Early 90's Class A's

I got my 1994 28' GBM pursuit for $2000. It needed a lot of work to make it ready to camp. So I got to work. Re-sealed the roof(big job). Replaced the roof top a/c unit. Had the front & side windows tinted. Tore out all of the flooring and carpeting, and installed new carpet and vinyl tiles. Steam cleaned all of the upholstery, smells fresh now. Repaired some of the plumbing and electrical in various places, under the cabinets and under the dash. Installed a KVH automatic satellite dish and all the wiring required to make it work. Installed an inverter for dry camping(watching tv without running a generator). Repaired dash a/c, replaced water pump, all belts and hoses, thermostat, flushed radiator, etc. Built a new, heavy duty trailer hitch and welded it to the frame(I also had the 3500# rated hitch, thin & cheesy). Replaced all batteries, and found a deal on some craigslist 225/70/19.5 tires. Built a spare tire carrier on the rear(did not come with one). Replaced shocks & sway bar bushings. This is most of it, i'm sure there's a few things i'm missing. It was a ton of work, but now I have something i'm proud to drive and know the in's and out's of. If something goes south, I can probably fix it on the spot. I probably put about $4k into it to make it road worthy.

Snowman9000 wrote:
That Revcon at 82 MPH, what is that.. about 3 MPG??

With the stock 454 w/headers, not towing got 8.2 mpg pushing close to 90 one trip. Free flowing exhaust doesn't choke off the engine at higher RPMs, so the efficiency doesn't nose dive. Low profile and rounded corners helps.

I have spent the summer rebuilding a 96 bounder(32 H) that I purchased in april.All the problems with the coach were caused by someone using the wrong type of roof coating and ruining a roof.
Luckily the majority of the damage was in roof/ceiling only with very little delamination in the walls and causing one soft spot in the bedroom floor.I have also perfomed some other maintenance items,brake repair ,batteries and new belts and hoses.

The DW and I have used it a for a couple of weekend outings and have been very pleased.We changed from a f'ver to a driver and will probably never go back.

I purchased the coach for $3000 and have spent about $1500 in materials for repairs.I have about 200 hrs of my labor involved in the process I have made some changes to make coach better suit or needs.At this point all the coach needs is six new tires and I would be willing to go anywhere in it.

If you have the time and are willing to tackle a project like this go for it,but as mentioned it must be a bargain to be worth while

Some one mentioned that the John Deer chassis was the best chassis and that may well be. But! JD gas chassis used a 460 with a carb & 3 speed C6 trany up to 1990. 1991 460 got fuel injection and the same 3 speed C6 trany. NO over drive. Then there is the problem of finding parts for that old JD chassis. Freightliner is some help but many parts are only available from specialty rebuilders. A JD chassis may keep on giving, more than you want.

Most MH on Ford F53 chassis, up to 1997, will have a towing limitation of 3500#.
Most MH on a Chevy P30 chassis, up to 1998, will have a towing limitation of 3500#
Most MH on a new style Ford F53 chassis, from 1999 on, will have a towing limitation of 5000#.
Most MH on a Workhorse chassis, from 2000 on, will have a towing limitation of 5000#.
NO Ford F53 1998 model year chassis were built.
NO Chevy/Workhorse 1999 model year chassis were built.
1994-1997 Ford F53 460 had the latest state of tune, with NO catalytic converter.
1996 Chevy P30 454 latest state of tune with port injection (vortec) Gained almost 50 HP over the TBI system. Sweet!
1996 Fleetwood went wide body (8'6") coach on gas MH.
Winnebago went wide body a few years before Fleetwood.

I drive a 1995 32H F53 Bounder with 120,000 miles on the clock. The chassis and drive train has been almost flawless. The house does keep on giving. GRIN

Richard

We have several friends with Bounders of all ages. They are very long lasting motorhomes. My closest RV friend has a 2003 diesel pusher version. He has had 85,000 almost trouble free miles. We also have some other close RV friends that have an old poor condition Bounder from about 1994. They drove it 6,000 miles last summer. They are camping in it this weekend.

IMHO Bounders make good project motorhomes. BTW the Bounder is likely by far the best selling class A model of all time.

If your willing to go with a diesel pusher, look for a mid '90s Foretravel. You will be able to enjoy using it because it should not need a lot of restoration.

That Revcon at 82 MPH, what is that.. about 3 MPG??

Peter Bryant passed away in 2009, but I had exchanged a few emails about Revcon, about a year before he passed away. Being out west, you are much more likely to find a Revcon than here in the midwest. (Although there is an '85 near me right now that looks pretty good) In '85 they went to a wider body and raised the floor 4 inches. This gave some extra storage underneath and the extra width can be nice inside. '85 also offered a rear spoiler fin molded into the rear cap, which gave it a little bit of a wild look. I would probably not go any older than '83, although there is nothing wrong with the older ones, its just that the interiors are darker, so they have an older feel.

That's a pretty cool idea, and love the Shelby tie in (although Carrol got a little litigious in his old age.)

I really like the look of some of the vintage units, so I'll start looking. Doesn't look like any exist in this area right now, but something to keep my eye out for.

Bump back to late 80s and get a Revcon. No leaks or delamination. Handles/drives better than any DP. If you love working on classic cars, you could very easily fall in love with a Revcon. While technically the tow rating is 2000 lbs, I tow my 4600 LBS Grand Cherokee everywhere - including Colorado mountains. Traveling through MN, and SD, I set the cruise @ 82 mph and yes that was towing the WJ. If you tow that much weight, it would be wise to ad a rear trac bar. The Jeep gave it a little understeer. It was fine towing the 3100lbs XJ, but when I switched to the WJ, the trac bar was required.
The interiors as they progressed through the 80s became nicer and nicer. All Formica laminate over solid would frames. Hollow core doors. Everything is very solid inside, and the Formica holds up like new, even though its pushing 30 years old.
I will tell you, it can really be a pleasure working on old high quality stuff. The drive train is a custom front wheel drive, however most wear parts can be easily sourced from any parts store, once you know what you are looking for. Being that you own a Cobra, you will be interested in knowing the drivetrain and suspension was designed by Peter Bryant who worked on the Cobra GT40, and GT350 programs with Carroll Shelby. Could be an interesting match of toys.