LXE - Interior Mods
Door Threshold
Covered Roof Hinges
Another clever Aliner owner came up with this idea. It helps prevent condensation and provides a ledge for holding small items like glasses, book or cell phone. I used sheet-metal screws to attach lengths of 1" aluminum angle to both front and rear of the camper body, just below the brown roof hinge, on either side of the center electric wire. In the rear, the aluminum angle goes all the way to the side walls and the ledge is covered with nappy upholstery fabric (carpet was too stiff), attached at the top and bottom with strips of double-stick duct tape, torn in half lengthwise.
In the front, the aluminum pieces go only to the kitchen counter on one side of the electric wire, and to the bathroom shelf on the other. But even these short strips are handy for hanging a small basket of kitchen items. Since the front ledge serves both kitchen and bath, I wanted to use a waterproof covering instead of fabric over the hinge area. I couldn't locate any vinyl or oilcloth to match/coordinate with the formica countertop, but finally found a roll of heavy contact paper in a granite pattern that looked very good. While the loose upholstery fabric masks the rivet stems on the rear roof hinge, the rivets were a problem underneath contact paper. I had some 3/16" thick white foam that I'd purchased earlier (in a 12"-wide roll in the shelf-liner section of Lowe's. I cut this foam into 2.5" strips that I pressed against the brown roof hinge to mark the location of the rivet stems. In the marks left by the rivets, I used a paper-punch to make holes. Then I duct-taped the strips into place over the hinge and rivets, using bits of double-stick . Now I was ready to cover the whole area (hinge, aluminum extrusion, and aluminum angle) with 5"-wide strips of the contact paper. The foam masks the rivets, the contact paper goes smoothly over the foam, and the result is a good-looking, water-resistant area between countertop and ceiling. Covered Wall Hinges
After seeing the cosmetic improvement it made in other Aliners, I decided to cover the A-wall hinges inside. I tackled the bathroom hinge first. The covering is white vinyl left over from remaking a spare tire cover. The trip is white cap molding for wallboard. I used tiny screws to secure the trim above and below the hinge, pre-drilling the holes. The bottom strip is in 3 separate pieces that fit around the towel rod. After screwing them into place, I removed the towel rod. Before mounting the top strip, I wedged the vinyl into it with a screen spline tool (a screwdriver would work, too). After the top strip, with vinyl attached, was screwed into place, I folded the bottom edge of the vinyl and wedged it into the bottom strips. Finally, I reattached the towel rod, putting the screws through the vinyl. It looks good! The rest of the wall hinges are covered with upholstery fabric, using beige cap molding. Carpet tape worked well to "seam" the long strips of fabric. The fridge countertop was too high to use cap molding for the bottom of the fabric; there was about 1/4" of wall between the hinge hardware and the countertop. I just folded the raw edge under, and tacked the fold to that 1/4" with brass upholstery tacks.Twin Beds
The twin-bed floor plan was the main reason for trading our 2004 Classic/DL for the 2007 LXE. Our custom foam mattress from the old camper, cut in half, was perfect for the two narrow 26" twins. The A/C on the door side presented a bit of a challenge, however. The original LXE cushion simply slid underneath the A/C unit, but that made it difficult to access the ample storage underneath. In order to lift the end of the bed platform, I notched both the mattress and plywood so that they cleared the A/C.
Notched mattress: When our upholsterer cut the old (Classic) mattress in half for the LXE, I had him cut a notch from one corner to clear the A/C. I cut an identical notch in the plywood of the bed platform. I stitched a mattress pad around the notched mattress to protect it. The fitted bottom sheet was more difficult. Starting at the inside notch corner, I pulled together the extra fabric of a fitted twin sheet (which is wider than the camper twin) and stitched it into a pleat (on the wrong side) all the way to the top. From the notch to the foot of the bed, the unstitched pleat falls loosely, allowing it to clear the A/C. The top sheet and blanket are just stuffed under the A/C.
Notched plywood: I was a bit concerned about supporting theplywood notch, since it doesn't rest on the frame. I minimized, but didn't eliminate, the weakness by screwing the cutout piece to the frame and adding a lip on which the loose plywood rests. So far, so good.
