1995 28ft Georgie Boy, Chevy 454, P30 chassis

We bought our 96 CRuise MAster brand new it is P30 454 had a choice of vortec took the 454. Ii has 65000 miles we are getting our 2nd set of tires next week. We had Banks Power pack and Bilstine shocks in 'o1. Replaced front air bags last year. We average 8 miles per gallon. We have driven it across country to California, New York, Florida, Canada. We have looked at getting another unit but we just can't find one we like any better . It has been a great unit for us.

shaneperch wrote:
Yeah I am sure mine is a P30 and I like it very much and I was under it yesterday and it looks very solid. the wheels seem pretty close to the outside. I am pretty positive that it is a P30. It has IFS suspension in the front. My GMC RTSII bus has the same IFS suspension in the front (much bigger and heavier) and in the place of coil springs there are very large airbags. I am very impressed with this chassis. the motorhome is solid as a rock on the road.

You have a P30 or actually a P32, but are you saying that you don't have air bags in the coils. If not then the coach is very light, you have after market coils or someone has removed same. No matter, measure between the crossmember and lower control arm for the proper road height and don't include the bump stop itself..... CHASSIS ALIGN PROCESS....

on my RTS bus there is a large rail car air spring where a coil spring is on the p30 chassis. On the HR I hae a coil spring in the middle of the "A" Arm.

I had no problems with the P30! None. I had air bags in the front coil springs that leaked but they were cheap to replace.

You received allot of things to consider. My additional advise would be to check carefully for delaminations of the out side skins. If minor around an opening they can be repaired. If major look for another MH. Check the ride height on the front coil springs If less than an inch new springs are in order. The dash can vibrate but can be fixed with additional screws and support brackets underneath. I have replaced many of the front end components due to wear but I now can drive it with one hand. Cracked exhaust manifolds can be fixed with headers which will give it more power and allow it to run cooler. I was in the same boat as you 8 years ago when I bought this MH not having owned one before. Having said all this if you are not afraid to do the work yourself these known problems can all be fixed and you will enjoy the learning experience and the trips. I have put on 70,000 miles on mine up to Alaska, out west, winter in Florida etc. Let us know what you find when you thoroughly check out the MH.

P-30 is a pretty good base for a class A, lot's of aftermarket support with solutions for most short comings of the original design. One thing that comes to mind is the heater shut off valve. It's cable operated on most chassis, usually doesn't shut off the hot water flow to the dash heater core, Napa has a replacement that is a positive shut off valve. One of these will cure weak dash air performance. IPD anti-roll bars front and rear are usually a huge improvement to cornering performance.

shaneperch wrote:
Yeah I am sure mine is a P30 and I like it very much and I was under it yesterday and it looks very solid. the wheels seem pretty close to the outside. I am pretty positive that it is a P30. It has IFS suspension in the front. My GMC RTSII bus has the same IFS suspension in the front (much bigger and heavier) and in the place of coil springs there are very large airbags. I am very impressed with this chassis. the motorhome is solid as a rock on the road.

You have no coil springs or air bags inside the coil springs

Yeah I am sure mine is a P30 and I like it very much and I was under it yesterday and it looks very solid. the wheels seem pretty close to the outside. I am pretty positive that it is a P30. It has IFS suspension in the front. My GMC RTSII bus has the same IFS suspension in the front (much bigger and heavier) and in the place of coil springs there are very large airbags. I am very impressed with this chassis. the motorhome is solid as a rock on the road.

jolooote wrote:
Do NOT get the 454 or the P30 chassis!!! I had one for 11 years. It was a DAILY fix somethin major EVERY trip. Things you WILL have problems with... 1. Exhaust manifold will crack every 6 months. Can't get it to accept gas at a station. The Starter solinoid WILL absorb heat from being located too close to the rite side exhaust manifold causing it to 'Freeze' up after stopping for a short time such as at a gas station. Must wait up to an hour for it to cool down. Distributor electronic modules must be replaced every 1000 miles. The rite side of chassis WILL be lower than the left. Must install rubber air bags to level. Brakes WILL be shot! 6 MPGallon. If it still equipped with the old Propane aux. fuel system, DO NOT TRY TO USE IT!!! Very real possibility of violent EXPLOSION/FIRE from the mufflers!!! HIGH rpm roar AT 55 MPH WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY! Exhaust
'Butterfly' valve at the rite side exhaust manifold WILL stick closed.
Rear Wheel well housings are only thin plastic. A tire blowout will result in major damage to the coach!!!

Why all the fiction mixed into your post ???

shaneperch wrote:
I don't know what Chassis is on the HR Imperial, but it has a 454 and turbo 400, it has the tag axle so that throws me off as I never seen a UPS truck or bread truck with a tag axle. but what ever the model chassis it is,, I love the way it handles and it is way wider the 48 inches. I had a superior with the dodge chassis and had the 413H at first I HATED HATED HATED IT! but then I realized that I needed to give it a tune up new points new plugs and new wires rotor and then had to boil out the radiator. it ran great after that. but I like the power of this 454. My Father's partner has a boat with a pair of 454s and he is happy. I think it is a matter of opinion. if the P30 was such a pile of junk,, why are so many bread trucks and service trucks school buses and motorhomes built on them? I like my GM chassis which I am sure is a derivative of the P30 design.

Most any P30 chassis rig (independent coil spring front suspension)and you do have one unless it's a rare P12, has a tag axle if over 34 feet, which carries an extra 4500lb. and needed for this chassis.
They made a wide body house and put it on the same narrow track, but it doesn't hurt a thing and gives one a lot of access in the front fender wells. Some time later after WH bought out the chassis from Chevy in 99, they widened it, but this was about 2001 and they quite making it altogether about 2005, so not many out there. This says that there's a lot more salvage parts for the narrow track, but do imagine some can be interchanged.
When I bought this one in 07, I weighed the pro and cons of both Chevy and Ford and decided to go with the Chevy. Don't like the idea of the lower GCVW rating of the chevy and have yet to figure this one out from either a structural or drive train standpoint and could be because of who did the rating and how conservative this group might have been. Still don't know if the chassis is rated before the house manufacture cuts it up or afterwards, which changes everything and could be that the coach builder, just goes with the chassis builder, rather than involve themselves in these ratings, as everything costs money.