1978 Royale Update and Restoration

Hmmm....where did we leave off? My waste tanks were cracked and falling apart. This was unknown to me until I bumped the Gray water tank 90° fitting and it fell off in my hands! I ended up getting replacement tanks from Ronco back in April. Went with the same two tank set-up for a Royale, but I missed the fact that the tanks are slightly bigger. So...that meant that the measurements I gave them from the outside edges don't put the slip fittings in the correct spot. That little oversight cost me a BUNCH of redesign and fab time. Specifically, it moved the gray tank more toward the driver side and basically in the path of the black water tank (which is directly under the toilet). After laying on my back for HOURS and cutting out a big section of one cross member for clearance, I'm back on track.

First off, the old tanks were held in with four screws through the plastic flanges. How they hadn't fallen out, I'll never know. I built some supports for the edges of the tanks out of angle iron.

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The picture above also shows where Coachman cut the cross-member to adapt to their two tank system vs the factory layout's center outlet.
Here, I've clearanced the cross-member for the jog I had to put in the black water tank outlet to clear my gray water tank.

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And the plumbing around the Gray tank. I used the skid plate included on my coach to mount my valves. 1725135780533.png

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Its a bit of a reach under the coach. I'm going to run with it for now and see how it works. If it sucks, I'll change it to a side exit, like it was before.

And Finally, bracing the crossmember to stiffen it back up

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HUGE project that sucked to do, I wasn't expecting to do, but I'm glad I found it while the coach was layed up anyway, vs finding it later.


In other news, I'm busy working on plumbing my new LP tanks (Two 20lb tanks in the rear compartment) vs the big ol' 60 Gallon that was right in the middle of my "living room" before. That should be done this weekend (labor day 2024). I'm also working on getting power mirrors installed. I have the wires run to the switches, but need to pull 12v from the fuse box to make them work. I've pulled the cockpit side panels and repaired all the cracks. Then I painted them white to match our lighter, more modern look.


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I have a 78' Royale. Just a suggestion...take a look at this macerator install I did on the 2 tank waste system. Just look at it, maybe it will give you some ideas. I know I got some ideas from your pics about what I should do relative to holding my tanks up. (6 screws with fender washers) Thanks for the pics.

I've been considering a macerator too. Next round of upgrades. I need to get this coach finished! Thanks for the pics.
 
New Propane system is coming along. I have my two 20 lb tanks located in the rear of the coach (where they are on almost every other GMC MH) and my new QD take-off installed to run my BlackStone for outdoor cooking. I have a half inch gas line run to the kitchen in the coach to supply my water heater and Furnace. We eliminated the propane cooktop and oven, and went to an induction cooktop. We won't ever be "baking" in the coach, so the oven is wasted space. Plus we have a convection oven microwave that does a decent job, plus an air fryer/toaster oven combo.

I need to finish up my copper lines to the two appliances in the kitchen, then install Adel Clamps to hold everything in place. At that point, I think EVERYTHING under the coach will be done for this round of modifications.

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Some may ask "why?" Well, the propane tank on a Royale 26' is located RIGHT in the middle of the coach and its HUGE (something like 65 lbs capacity). We hardly use propane. So having that much doesn't make sense. It also made it nearly impossible to have a nice lounging area...since the cubby for the tank stuck out in the middle of the floor plan. It was a good place to put a dinette, but that was about it. We want a couch, which meant the tank has to go.

The other consideration is filling that monster tank. Its not easy, and requires the coach be driven somewhere to be filled. These 20 lb tanks have exchanges almost anywhere now. Yes, it is a more expensive way to get propane, but the convenience is worth it to me.

I'm excited to be done under the coach. Next step is getting electrical in...which really shouldn't take me too long, its started. Then spray foam, then plumbing (all being replaced with PEX), then we start the "fun stuff" as my wife puts it.
 
That looks like where the egr valve would be. However, that's likely tapping into the exhaust passage connection that runs through the intake from the cylinder heads. You have to remove the intake to see the ports. That is where the block off plates are installed. One for each cylinder head. Over at the oldsmobile sites they talk about filling the passage in the head with melted aluminum. I'm not there yet but it's something to consider.
 
Late to the party here, but I noticed in your Aug 31/24 posting that you have your waste tanks mounted to the frame. I'm not sure about upfitters but my '77 Palm beach has the black tank mounted to the body. There is some movement between the body and the frame as you drive down the road. I also mounted my macerator to the body so there was no movement between it and the tank.

Just something to think about.
 
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New Propane system is coming along. I have my two 20 lb tanks located in the rear of the coach (where they are on almost every other GMC MH) and my new QD take-off installed to run my BlackStone for outdoor cooking. I have a half inch gas line run to the kitchen in the coach to supply my water heater and Furnace. We eliminated the propane cooktop and oven, and went to an induction cooktop. We won't ever be "baking" in the coach, so the oven is wasted space. Plus we have a convection oven microwave that does a decent job, plus an air fryer/toaster oven combo.

I need to finish up my copper lines to the two appliances in the kitchen, then install Adel Clamps to hold everything in place. At that point, I think EVERYTHING under the coach will be done for this round of modifications.

View attachment 11924

View attachment 11925

Some may ask "why?" Well, the propane tank on a Royale 26' is located RIGHT in the middle of the coach and its HUGE (something like 65 lbs capacity). We hardly use propane. So having that much doesn't make sense. It also made it nearly impossible to have a nice lounging area...since the cubby for the tank stuck out in the middle of the floor plan. It was a good place to put a dinette, but that was about it. We want a couch, which meant the tank has to go.

The other consideration is filling that monster tank. Its not easy, and requires the coach be driven somewhere to be filled. These 20 lb tanks have exchanges almost anywhere now. Yes, it is a more expensive way to get propane, but the convenience is worth it to me.

I'm excited to be done under the coach. Next step is getting electrical in...which really shouldn't take me too long, its started. Then spray foam, then plumbing (all being replaced with PEX), then we start the "fun stuff" as my wife puts it.
A number of folks do what you've pictured regarding the portable BBQ tanks, just be aware that it's not legal in all states.
 
Late to the party here, but I noticed in your Aug 31/24 posting that you have your waste tanks mounted to the frame. I'm not sure about upfitters but my '77 Palm beach has the black tank mounted to the body. There is some movement between the body and the frame as you drive down the road. I also mounted my macerator to the body so there was no movement between it and the tank.

Just something to think about.
That's a good point Bruce and honestly one I hadn't thought about. Based on the amount of clearance there is between the floor of the coach and the connecting pipes, I think it will be OK. I will keep an eye on it though.
 
I like your bracket but it's not going to help much unless you gusset the four corners as shown in red below, or at least the two that are in the same plane as the C channel (front edge). Otherwise that bracket will just open and close like a spring.

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That's a good idea Todd. Kind of embarrassed I didn't think of it. To be fair, I patterned my bracket off the factory GMC one in the center of the coach, which also doesn't have gussets,
 
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