LXE - Other Improvements


New curtains.  I knew from the start that I wanted to replace the original curtains.  The valences were too heavy and fussy for my taste, and the door valence had to be un-velcroed in order to close the camper.  Down they all came, and I made new ones the slide on wall track.  I detailed the process in a DIY article I wrote for the Aliner Owners Club newsletter.  I'm very pleased with the results.
Pleated shade.  When we bought the LXE, the previoius owner warned us of a leak around the kitchen bubble window.  In order to locate the source of the leak, I had to remove the OEM day-night shade.  It had been badly installed, with the screw heads driven into the heading, beyond reach of my screwdriver.  I finally got the original shade out, but pretty much destroyed it in the process.  After the leak was found and repaired, I had to create a new shade for the bubble window,

A quick and easy fix was to use a pleated "Redi-Shade" from K-Mart.  I bought the room-darkening shade because it was a little heavier and more durable.  Around the edges of the bubble-window frame, I screwed strips of plastic wall-angle made for suspended ceilings.  These strips keep the sides of the shade from drooping and give a finished look to the top and bottom.  (Where they overlap at the top,  I had to add automotive body clips (painted white) to hold the top corners together so that they didn't rub against the closing rear roof.)  I installed the shade so that it pulls up from the bottom, with the self-stick strip attached to the bottom of the window frame, inside the angle trim.  I used a piece of the plastic trim to reinforce the shade header.  Through holes drilled in each side of the header, I threaded nylon curtain cord knotted to nylon washers.  The 2 cords run through small cable clips inside the angle trim at the top of the window, and come out together through a hole in the left corner of the top trim, then through a jacket cord clamp.  By adjusting the cord clamp, I can hold the shade at any height.  For travel, I lower the shade and velcro the cords to the top of the frame to hold them out of the way of the closing roof. 

Shower curtain.  The OEM curtain was made from ordinary plastic shower curtain, cut roughly to hang from cup hooks in the frame of the bubble window.  It was stiff, hard to store and easy to mildew.  After using an old sheet to make a pattern, I cut a new 3-piece curtain from white rip-stop nylon, using a DIY hot knife which sealed the edges as it cut.  On the advice of another LXE owner, instead of hanging the new curtain from the cup hooks, I wedged a small tension rod along each side of the bubble.  Small plastic rings, sewed to the side curtains, slide up and down these rods.  Each side panel has an extension that goes a little more than half-way across the back of the shower, where they hang from a cup hook and overlap. Velcro keeps the curtain in place around the door opening.  Above the folding shower wall, a small panel hangs from the top of the bubble window and overlaps the side curtains.  The nylon provides good coverage and dries quickly after use.  In the photo, you can see the toilet paper holder hung on the outside of the bathroom wall (the black strip is 2-sided velcro which keeps the TP from unrolling during travel).

For storage, each side curtain can be slid to the bottom of the tension rod and stuffed into a small mesh bag.  The curtain is held out of the way between uses and it doesn't interfere with the folded shower wall.  When the shower is not being used, the TP hangs on the inside of the bathroom wall. 
Kitchen window awning.  A small, easy-to-make and easy-to-hang awning gives good shade to the kitchen window. 

Materials needed from a fabric store:
awning fabric – 2 1/8 yards (or 1 1/8 yard if you make a seam in the middle; allow extra if you need to match a pattern)
2 1/8 yds "half and half" velcro (sticky-back hooks and sew-on loops)
(4) small aluminum eyelets and an eyelet tool
Materials needed from a hardware store:
(6) 1 x 17 stainless wire brads
(2) small screw eyes, stainless steel
(2) 4' x 5/16 wooden dowels
(2) 5/16-18 x 5/8 T-Nuts (brad hole)

Prepare a rectangular piece of awning fabric about 74" long x 19" wide.  You can cut 2 1/8 yards in half lengthwise and save one half for a replacement awning later, or you can cut a 1 1/8 yd piece in half lengthwise and sew the ends together; in that case, your awning will have a seam down the middle – a "flat-fell" or finished seam is neatest – be sure to match your pattern. 

