Aliner Mods - 2004 Classic

Plug-Guard I mounted a Plug-Guard on the tongue to protect the trailer end of the hitch wiring harness when it was not connected to the tow vehicle. I minimized drilling through the tongue by using an existing hole for one of the bolts. Carpeted Step From a residential plastic doormat, I cut a piece to fit the step. I used stainless bolts, nuts and washers to fasten it to holes in the metal step. The rest of the mat stays on the ground. A thin fiber mat just fits inside the door so we can wipe our feet. Together, they did a good job of keeping dirt out of the camper. Doorstop-Flagpole Since the roof prevented the door from opening all the way, I needed a stop to prevent damage from a gust of wind. With wing nuts and washers, I fastened a u-bolt to the slot in the right side of the step, and slipped a broom handle through it. Now it serves double-duty as a door stop and flag pole. It's easy to roll up the flag and unscrew the u-bolt for travel.  ...

A/C Cabinet The cabinet to the left of the door, in front of the A/C, came equipped with a hinged door above 2 drawers. The cabinet door was almost unusable because it was hinged at the bottom and would bind against the drawer hardware when opened. I removed it and found a plastic 4-drawer cabinet that I screwed in place in the open space. That gave better ventilation for the A/C, and left a small space to the side that became our "library" for dictionary, field guides, and cookbook. For a finished look, I used a utility knife to cut fake oak trim (from Lowe's) to fit, nailed it in place, and filled the nail holes with colored putty. I added small screw eyes to the underside of the countertop where we hook bungees to hold the plastic drawers closed during travel.The drawers below the plastic unit had plastic drawer stops that kept them from opening all the way, making it difficult to use the whole drawer. I cut them off and fashioned new stops from small strips of a...

Insulated Bubbles The plexiglass bubbles are great for headroom and light, but they sure collect heat, even when the camper is folded. I bought a roll of Reflectix (insulating foil-covered bubble wrap) at Lowe's and cut it with scissors to fit inside each bubble. It helped tremendously, and the pieces were easy to store under cushions when not in use. I also cut pieces for the vent lids, which I left in place. Front Dinette Bench Our front dinette was designed with a seat across the front of the camper that covered the front hatch. Taking out that long cushion, when it wasn't needed for sitting or sleeping, added storage space. It was also easier to reach the plywood lids for access to the front hatch. Like the rear bed platform, though, the 2 plywood pieces were very big and awkward to move. I replaced them with 3 smaller pieces of 3/8" plywood, which I covered with vinyl sheet flooring and edged with paneling trim. The finger holes for lifting each secti...

Sliding Table Space was tight around the front-dinette table, especially getting into the seat next to the fridge. Swiveling the table on the post helped, but sliding it out of the way was even better, and the seats could then function for more than dining. To make our "sliding table", I used drawer slides intended for mounting under-cabinet drawers or shelves; instead of being mounted on the sides of a cabinet opening, these slides hang from brackets mounted on the underside of a surface. They are available in different sizes from most hardware stores. I purchased 16" under-cabinet slides from the cabinet-hardware section of Lowe's. The first step was to remove the cone-shaped post bracket from the underside of the table. It was both screwed and glued to the table. I needed another piece of wood to reattach the mount. Since this piece would show when the table was slid back, I wanted a finished surface. We no longer used the matching wheel-well lids,...