Cracked taillight

[Wandering_Willow]

Hi everyone. I have a new to me, 21' - 2004 Chinook Eagle, with a cracked taillight cover. Seeing as I live in the midwest, where Chinooks aren't common, I was wondering if this is an easy part to replace ... Question 2 ... What is the difference between an Eagle and the other chinooks mentioned on this forum ( concourse/cascade/ premier )

[Manitou]

I recall something about the tail lights being the same as what's used on the Ford expedition.

[Blue~Go]

Just to flesh things out a bit (in case someone with an earlier Concourse/Premier/maybe other models comes along).

I believe Chinook used the stock Ford Van taillights (E-Series/Econoline) up through 2000 (at least going by Concourse/Premier photos). These have a completely smooth surface and look like/are the same as any regular van taillights of the period.

Then in ~2001, they changed and went to non-van tailights (which may be from the Expedition?). These have three horizontal "bulges" in them, sort of like three sections of the Michelin tire man.

So yours likely does have the "bulges" and thus sound like the newer, "non-van" taillights.

Here are examples:

1) Stock van taillights used through around 2000 (and probably starting around 1992):

2) Later, non-van taillights, with three bulges. This is a 2003 Concourse:

[Concourse]

The Concourse is a Ford Expedition truck/SUV tail light but I'm no familiar with the Chinook Eagle so don't know what one that uses. But it's most likely an automaker's tail light and not something Chinook created. Grab a good flashlight and look over the existing lens for a manufacturer logo/name and part numbers.

[Blue~Go]

Thanks for confirming that it's the Expedition taillight that was used in the later models (2001 looks like it was the transition year). Since I have a '99 with the E-Series van taillights, I wasn't sure.

[Concourse]

See here for reference
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=20 ... tail+light

[Blue~Go]

Question 2 ... What is the difference between an Eagle and the other chinooks mentioned on this forum ( concourse/cascade/ premier )

From what I read on Tin Can Tourists -- which has a Chinook history page here: http://www.tincantourists.com/wiki/doku ... iGWG6aANek -- the Eagle utilized the same shell and chassis as the Premier, but was less expensive. Previously, the Premier was less expensive as compared to the Concourse. So in 2004, I would think the 21', rear-door lineup would have been "Concourse - Premier - Eagle" in order of price. Based on the differences between the Premier and the Concourse, I would expect the Eagle to have the same chassis, shell, and basic layout, but perhaps different cabinetry/windows/appliances/lighting.

If you were to post some photos of your Eagle, we could probably say more. I don't think they made very many Eagles (I've only seen photos of one or two), so I'm guessing most of us don't know that much about them.

Here is what Tin Can Tourists had to say. I believe this was about the year 2004 (emboldening mine):

Trail Wagons, Inc./Chinook RV also introduced two new “entry level” models to their lineup: the Chinook Eagle 2100 and the Chinook Maverick 2400. The Eagle was a 21 foot, rear-door unit that utilized the same fiberglass shell design as the Chinook Premier. The Maverick was a 24 foot, side-door unit that shared roughly the same fiberglass shell lineage as the Chinook Cascade, making the Chinook brand a full-line Class C manufacturer. The Eagle and Maverick were marketed as lower cost products that complimented the company's traditional high end offerings, giving dealers and customers a choice in price and value. According to company representatives, Chinook management felt compelled to add these new models in order to compete with a growing market of Class B+ and Class C RVs that included Coach House, R-Vision Trail-lite, Kodiak, Forest River and Winnebago Aspect.

[Blue~Go]

I just looked in my files, and I have quite a few photos of a 2005 Eagle - I'd forgotten that. Yours may be different again of course. Based on those, here are my observations on some differences (mostly with the Premier since that is its closest sibling), starting at the cab and going aft:

1) Ford van driver and passenger seats, vs. Flexsteel aftermarket seats.
2) Different, wooden (or wood-like) panel across "entertainment" area at front of cab (vs. fabric covered molded fiberglass with wooden doors); no VCR or DVD player.
3) It looks like maybe the "pillars" (where the coach flares out from the cab) are treated slightly differently.
4) Overhead cabinets along sides are different. They are "square" like the Premier, but otherwise different from the Premier in details.
5) Kitchen sink and stove area layout looks similar to Premier's but cabinet construction details look a bit different.
6) No window over sink area.
7) Single door refrigerator (this was traditional in Premier but I think by 2004 many Premiers had the two-door refrigerator (separate freezer door, and slightly larger overall).
8) Monitor panel in "wall" of microwave vs. set into front of range hood.

Exterior:
1) Looks like the utility doors are not molded in as they were on later Concourses and Premiers (although prior to around 2002 the C's and P's had the plastic screw on doors also).
2) No metal rail around edge of roof.
3) Vinyl spare tire cover vs. "continental" cover.
4) No solar panel.
5) Side mirrors look a little different than the usual Velvacs (perhaps still Velvac but a different model).
6) I don't see a porch light under the awning (maybe not on Premiers either though).
7) Rear window (in door) is a different style and frame color.
8) No outside AC outlet on passenger side.
9) Rear door handle not inset into door molding (but it was not inset on earlier Concourses; was on later ones). Also looks like different model handle/latch with one lock vs. two.

Other:
1) Just a guess, but maybe it has the 5.4 V8 instead of the 6.8 V10 engine. I believe in later years in the upper models (or maybe just Premier?) they made the V10 an option.

[Blue~Go]

A few pics of the 2005 Chinook Eagle:

[Blue~Go]