New owner Old RV

[Travelcrafter]

Hi all new to the forum, new to M.H. I have a lot of experience with the old tent and then my Coleman Pop Up. These days it's a little hard for me to hook up, set up, take down, the jest is; it takes the fun out of the game. I had been looking for a class B for a while when I ran into a 1977/78 Travelcraft 23'BB. on the Chevy G30 cutaway. The camper had been stored when not in use witch was Three to four times a year with only 19,550 miles on it. I had a chuckle or two as I've read of some of the very good advice told to purchasers of old equipment and thought I would share my experience with you. Hope I don't run on to much but I feel my experience may help others here that tend to take advice with a shrug and go on. My RV was/is in very good to excellent condition even with the low miles. the previous owners used to camp on family's property and stored close to same. The building it was stored in was hit by a tornado and thus some minor damage was caused to the RV, a dent in the finder and a small hole in the roof was cause for a salvage title. That meant a trip to the Ohio Highway Patrol for an inspection to allow me to register it as a salvage Rebuild which it passed with fling colors the morning of pic up day. The tires all 6 of them looked new and I questioned there age 6 years old, the spare had never been on the ground and I felt confident that things was in good order for my 110 mile trip back home. I drove the five or six miles out to the interstate with no problems what so ever and, was as giddy as if I'd bought a new Lambo or something. Got out on the highway and felt a little shimmy around 55 and was much worse at 65 so I backed off to 50-55. 20 miles out the inside drivers side rear tire had a catastrophic blowout my little sheltie about jumped out my window clearing the motor hump I'm sure by a foot. So there I am on Interstate 71 downtown Columbus OH. I had no way to change it so I just got back in and limped it to a Tire discount store 20 more miles away. Several things to be thankful for as I'm glad it was a dual, I'm glad it did no damage to my under side. The tire store would not service my RV tires because they were more than 10 years old and that spare never on the ground! at least 12-14 years old. So long story short 7 new Firestone tires and $1700 later I was on my way. Not mad not even upset but very thankful they had the good sense to follow the rules. The real pain was to come 200' down the road when the right front caliper locked up and flat spotted my brand new tire beyond use. Did I mention that it passed a Highway Patrol inspection just hours prior to all this. My words of wisdom "Block it up Put all new tires on it before you hit the road" you just cant tell by looking. P.S. it really is a jewel of a camper and its going to get the full inspection and all repairs as needed before I hit the RV Trail.

[ol__yeller]

That's an option too!

[Travelcrafter]

I had a chance today to look for my Magnets found that my unit is speed cable driven and missing some major parts like the bead chain from the solenoid to the throttle body linkage. I'm guessing the original owner had a problem with it and just unhooked it. I found all the paper work for it in a drawer; installation and troubleshooting guides kinda cool to look through but I think I'm just gonna lead foot it like the last guy did.

[ol__yeller]

As long as you're looking for a magnet on the driveshaft, look 180 degrees opposite it for the other one as well! As the Tango, it takes 2 to make the cruise work.

[Travelcrafter]

Thanks for the tip OL' Yeller. I found both vacuum lines dry rotted at the unit, thought I had it fixed but no go, I'll Look for a Magnet.I went over the rest of the extruded screw strps today and pushed new Butyl in any place lacking and, will follow that up with sikflex to seal it all. I did find a small area that had been leaking at the bottom of the cab over. about 2" x 50" long. I was able to take a wood chisel and remove all of the bad wood and cut a new strip to replace the missing edge. I took fiberglass resin and soaked all the edges of the rotted ply wood and will fill the voids with foam, trim that flush and cover it with a couple layers of fiberglass cloth to finish the job. It should be a strong and permanent repair. I would be interested in how any one else has tackled this issue. I'v taken pictures of the steps taken but have no idea how to post or where to start a repair/rehab post on my project RV. well On to the next project.

[ol__yeller]

Aftermarket cruise controls of that vintage often had magnets that glued onto the driveshaft. If you can get under there you should see a pick-up mounted to the chassis close to the driveshaft. You probably lost a magnet.

[Travelcrafter]

Thanks for the replies I had intended on replacing all the tires on the rig before I took it out but had hoped to find 16" wheels first. I had already scheduled an appointment to have the old feller gone through as well so there was no need for hard feelings as the sellers had been up front and top notch with me on the sale; even offered to come help change the tire.The caliper ordeal was unexpected though but lead to new lines and a system flush,again something I had planned to do. Kudos go out to Discount Tire and Tuffy Tire & lube in Lewis Center Ohio for getting me back on the road in short order. I've since gone over the roof and re caulked everything up there replacing the Butyl tape and sealing with Siklex 223 sealant.(hope I spelled that right).Changed the oil and have been busy replacing old vacuum lines, hose's and other ware items as found. My local RV sales will go through the comfort systems next week and I should be good to go. The only thing I have found that doesn't work is the after market cruse control. I have the paper work on it and will be tackling that as I am able to; its a perfect circle system. My biggest problem is me in getting things in order Im a mechanic that can't do a lot of mechanic-ing. Not a word but suits the situation. I'll try to get a few pics up here before to long and thanks for the replies

[jillhop]

Love your story, Travelcrafter! Mine is similar to yours, although I got more lucky. I recently bought my first camper, a 1998 Coachmen Class C, and replaced the 10 year old tires before I got in it to drive it home (about 70 miles). I parked it in my driveway, and a week later drove it into the center of my little town to get it's inspection sticker. It passed with flying colors, except for the puddle of brake fluid underneath ... from the brake line it blew a block from the garage. 🙂

I wasn't upset or angry--I was grateful that the brake line broke while I was at the repair facility that I had planned on using anyway ... and not on the Massachusetts Turnpike!

[Matt_Colie]

Please listen to the owner of a 40+yo coach and a member of a large association of such beasties....
All the rubber parts are shot.
That is hose - all, fuel coolant brake and any other you can find.
The fact that the brake fluid and antifreeze have gone bed will not matter as you will loose them when change the related hoses. A brake hose can go bad so it acts like a check valve and does not left the pressure off a caliper. This happens often with old hoses.
Get the flat spotted tire trued and use it as a spare. Make a plan to roll out tires so you don't have to buy a whole set at once - again.
If the wheels are 16.5, start hunting up 16s that fit.
Enjoy your coach, there is nothing there that you can't fix.
Start a log of service and repairs. You will be surprised what you forget.

Matt

[gbopp]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your RV.

Unfortunately, you learned the hard way about RV tires. They age out before they wear out.

Make the necessary repairs and enjoy your Travelcraft.

Did you have any problems getting your Sheltie back into the RV after that scare?

[loulou57]

Firstly, glad to hear you and your shelter were not hurt. Secondly, your post was such a pleasant read. No anger at the seller for the tire blowout, that was no fault of his and no cursing about the caliper seizing either. Your patience is admirable in a society where it seems to always be someone else's fault.
I hope as you go over your RV you do not find too many issues. Enjoy and happy traveling in the future.