it a shot.

The USB and SD slots look really promising, we made a pile of 4GB USB sticks of music one for each genre we usually listen to while driving and ripped our CD collection to them which is a lot less hassle than swapping CDs.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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The USB and SD slots look really promising, we made a pile of 4GB USB sticks of music one for each genre we usually listen to while driving and ripped our CD collection to them which is a lot less hassle than swapping CDs.

That's a good way to do it. Another option would be to run some type of MP3 player or iPod through the AUX-In. That way, you can old several gigs of music organized into whatever playlists you like. I also like the interface via a mobile device much better than the interface on the head unit.

 

Earlier iPods are going pretty cheap on eBay now - http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&Generation=4th%2520Generation&_nkw=ipod+classic&_dcat=73839&Storage%2520Capacity=60GB&rt=nc

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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There are two Rallies for HDTs. The National Rally in October, and the ECR (East Coast Rally) in the spring. LINK.

 

Off topic: we need to get the Rally info updated for ECR!!!

Hey Jack. Guess you didn't get my email. I tried to update the ECR document but even though I'm the "owner" of the Google doc it would not let me edit. Since you posted it for me last year didn't know if that was the problem. Anyway contacted Phil and he just removed the old link. I will be happy to create a new one and link but I need to be able to edit it as things change. On edit can I link the document myself? Or do you or Phil have to do it since it is a locked thread? I know we discussed this some last year.

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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Has anyone used "Bug Spray" on the lenses? I don't remember where I saw it, but read about using "Off" on cloudy lenses. Tried it out on my 1999 Isuzu and it worked very well. I'm not someone who remembers to do the before and after photos, until after most of the times. Took less than a minute to spray and wipe. Remarkably clearer. Maybe not as good as a half a day with sand paper and polish, but it got me from Kansas to Colorado and back.

 

Rod

 

PS, I didn't have OFF, used a generic brand of bug repellent..

So, I did a little test of "Off" and lens cleaning. I picked up a bottle of Off that had 25% Deet. I applied it directly to the lens and began scrubbing. It literally did nothing on these lights. Then, I used the buffer on the drill with the Off. It seemed to do a little better, most likely due to the heat from buffing, but didn't really make a difference, still. Then, I used the buffing compound from the kit pictured above and the buffing pad. That definitely did a better job, but in the end, this light is considerably more cloudy than the light I did last night that was roughed in with 500 grit to start with. Cutting is definitely a needed process for my lights.

 

The light on the left was the one for today. Left-most photo was the original condition. The middle photo is after a couple of "Off" buffing sessions. Then, the final buffing with the buffing compound. The light on the right is the one I sanded and buffed last night.

 

16037450181_09e1c9ae78_o.jpg

 

Although it doesn't look much different in the above photo, when comparing both at the same time, it's easier to see the difference.

 

16037450141_95f1f5dbf7_o.jpg

 

For me, it's definitely worth the trouble to start with 500 grit sanding and work your way from there. I'll be pulling the passenger-side light soon and cutting and buffing it to match the other side.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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Nothing like a BIG tube of elbow-grease when you own one of these.

Lights are numero uno for me as well.

I have 2 extra sets of driving lights that sit in that lower cut-out.

 

Rick

1998 VOLVO 610 VED-12 @ 425 HP with 13 speed, 22.5" rubber, TC Equipped, single 3.70 drive axle, 193'' WB. REESE, 30K 4 way rocker-hitch, Jordan Ultima 2020. Under-frame mounted Honda 3000 ei, Towing a DRV MobileSuites- 36TK3 with TrailAir Pin Box, a Yamaha Road Star 1700 on deck. http://diesel-gypsy.blogspot.com

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Great looking truck. I love the low profile cab and yet still have the dinette. Your kids will love it. I have an 8 year old who wants to take the big truck everywhere. She especially likes being dropped off at school.

Ha ha. I got that request from my son last night. I'm not sure I can get this thing through the carpool lane at his school, but I may give it a shot.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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My son likes to eat at the Iron Skillet in the Petro now because it means we are taking the Kenworth.

 

That's great. We generally stop at truck stops on our trips just because it's easier to get the big trailers in and out. The kids act like they're going to an amusement park when they go into a Love's or Pilot. We haven't tried the Iron Skillet, but I'll put it on the list.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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I've heard that fingernail polish remover will clear the headlights. Has anyone tried that?

