Chinook RV

Hi all!

I want to put some sliding, heavier duty curtains across the entry between the front seats and the living area. This means I want to attach a curtain track.

If I could just screw straight in to the upholstered entryway arc, it'd be an easy-peasy mod (aside from finding the right HW and making curtains), but I have NO idea what's behind the upholstery there. I've seen posts here of folks adding curtains there with different mounting systems, but I have no idea how I'd actually affix to the archway. Last thing I want to do is make a leaky hole in the fiberglass that I can't get to without removing the whole cabin from the chassis... (the specific place is circled in green in the pic, kinda hard to see, I should have used a different color)

Should I just go to an upholstery shop that's used to doing stuff like this? Or is it actually pretty easy?

I've thought about this as well, as way to save heat. We like the windshield mounted snaps for regular privacy in that it gives a sense of space that having the curtain behind the front seats would not afford. But when sleeping, who cares. So, why not just get three snap receivers and install them into the horizontal upholstery just below the molding for original TV, below the front storage door, and in corner to right of the old VCR framing? That way, you could use the existing snaps on curtain for both positions...it may droop a bit, but I bet you could minimize that with proper placement of the snap receivers.
David

I don't see mention of what year your Chinook is, but the overcab face looks exactly like mine in the photos (mine is a 1999). Maybe yours is a 1997 or so? If so, I can tell you what it's made of as I have had mine down and on the shop bench.

Essentially, it's made of thin molded fiberglass, covered by glued-on headliner fabric. There are some wooden stiffeners (around the doors and such) which you can see by poking your head into the lockers. The bottom (floor) of that whole overcab locker (on mine at least) is a 3/4" plywood board covered in the same hull-liner type carpet that the overhead of the whole Chinook is. That board is basically at the level of the top of the little bulge you can see running along just below the cabinet doors of the overcab.

Edited to add: Wait, I just noticed your green circle. I had a bunch of construction information here but I'll move it to the bottom of the post just in case anyone wants to see it later.

Duh, I missed that green circle on first look! So if you are screwing into that face, you will be going through just the thinnish fiberglass of the overcab piece (totally separate from the outside Chinook shell), then air, then possibly the thin downturned Ford steel flange at the aft end of the overcab (if screwing horizontally this does not connect to the outdoors in any way; it's just a single layer steel flange). Or if higher up on that bulge you could catch the edge of the 3/4" plywood overcab piece. On my Chinook there were no wires in that area, btw, except for way over on the sides where the pillars are, and then they were way forward (they go into the headliner). You would have to use very long screws to hit them (inches). In your photo that overcab piece, and even the arrangement of the various doors and TV etc. look just like mine (early 1999). I even had the same telephone "It's for you!"

PS: Hang onto that couch like gold! Later Chinooks (mine) had the "three hump" couch and at least in my opinion that thing is super uncomfortable, especially as a bed. I modded mine and used sections of a couch from another RV that look almost exactly like yours. Ahhh, flat bed.

PPS: I would think an upholstery shop would be a lot more likely to screw it up than you. They aren't going to have any idea what's behind there, and probably don't care as much as you, plus they will be working to a schedule.

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Info cut from above after I noticed your green circle. Might possibly be of interest so putting it here:

The top in-turned rim (where I don't think you'd be putting curtains) is screwed into the ceiling of the Chinook (essentially gripping the inner fiberglass skin of the roof structure) and the bottom rim is, IIRC, held up by screws and the wooden trim strip (~1/2" x 2" of oak that matches the cabinets on my Concourse). That strip is in an area where there is a doubled inner member on the underside of the steel Ford cab roof. As you come back into the bottom bulge area closer to where it makes the corner to go to the vertical face, then there is more airspace (the Ford cab roof is up there, but there is no rib to come down and meet the fiberglass). I imagine that's why Chinook joined their two moldings in that particular spot (cab headliner mold, at least on mine there is a Chinook headliner not the Ford one), and overcab cabinet mold.

As you get out toward the edges of the cab (where the vertical pillars are) then the overcab curves aft and in that area there is just the 3/4" plywood bottom of the overcab above the fiberglass of the cabinet module. I think that's all under the vertical pillars though.

I can't see anyplace where you would be able to run the screws into the great outdoors, unless you used *really long* screws that went through the fiberglass molding, through air, and then through the metal Ford roof (although even then you'd be under the Chinook outside overcab fiberglass, which, if that was not sealed you would already be getting water pouring out the rear of your overcab locker I believe).

