TVreplacement in BTCruiser

elswls

Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
15
We recently downsized to 2005 21' BTCruiser. Wanted HDTV. Found a 26" Westinghouse LCD that is exact width of OE 24" Sanyo tube TV. A little modification and it fit perfect. Replaced the TV base with a piece of 2x4, anchored the top and bottom. Added a 2" piece of oak trim, stained to match, at the bottom. Looks like the cabinets were built around the TV. Also remodeled the insides of the right front cabinet for more room and ventillation for DVD/Surround sound system. JVC had a system with speakers that just fit the blank upholstered spaces in the overhead cabinets on each sidewall. While I had it torn apart, I put sheet foam insulation around the front end; they had sort of sprayed it with some insulation here and there. Looks and sounds great for a miniature home theatre. Its' probably an overkill, but we came down from a 35' class A with most of the comforts of home. We spent winters in the class A in FL. Now we just want to travel around(without towing a car).
 
26" LCD & JVC sound - very nice!

I took the 24" tube TV out my B+ and am using that space for storage.

The front area behind the TV on my RV was not insulated at all and I noticed a bit of condensation in there. I used some blue camping foam (the stuff you can sleep on) but it's not glued in or anything. It'd probably be better if I glued it.

I'm curious about the sheet foam insulation you used. How did you fasten it? Does it have an adhesive back?
 
foam insulation

I used the dense white stuff. It's 2" thick and fairly flexible. Its stiff enough that I cut it to fit and bent it to get it in; then it stayed put. Took several trimmings to get it to fit just right. Had to angle cut several pieces to fit the curve. I should have taken pictures before I closed it back up. But I hadn't seen this forum yet. Didn't know anyone would be interested. Not sure where to get it. A friend gave me a 4x8 sheet. He got several sheets from a surplus dealer. We may want the space later, but we havn't spent enough time in this one yet to know how it will be. Our previous 35 footer had lotsa storage.
 
I think I know of the product. I looked for it but couldn't find any. My 'insulation' stays in place because of the top to bottom curve - it's wedged in there.

Does this look like your rig?

img_1699_0_b985295b6739d29b7b3102670e941ecf.jpg


img_1699_1_4fbc6902efdb718893d2ca59a76fe659.jpg


I saw this photo of a BT Cruiser seat:

img_1699_2_9dbd7610d8ede2f9069cd5c74b20d153.jpg


Very nice. Is yours like that?
 
2005BT

The exterior picture is identical to ours. We have the seats in the picture, but they have a few intrusions into the space; heat duct, etc. It has a dinette on the curbside;bath in the same corner but with an angled door; kitchen is forward of the bath; closet in the right rear corner. The original owner removed the sofa bed behind the drivers seat and had a two piece innerspring mattress custom made; one piece is the seat cushion,the other is the backrest. It makes a comfortable, fair size bed. One of these times I'll try attatching some photos(havn't tried that yet). :)
 
Re: 2005BT

Wendell said:
............. The original owner removed the sofa bed behind the drivers seat and had a two piece innerspring mattress custom made; one piece is the seat cushion,the other is the backrest...................

Brilliant idea!

That probably would eliminate the need for the memory foam many of us carry around!
 
Additional TV info

Update on HDTV installation in a BT Cruiser: Check the vertical viewing angle before you buy! Most later LCD TVs have approx 170 degree horizontal viewing angle, but not all have good vertical angle; the picture gets dark when you look at it from below - as when lying on the couch. We had to remount the TV tilted down to make it viewable from below a sitting position. We did this by making a platform using a standard wall mount, then slide the whole assembly into the TV opening. (This was a 26" TV). :?
 

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