Lx2 Unlimited

RT = 1998 Roadtrek 200 Versatile built on a 1997 Chevrolet Express 3500 chassis

I first met RT about 10 years ago. She belonged to a client of mine. I had a chance to drive her into and out of her storage space for her yearly winterizing appointments and such. The owner didn’t use her but could not part with her at the time. Then back in 2019, it became evident that RT was getting lonely sitting in storage and the decision was made that she needed a New Home! That’s where I reentered the picture. February of 2019, I took RT to her new home, in the lot beside my garage. She had been in storage for 5 years, and I knew there would be many necessary repairs because she had set for too long with only a yearly drive or two. This was also about the time I met Marilyn. In fact, the the first out of town “date” with Marilyn was a drive to Havana in RT. She rode like a comfortable luxury car. It was evident that RT was happy to get out on the road again, and she responded like a puppy just let out of her crate. It was amazing how responsive a vehicle this size could be. She was quite at home zipping down the interstate at 80 MPH. She also was able to handle the sandy back roads in Michigan’s UP. It was love at first sight.

If you know me, you know how I like projects, and RT was now my new project. While she was a great ride, she also had some problems in my eyes.

One of the trademarks of the Roadtreks was the location of the air conditioner in the back of the van above the bed. It was set down inside the rear compartment. They used a home style through-the-wall unit. This made the camping unit look less like a camper and more like a van. While I could see the advantages of this system, I preferred to have the storage space. This coupled with the fact that the air-conditioner did not work, and the the original owner (even back before my client) had set the van up with just a fan. I decided to replace the unit with a roof-mounted AC. The first step was to remove the old unit and seal up the vent openings in the roof. This left the space above the bed open to the outside with only a louvered metal vent to the outside. I trimmed out the opening on the inside and insulated the new storage space. This made the camper weathertight but not complete. This saga is continued later in this chronicle .

One of my problems with the van configuration was the seat behind the passenger seat. As you can see in the pictures below, it protruded into the side opening. This was the primary use door, and for me it was just uncomfortable to get in, particularly with my hands full of supplies. It just had to go!

Once it was out, I rebuilt the base to make it level, leaving the drawer in the bottom. I added a top to this base unit and added a cabinet on top. See pictures below.

The next project was to replace the ceiling vent. I wanted a better fan and all-weather cover so the fan could be used in rainy weather. I also wanted the high efficiency unit from Max-air.

The tires had plenty of tread but they were more than 6 years old, and before I took it out for a trip I wanted new tires. I had new wheels and tires installed. I think RT liked the new look. She liked struttin’ her new look.

The new cabinet previously installed was to be the home of a secondary battery system. The van had a starting battery for the “truck stuff” like all the truck lights and sound system along with ignition. It also had a house battery located under the back of the van. It was difficult to access, and when I had it replaced earlier, I knew I wanted a more accessible battery backup. The van had a generator but it did not work. It would start but would not continue to run. I had not decided if I wanted to repair it. Because of its location under the van, I could not work on it easily. Reading up on the difficulty in maintaining it has further led me to not repair it. I considered taking it out and using the space for more batteries with solar panels on top of the van. As an interim, I used the new cabinet for the auxiliary battery system. It houses two AGM 100 amp hour batteries and an inverter. Monitoring gauges and power venting are also installed in this cabinet. The space below the cabinet just above the drawer, houses a dedicated dual battery charger. It is accessible by sliding out the counter top between the base drawer cabinet and the upper cabinet. Pictures below show the system and the new carpeted step.

Back to the earlier project, installing the new roof-top AC. This was a major undertaking. I not only had to cut a hole in the roof but also had to somehow get the AC unit weighing over 100 pounds up on the roof without any crane system. The pictures below show the process of getting the AC in place after cutting the roof hole. The final picture shows the unit in place as seen from the inside.

It wore me out just looking at these pictures. It was an all-day job!

With the AC now in place, it was time to finish off the outside by removing the metal louvers and fill in the opening. The inside also had to be finished off with a vent from the AC rear to a vent over the bed. Between the exterior plywood and inside plywood, I foamed the core space.

In March of 2020, I started the interior cosmetic upgrade. This upgrade included the painting of the cabinet doors and drawers along with the replacement of the counter, sink, faucet, and stove.

Time for new flooring

We started with 4 seats and removed one. Only two of those three were comfortable and there were only the two of us traveling so one more seat bites the dust.

Below this seat, is the water heater. As part of this remodel, I re-plumbed the water lines to make winterizing much easier. By turning four 1/4 turn valves, we go from normal summer use to winter by taking the water heater out of the system and bringing water in through the external faucet at the corner of the unit. This way, in winter, a separate water container can be used as the supply leaving the under frame tank empty so as not to freeze and split the tank. Water for toilet or sink can be drawn from an internal tank.

In the pictures above, notice the addition of the table support and computer monitor.

The seat was replaced with a high density foam pad that can be used as a bench but is solid enough to support objects without having them tip over easily.

In April of 2021, I installed a macerator pump on the tank flush. This allows dumping both gray and black water through an always connected hose by simply opening the valve and switching the pump on. It can even pump up hill to a sanitary drain. This makes dumping quick and easy.

While I was working under the van, I decided the aging rubber high pressure propane lines should be replaced. Below is a picture of the removed lines. The rest of the lines are metal and didn’t need replacement.

The replacement was not difficult but finding the correct lines proved to be a challenge.

RT has taken us up to the northern shores of Michigan along Lake Superior and to the southern coast of Florida. She has parked on the shores of ocean beaches and among the apple trees in Harvest Host overnights. She provided a parking lot restaurant for us to celebrate our birthdays during Covid 19 complete with chilled wine in the refrigerator. Carry out will never be the same and no birthday celebration could match the magic of that one. As time passes, it will be these memories that will linger far longer than the memories of all the time I spent on my back under her belly. I think she was one of the best models of the Roadtrek with her large holding tanks and great towing capacity. There was never a worry of making it up a steep incline or passing a weaving semi. The last trip to Wisconsin and Michigan she showed an average of about 12 m/p/g. And on the Ferry ride across Lake Michigan, she only paid car rate.

This ends the list of pictured upgrades but not the list of upgrades and repairs. The full list would include brakes, shocks, batteries (3 – starting and two house batteries). The truck air conditioner compressor was replaced twice. The first time, a rebuilt compressor failed after about a year. The last one was done at an AC installer in Florida where they KNOW AC! I have kept track of the repairs and upgrades and the cost of materials and labor I could not do totaled over $20,000. I can’t even guess how many hours of labor I have invested in it. It is now better than new in many instances. Unfortunately, I am not! We are spoiled by our large RV permanently located in Florida. We enjoy the comforts of full connections, and while we miss being able to stay in National parks with their minimal conveniences, we look more for comfort and will be moving up to a larger unit of some type where I won’t have to climb over during frequent trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Rather than put RT back in her “crate” only to come out for limited excursions, it is time for her to find a new couple wanting to hit the road for their start to retirement. It will be sad to turn over the keys but it is best for us and for RT who will always have a special place in my memories. I only wish I had found her when I was 50 and not over 70. I will envy the next owner a little bit and hope it is someone who will share their journey on a blog I can follow. Perhaps they will get her generator running again with a new carburetor and they might even give her a new coat of paint. Whatever they give her, she will return in joy of the freedom of the open road.