Our New Rig

[firecopfl]

Bought a class C several years ago without any research and immediately regretted it (cabover leak, old tires several niggly things.) Eventually sold it to get rid of the payment. Have a family now and we want to enjoy camping again. Have been looking around for several months for something affordable that is/has been leak free. I didn't know my Sgt had an RV until last weekend when he asked me if I knew anyone who wanted to buy an RV. He bought it 1.5yr ago to use at a hunt camp that he has now gotten out of. He starts telling me about it and I get very interested. I go and look at it and immediately know this is the one for us. It's a 1987 Aluma-Lite XL on the Chevy chassis. He goes in and starts it while I start walking around it. Starts right up and settles into a low smooth idle. I look at the tires and notice they are stamped 3612 and look to be in fantastic shape. I start looking at the outside and while it does have sunfade I notice it to be defect free. I see the caulking is up to par around the windows and light. I step into it and the first thing I notice is absolutely no smell. No mildew, must, odors, nothing. I scour the roof and find no signs of water damage anywhere. The entire floor is solid. There is normal wear and tear on the interior but it in very good shape for its age. All the interior appliances work. Both roof airs blow cold air. The rear twins have been converted to a single full. I see the odometer has just over 102k on it. Time for a test-drive. I ease it out to the highway and get it up to 55. Vibration free and when you let off the steering wheel it tracks straight. Brakes work very well. Handles all bumps and potholes solid. Sway the steering wheel a little and the tail does not wag the front. The engine runs smoothly and the transmission shifts smoothly. After 20 miles or so I bring it back. I crawl underneath it. No abnormal fluid leaks from anywhere and no damage observed. I then walk onto the roof. No damage observed, no soft spots encountered. The caulking looks to be in good shape. The center seam, two front seams, and rear seam are in goood shape however they do need addressing. He then gives me a huge binder that contains the manuals for all the installed systems and years of receipts. I noticed on the drive that the speedometer does not work (i used my phone gps to gauge speed) but saw in notes two years ago the mileage was appx 2k less than now. The cruise also does not work and I'm thinking the two are related. The AC/Heater control for the dash system did not work. He removed the generator as it stopped working while running as his plans were to take it to get serviced. It's an onan emerald and is included. Also the power steps are not working. I had asked several times what he wanted for it but he kept telling me only what I have in it cause I'm putting it towards a boat. So now I tell him if the price is right I want it. Three thousand. He wants three thousand. SOLD! I know I gotta put a little more into it to get it going but I'm willing to take that on! Here are a few pictures.





It is my intention next week to get on the roof and eternabond every seam and opening. I'll reinstall the generator and use the service manual and troubleshoot as much as I can. If I cannot diagnose then i'll have it serviced. I'll look into the speedometer/cruise system. I can live without cruise for now so I'll fix what I can for now. The company that made the A/C is out of business now but the control head looks standard 80's GM. I am wondering if a control head from an 80's GM vehicle will work. Also some of the black trim within the joints is missing. Does anyone know what it's called and/or where to order replacement? I'll also try to diagnose the steps but if the whole thing needs replacing I'll probably go with manual steps.There will be tons more questions as I dig into this. My family is looking forward to many weekend camping trips to out of the way places!

[fcooper]

Nice rig. Consider fixing the dash air if possible. We run the genset and roof air while traveling, but often turn on the dash air when the sun is hitting that big glass area.

Obviously, you can get by without the dash air, but it does add some comfort in some situations.

Good luck with your rig.

PS I answered your trim question in your other post (at least I think it was your post). Google boat rub rail to find something that works.

Fred

[firecopfl]

Yeah I observed that the steps were disconnected from the power shaft. I found the troubleshooting guide. I've needed to replace my multi tool and I guess now is the time since I need to run down the electronics. I'm hoping I can diagnose and fix it on my own and keep the $$ saved to put into it for other things. I've watched quite a few eternabond videos and I'm doing that next week. All the roof seams and openings. I'll dicor caulk for the rest. Does anyone know if the zep/red max pro work on a smooth aluminum finish? I'm extremely interested in doing that if it will! It is a 454 and no the manifolds do not leak. It idled for almost a half hour the other day and didn't get the least bit hot. And I got great news on the generator. My Sgt gave it to someone to fix it. Comes to find out nothing is wrong with it. Everything checked out fine. When it stopped running he pulled it to get it fixed. The next day he took the motorhome to his hunt camp. On the way he put $140 in gas in it. After talking with him we are pretty sure the generator stopped due to low fuel. At $140 he put appx 40 gallons gas in the tank. I'm going to check the fuel line but I'm pretty sure low fuel was the cause. Once I can pull the control head for the dash ac/heat I'll compare it to GM units. If it's the same I'll give it a go cause I can pick them up for $25 or so. If not I very well might pull the entire AC/Heat system out. Going down the road I'm going to be running the generator anyways and using that A/C. If I need heat I'll use a small force fed heater. I figure with the compressor and condensor out of the way that'll free up the motor a little bit and give a little more airflow.

[turbojimmy]

Congrats! I picked up a budget/project rig around Xmas time last year. It's finally on the road and I'm loving it. It's laid out exactly the same way yours is. I like the separation of the bedroom and bath from the living space.

Mine has a vacuum operated step that I got working briefly, but has quit working again. I had to remove it. I'm going to install a manual step.

[Gjac]

Congratulation's on your new MH. It looks solid. If you don't plan on a lot of dry camping (a week or more) I would not worry about the generator. Check the batteries if bad you can replace with 2 golf cart 6v batteries wired in series to make 12 v. If the steps are Kwickee steps they have a good repair manual online that can isolate the problem to the motor, magnetic switch or the control module. Check for leaking exhaust manifolds, if you don't hear a ticking sound and if it does not overheat at idle(at temperature)or hills you are probably good. I assume the eng is either a 454 Chevy or the 460 Ford which you will find a lot of info here if you do a search. Good luck and don't be worried if you have to fix some things after each trip, that would be normal for an older MH and even newer MH's if you read some posts here.

[sailor_lou]

Congrats, here's to a good find and all those fun trips with your family.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

[gbopp]

Congrats on your new rig.

Definitely look at Eternabond for addressing the roof seams. It will be a one time repair.

One option for the faded exterior is Zep/Red Max Pro. It did a good job on our 96 Southwind.

Enjoy your travels.

[Golden_HVAC]

Hi,

While manual steps work fine on a travel trailer, and perhaps can work with a class C, most class A's need to have electric steps or you are sort of stuck in the RV until someone jumps to the ground.

Even with my Bounder, it has 3 inside steps, and it can be quite a leap if the electric steps do not come out as planned.

Normally lubricating the steps will fix them, and there is a amperage sensitive thing to stop the step at the end of it's stroke, not a micro switch. So basically the motor runs until the amperage is high, then stops.

You can go to a junkyard and take apart a couple of GM trucks or Suburban, and see if the A/C controls are the same. Yes my guess is they will be.

Eternabond can be great stuff. A online search can find several vendors, look for a good price. Then check to make sure they can deliver on time. You might also want to check on paint on type of EDPM roof coating. Make sure that it is two part, as water based type can dissolve under standing water.

Good luck on your project!

Fred.