Hatchcover question

H

heinz wittenbecher

New member
Mar 1, 1998
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I rebuilt my hatchcover when I did the EFI as I had to build a hump into it.

I figured I'd have enough weight on it to keep it sealed and in place but
now that I've redone my people 'puter it no longer lives on the hatch and my
VCR is gone too, it now lives on the ceiling.

When I cut the hatch I didn't do the front notch and I don't have time to
cut another one right now.

Just wondering if anyone has replaced the hatchcover and used different
fastening scheme. I'm thinking of perhaps putting some proc lock nuts into
the hatch frame and use 4 bolts to hold it down but open to alternative
suggestions.

Of course I might simply weigh it down with a couple of sandbags. Been
filling a few of those in the last little while (about 400 so far :-)

Heinz
 
Heinz
My first thought is to get 2 or 4 stretch rubber thingies that hold
VW camper roofs in place on the inside. Call Bow-Wow. They are
similar to, but smaller than the straps that hold the front fiberglass
engine covers of tractor trailers to the main body.
Should be lots of 'retired' VW Campers in your neck o' the woods :-)

Mike
NS
 
>
>> Of course I might simply weigh it down with a couple of sandbags. Been
>> filling a few of those in the last little while (about 400 so far :-)
>
>Hi Heinz!
>I'll jump on my tractor and come over--I'll be there in 45 days---must be
>nasty out there, what's going on?
>

Thanks for the offer Scott, but nothing life threatining, i.e. it's not
getting the GMC wet :-)

We live on an ancient gravelpit turned lake and with all the rain this year
the waterlevel is kinda high and I'm trying to keep garden etc from getting
washed into the lake. It's kinda like the gravelpit wanting to reclaim it's
dirt and I'm a stubborn cuss not wanting to give it so instead of paying
some fitness expert I fill/haul sandbags [g].

Heinz
 
My hatch just lays over the opening. It is 1" plywood framed by .25"
aluminum, sealed by rubber gaskets. It has no latches, and is quickly
opened. I never thought about it before, but is this safe in normal
operations?

> caused a backfire that blew out the gasket from below the aircleaner
and blew
> gasoline back onto the engine. I saw smoke coming from the corner
of the
> cover and quickly pulled over and unscrewed the two standard screws
and when I
> lifted the cover had flames shooting a foot or more above the
engine. My fire
> extinguisher put out the fire but it burned the distributor, all the
spark
> plug wires, vacuum hoses, throttle wire and some electrical wires.
I was 3
> days from home and it took about 4 days to find all the parts I
needed to get
> operational.
>
> If it had taken me any longer to get the hatch up I would have lost
the whole
> motorhome. You really want to be able to get that hatch up
quickly. I have
> seen quick release catches in hardware stores that would be a much
better
> alternative.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Santa Fe, NM
>

_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
 
Good point, Emery.

Hadn't thought about that part. ( Which is exactley why bouncing stuff off
the net is great ).
I think I'll stick to sandbags [g] this trip and make it fit the way it used
to.

Easy (or lack of) access is why I'm still looking for a fire extinguishing
system for the engine ( a non-destructive one ).

Heinz

- ----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Saturday, March 06, 1999 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: GMC: Hatchcover question

>

>
>caused a backfire that blew out the gasket from below the aircleaner and
blew
>gasoline back onto the engine. I saw smoke coming from the corner of the
>cover and quickly pulled over and unscrewed the two standard screws and
when I
>lifted the cover had flames shooting a foot or more above the engine. My
fire
>extinguisher put out the fire but it burned the distributor, all the spark
>plug wires, vacuum hoses, throttle wire and some electrical wires. I was 3
>days from home and it took about 4 days to find all the parts I needed to
get
>operational.
>
>If it had taken me any longer to get the hatch up I would have lost the
whole
>motorhome. You really want to be able to get that hatch up quickly. I
have
>seen quick release catches in hardware stores that would be a much better
>alternative.
>
>Emery Stora
>77 Kingsley
>Santa Fe, NM
>
>
 
Hello
I expect some of you were wondering if I had lost my mind with the
comment I made earlier today. I read Heinz' note and then a
comment about Clarence Buskirk. In NH at the GMCMI rally, I
met Clarence. At the time he was showing a 350 Vortex engine
that had been installed in a GMC by his staff. The engine cover
had to be raised several inches to accomodate the different profile.
OK.........for some reason I thought Heinz had a raised engine
cover. I goofed !!
The part about me losing my mind is not up for discussion :-)
Mike Beaton
NS
 
I was wondering... a little :-)
but I figured it would clear itself up.

I assume they raised the whole hatch area? by how much?

I only had to cut enough to make room for the air-intake adapter. That still
gives me flat walking room.

I liked the suggestion of Scotch for weight [g].

