Am I out of my depth?

[MarineandAirfor]

Hello All
I'm new to this site and the RV world. I've gotten a wealth of info here.
I've been looking into an RV for about 2 yrs. I came close to a minnie winnie class c last year owned by a close family friend. It was well maintained and was gone thru Totally. It had high miles and no genset & I thought $6800 for a friend was too much.
It sold & I kept looking.

Ok here's the deal. Found 1 I could afford bigger than I wanted but had it all.
1990 34' Winnebago Superchief on Ford Chassis. Seller wanted $3000 talked him down to $2000
Said if you drive it to my house and it makes it you got a deal.
The GOOD....
This was $72k new (have the sticker & all paperwork in binder)
Has 2 - Colman Mach 3 15,000btu A/C's working!
Basically all the options you could imagine minus any leveling kits. Tow pkg w/brake control, central Vac, remote spotlight. Air horns, full bath (not passthru) eve has a functioning washer & dryer in there. Also has onan emerald 3 genset with less than 700hrs. Runs 6500 watt. With 2 remote start locations. The Ford 460 had 65k and has the expected manifold leak but runs pretty good. Fridge is in crappy shape but is working. Not sure about furnace or HW heater as of yet

The bad. God it's ugly as could be. I'll make the inside look lovely but there is a great deal of delam! Not so much from roof but more from the seam along the entire side of coach. Think water wicked up the luan. Structurally it solid all around. The bumper corners are broken & or missing. Tires are crap. The kwikee stairs look as if they were torched/cut out? The fridge went was NOT there so some good water rot behind fridge. The big awning was coming away from coach so I removed. I can go on and on but what I wanted to know if I made a good call or did I get over my head here?! I can fix ANYTHING and the beast is looking better everyday
Anyone that could give my opinions, thoughts? I'll take it well
I just figured with that Genny and the tons of options figured it was a good deal
Thanks for reading all this LOL
Ryan

[jason4598]

MarineandAirforcevet wrote:
Has anyone got some good news LOL

You'll be fine. Just stop asking everyone else what they think.:)

[tatest]

You are out of your depth. Winnebago motorhomes since late 60s have been laminated wall construction, and if thoroughly delaminated, laminated wall are not structurally sound. Structural strength comes fromthe bond of skin, inside and out, to the core. Early Winnebago models with steel framing and metal skins had more framing inside the wall, but for your vintage the laminated wall is it.

Some consolation, a delaminated panel wall is probably still stronger than a built up framed wall, a technology that stay with some mass market manufacturers well into the 90s and is still used by premium RV builders. But then, strength, or torsional rigidity, of a single wall panel tells you little about the strength of the box as a whole.

What yiu have is likely usable, but you are not going restore it to original condition without spending as much as it takes to buy a new one.

[J-Rooster]

I think it's a great deal! You can fix it up as needed and your not making big monthly payments for 20 years.

[MarineandAirfor]

Thanks Matt. I'm going to do my best and I can always sell it

[oldmattb]

People will drop $2-4K at a casino, knowing the odds are against them. You are having fun and learning. If it works out, you will have an RV for cheap. If it does not work out, you will have great stories to tell.

Delamination is a serious issue, but it can be dealt with in different ways. If the rot is not bad, one could run screws into the structure from the outside to stabilize it. Not factory pretty, but if they are evenly spaced they will look OK. A little dab of caulk under the heads to seal the holes.

I bought a DP for $5K, spent another $5K and a month of weekends, and made a $10K profit. Most issues, including a dead generator, were remedied by cleaning and tightening. Outstanding deals are rare, but building value with our own labor is prized.

Best wishes and best of luck, amigo!

Matt B

[MarineandAirfor]

Scott exactly built with own 2 hands! And that's why I'll never get rid of my jeep. I've done everything that could possibly break and I know it inside and out

[MarineandAirfor]

I will love it and hope to be a full timer at some point. This rig or the next. I think it was a good deal minus the delam. I mean it has the best Genny u could buy other than a comercial units back then. The 1800 rpm ones. And the reason I'm assuming it's a 6500 watt and not the typical 4000 is I HAVE A WASHER & DRYER hahahaha. The genset was $3500 back then and was in 80% or more of RV's on the road and were the industry standard! The only thing this monster does NOT have is any leveling apparatus a dishwasher or a Hot Tub! Has central vac I mean come on man. It rides like a dream. I think it was a score. The window stickers shows it all. Backup camera w/ monitor. $12000 in extra options. $71,733 delivered. I know it's old but $2000 c'mon man Hahaha

[ScottG]

I took on a project like that many years ago with a TC (a Red-Dale!). We wen't on to enjoy many years of great camping in that rig. And frankly, part of the fun was that I had practically built the thing with my own hands.
Have a great time with yours!

