Santa Claus is real!

I just cannot believe what Santa gave my three-year-old daughter today. We spent Xmas in Houston with my wife's sister and their family. That was a great time and I made numerous references about how it would have been great if we took Fandango there so we would have extra room with all of the other relatives in the house. No, that didn't work but I will admit, I just wanted an excuse to take Fandango.

Well, we drove back to Austin today and if you have ever take that drive up I-10 and Texas Hwy 71, you know there are a bunch of RV stores, RV parks, state parks, and so on. I have a buddy, Elway, who is one day into his weeklong camping vacation with his family. They are staying in Bastrop and I joked with my wife while driving home we could stop by. I do hope to get out there for a night or two but I know they are already booked for New Years Eve. Anyway, we were literally at the Hwy 71 intersection to turn off for the Bastrop State Park when I got a text message from my buddy, Elway. He was just letting me know which RV spot they got and also mentioned there are two spots available next to him. I really got a kick out of the timing so we turned right and stopped by for an hour to tour the park and say hello.

We weren't there ten minutes before Elway turned to my daughter, mentioned he got her a Xmas give and pulled a wrapped package out of his car. The box was pretty big and I was really confused on why he would have picked up such a large gift just for my daughter. OK, enough babbling...can you believe what he found, bought, wrapped and gave to my family?

Confused? That is an actual 1970's Tonka Winnebago Indian truck. Yes, I mean a sturdy, metal truck just like the Tonka trucks and bulldozers we all played with as kids. That beer bottle (Sorry, Marcus, I stole your method for taking pictures) is 500ml bottle for reference.

Elway apparently found it on e-Bay and insisted on getting it for my family. Yes, it even came with the four action figures (Mom, Dad, daughter and baby boy - just like my family). The top opens up and become the canopy. That also shows the interior.

Elway, I am just truly shocked and stunned that you went through the trouble to find this and give it to Danielle. Actually, I shouldn't be. Thanks! Here's some more pics for everyone. I hope everyone had at least one surprise this holiday season like what I got to experience today.

(Yes, I do feel a bit stupid setting up dolls, errr, action figures up for pictures)

What's this thingamajig?

Here's a quick, but key update on my work around Fandango.

Before I get to to the "Thingamajig", I fixed the hot water heater. It was blowing a very orange flame which went through the entire heater tube (Not sure if there is a more proper term but it makes sense if you ever look at an RV water heater) where the flame literally came back out the vent and was starting to leave soot marks on Fandango's paint job. I popped off the burner itself, took it home and soaked it in some soapy water and gave it plenty of time to dry. I also poured water through the burner hole in the tank plus I shoved a coat hanger in there. A bunch of cobwebs, muddobber nests and general crap came out. I am not sure which was was the true culprit but that helped, along with a minor adjustment on the air inlet to the flame. I have not had a chance to hook up the water and actually get hot water to come out of the sink but it did work prior to me purchasing Fandango and more important, the flame is clean, blue and small.

There are some minor things I have played with as well but back to the "Thingamajig". Here it is:

That eye bolt is on the floorboard, directly below my legs while I am in the drivers seat. I have wondered why someone would bother to put an eye bolt there but that just seemed to be the least of my concerns while trying to remember all of my questions around Fandango. Anway, the reason I bring this up now is that I had to tackle the problem I had with the brakes. I can thank (again) the previous owners who kept every receipt and manual from every owner. I actually have the original service manual which is a great document. I read through all of the brake schematics and I did a very basic examination of the brake lines which did not show any blown lines, drips, or obvious problems. What I finally did was open up the master cylinder and found one of the two reservoirs empty and the second full. For those who care, a 1975 Winnebago Indian is equipped with a split hydraulic brake system with a tandem master cylinder. I filled the master cylinder with new brake fluid, drove it, topped the fluid back off and drove it again. The brakes are back. I likely have a leak but it does appear to be relatively slow. I will have to monitor the fluid level for awhile to see if it is something that requires immediate work or $0.50 of new fluid every few months.

Yes, you are right, I did not mention how Fandango's thingamajig is involved. This must have been an issue before because this eye bolt is not secured to anything. I also know the previous owners had the brakes rebuilt plus the service manual has scribbles and notes everywhere in this section. I saw the underside of this rubber block and eyebolt, directly above the lid for the master cylinder. The master cylinder is located about 2" below Fandango's underbelly. I really wanted to see inside the master cylinder and apparently so did one of the previous owners. I pulled on the eye bolt and with minor effort the bolt and block came out and I could see right inside the master cylinder reservoirs. Not the perfect solution, but it sure came in handy.

So we are driveable and camp ready again. I still have some key projects high on my list, including the pump for the water tank (It works if I am at an RV spot with water), cut a few leveling chalks and, of course, the exhaust manifold. The curtains are pretty high up the list as well but my sunshades are perfectly functional for now.