Draw the finished dimensions on the back of your fabric as follows:
Center a 45" line parallel to, and one-half inch below, the selvage (factory-finished) edge.  This is the top edge of the awning.  Center a 72" line 7" below, and parallel to, your first line.  You won't cut or press along this line – it's for reference only.  Center another 45" line 10" below the second line.  Now connect the ends of the middle line to the ends of the top and bottom lines.  The finished shape is essentially a rectangle with a triangle at each end.  Add a seam allowance of 5/8" to every outside edge (except the top, which needs no trimming) and cut off the excess fabric. 

Press all the seam allowances under, including the selvage edge, along your pencil lines.  On the bottom edge, and on the lower angled edges, fold the raw (cut) edges under once more and sew the finished hem shut. 

Sew a 45" piece of the loop-side velcro to the back of the top edge of the awning, matching the velcro edge to the fold.  Place 1 row of stitching as close as possible to the fold, and place another reinforcing row of stitching 1/8" to the inside.  DON'T stitch the ends or other edge of the velcro!  It's supposed to "flop open".

In the same way, sew another piece of loop-side velcro to each of the top slanted edges, close to the fold.  You don't need to fold the hem twice – the raw edge will be hidden by the velcro.  Again, DON'T sew the ends or other edge of the velcro.

Put an eyelet in each lower corner and 2 more evenly spaced along the bottom edge (avoid going through the hem thicknesses). 

Now stick the matching sticky-back hook-side velcro to the camper side – the 45" piece just above the kitchen window and the short pieces slanted down parallel to the roof line.  Attach the awning. 

You will have to experiment to get the dowel lengths right – start long and shorten as necessary.  Cut one of the dowels to 45".  Put a small screw-eye in each end.  From the other dowel, cut two pieces about 13" long.  Put a brad in the one end of each short piece (pre-drill for the brad).  Whittle the other ends to fit into a 5/16-18 x 5/8 T-nut and glue hook velcro on the back of the nut. The brads on the short dowels go through the screw-eyes and then through the corner awning eyelets; the T-nuts stick to matching loop velcro on the window, holding the awning out.  Lastly, put 2 more brads in the long dowel where they will poke through the other 2 eyelets in the edge of the awning.
 
Sun shades.  Several years ago, I purchased some "Aluminet" shadecloth, but never got around to using it.  When temperatures hit the upper 90s in July 2010, I decided it was time to get serious about creating some sun protection.  The rear bubble takes a real beating, as it faces west while the camper is stored setup in our driveway.  The challenge lay in holding a cover held above and off the bubble to avoid scratching the plexiglass.  At each rear corner of the roof, I have a 2' length of 3/4" conduit.  At the bottom of each pipe is a threaded male connection, and at the top is a cap drilled to hold a small stainless eyebolt.  Each pipe screws into a female connector (lengthened and reinforced by adding a 1.5" piece of 3/4" pipe and a slip connector) that is attached with brackets to the roof extrusion.  Stainless 1/2" screws go into the roof cavity to hold the upper bracket.  The lower screws go through the aluminum roof edge as well as the plastic "ear", barely projecting inside.  All screw holes are well caulked.

The shade is a 2' x 4' piece of aluminet, with a grommet (purchased with the Aluminet) in each corner.  Through each grommet is a ball bungee.  S-hooks on each of the upper bungees hook to the underside of the roof extrusion, above the wide black weatherstripping.  The short ball bungees on the lower corners are looped around the eyebolts in the top of the poles.  This all worked fine, except that the Aluminet tended to droop in the middle, nearly touching the bubble.  What to do?  "Lift and separate", of course!  (Remember those old bra ads?)  Two straps of poly webbing (Joanne Fabrics) go diagonally from corner to corner underneath the shade, criss-crossing in the middle.  A slit in one end of each strap (cut with a hot knife) slips over the screweye, under the shade bungee; hook velcro sewn to the other end fastens to oop velcro I had already stuck to the roof extrusion as a spacer (where the original nylon spacers fell off long ago).  The black bumper seen in the photo is part of our awning attachment; you can see that the bubble shade connections don't interfere. 