There is a single thickness steel downturned flange right at the aft end of the overcab (basically the very end of Ford's chassis cab). I suppose it's possible you would contact that when you drill. But that doesn't lead outdoors.
The thin fiberglass along can probably hold a curtain track, especially if you are not hanging 200# of curtains, and of course better if the fasteners are in shear. So in short, if you are just using short screws (say 1/2" or so) you will likely only be going through the thin fiberglass of the overcab face/bottom shell.

I do have some photographs of this on another drive. But not right with me.

Just came back to add a couple of photos I had saved of a cab curtain Glenn (former Chinook owner) made. I thought this was a really nice job (and fastened in your circled area, looks like with ~1/2" to 3/4" snap studs). In case it's not obvious, there was a more "permanent" piece behind the driver's seat, and then a vertical zipper to the rest of it which is the section that was more typically opened (though all sections could be). I believe he just un-snapped the right side and folded and stowed it during the day (there were no tracks, just panels snapped on).

You would have to un-snap and stow the section(s) you wanted open during the day, but then to the good you wouldn't have curtain bunches to the sides like you would with sliding curtains. (Not that I have anything against sliding curtains - I added them to both side windows instead of the stock blinds, but in that case it's easy to have them slide to the sides of the window and just sit there in front of the flat wall section.)

Will be interesting to see what you come up with

I super appreciate the detail!

So if I'm understanding right, basically, when folks add new snap buttons like in that picture, they just go ahead and screw them in and its no big deal? Probably just drill a pilot hole through the fabric, mount the snaps (or rail) and call it good?

I've definitely seen several posts here where people talk about (and show pictures of) adding snaps and rails. Just no mention of how they did it!

Also, what mine actually looks like is exactly like Glenn's there, though it has a TV and microwave. The pic I uploaded was unfortunately just one I pulled off the web because it was quicker than taking a pic and getting it on to my computer... So I unfortunately have that uncomfortable 3 section sofa. It doesnt seem bad so far, but I haven't gotten this thing ready for any overnights yet.

I just noticed similar snap buttons were installed on the windows. I would love to imitate that too, though I find myself quickly having the same fears and questions of "how the heck do I mount the new hardware without breaking my shell?"

spambucket wrote: February 12th, 2022, 4:52 pm So if I'm understanding right, basically, when folks add new snap buttons like in that picture, they just go ahead and screw them in and its no big deal? Probably just drill a pilot hole through the fabric, mount the snaps (or rail) and call it good?

Like Blue said. If you can stick your head into the middle compartment and look back and down, there is a gap between the carpeted board where it almost meets that front fiberglass (at least there is in my Concourse). Or stick your camera in facing back to you (easier on your neck ). You can see that it is just empty space there and down. If you stick your fingers in, be careful, the interior fiberglass on mine has some sharp stuff where I scratched my fingers doing just that.

To see the screw types and sizes, just unscrew one from the trims, or the coat hangar on either side pillar (the pillar is the same type of fiberglass panel), or the snap in those same side pillars that is used for holding up the privacy curtain that attaches around the cab windows (that snap is just above where the seat belt attaches). And, yes, for fiberglass you will need to drill a hole the same width as the core of the screw, as fiberglass has no give to it (unlike wood).

Oh my gosh, I'm not the best with the spatial awareness / reading comprehension sometimes, thank you for the clarification!

Any idea how folks go about mounting to the sides? (like the side curtain snaps in the picture Blue posted)

The sides are just the same as the top - the pillar on each side that the snaps are added to are the pillar I was talking about, a molded fiberglass panel. Just drill the hole and screw in the snap.

Actually, those panels can even be removed, as there is a bundle or two of wires behind them, running floor to ceiling. Here is a picture someone posted a while back, with the panel on the driver side removed (you can see the panel on the right of the photo, with the seat belt going through it). Note that the wires might not be in the same position as shown, as the bundles in mine were in the middle and on the right. Just use short screws and you should be okay, the panels are not fitted tightly (they probably have an inch of space between them and the wall). Make sure the drill bit doesn't go too deep when it breaks through the fiberglass as you drill (so as not to puncture any wires in case you have the bad luck to be right where they travel, though I don't think that's too likely).