OK, OK! Pictures of the Inside!

Yes, I actually posted pictures of two freshly painted propane tanks before I bothered to post pictures of the inside. I am not doing a lot of work on the inside (Knock on wood!) so why bother?

OK, I get it. I would like to thank everyone on Marcus' Airstream blog who saw some pics of Fandango and have been clamoring for pics of the interior.

I promise to take a few more but these are the best pics that show how the inside is actually in original condition. Enjoy!

What can I say? It's the original 1972 orange interior with orange flower seats, wood cabinets and orange carpet. I wil admit we put some beige runner carpets down when we use it but that is partially because it makes it easier to clean.

From the far couch you see in the picture above, turned around towards the front.

The rear couch which has two seat belts and folds into the master bed (4' wide bed). There is a 4' bunk above it and another 4' bunk above the drivers seat. The dinette folds to a smaller bed as well.

The drivers seat and the front passengers seat. The passengers seat seats only one while driving but as you can see it can hold two while camping. That is a 4' wide bunk bed above the drivers seat.

Closets...always important. BTW, the furnace is directly below the floor of the closet. I am going to rip the furnace out and use that as additional storage.

Not the inside but here is a pic of the Onan Generator. Between that and the propane tanks, we are ready to boondock! OK, I also have to fix that stinking water pump which is leaking and capped off.

The Minor, but Key Chores

I am still looking at the major projects for Fandango - replacing the exhaust manifold and giving the brake system a once-over to get rid of the erratic braking. Those will happen in their own time but there are plenty of smaller tasks which need to be done.

One of the more important tasks was to get the propane tanks updated. One of the great details about Fandango is that it came with two 40 pound propane tanks and an integrated home for these tanks. After looking at other RV's and what I use for other outdoor activities, this really provides a lot of comfort in delivering far more propane than I could use in any boondocking adventure.

I knew the tanks needed to have their valves updated and they were likely low and needed to be refilled. Well, they also needed to be reinspected which is good because now I know that I have two 40 lb tanks which have brand new valves, a new inspection and they are completely full.

They also have a new paint job! As you will see below, these endured a lot of rust. It was not too hard of a task but for some reason I really get a kick out of a few hours of sanding and spraying three cans of Kilz primer spray paint on each tank. The next step is to crack open the gas line just upstream of the tanks and installing a "T" and one additional line which I can run externally for my camping stove. I like where they placed the tanks on a Fandango because it is right where I want the kitchen. There is really no reason why I should burn through smaller propane tanks. That will be a project in the near future.

One more "thank you!" to Elway for his advice. I bought a fuel gauge for each tank. These things are pretty big tanks but I would likely sit there worried about whether they are empty and this is a very simple part. It also helps you find a leak because the needle will either fall or never show full if you have a leak.

The tank's home.

The "Before" pictures.



Just staring at the paint drying

Ready for action!

The Maiden Voyage was a Fandango!

One trip down, a bunch to go!

My family took Fandango to Krause Springs for our first camping trip in the RV. We arrived around 5 PM on Friday, just a couple of hours before a pretty big wind storm that dropped the temperature but everything went just great. Our friends, the Moyers and Passarella's took their RV's out as well so it made for a heckuva weekend.

As far as how Fandango went:

The drive went well, but the brakes became a bit soft right at the end of the trip. I have since crawled underneath and have not found any broken lines, etc. It could be one or both of the hydrovac's or the master cylinder so I am searching advice from any source.

The hot water heater was burning a very dirty flame which blew soot out of the exhaust so we went without hot water. That was fine for a short trip. I pulled the burner and just finished cleaning it. I ran water through the heating vent and flushed out dirt, cobwebs and mud-dobber nests.

I found an electrical terminal for the rear lighting which was loose but that was a quick fix.

The bed was comfy, the fridge worked so well that I never bought one cube of ice. It probably helped that it was 50 degrees out as well.

My 3 year old daughter had a blast and all of the kids there really got a kick out of us showing "Kung Fu Panda" on a projector at night right against the white wall of Fandango.

Here are some pics. I will make another post around work on Fandango itself. BTW, the Airstream you see belongs to my buddy, Marcus. His blog is linked from my blog if you want to see the work he is making on his classic ride. Of course, both Marcus and I owe a lot of thanks to the entire Pasarella family. Dave is a seasoned veteran with "Dutchie" and his wife and four kids are just about the greatest folks to hang out with.

The Princess declaring that Fandango is actually spelled with a "W"

The family enjoying the homestead, even in the cold and the wind.

The wide view, including a partial view of "Kitchen Stadium!"

The men battling in kitchen stadium

Marcus' unnamed Airstream (Someone please come up with a name!), Fandango and Kitchen Stadium!

Movie time, Al Fresco (Look close, the camera flash hides it)

Danielle taking Dada on a hike

BFF's