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Topic ClosedSLO-Pod 180 mods, John&Sue

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voisj View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: SLO-Pod 180 mods, John&Sue
    Posted: 04 Mar 2017 at 8:38pm
 I've been having a ball modding the pod and thought I'd share some of the things I've done. 
Thanks to everyone for the ideas, info and help that I have received on this forum! I really like the 180 floor plan, there are just a few things I think needed to be done or should have been done, (or I'm just a nut and did it) at the factory. Some of these are 180 only some will work on any pod.
 


Twin beds with a nightstand and drawers under beds during the day and a lift out center section that converts it back to a queen at night. We sleep front to back, the slideout side is 63" long and she sleeps at a slight angle on that side. And on the door side bed, the dinette seat back lays down for a 78" bed. 
 We remove the center section during the day and have 18" of floor space between beds. This made the pod feel so much more usable during the day, from using the shades & windows, to getting out of the way, to having extra seating. Plus the added bonus of drawers for clothes storage and a nightstand drawer. And now we don't have to climb over each other in the night when duty calls.
Link to original post  More info
 

 Drawers under the mattress.  Before I did the twin bed mod I tried this. Not enough storage in the 180, Raised the mattress 5-1/5" and made 4' long x 18" wide drawers.

Outdoor fold up bar table. more info on page 2.




 Light switches for the puck lights. This was a simple project that took all of 45 minutes, So nice to just flip a switch as you go into the pod.
Original post w/ step by step

 Dinette Electrical panel clean up and drawer, easy to capture storage space!
 I moved the electrical panel and faced it towards the entry hall, and installed the drawer out of the other dinette seat, fits perfect.  I then made a much larger drawer for the other dinette seat side. I didn't cut, disconnect or shorten any of the wires, I just cut a new hole and swung the box over, grouped the wires and remounted the ground bar & 12v Fuse? 
  

Window in door.


Tilt out bathroom window in the rear wall of the Pod to get the steam out and get a little light. This worked out better than I could have hoped, When I turn on the fan in the main cabin and open the window there is great airflow and no steam anywhere! Plus no need to turn on the light during the day.


Rear bumper/sewer line holder with stab jacks mounted to it. This raised the jacks up almost 4 inches.
It also has pins that lock it in tight or out 20" so I have options for racks or cargo. (still playing with the possibilities) Total weight is 34lbs.





 The wife saw this one on the facebook site and had to steal the Idea, thanks stranger!
Moved the radio up into what was empty space and finished up the interior of the old radio space. I use this cubby for all the day to day stuff that comes out of my pockets. (every sq inch counts)

 I made a hot water heat exchange system (Thanks Marwayne!).Using a standard 8x8 heat exchanger I got on EBay. It connects to the hot water heater, a 12volt pump, and a 12 volt 8" computer fan and is controlled by a separate thermostat mounted above the nightstand.
Much quieter than the furnace going on and off all night and at 37 degrees outside it kept the pod near 60 degrees all night. Uses about the same amount of propane as the furnace keeping the pod warm and way less power. Pics are from before i insulated the pipes and finished things up. I used Sharkbite fittings so it was all plug and play and can be taken apart easily.




I put a shutoff valve next to the vent so I could slow down the flow if needed or shut the flow off when not used because convection kept the water circulating in the system. 




The most important mod..... Bottle opener!

 Tongue mounted battery/storage box with 3 position battery disconnect switch, 2-6 volt GC batteries  and dual LP tanks. I also added a Zamp style solar port to plug my solar panels in closer to the batteries, and the solar charging controller is in the box.
I store the chocks, a jack, lug wrench and a few other items in here.

 


 I removed the knee knocking, toe stubbing, awkward table base and installed a pedestal type table stand. 
 I set the post 1/2" toward the wall so the felt bumpers push against the wall a tad which helps stabilize the table when it's up. I also added a strip of wood to the wall just below the table and put a couple screws through it into the table top from below.
I store the top up against the wall by cutting slots in the supports the table sits on when it's lowered for sleeping. (which I've never used). There are felt bumpers on the table edge so it doesn't sit right on the floor.



  3500LB electric jack.   


Electric keypad lock. Love this thing, never have to find a key in the dark!


 
BAL under mount spare tire carrier. Out of site, and lower center of gravity. Plus it frees up the rear hitch for bikes.