The resulting shade is easy to store - wrap the Aluminet around the poles and slip into a 2' sewn storage tube - and easy to erect:
1) screw poles into brackets
2) slip straps over pole eyebolts
3) crosscross straps and fasten to roof-edge velcro
4) lay shade over straps and hook upper bungees to roof edge
5) loop lower bungees over pole eyebolts

The side windows are also protected by pieces of Aluminet, cut to fit and simply hooked on suction cups.  Note: as any fabric does, the Aluminet stretches on the bias, so I stabilized it by sewing a strip of "Stay Tape" (Joanne Fabrics) to the diagonal edge.  An additional benefit to the Aluminet is its open weave.  It won't collect water, and will protect an open widow from sun while allowing air to flow through.
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Flower box.  Just for fun, I made a flower box from a Dollar Tree suction-cup shower caddy.  I cut green styrofoam to fit tightly inside the plastic and filled it with artificial flowers.  It's a friendly, bright spot on the outside of the camper.
Christmas decorations.  Since we store the camper popped up in the driveway year-round, Christmas decorations are a must.  On our old Classic, I was able to put a wreath around the Fantastic Fan.  This doesn't work on the higher LXE, with its long bubble windows in front,  Instead, I wrapped the propane cover in red plastic (actually, a Christmas Tree disposal bag) and added ribbon to make it look like a large package.  Before we hired Rudolph, he was a standard 4' lighted deer at Home Depot.  Now an electric-candle socket with a red globular bulb makes his nose gleam, and he's equipped with rope-light reins. 
Folding table.  A $20 lightweight folding table from Walmart is perfect for inside dining.  The height is adjustable and it's easy to put up and down.  It's small, but fits well between the twin beds. When not in use, it stands along the bathroom wall, wedged upright by the paper towel holder.  For travel, I lay it on the floor between the beds, on top of a non-skid mat.
Rear TV cable.  We like our 9" widescreen 12v TV with built-in DVD player.  The camper came equipped with a 12v outlet and cable connection in the front, but it's not a convenient location when we want to watch TV from our beds.  I removed the exterior cable inlet, added an extension to reach through the wall, and reinstalled it with fresh caulk and stainless screws that reach all the way into the interior paneling, not just into the exterior fiberglass.  Inside the camper, I added a 90-degree elbow and a cable splitter.  One leg of the splitter is connected to the original cable and the other leg connects to a new cable that goes into the rear cabinet.  Outlets in the side of the cabinet are a problem because any projection interferes with mattress and bedding.  Instead, I installed a standard RV power-cord "mousehole", painted tan.  The mousehole has a flat profile, but contains the TV cable, the 110v plug for the TV transformer, and the 12v plug that goes into the TV.  It's a simple matter to pull all 3 cords from the mousehole when we want to hook up the TV, and they're out of the way at other times.  The TV, by the way, travels on the top shelf of the rear cabinet, held in place by our plastic drawers.
Towing.  We made a couple of adjustments for smoother towing with our 2007 Sienna.  The LXE is heavier than our 2004 Classic was, and we had trouble getting it to tow level.  We ordered air springs online and a friend helped Forrest install them.  What a difference!  With the added 35# of pressure in the air springs, the camper is now level.  Another irritation was the rattle of our hitch.  From the recommendation of another owner, we orderd an anti-rattle hitch pin and now the draw bar is solid as a rock - not a wiggle.  Before we added the air springs, we couldn't open the back door of the van - the tongue jack got in the way.  To ease this problem, we loosened the rear two bolts that secure the jack to the tonge, and shimmed the front bolt.  This tipped the jack handle back just a bit ... enough to raise the car door.  Now, with the air springs, we have even more room to spare.