 

From what I can tell, there are two different types of haze that plague plastic headlights. On my wife's car, a BMW, a good bit of the haze was removed with Off, but another portion of it would not come off w/o sanding. On my Volvo lights, none of the chemicals I tried worked well. I needed to get below the rough surface to get to some smooth plastic and polish back the shine from there. If you have a haze on your lights that you can scrape with your fingernail, the chemicals might do the trick, but if you can't scratch it off, pick up one of the cheap buffing kits and get to work. That worked well on the light I did.

 

I pulled all of my lights from the truck this morning. I was told by a guy at the stereo shop that a local body shop will buff a set of lights and clear coat over them. As long as I can keep the road debris off of them, I believe they will look good for quite a while like that. I'm also going to have them put a little tint (small amount of black mixed with the clear) on the lights. It shouldn't affect the light output, but should give it a distinct look.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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Hey Jack. Guess you didn't get my email. I tried to update the ECR document but even though I'm the "owner" of the Google doc it would not let me edit. Since you posted it for me last year didn't know if that was the problem. Anyway contacted Phil and he just removed the old link. I will be happy to create a new one and link but I need to be able to edit it as things change. On edit can I link the document myself? Or do you or Phil have to do it since it is a locked thread? I know we discussed this some last year.

Phil or I will have to edit the link, since the thread is locked. Both of us are happy to do that once you get the base document established. Just email me a link to the document itself and I'll put it in. Once that is done you should be able to edit the base document all you want. Just don't change the location of it.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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So, the cable under the workstation table in Willy was broken, not allowing the table to go down to the flat position. I decided I would try and fix that tonight. Geez, I had no idea what I was getting into. First off, it was a huge amount of work to get the black plastic seat base out. Apparently, that is put in before all of the wall coverings. Also, I didn't see any way to get it out of the cab without removing one of the seats. So, I decided to cut it into two pieces. I'm going to build a connecting plate to connect it back together when it goes back in. That way, I can easily remove it in the future and it will still hold its rigidity.

 

This is absolutely the best way to access the devices/systems under the seats.

 

16021314156_5799135d08_c.jpg

 

With the extra access, I was able to break open the cable splitter box and reattach the cable. The table is functioning well now.

 

It's pretty safe to say that this truck hasn't been as clean since it was born as it is now. Years of sunflower seeds have been removed.

 

Does anyone else have two pintle hitches inside their cab?

 

15859636288_38b6430175_c.jpg

 

The other main reason for pulling out the seat platform is to install seat belts. We want the kids to be as safe as possible in the rear of the truck. I have some 2" lap belts coming from PRP Seats. Those will go in tomorrow.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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Those are your tow hooks.

 

OK that makes sense. I see where they will slide into the front of the truck. Good to know. Thanks.

 

I sure wish I had received an owner's manual with this thing. A lot to learn.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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Can't tell by looking at your picture of your tow hooks if you also have the "pins" that lock them into their slots. Nice to have when you need them.

 

Scott

I haven't seen any pins laying around. I'll keep an eye out for them. Thanks for the heads up.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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Consider the ramifications of side seating with seat belts in an accident. It is not good. You might consider a front-facing seating method.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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bmz,

 

I ordered L-track mount seat belts from Cargo Equipment. I also ordered these washers to bolt the L-track down through the floor. I very seldom have passengers but if we do I can just snap the seat belts to the preinstalled L-track under the seats and just put them away when not needed. I know that this isn't the safest seating position but am not willing to rearrange my truck to accommodate front facing seats. It is a guarantee here if the passengers are not wearing seat belts I will be getting fined if stopped.

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bmz,

 

I ordered L-track mount seat belts from Cargo Equipment. I also ordered these washers to bolt the L-track down through the floor. I very seldom have passengers but if we do I can just snap the seat belts to the preinstalled L-track under the seats and just put them away when not needed. I know that this isn't the safest seating position but am not willing to rearrange my truck to accommodate front facing seats. It is a guarantee here if the passengers are not wearing seat belts I will be getting fined if stopped.

I love that idea, Rick. Thanks for sharing the links. I'm definitely going to do that.

 

Jack, I'm with you on the safety concerns. The only ones that will probably sit in the rear of my truck will be the kids. I'm going to build a seating setup where they can sit facing forward with the table in the low position. Rick's track setup will work perfectly with this as it will allow me to convert from four passenger mode (two on each bench) to two passenger mode (one per bench, front facing). The kids won't mind sitting with their feet propped up on the benches when facing forward.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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The lights turned out perfect. There is literally not a scratch on them. They look brand new. Total cost for all four lights was $125 including the smoked clear paint.

 

16051982725_aa5d611e09_o.jpg

 

16051293262_e4cfd2562f_b.jpg

 

When I get ready to paint the bed, I'll also touch up the front end damage.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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