The Hawk is ready!

[Tailfins]

I can hardly believe that I'm almost ready to begin traveling in a FWC Hawk. This has been years in the "hoping" stage, so I'm really stoked. I got the camper, a 2006 model, in November and it's been in my garage until now having a few modifications made.

1. Built a wooden dolly to roll the camper into the garage
2. Installed a sliding front window
3. Replaced the sink, which had been stained by desiccant chemicals
4. Notched the bottom edges to fit the radiused corners of the GM cargo bed
5. Modified the plumbing to allow for an interior two gallon gray water bottle
6. Installed a digital thermostat
7. Built new weather tight doors for the tie-down access hatches
8. Removed the camper jacks. Don't really need them, and now I can open the Silverado's double hinged doors all the way back.

You can see the notches in the lower right of the photo. I did break through into the camper, but covered the holes inside with wood, insulation, and paint. I also installed Firestone Ride-Rite air springs to level the rig and improve the ride. They work great, but take my word for it - a bicycle pump just doesn't cut it for inflating them. Have to get me a 12 volt air compressor.

We've been having persistent snow storms here and it's been difficult to keep the driveway dry in preparation for rolling out the Hawk. But yesterday morning I managed to mount the camper in the truck.

Good thing I did it yesterday. We had more snow dumped on us last night and the rig is covered with the stuff this morning, not to mention the driveway being snowed in again and blocked by the usual wall thrown up by the snowplows. I'll get out of here soon, though. Southern Arizona is looking mighty good at this point!

Thanks again for all the help and advice I have received on this forum.

 

[ScottBailey]

question

What did you do to weatherproof the turnbuckle ports? Pics?

Looks good!

SB

 

[DLN]

The Hawk is looking very good, congrats. I'd love to see more pictures of your mods.

 

[Tailfins]

I'll take some more pictures and post them in this thread soon.

 

[Tailfins]

Here are some photos of two of the modifications I mentioned. The first is the front hatch cover on the left side, which is the standard FWC panel minus the plastic slides, and with a hole drilled for the knob that holds the outer door tightly against the outside of the camper wall.

The next photo shows the arrangement on the right side, under the sofa. I abandoned the standard panels and slides and substituted a length of aluminum bar stock for each which I got at Lowes. I could have used knobs here as well but decided to try simple wing nuts, which allowed for a sturdier bolt.

Next photo shows the construction of the "outer doors" as I call them. Just a 1/4" and 3/4" plywood sandwich with self stick weatherstrip around the edges to tighten up against the outside surface. The bolts are 1/4 20 zinc cut to length and tight fit into the plywood, so no bolt heads, just a threaded rod.

Next is the sink drain plumbing change that I made so that I can empty the sink without venting anything to the outside. It's a Rube Goldberg hash of plastic and iron pipe items purchased at Lowes. I used plenty of goop and so far, no leaks. To drain to the outside, you cap the inner pipe and uncap the outer one. Would rather have had a two-way diverter valve, but couldn't find one to fit.

The last photo shows the two gallon plastic bottle, or jug, that I bought at the local supermarket. It has to be transparent so you can see the level of liquid inside. The jug won't move as long as the camper is parked. The iron nozzle holds it in place. When moving I cap the jug and place it in the sink so I won't forget to put it back before using the sink again!

Well, that's it. The mods aren't very elaborate, but they should do the job. Any questions, just give a yell.

 

[jcfly]

Nice rig ! Good luck with it.

It amazes me how many different configurations there are for the same model camper.

Spring is on the way......

 

[buzzman]

Tailfins,

Thanks for the pictures. After my experiences on my first trip west, I was thinking about adding some sort of an inside gray water tank so I could use the sink without having to set up the outside catch tank. I like your idea. The under sink area in my '07 Grandby looks just like your Hawks'. You lose a little bit of storage but I think the convenience is worth it , at least occasionally. I would like to have the capability to easily switch between outside and inside drainage. I guess that's what the diverter valve will do.

Thanks again.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Soon, there'll be two!

...with a hole drilled for the knob that holds the outer door tightly against the outside of the camper wall...

Cha-ching! Thanks, TF.