Eagles International Forum

Hi guys, I am about to put the floor down, and I was wondering what I should put in the tunnel before it becomes very hard to access?
I've heard airlines and extra wires, but not sure if there is anything else?

I ran 1.5 pvc front to rear has come in very helpful. Bob

As Bob said, make provisions for running utilities back and forth from the front of the bus to the rear.

I put in two conduits and still ran out of room. However, some of the room was for the hydraulic hose for the clutch system.

If at all possible, it would be ideal to leave access to all the removable floor panels. On a model 10 the access to the top of the fuel tank is fairly important (not sure how that works on a model 5). For sure, you should provide some way to get to the engine access panels. There are few jobs on the engine (air compressor, power steering pump, etc) that are nearly impossible to do without working from the removed floor panels.

Jim

Bob and Jim are right. Run as much conduit as you can fit. In my case, and what has worked well for me, is that I ran flexible PVC piping, the type used around hot tubs and spas for the connections of all the jets. I am sure any hose type material will work and is much easier to install as compared to rigid pipe or conduit.
It has been a godsend to me in some projects. It paid of big time in the engine repower, shifter cable replacement and others.

Bill

A lot depends on what items you have under the floor that may need access for lubrication or replacement. Having conduit standing by for new wires and hoses is good, but what about the shifting linkage, clutch linkage, throttle linkage? On the original setup these items had lubrication points and connections. The three small hatches and two long ones in the rear are needed for maintenance as well as the one long one up front. The aluminum cover panels on the ceiling of the baggage bays accesses the rest of it. Having a uniform floor looks good, but not if you have to tear it up to get to something that has malfunctioned. I have kept all of the hatches operational and covered them with carpet that can be peeled back, or kept the hatch with its trim integrated into the new flooring. The previous owner of my entertainer coach (Senators) wrapped carpet around a plywood panel that could be lifted up. That kept the carpet stretched tight, but it was very awkward to get up and out, plus it reduced head clearance for the rear lounge. Since things are old, I would advise planing for access to everything that could get stuck, bound up, corroded, or start leaking. Don't forget access to the top of the fuel (tanks), the fuel pickup tube is long and comes straight up to get out. You should have two tanks that were accessible under the air return ducts under the original seats on each side between the bogie axles.