Tarp shade/rain awning using a standard 12x12 tarp, 3/8" sail slugs that slide into the C channel
and 2 adjustable tent poles. Sets up in minutes and I'm able to pull it forward or aft depending on the sun or rain.

 Larger kitchen drawers. I used the stock drawer guides and they work fine. The drawers are taller now and the cutting board no longer jumps out and falls behind the drawer while driving.

 How to locate studs on any cool damp morning.

Removed the bathroom door and installed a curtain. The door just gets in the way to often.



Bathroom mirror mod and towel bar.

 Slideout cover. Pictures and more info on page 2.

 Furnace heat deflector, Which sends all the warm air from the furnace into the room instead of under the bed, 
 And angle iron, (Hidden) replacing the wood under the bed plywood, This opens up the opening under the bed over 2 " for taller storage bins and lets the heat out better.
Video link for furnace heat deflector; 

 Porch light, Whoever designed the porch light location blocked by the door so you can't see the step at night? I bought a metal LED landscape light at home depot and modified it to plug into the Zamp port. I put a fuse on it and i just stick it to the storage door magnet.

 Backup camera and rear floodlight. Automatically goes on when in reverse and sends a wireless picture to the headset on my dash.  The only reason I did this one was I was given a voyager camera and headset.  I didn't want to permanently mount it and then run wires somehow to power it, up to the spoiler area. So I cut apart the spare tire carrier and used it for a mount and ran a wire up to the reverse wire in the whip. The flood light has it's own switch and comes in real handy on dark nights.
Camera is now mounted up on the spoiler and hooked up to the little round running lights.


 Volt meter hooked up to turn on with the outdoor light, I've also installed USB charging ports by the beds. 
 
 Led lights under the awning C channel, in the storage compartments, and along the underside of the pod.

 BAL telescoping stabilizer jack. After bending both rear jacks I installed these. Really only gave me about an inch more clearance, but they are real smooth and well made. Pretty sure I need risers.
  
100 watt solar panels. Keeps us fully charged during the summer. Helps a little during the winter.


Moved the p-trap out of the center of the under sink cab, it used to come all the way down to 2 inches from the cab bottom.


 Rgds John


SLOPODMODS
John&Sue,SLO,CA
2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 2017 at 8:57pm
Is your back-up camera a wireless model? I like how you mounted it along with the flood light. I also really like your fold-down table. Does it travel mounted or do you remove and stow it somewhere for travel?
StephenH
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ouR escaPOD mods
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 2017 at 9:05pm
Stephan,
 Yes it's wireless and hooked up to the reverse light.
 And I tow with the table on and only take it off when I store the pod.
 I mounted it with these tread inserts into the aluminum studs.

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John&Sue,SLO,CA
2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 2017 at 9:16pm
Thank you.
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Mar 2017 at 6:32am
I really like the bumper camera mod!!
Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
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2010 Rpod 171
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Mar 2017 at 7:14am
I like the box your batteries are in.  Did you fabricate and make this or purchase it somewhere?  Looks great.
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Mar 2017 at 10:02am
Jato, 

The tongue box came from harbor freight 


If you have one nearby, It goes on sale for $89 every other month or so. and get the 20% off coupon

I cut a small hole in the back of it and put a louvered screen over it. 
Because I've heard you shouldn't keep batteries in a sealed container.

And the LP tank needs to be moved forward. The dual tank set was almost necessary because you can't easily get to the handle to lock the box. It worked but was a pain and this led to the dual tank install,
which I wanted anyway.
rgds John

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John&Sue,SLO,CA
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Mar 2017 at 6:40pm
Thank You.
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Mar 2017 at 8:45pm
On the bar table...
How did you locate the aluminum studs?
What is your side table made of?

Very nice job on all of your mods. Thanks for sharing.
TexMan 2015 182g
2018 Sequoia
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Mar 2017 at 9:12pm
Texman,
Thanks! The studs are easy to find on any cold morning,the condensation will not show up where studs are. Or any good ($50+) stud finder that also detects metal and elec. work really well. The wood is a thermally modified or cooked at 450 degrees for 4 hours, the brand I buy is called Pakari. It comes in a 5/8 inch and is very light and stable.I could post a few pics of the how I did the mounting,hingeing and such if your interested.

Rgds John
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John&Sue,SLO,CA
2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
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