Heinz

- ----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Saturday, March 06, 1999 3:16 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: Hatchcover question

>Hello
>I expect some of you were wondering if I had lost my mind with the
>comment I made earlier today. I read Heinz' note and then a
>comment about Clarence Buskirk. In NH at the GMCMI rally, I
>met Clarence. At the time he was showing a 350 Vortex engine
>that had been installed in a GMC by his staff. The engine cover
>had to be raised several inches to accomodate the different profile.
>OK.........for some reason I thought Heinz had a raised engine
>cover. I goofed !!
>The part about me losing my mind is not up for discussion :-)
>Mike Beaton
>NS
>
>
 
Just a quick note. The engine is a 454 vortex engine and Clarence has
sold his streached GMC to Rick Rush of Buskirk Rush RV. I was over to
the shop getting several small things fixed Friday and picking up a set
of Alcoa's when I learned that he had sold the coach.

J.R. Wright

>
> Hello
> I expect some of you were wondering if I had lost my mind with the
> comment I made earlier today. I read Heinz' note and then a
> comment about Clarence Buskirk. In NH at the GMCMI rally, I
> met Clarence. At the time he was showing a 350 Vortex engine
> that had been installed in a GMC by his staff. The engine cover
> had to be raised several inches to accomodate the different profile.
> OK.........for some reason I thought Heinz had a raised engine
> cover. I goofed !!
> The part about me losing my mind is not up for discussion :-)
> Mike Beaton
> NS
 
Why not use dzus fasteners?

>

>
>caused a backfire that blew out the gasket from below the aircleaner and blew
>gasoline back onto the engine. I saw smoke coming from the corner of the
>cover and quickly pulled over and unscrewed the two standard screws and when I
>lifted the cover had flames shooting a foot or more above the engine. My fire
>extinguisher put out the fire but it burned the distributor, all the spark
>plug wires, vacuum hoses, throttle wire and some electrical wires. I was 3
>days from home and it took about 4 days to find all the parts I needed to get
>operational.
>
>If it had taken me any longer to get the hatch up I would have lost the whole
>motorhome. You really want to be able to get that hatch up quickly. I have
>seen quick release catches in hardware stores that would be a much better
>alternative.
>
>Emery Stora
>77 Kingsley
>Santa Fe, NM
>
>
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach
 
John,
Since we both live in the same neighborhood as Cinnabar and Buskirk/Rush, I
wonder if you can tell me who you prefer to do business with. I've only
been to Cinnabar (Ivan seems like a nice knowledgeable guy) and that's
where I saw the coach I ended up buying. I drove by Buskrik/Rush one
Sunday (we own a cottage on Lake Huron not far from Sandusky) and was
impressed by all the coaches they had in the back. Does Buskrik have lower
prices?

Thanks,
Richard W.
'76 Palm Beach
Troy, MI

> Just a quick note. The engine is a 454 vortex engine and Clarence has
> sold his streached GMC to Rick Rush of Buskirk Rush RV. I was over to
> the shop getting several small things fixed Friday and picking up a set
> of Alcoa's when I learned that he had sold the coach.
>
> J.R. Wright
>

> >
> > Hello
> > I expect some of you were wondering if I had lost my mind with the
> > comment I made earlier today. I read Heinz' note and then a
> > comment about Clarence Buskirk. In NH at the GMCMI rally, I
> > met Clarence. At the time he was showing a 350 Vortex engine
> > that had been installed in a GMC by his staff. The engine cover
> > had to be raised several inches to accomodate the different profile.
> > OK.........for some reason I thought Heinz had a raised engine
> > cover. I goofed !!
> > The part about me losing my mind is not up for discussion :-)
> > Mike Beaton
> > NS
 
Richard,
I have been dealing with Buskirk/Rush since I bought my coach last
summer. It had been serviced by them for about 10 years according to
the records that I got from the previous owner and they know the coach.
Both have many services to offer and do good work. I have bought parts
and manuals from Cinnabar but no service. I personally like Max Pardy
at Buskirk/Rush and he has helped me solve the little problems that
seem to take a long time to resolve. Ivan is a nice and knowledgeable
guy. Cinnabar being the "Factory Outlet" for some parts has a tendency
to more pricey. If you haven't been over to see the folks and
Buskirk/Rush I would recommend stopping and talking to them also.

J.R. Wright
GMC GreatLaker
77 Eleganza II
Michigan

>
> John,
> Since we both live in the same neighborhood as Cinnabar and Buskirk/Rush, I
> wonder if you can tell me who you prefer to do business with. I've only
> been to Cinnabar (Ivan seems like a nice knowledgeable guy) and that's
> where I saw the coach I ended up buying. I drove by Buskrik/Rush one
> Sunday (we own a cottage on Lake Huron not far from Sandusky) and was
> impressed by all the coaches they had in the back. Does Buskrik have lower
> prices?
>
> Thanks,
> Richard W.
> '76 Palm Beach
> Troy, MI
>