Scott

[olfarmer]

Ryan, It is possible that Mobility RV might have the bumper ends. I doubt it, but it is possible, they get all of Winnebago's obsolete parts and I have found quite a few things there. The age is against you but if the same ones were used for several years it is possible. You can Google Winnebago parts or Mobility RV and find their website.

Back years ago we had a 1976 17.5' Mobile Traveler and sold it for $6500 and turned around and bought a 1973 Mini Winnie for $2500. I opened the door and gutted it, threw everything out the door and rebuilt the whole interior. We drove it on many trips out west, the longest being from Ia. to Los Angeles Ca. We loved that old thing and sold it to our son. He used it for several years and sold it to a friend, last I knew it was still in existence but failing. lol
I have been a Winnebago lover ever since, they have a great roof and good construction.

[Executive45]

Sounds like a project I'd love to tackle...:)....it's a good looking coach from the outside. Take your time and put some love into the inside. Then go out and enjoy it!...you'll be able to take tons of trips before you need to scrap it...but I don't see that in the near future. I think you got a pretty good deal. If all else fails, donate it and take the write off. My first Class C was a 19' Flair with a Chevy in it. Bought it on Thursday and wife and I went on a 1000 mile trip the next day...I had a sign on the back...

"HONK, if you see parts fall off"....:B:B:B

Enjoy that beast....!....Dennis

[MarineandAirfor]

Thanks Ed. You know it's a Winnebago. They build quality it's not like 2x3 wood framing in this thing! It's SOLID just ugly and a neglected. I'm not really noticing any parts that I'm in need of. Only the plastic corners of the bumpers. Those being broken and missing makes it really look bad. I just went out and my coach batts are dead. I guess bypassing that bad solenoid wasn't the best idea cuz I'm plugged in and the batts are NOT charging. Nota big deal. I'll figure it out. The guy at the local RV shop gave me a "continuous duty" solenoid that looked more like a starter solenoid than the part I removed. I guess I'll have to drop $40 for the direct replacement one I saw online. I know the batteries are good. They can out of my boat and were purchase last year. Can't wait to post some AFTER pics. As u said they may be a little hard on me but I'll make believers out of the naysayers LOL

[olfarmer]

Hey, I think they are being a little hard on you. I doesn't look that bad in your pictures and you sound very capable of making a decent usable MH out of it.
There are many on here that can't fix anything themselves. I would say the tires will be your biggest expense. Google RV salvage yards and you may find some of the stuff you need. Mobility RV in Hanlontown, Ia. is a good place for NOS Winnebago parts. Heck, you only have 2G in it, as long as you don't put big $$ in it You should be able to get a lot of use and enjoyment out of it.
P.S. The delam is very hard to fix but if you stop the leaks it shouldn't get much worse, it is just unsightly.

[MarineandAirfor]

Cool Paul. I'll look for it. Can't wait to tow the TJ behind it. Can u say Jeep Jamboree! HaHaHa

[xctraveler]

There was thread here "restoring the old Girl" or something like that. Started with a unit not much better than what you have, maybe more chassis engine work than you are aware of yet. He spent over a year, long thread, and got it up and went camping with it. Had to sell because his job required him to move overseas. Last I saw the new owner was camping in it.

On edit, found the thread,Link to thread It is 71 pages long and is closed, but readable.

[MarineandAirfor]

The seller was in a bind to get it off the rd where it was. The town wanted it gone and people couldn't see around it to get out of there driveways. I forgot to mention the basement t was full of extra goodies also. Lots of tools spare parts hoses all kids of stuff. It was a real treasure hunt. There are no holes in furniture even tho I'm likely going to recover everything. The Bumper corners are going to be very difficult to find. May have to fabricate a solution.

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