Great project! For many many years I had a 67 chassis mount Travel Queen camper on a 75 Chevy chassis. About 9 years ago I upgraded to an 84 Lindy C on Chevy chassis. Could afford (to finance) better/newer but it would do the exact same thing mine does and I would have a payment - no thank you. My old rigs have been all over the country many times over. Lack of payment just lets you buy more gas!
My rigs are old but both had a few upgrades I highly recommend - several have already been mentioned:
1. Battery CO detector and hardwire propane leak detector correctly installed. (I assume you have a pair of smoke detectors already)
2. Remove & dispose the 30+ year old converter and install something modern. I use a Progressive Dynamics 9260. Unit will pay for itself eventually with the longer house battery lifespan, and can be transferred to another rig if you ever upgrade.
3. Make sure you don't have a "Federal Pacific" (a.k.a. FPE) brand electrical panel installed. If you do, google it. Upgrade as required. Can probably upgrade to a cheap GE panel from Lowes for less than $50.
4. Get a pair of good quality fire extinguishers and mount somewhere you can find them quickly, one up front one near back exit. I recommend a pair of quality 5# American-made refillable ABC. Can be moved to another vehicle if you ever upgrade.
5. Like you are already doing, do the chassis tune-up and replace the belts and hoses etc as required. Grease, fluids, check for issues, etc. Carry spare belts and a way to band-aid hoses. Sounds like you have this under control so I won't go into any detail.
6. Everything else just adds to your camping story! You will learn as you go what is priority.
Have fun and enjoy! Make great family memories!
On edit - if you buy a brand new rig today, it will only be new for that instant. In a few short years, it will need everything yours does now. You being able to do maintenance and work by yourself makes all the difference. Congrats!