>
> > Just a quick note. The engine is a 454 vortex engine and Clarence has
> > sold his streached GMC to Rick Rush of Buskirk Rush RV. I was over to
> > the shop getting several small things fixed Friday and picking up a set
> > of Alcoa's when I learned that he had sold the coach.
> >
> > J.R. Wright
> >

> > >
> > > Hello
> > > I expect some of you were wondering if I had lost my mind with the
> > > comment I made earlier today. I read Heinz' note and then a
> > > comment about Clarence Buskirk. In NH at the GMCMI rally, I
> > > met Clarence. At the time he was showing a 350 Vortex engine
> > > that had been installed in a GMC by his staff. The engine cover
> > > had to be raised several inches to accomodate the different profile.
> > > OK.........for some reason I thought Heinz had a raised engine
> > > cover. I goofed !!
> > > The part about me losing my mind is not up for discussion :-)
> > > Mike Beaton
> > > NS
 
JR:

Are you saying Clarence sold his new, second stretch coach? I know he sold
the first one to him.

Paul Bartz

From: John Wright [mailto:powerjon]
Sent: Saturday, March 06, 1999 9:58 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: Hatchcover question

Just a quick note. The engine is a 454 vortex engine and Clarence has sold
his stretched GMC to Rick Rush of Buskirk Rush RV. I was over to the shop
getting several small things fixed Friday and picking up a set of Alcoa's
when I learned that he had sold the coach.
 
Thanks Justin,

I think I'm going to put up with it this trip and hopefully pass a Western
Marine store in my travels to check out fire extinguishers. Wile I'm fire
concious, the discussion has brought it to the forefront some (again).
Then I'll double check the aviation side and maybe build a system.

However, hopefully someone with more expertiese will beat me to it and share
:-)

Heinz

- ----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Monday, March 08, 1999 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: GMC: Hatchcover question

>Heinz, your idea of four bolts might be one solution. But whatever you do,
be
>sure you can "cinch" it down tight. Even a little loosness will allow a
lot
>of engine and road noise in to the coach. You may need to increase the
>thickness of the rubber gasket.
>Justin
>
>
 
Justin,

Any chance of some pictures? components used?

Heinz

- ----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Monday, March 08, 1999 5:27 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: Hatchcover question

>Heinz, you know I have an engine compartment fire extinguisher system which
I
>can activate from inside. I posted about it quite some time ago but no one
>seemed to be interested. I had it designed by a friend who was in the
>sprinkler and fire extinguisher business. I have a 5 lb co2 bottle mounted
>behind the left front wheel well liner. I ran metal 1/2 inch lines from it
up
>to the underside of the floor. I have one sprinkler head on each side of
the
>opening. One is aimed at the carbureator and left side of engine, and the
>other to take care of the right side in case of oil line leak/fire. I have
a
>control inside to pull and it releases the whole extinguisher contents. I
feel
>confident it will work because a couple years ago the pin I was using
was
>made of metal that was too soft and it broke, letting it go off. My
reaction
>was that I had a bad puncture from the hissing noise. I stopped and dirt
was
>blowing up all around the front of the coach from the ground. It had that
>much pressure.My friend steered me away from Halon because of price and
future
>availability. CO2 does the job and doesn't leave a mess.
>
>Justin
>
>
 
Justin Hill is quoted directly>

This, folks, is what happens when a man turns to a diet of squirrel
stew and pecan pie.

MikeB
NS
 
Justin,
I would also like a list of parts for the fire extinguisher system. My
snail mail address is:

Russ Bethel
4200 Crown Oak
Schertz, TX 78154

Russ Bethel
grbethel

- -----Original Message-----
From: CHill113
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Tuesday, March 09, 1999 16:52 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: Hatchcover question

>I have a parts list the fellow made up for me in case someone else wanted
to
>buy a set up. He isn't with that company any longer. I'll be glad to send
you
>a list via snail mail, or I can type it in an e-mail. I don't have any
>pictures. I tried to make some "the easy way" but they didn't turn out. To
get
>good shots I'd have to take the wheel well liner out and also get under the
>coach. That I can do when I get it back. Right now it is in the paint
shop
>getting the top repainted. Having said all this, I'll run over to the body
>shop tomorrow and pick up a parts list and send to you. Don't pay any
>attention to the prices. You can get a used CO2 a lot cheaper. After we
put
>mine in, he commented that if he did it again, he thought he would try
using
>'motorcycle control cables' instead of the conduit with enclosed ball
bearing
>corners for the cable.
>
>I do have a scanner I got for Christmas, but haven't activated it yet. The
CD
>that came with it was defective and I wrote for a replacement. It came, but
I
>haven't done anything with it yet. If I can get my lazy butt going on
that, I
>can send some pictures.
>Justin
 
This is a company in Seattle that supplys fasteners for home built aircraft.
I am sure that you can find quarter turn cam-locks like they use on engine
cowling that would do the trick. Can't find the catalog I got from them or I
would give you a part #.

http://www.homebuilt.org/directory/spencer.html

Terry Skinner
Webfooted in Washington
'76 Glenbrook
 
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