upgrading old tv to flat screen

[stan g]

I just purchased a 2004 3670rl 5th wheel and need some help on how to replace the old 27 inch tv with a 29" flat screen & also adding a
19" flat screen in bed room everything on line seems to be about motorhomes i don't want the job to look like an after thought IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE A CHALLENGE REPLACING THE 27" WITH THE SLID OUT DRAWER

[hankpage]

Stan, Our '07 Cougar was designed for an old style tv also. I went to a 32" and mounted it over the outside of the opening. My concern was for clearance for the slide-out but it worked fine.
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=267&pictureid=1514

For the bedroom I mounted a piece of plywood across two studs and mounted the tv to that. I then finished the plywood to match the wall.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_106695_1_17acb187e29dc97e54f908560d75626a.jpg

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_106695_2_f67ba23be5340483f9f5b376e71ecb68.jpg

I also found that upgrading the antenna with a WingMan or replacing it with a Jack brand antenna helped tremendously too.

[JRTJH]

I think if I were going to remodel the TV area and upgrade to a flat screen TV I would start by looking at pictures of the various RV manufacturer's websites and study how they have installed TV's in their trailers. Find one that you like and that has a cabinet/entertainment center similar to what your existing cabinet is like. Then start figuring how to make it look like the picture.

I agree with you, you really don't want to take a old tube type TV out of a drawer and sit a thin model flat screen in its place. It's not going to look right and you will lose a lot of potential storage space that way.

Go online, look at what's available in new models and see what really fits your style and your trailer, then "just git 'er done" :)

[WaltBennett]

I did this in our old '05 TT's living area. Don't have any photos, so I'll have to describe what I did. The original space was in a corner cabinet and I wanted a larger one than wouldn't fit into the original smallish space. I glued up some oak boards (1" x 4") into a rectangle that covered & overlapped most of the cabinet opening (about 30" wide x 24" tall), leaving about 4 to 6" open at the bottom. After routing the edges and putting a tung oil finish on the oak it looked almost identical to what the TT had. I bolted this to the cabinet frame with carriage bolts to make certain it wouldn't go anywhere and put a solid mount on it (didn't think a swivel one would hold the TV very well). This all worked very well for about four years until we traded the TT in last spring for our new/old Montana.

I think the key thing is to be certain you've got a solid mounting surface. The walls aren't very strong by themselves and just sticking a mount on one I don't think would last long. The photo with a piece of plywood is a good way to fix that. I'd add some liquid nails behind the wood to be certain it wouldn't go anywhere. Most trailers interiors are oak or maple (sometimes poplar) with some sort of stain. If you want to try matching your interior, boards of either can be found in a big box hardware store or other places.