[pairodice]

Has anyone DIY replaced the Slideout trim?  Ours is sagging... Newell estimated a week to do the work but we cannot drive the coach to Newell currently or in the near future. TIA! Adrian

[bikestuff]

I’ve had mine done at Newell. Mine has all the swirls in plexiglas so it was probably more difficult.

If you take the screws out of the top of the valance, and remove it, you can see how they made the ceiling. In my case, it was three layers of plywood. (All three were water rotted)

Newell but the new pieces on their CNC machine and reinstalled.

Essentially nothing was reusable so If you tear into the project, expect to have to source everything. Mine has white Naugahyde everywhere except the plastic.

Let me know...I may have some picstures.

[encantotom]

it is just ply wood. nothing that cant be cut with a jigsaw. just have to figure out the puzzle on how to remove it.

the white vinyl is something you can find at an automotive upholstery supply. the one i got the material to do my hot rod is in phoenix

tom

[pairodice]

Thanks Bill and Tom! I didn’t think it was Rocket Science but figured with an estimate of 40 hours + it is mostly labor intensive. Maybe I can find someone with a CNC cutter and get the plans from Newell (I know, good luck!). The jig saw was the one thing I didn’t pack with all the tools on the way to Phoenix this week! Lol.

[encantotom]

what does the ceiling there look like? why do you need a cnc cutter to cut ovals in wood if that is all there is?

just trace the one you have and cut it out yourself

tom

[pairodice]

Tom, now that you have prodded me into actually thinking about it I could use the existing ceiling to make a jig. I need to remove the front valance and see what it looks like underneath but as I recall it is three layers of plywood (of some sort) stacked on each other and screwed/glued together. Probably has the vinyl put on as the layers are built up. Wish I were at home in my garage as this would be a fun project! I may have to invest in a cordless jigsaw... where is that Milwaukee catalog?...

[BobALou]

You could always rent a jigsaw (some Home Depots do rentals) if you want to keep your travel kit light. I don't know if this is a job for which Newell would use that fancy-dancy, super-special, ultra-light, ultra-strong plywood (that's probably not the proper technical description...haha). If you could get your hands on some of that stuff...woohoo!

[bikestuff]

It was regular plywood. You will need a stapler to put on the vinyl. Like Tom said, the old pieces can be used as a template. I don’t remember how the top piece was attached to the metal shell...but surgery should reveal that detail.

[encantotom]

i have staplers. timber wood working supply in mesa is a dealer for mooreland ultralight plywood

i called and they have 1/2 and 3/4 sheets in stock. a 3/4 sheet weighs 51 lbs compared to 78 lbs for normal plywood

tom

[pairodice]

Thanks guys! I would love to come back with Aluminum like the other ceiling panels are made of - stretched vinyl across the frames - this would be more water resistant. Other than figuring out how to cut giant pieces of expensive aluminum panels would there be any downside to doing this? What do they use on new coaches slide ceilings now?