New to the RV, 81 Shasta (22'?)

[imderrickjed]

I believe this is a class C, very new to this. Just found a person online who was willing to trade their 81 or 84 Shasta for my chevy truck. The truck was no longer needed and I wanted an RV for the family. Just something we could drive to evergreen lake (10 miles away) and camp. He talked it up on the phone and email, but there are some little issues. I believe this is a E350 chassis and It should be easy to redo the brakes (see soft to me). The AC works good, but the inside needs a good cleaning. Also I dont have a manual and cant find any information online so Im not 100% sure how things work. Its powered by a 351 and gets 10 MPG. The cabinet doors swing open while driving so thats issue 1. The table is not correct and wobbles so thats a little issue too. Lots of what seems to be little issues. Also the gas cap does not fit and the back tank leaks. Hoping somebody has so good sites where I can buy parts. Fuel sending unit is also bad. Again seem to be all little issues.

[imderrickjed]

Thanks for the advise. I will flush the brake fluid and replace the fronts. I will inspect the rears and replace if needed. Im still having problems finding an owners manual for this 81 Shasta motorhome. As for the valve thats leaking I think its for the fresh water. I took a garden hose and tried to fill the holding tank, but it poured out a tube under the RV rasing straight down. looks like there was a valve but the handle is missing now. Not sure where to get a gas cap because I dont know if I should refer to it as a E350 1 ton van or if the RV takes a different cap. Same for the sending unit. I have dual tanks, the back leaks and the front has a bad sending unit. I want to replace the back, but no idea what to order. Family outings at least for this year will be 10-15 miles from home and IL in mostly flat land. No hills for where we are going. Next year id like to take it for a real trip.

[bsinmich]

Welcome to the forum and the world of RVing.
First for me would be the brakes. Flushing the old brake fluid would be my first item. Brake fluid will accumulate moisture and that will eventually boil when in harder use, giving no braking. I came down a hill, through a red light, and finally got stopped in a Church yard one time. From then on I flush brake fluid every 2 years. That was an '89 E350. Check the brands of appliances and see what you can download on line from each manufacturer. You will need model and ser. # for many. I will assume you mean black tank valve is leaking. The valves are replaceable and not that expensive. Before putting the family in I would check the tires for age. RVs very seldom wear out a tire but they do rot out on us. A tire with a lot of tread can blow as easy as a bald one. You can get new catches for the cabinets at any home improvement store or if you want more expensive you can go to an RV dealer. How does your table mount? If it has the tube with tapered ends ou may have to work on expanding the ends a little.