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Old 05-12-2002, 12:48 PM   #1
Sinclue
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Default Wheel well modification

Where do I find out information about the wheel well modification I see mentioned frequently?  We have a 2001 2720SL.  I'm not sure if the modification only applies to older or to all TMs.
Thanks,
Jim
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Old 05-13-2002, 12:10 AM   #2
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Default Re: Wheel well modification


On John Irwin's webpage, he gives directions and has pictures of the wheel wheel modification. The URL used to be:

http://irwin.home.texas.net/HomePage/wheelwellsx.html

I just tried it and got a 404 Error, but I have this site bookmarked and it worked just a couple of weeks ago.  (An internet glitch today, mabe?)  You can try this URL, though and see if it works for you.  Maybe some else knows of another page?
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Old 05-13-2002, 12:18 AM   #3
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Default Re: Wheel well modification

???  I did some further checking and it appears the "base" menu of John's page is intact, but the TM pages have been severely reduced (non-existent almost!)  He may just be updating the page, but at a last resort you could E-mail him at:

[email protected]

Maybe he could forward this info via E-mail to you...

Hope this helps
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Old 05-13-2002, 12:19 AM   #4
hal
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Default Re: Wheel well modification

I will send a copy of directions for wheel well modification to anyone requesting it.
Hal

[email protected]
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Old 05-15-2002, 03:53 AM   #5
Bill
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Default Re: Wheel well modification

Jim -

The purpose of the wheel well modification was to convert from an old-style (square) wheel well to a new-style (round) wheel well. The reason is that a round wheel well minimizes the damage if the tire blows out.

So your question is, do I have a round wheel well or a square one?

You can see the wheel well from the inside of the kitchen cabinets, down at floor level under the oven. You can also see them from outside the TM - just run your hand up the inside of the wheel well in front of (and behind) either tire.

The 2002 TMs have round wheel wells. I am under the impression that the 2001's also have the round wells, but I might be wrong here.

Bill
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Old 05-25-2002, 01:44 PM   #6
Sinclue
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Default Re: Wheel well modification

Ok, I did the wheel well modification this afternoon.  It went relatively smoothly thanks to the instructions and helpful advice provided to me by Hal Swanson and others.
Some comments/observations...
I have a 2001 2720SL. I’ve had some six other trailers before this one and this is the first I’ve seen with square wheel wells.  What were they thinking?  At any rate I took the covers off both sides first to see what needed to be done.  I had precut the sheet metal with three tabs.  (A good pair of tin snips and gloves are essential.  Bring them with you to the trailer for necessary modifications).  The first thing I noticed was that on the “kitchen” side two drain tubes came through the floor just in front of the wheel well.  So I had to trim the sheet metal to fit around and in between them. And on the door side there was another tube (for what I wonder? It had no valve like the drain tubes do)just behind the frame member. To raise the body (after removing the lag bolt) I used a hydraulic jack and a piece of 1x12 to spread the load out.  I didn’t want to focus the lift on one single point.  I raised it a little bit at a time and used a piece of scrap sheet metal to test clearance.  A gentle tap with a hammer on the frame helped to break it free from the body.  I used two drills.  One with a bit to make the holes and the other to drive the sheet metal screws.  Have something to mark the sheet metal with since you’ll no doubt have to do some last minute cutting.  48” was too long on the door side where the latching mechanism is located.  But trimming was no big deal.  I wouldn’t say my curves were a thing of grace and beauty, but I expect they’ll to the trick.  To fill the voids I used (so far) two cans of minimally expanding foam.  There is minimal expansion and greater expansion foam available.  I felt that the minimal expansion would be easier to control/regulate.  I ran out, but had filled one side and about half of the other.  I had to leave the trailer set up so that the foam wouldn’t come into contact with the trailer sides while it is setting up.  I’ll go back tomorrow and finish up the foaming.  By the way, I found the back bumper (in particular the aluminum cover over the storage area) to be more than adequate for bending the sheet metal.  Total time today was a little over three hours.  I tend to work at a deliberate pace (I really hate to do things over) so it could be done quicker I expect.  In sum it was not a particularly difficult job, which was greatly aided by having the right tools and plenty of good advice and instructions.  
An engineer friend of mine suggested plotting out the curve ahead of time and cutting styrofoam pieces to fit the voids.  Stick them in the corners and then curve your sheet metal perfectly he said.  That would probably work too.
At any rate, I’m glad that I did it.  We’re off to Yellowstone after the holiday so that is one less thing to have to fret over.  
Thanks again for everybody’s help and advice.
Jim
 
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Old 10-12-2002, 05:27 PM   #7
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Default Re: Wheel well modification

We completed our wheelwell modification on our 1999 TM 3023 today. Well, we still have the foam setting up and will deal with that tomorrow. We didn't have any real difficulty. We had to remove the wheels to get enough pop revits in place. The project took about 4 hours, which includes two last minute trips to the hardware store for stuff we couldn't find or forgot. Here's some pictures... http://wscarbrough.home.mindspring.c..._wheelwell.htm

Scott and Mona
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Old 10-13-2002, 08:26 AM   #8
hal
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Default Re: Wheel well modification

You can DL the directions for the wheel well retrofit at <http://www.home.earthlink.net/~jwetherbee1/.  Be sure to get both pages.

Hal
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Old 08-01-2004, 10:37 AM   #9
B_and_D
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Default Re:Wheel well modification

After having to deal with a blowout yesterday, we wanted to let you all know how glad we were that we made this modification to our 97 TM.

The new sheetmetal we installed was pretty banged up around the tire, but with all the surrounding foam to absorb the force of the separating tire tread, it caused no damage to the TM itself in the area of the wheel well.

A small piece of sheetmetal under the TM right behind the wheel well was damaged, but we can easily repair it.

The tire installer was pretty impressed with our modification! We put on two new Goodyear Marathon tires.

This link to the Wetherbee's site is still active and shows the details of how to do the modification:

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~jwetherbee1/

Thank you Joe and Ann for posting this and to Hal and the others who helped!



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Old 08-01-2004, 12:29 PM   #10
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Default Re:Wheel well modification

???What kind of tire had the blow out? Was the trailer over loaded at the time? Were the tires old? ???

How did the trailer react when it happened?
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