UPDATE: As of 10/6/2012 We have retired our first Cheddar Yeti, the 1988 Lazy Daze and have moved into a bigger, older, 1978 Wanderlodge Bluebird Bus.
Our First Home On Wheels; The Lazy Daze
As the fourth owners, we paid $13,000 in 2009, for our sweet 1988 Class C, Lazy Daze Motorhome, dubbed the “Cheddar Yeti.”
On a tip from a trusted friend and his buddy, an RV salesmen (whom, BTW, wasn’t selling Lazy Daze units), we only considered looking at the Lazy Daze brand Class C RV. The Lazy Daze’s quality workmanship is well-known throughout the industry and they have great resale value.
This unit was free of mold and any major water damage, which for a 22-year-old RV is great. The inside was very clean, and free of smoke and pet damage. Service records and manuals came with it and we knew we had a winner. Although, the true kicker was its rear lounge layout with the wrap around windows. Ahhhw, we can see the stars at night!
Come As You Are
On The Outside:
- 1988 Ford E 350 sporting a 460 Gas Engine with 92,000 (at time of purchase) miles
- Class C Lazy Daze
- 26.5′ Long x 8′ Wide x 9.5’ Tall
- 25′ 30 Amp Cord
- Holding Tanks (Fresh Water/Waste/Gray)
- Two 6 Volt Deep Cycle House Batteries
- 10 Gallon Propane tank
- Onan Generator with just under 300 hours on it
- Spare Tire
- Hydraulic Leveling Jacks
- T.V. Antenna
- Cable hook ups
- 25″x25″ Roof hatch
- Two 14″x14″ vents/Upgraded to FanTastic Fans
- TurboKool Water Evaporator 12volt cooling unit
- 11′ Wide Awning
- Window cover
- Tinted Windows
On The Inside:
- 18.08 Cubic Sq. Ft. Mirrored Wardrobe + Five Drawers
- Four Over the bed storage cabinets
- Two Rear Speakers
- Dometic Royale RM3601 3-way (120v/12v/LPG) Refrigerator
- Magic Chef Oven & Four-Burner Stove
- Four Kitchen Cupboards, Two Drawers, Two Dinette Overhead Compartments
- Double Stainless Sink & Extended Counter with Lip
- Full Size Rear Couch Bed & Two Club Charis (Lounge/Bedroom)
- Mini Liquor Cabinet/Side Table
- Full 6’3″ Tall Tub/Shower
- Toilet, Sink & Large Mirrored Vanity
- Thirty, yes, thirty, 12v Overhead Lights
- Six 110 Plugs
- Five 12v Plugs
- Duo-Therm Brisk Air A/C Roof Mount
- Suburban Solid State Ignition Propane Heater
- Wall to Wall Carpet/Replaced with felt backed vinyl flooring
- Microwave/Removed
- Under mount Coffee Pot/Removed
And We Added…
- 2 new FanTastic Fans in the bath and back bedroom
- A new china toilet with a slow closing lid
- Newly reupholstered captain/cab chairs in a vintage material
- Custom work desk and chest of drawers. The top slides in/out to create an adjustable work desk.
- A top of the line futon mattress that is rated for 365 use as a bed and still can fold up into a couch.
- Extra custom fit bathroom storage
- Cab bunk railing for storage safety
- An adjustable shower rod to make more space while showering.
- Led lights & fixtures
- Dinette table extension
- 5′ WiFi Repeater antenna and router
- 30 Amp Surge protector
- 6 new tires in 2012
Some Snaps
Items That Didn’t Stand A Chance
It only takes a few days or one short trip to realize the stuff you don’t want or need. We found ourselves looking at every nook and appliance with an evil eye. The Microwave and its large cupboard; “Oh, we can stand up a box of cereal in there.” Space is like gold and the microwave didn’t stand a chance.
Microwave
It was circa 1980’s model, a real radiation hot box! We never used one in our house anyway. Yup, we’ve gone and made it into another cabinet.
The Carpet
This was an easy decision after our first outing. It stunk and was pretty dingy, not to mention the previous owner used super pimp carpet cushion making it difficult to open low drawers or flush the toilet pedal. Removing it was the hardest and most difficult mod we’ve done. See Mod.
Coffee Maker
Can you say, “coffee snob?” We don’t drip. French Press is the only way.
TV Mount Arm
We’re a no T.V. kinda people. Anyway, we have the internet and each other… awwwwh.
Curtains & Valences
We removed these from the cab because we don’t intend on sleeping up there. Plus Mom made us a Velcro removable fleece divider. Less window treatments meant more light and the window tint is very good so privacy isn’t an issue.
2 Rear Bucket Chairs
Although they’re really nice and comfy, we needed the space.
Couch Bed Cushions
We traded the two separate and very uncomfortable couch cushions for a permanent bed mattress. You really can’t full-time on a temporary couch bed.
Over the Cab Bed Mattress
It was kind of a cool crib up there in the cab, but we opted to use it as storage. Bins with winter jackets, art supplies, and other random stuffs. The cat loves it up there too. I also put a garden near the window. See mod.
The Plastic Camp Toilet
We removed the old one and replaced it with a china bowl and slow closing lid. Golden!
8 responses to “The First Cheddar Yeti; 1988 Lazy Daze Class C Motorhome”
Hi,
Thank you for sharing your Adventures and experiences with the Cheddar Yetis! I recently purchased a very similar, 1984 Skyline Lindy, same size and color even. Has only 48,000 miles on the same Ford chassis you had (Ford 350, 460 engine). It’s mechanically in very good shape, like a gas hog, too. Hope to beef it up, prepare it to travel to and live in all winter in Park City Utah, where I work in the snowy wintertime.
You mentioned you had more and more breakdowns after a while, so you moved on to a new (older) Cheddar Yeti MH. What kind of breakdowns and issues were you having? Can I plan ahead to avoid such breakdowns? Good vehicle maintenance will like be pretty important for an old vehicle like mine, and yours. Any advice you could offer will be appreciated. I lived for years when I was younger in an old Holiday Rambler travel trailer, so I am quite familiar with winter living in such settings and structures.
Thanks in advance for any offering and advice. I will look for more of your fun postings. Happy travels!!
Lou Awodey
Boyne City, Michigan 49712
231-620-5679
Hi Lou! Sorry I am just getting back to you now, legitimate comments get swallowed up by spam comments.
To answer your question, we don’t fully know what the problem was with the Ford E350 engine. We had it looked at by several mechanics, even Ford themselves, and the issue was never really fixed. The main issue was idling really rough and loss of power. It also cut out on out on the freeway a couple times or when putting it in reverse. Lots of people were saying vapor lock. We switched out a whole host of parts. From injectors, plugs and wires, distributor cap and rotor, PCV, EGR, and more that i cannot recall of the top of my head. It was still running rough, and then we reset the onboard computer, which helped with the rough idle. But it was still weak. My father and I did the timing chain job, which was exploratory at that point, but it turned out it was needed anyway. That helped as well. But something was still off. The timing chain was the last job we did before making the decision to sell it.
The person who bought it was going to overhaul the engine and tranny anyway, so they were not concerned about the history of the engine, as long as it made the drive back to his place…which it did! And the Cheddar Yeti 1 is now a BBQ cook shack!
The Lazy Daze was a great motorhome and we’d still have it today if we didn’t have those engine problems.
Have a blast in your Lindy!
Cheers!
Dennis
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