Gas struts: The addition of gas struts (aka gas springs or gas props) makes it more convenient to use the underbed storage areas. I had a bit of trouble figuring sizes and weights, and finally had to resort to a piece of graph paper to determine the best placement for the struts. Under the street side are two 14" 35# struts. Under the long side of the notched bed is one 18" 40# strut, and one 12" 30# strut supports the short side. These are strong enough to hold the lids open, but not so strong that the beds will pop up without a tug on the nylon lift straps screwed to the end of each platform (and velcroed to the cabinet walls to keep them from falling under the lid).Insulated Bubbles
The plexiglas bubbles are great for headroom and light, but they sure collect heat, even when the camper is folded. Originally, I used Reflectix (insulating foil-covered bubble wrap) at Lowe's and cut it with scissors to fit inside each bubble. After learning that reflection and heat from the foil was hard on the bubbles, I replaced it with a similar, but thinner, insulation that has a white surface on one side. With the white surface out, there is not as much heat build-up against the plexiglas. I've found it only in big rolls, but I was able to share it with other owners.
Rear Cabinet
The cabinet between the beds ("wardrobe" in the factory brochure) provides wonderful storage ... after I addressed a couple of problems. A thicker piece of plywood replaces the thin shelf added by the previous owner. Because the countertop overhung the sides of the cabinet, it was awkward to lift the mattress to make the beds. I removed the top, pulled out the edge trim, and took it to a cabinetmaker who cut it to the same width as the cabinet, then routed the edge again so I could replace the trim.
The wide 20" cabinet door took up valuable space to open. I made a replacement bi-fold door from a piece of 20" finish-ready pine, purchased and ripped in half at Lowe's. I later adapted the bi-fold door bu cutting in half horizontally. The resulting "Dutch bi-fold) works very well; now we can open the top half without having to move stuff on the floor in front of the bottom door.
Towel Rod Support
When folded, the bathroom wall is not aligned with the camper wall and the plastic blocks in the shower, intended to support the folding wall, were not adequate. On the advice of another owner, I removed the blocks entirely and replaced them with a towel rod. The rod supports the folded wall, and we have a place to hang our towels. Double duty is always nice!
Reinforced Toilet Lid
The lid to the Thetford cassette toilet is a thin, convex plastic, too flimsy for sitting while showering. I encountered two other owners whose lids had cracked. In the process of recaulking the whole toilet area (to improve both sealing and appearance), I discovered that the seat-lid assembly lifts right off the base, and the lid can be removed from the seat. At first, I thought I could replace the original lid with a standard residential lid, but imagineering new hinges got complicated. Instead, the solution was remarkably simple. I bought a $10 Westport round toilet seat from Lowe's and removed the hinges from the lid, filling the screw holes. I attached velcro dots to the bumpers at the front of the new lid, and a strip of velcro to the rear. I stuck the new lid to matching velcro on the Thetford lid. Our seated weight is now supported on the three velcro points around the stronger edge of the plastic lid, taking the stress of the flexible center. It's solid, it looks good, and I hope it will eliminate the risk of a cracked toilet seat.Reinforced Cabinet Screws
Two long cabinet screws through the camper exterior are the main fasteners holding the kitchen cabinet frame to the camper wall. There were no fender washers or reinforcement to spread the stress on the exterior fiberglass, and the screw heads were making significant dimples in the camper skin, threatening to pull completely through to the inside. They needed to be reinforced, but I wanted a solution that was attractive and not just utilitarian.
From K-Mart, I bought two 5-inch round white paintable wall-guards (for protecting walls from doorknob damage) as the bases for my reinforcements. Because the cabinet screws were less than 5" apart, I used my Dremel to cut a small segment from one of the discs. I also bought two 1-1/2" fender washers and two decorative black screw caps. After drilling center screw holes in the door guards, I covered them with scraps of contact paper on which I traced the fender washers and drew the flower petals. I cut out the petals with an razor knife, peeled out the pieces and sprayed the disks with blue plastic paint. When they were dry, I peeled away the rest of the contact paper to reveal the stenciled flower. I sprayed the fender washers with beige Rustoleum. After I removed the cabinet screws (one at a time), I caulked the holes and replaced the screws through the painted discs, washers, and screw caps. The resulting "flowers" are perfect with the Aliner decal colors, and more decorative than a boring square of aluminum.
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