Centex's 2021 5.0 Modifications

[Centex]

First post of what will be an ongoing thread about my 5.0 delivered on August 25, 2021.

Shower Completion
I ordered mine without the sink or shower fixtures but had ETI run the hot and cold PEX waterlines to the top of the adjacent cabinets and terminate with caps.

I prefer no sink in the bath and wanted a single-lever shower valve (hot>cold is left-right turn, water flow is lift>push the lever). IMO it's a nice valve for water saving - set your temp and start/stop flow separately - no check-valves required and no hot/cold 'crossover' through the valve. I had previous happy residential experience with this particular valve. Component links:

• The Valve
• The Trim / Handle
• The shower wand, chrome-plated angle pipe through the wall, 'lead-free' brass PEX fittings, and SS PEX clamps (same system used by ETI, not copper compression rings) are all from local Lowes.

I prefer 'lead-free' brass fittings ILO plastic and like the SS PEX clamp system, I already have the tools for working with those; IMO it's a most-robust combination even if slightly mis-aligned or stress-loaded over time. IME the SS Clamp System lends to installation in cramped quarters moreso than the copper compression rings due to tool clearance requirements. My tools:

• For SS Clamp installation
• For clean and square cuts every time

Holesaw made quick and neat work of the required bath wall penetrations (apply painter's tape first, I had no 'chipping', very clean holes); I specified a reinforced wall there so had no worries about matching framing - all was solid material for capturing screws and preventing 'collapse' of the wall as things were tightened. DAP bath caulk for ensuring all is sealed-up from the bath-side.

Not for everyone but it's perfect for me, the pics tell the tale.

First of many to come, hope y'all find the thread entertaining if nothing else!

[davidmurphy02]

Very nice, Alan!

[Tonny LR]

Very nice mod. I wish ETI will install a shower like yours in E23.

Tonny LR

[Centex]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Very nice, Alan!

Thanks, David!

Originally Posted by Tonny LR

Very nice mod. I wish ETI will install a shower like yours in E23.

Thanks. There's no telling what the E23 will have in the way of fixtures given that it is a 'dry bath' with a dedicated shower stall. IMO it's waaay to early to speculate about that detail on that future model.

[Ops]

As I've enjoyed a shower in the wet bath of our 21NE, I've frequently thought...that damn sink needs to go to make room for my dance moves between hot and cold.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Ops

..that damn sink needs to go to make room for my dance moves between hot and cold.

Film at eleven.

[Ops]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Film at eleven.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

[Effie]

Nice work, after using the shower in my 19 for over two years I totally agree with your design. When I ordered my 19 I didn't even think about such modes. I don't think I'll ever get to it in my Escape but it gives me a lot of things to consider for my planned van conversion.

[gklott]

Nice mod!

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

Well dang! Every time it seems that my list of "gotta have mods" is complete, something like this pops up on the forum. Looks like another winner.

[Centex]

When I first saw the Escape graphics I was reminded of the line in a favorite movie (Milos Foreman's Amadeus): "... too many notes ..."

So, this morning a bit of mainly 'subtractive' fun to satisfy my tastes and provide a touch of personalization. I wanted to get this project done before the trailer acquired any sun-related 'graphic shadows' and while the OE stuff was easy to remove (they easily peeled off intact, left virtually no adhesive; the 'shadows' may take years?).

Thanks to local Bastrop Sign Shop and especially our own Donna D. for identifying ETI's logo font as Handel Gothic Italic

The pics tell the tale, here's the background on "16926" from an earlier post:

Originally Posted by Centex

My folks were Airstreamers for many decades and (their) Airstream (Wally Byam Caravan Club) number was "16926", displayed on the top-rear of all of their trailers as many of y'all have likely seen on Airstreams. Today I'll pick-up my "16926" decal from the local sign shop which will be similarly displayed on my 5.0 in remembrance of their RVing adventures. It's the closest thing to a 'name' my Escape will have

I'm Having Fun, I hope y'all are too!

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Centex

When I first saw the Escape graphics I was reminded of the line in a favorite movie (Milos Foreman's Amadeus): "... too many notes ..."

So, this morning a bit of mainly 'subtractive' fun to satisfy my tastes and provide a touch of personalization. I wanted to get this project done before the trailer acquired any sun-related 'graphic shadows' and while the OE stuff was easy to remove (they easily peeled off intact, left virtually no adhesive; the 'shadows' may take years?).

Thanks to local Bastrop Sign Shop and especially our own Donna D. for identifying ETI's logo font as Handel Gothic Italic

The pics tell the tale, here's the background on "16926" from an earlier post:


I'm Having Fun, I hope y'all are too!

Love the sophisticated bling.

[brain]

Less is more!

[camp4528]

Originally Posted by Centex

When I first saw the Escape graphics I was reminded of the line in a favorite movie (Milos Foreman's Amadeus): "... too many notes ..."

Of course, we know what Mozart’s reply to the comment was, but he was a smug, intolerant genius.

I like the simple graphics design and the “not a name”

Was the subtractive process a matter of removing the extra details (exacto knife?) or were the entire graphics replaced.

Thanks…

[davidmurphy02]

The commemorative 16926 decal on the back is a nice touch!

[gklott]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

The commemorative 16926 decal on the back is a nice touch!

Agree - meaningful and simple addition. Nicely done.

73/gus

[Centex]

Originally Posted by camp4528

Was the subtractive process a matter of removing the extra details (exacto knife?) or were the entire graphics replaced.

Strictly subtractive insofar as the OE graphics. The only thing I had made and added is the "Escape" now located in the swirl near the rear and of course the framed "16926". Drive-out cost for all three was $30.

The new media is gloss black "Oracal Intermediate Cal 651", it's indistinguishable from the remaining OE tape.

I used my fingernail to start tape removal at a pointed-end then just peeled, lifting against a not-moving single-edge razor blade where the tape runs under door or hatch trim to cut it there. Any OE graphic I removed was removed in its entirety, I did not 'reshape' any OE graphic left on the trailer. IOW, absolutely no blade movement of any kind against the gelcoat.

Surface was prepped with a microfiber towel + 90% isopropyl.

The added "Escape" at 250pt is slightly larger than the OE removed from the front, formatted by me using MS Word, condensed spacing by 4pt and further tweaked the kerning between "a" and "p' to get the look 'just so' for my eye in the space. I provided both MS Word and Acrobat (with embedded font) files to the sign maker, I don't know which they used.

I paid some small $ for the Truetype Handel Gothic Italic font after determining that all of the "free" versions I found had slight but disturbing discrepancies compared to the ETI version on the website. Sorry, that was months ago, I don't remember the source.
_____________

Thanks everyone for the complements!

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

family tradition + understated class = lovely result

:-) Lorraine

[jennykatz]

What is 16926?

[Vermilye]

See the quoted part of post #11.