The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Getting Sherman ready for another motorhome adventure!

We're slowly getting all of the little things done to Sherman to get him ready for our motorhome exchange. Tana and Graham have arrived in Canada, but they've gone to Vancouver first and they're taking an Alaska cruise prior to coming here to pick up the motorhome on June 8th.

We got the new tires last week, and I made a new cutting board to fit the sink properly.

We had a white plastic one but it was getting pretty worn and it really didn't fit the sink very well. So we bought a thick wood cutting board, and I had to trim it to fit. It was a little tough to cut out the part where the base of the faucet is because I don't really have a lot of woodworking tools here. But I took my time, and it turned out great.

There! That's better!

And Ruth has been busy making a dash cover for Sherman. The original beige colored plastic dash is fine in the shade, but when there is direct sun shining on the dash there is an awful reflection on the windshield. So we had a couple of dark colored towels thrown up there, but it was never the best. So we had bought some material when we were in Mexico, and Ruth borrowed a sewing machine from a lady here at the park. (Thanks Sharon!)

Notice the reflection on the driver's side windshield.

With the dash cover, there is no more reflection.

It's not totally done yet because the edge that you see isn't finished. Ruth is buying some more edging in town today.

Ruth, hard at work at the sewing machine.

This is the rear edging done.

She's also been working on new curtains to replace the blinds. We're tired of the roll up blinds, and we've replaced them once already this time, we're trying curtains. She bought some blackout material and we're just doing the front ones for now. The bedroom blinds don't roll properly, but we usually never put them up anyhow.

In the meantime, I've been getting everything necessary to replace the exhaust manifold bolts. This is a common problem with the pre 1996 Chevy 454 (7.4 l) engine. It's not going to be an easy job, but if I have all the right tools I can do it myself.

One problem.

The exhaust manifold studs from GM are discontinued. 

So it means that I have to match them up with something aftermarket. I found a product that will work, but do you think I can get somebody in Canada to sell them to me? It's ridiculous. I even called the manufacturer in the U.S., and they will only sell to a distributor in Canada. So I made a few more phone calls and the best I could do by the time we got through it all was a one month delivery date. Unbelievable.

So, I found a parts distributor in the U.S. (RockAuto) who would ship them to Canada. A little pricey, but at least I'll get them. They might not show up still in time for me to do the job before June 8th, but if not, it's not a disaster. The exhaust has a minor leak on the right side manifold and it's been there for years. Another couple of months won't hurt. But, I really wanted to try and fix it before giving the motorhome to these people.

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10 comments:

  1. Nice getting those things done, the exhaust manifold bolts can be a nuisance.out 1999 ford V 10 had 12 of the 20 studs broken, it was a major job to get them out and replaced hope yours goes smoothly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kevin is not looking forward to fixing the exhaust manifold because he knows it is going to be hard an uncomfortable to do but it is something he wants to get fixed properly.

      I am much happier working on the sewing! :-)

      Delete
  2. The new cutting board looks great! Wood is so much better than plastic, because the natural tannins in wood kill bacteria by the gazillions. The dashboard cover sure helps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love wood cutting boards so much better and they look so prettier too! Yes, the dash cover really makes a difference with the reflection.

      Delete
  3. RockAuto does a great job. I have used them multiple times. Their prices are usually the best and they ship quickly. The are based in Wisconsin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear that you have been happy with RockAuto, having never used them before it is nice to hear the positive review. Hopefully their shipping will be faster than they say.

      Delete
  4. What are you doing about insurance for the motorhome exchange?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saskatchewan has government run insurance. It's actually great. The insurance situation is exactly the same as if I was lending it to a friend. Don't have to do anything different and there is no extra cost. In fact, I could even rent the motorhome out to someone and the extra cost would only be $15!

      Delete
  5. I love RocK Auto too---their part prices are very reasonable and they offer First Class Mail for light orders, which is ten times cheaper than UPS. The cutting board and dash cover look awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Again nice to see the good reviews for RockAuto, looks like Kevin did the right research.

      I can't wait to get the dash cover finished, it won't look professional but it will look so much better than two faded old towels.

      Delete

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