What Constitutes Vintage Class A

[Dave_Pete]

DW and I are dissatisfied with the build quality, and lifestyle of our new 2013 travel trailer. We're having trouble selling outright, due to a seeming glut on the market. We are considering trading into a Class A and want to keep it close to straight across or "write us a check for the difference" so we're looking at older units. We've looked at Class Cs, but are more favorably impressed with the front seat experience of a Class A.

We are "classics" and "vintage" kind of people. (Yes getting older, but that's not what I meant). We are doing a resto-mod on a classic 1968 Travel Queen Truck Camper for some of our traveling style needs, and we own a 1954 Willys Jeep CJ3B that we love driving and taking with and having people comment on.

So what constitutes a "vintage" or classic Class A? We don't mind some repair and upgrading, etc., but don't want to start out with a basket case. We're tall so would really need the 80" length of a bed and prefer it to be an "always made-up" type. That means a long-boy double, standard queen (non-RV queen). In other words, not sure a smaller Winnebago or GMC would work, but don't let that stop your comments!

[ol_Bombero-JC]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
You are the best qualified to answer that question.

Whatever you think is vintage is the only thing that is important since you will be buying it and paying for any upgrades/refurbishing.

Figure out where you want to be with a Class A and just go for it.

X-2 on the above.

And - continue working on selling your TT yourself.
Unfortunately, Wyo winter is probably not prime selling time, LOL!

~

[Mike_Hohnstein]

You speak truth Pierce ^^^. Wanderlodge, STILL a great value.

[mpierce]

guardrail53 wrote:
"Not necessarily true. I have a 1990 Bluebird with a 8v92 two cycle Detroit, 475 hp, 1450 torque. Coach is 48,000#, pulls it pretty darn good."

Yes, you are right, but you left two things out? If I remember right , to get those to go smoking up a hard pull, in a semi anyway pulling 80,000 lbs., you had to add a external elect. fuel pump on a switch and turn it on about halfway up the hill, to keep fuel to the motor and keep it pulling like you want! Now, with half the weight, that might not be the case, but you also left out the fuel mi. you get? If I remember right, back then, 3 to 5 mpg was considered good! Again, in the trucking world! What kind of fuel mi. do you get? I did not mean to step on any toes, but since you brought it up, the Cummins and Cats back then would out pull a Detroit 2 to 1! JMHO! Rail! P.S. Glad you are happy with your B.B.! They are one of the best made out there, for sure!!

Never heard of that fuel pump you are talking about. I had a 1980 Freightliner with a Silver 8V92 at maximum, which was, I believe, 435hp. Several times I ran with a couple guys, one had a CAT, and one a Cummins. Newer trucks, but I do not know exactly what engines they had. We were running western ID, MT, and up into Canada, with weights up to 80,000#. We all stuck pretty well together on all the grades, and all got between 5 and 6 mpg running that way.

So, I did NOT see much difference in 1980.

I get between 6 and 7 mpg on the Bluebird. It is not as good as a newer diesel engine, BUT, I do not have $500k invested either!

Love the Bluebird. I could not even think about a newer one. This one was listed right at $500k when new in 1990. Have about 10% of that in it now. Real tile floors, real, solid, oak cabinets, etc! It is 25 years old, many things have changed on newer models. But, did I say we love it? LOL

[guardrail53]

"Not necessarily true. I have a 1990 Bluebird with a 8v92 two cycle Detroit, 475 hp, 1450 torque. Coach is 48,000#, pulls it pretty darn good."

Yes, you are right, but you left two things out? If I remember right , to get those to go smoking up a hard pull, in a semi anyway pulling 80,000 lbs., you had to add a external elect. fuel pump on a switch and turn it on about halfway up the hill, to keep fuel to the motor and keep it pulling like you want! Now, with half the weight, that might not be the case, but you also left out the fuel mi. you get? If I remember right, back then, 3 to 5 mpg was considered good! Again, in the trucking world! What kind of fuel mi. do you get? I did not mean to step on any toes, but since you brought it up, the Cummins and Cats back then would out pull a Detroit 2 to 1! JMHO! Rail! P.S. Glad you are happy with your B.B.! They are one of the best made out there, for sure!!

[mpierce]

guardrail53 wrote:
Dave pete, the one disadvantage to the 20 year old bus chassis are the old school diesel motors, the old Detroit diesel motor's were dog's, to put it simple! Yes they would "run forever", but if going really slow uphill is your thing, then go for it! I would find a late 80's, early 90's, Holiday Rambler, Monaco, Beaver, Country Coach! They all make a retro style, with all the nice features you will really like! JMHO??!! Rail!

Not necessarily true. I have a 1990 Bluebird with a 8v92 two cycle Detroit, 475 hp, 1450 torque. Coach is 48,000#, pulls it pretty darn good.

Now, if you go back further to the 6v71 series, 318 hp, you are correct. However, if you got a Cummins or Cat from the same era, you would not be much better off. All engines back then were much less capable.

If you want to go way back, you will have many compromises to make, from power train, to amenities in the coach. Had a 1964 Airstream, loved it, bunk beds, many miles and smiles with the kids growing up. However, did NOT have a grey water tank, only black, because back when made, you were allowed to dump grey water everywhere! Times change, expectations change.

[Jarlaxle]

guardrail53 wrote:
Dave pete, the one disadvantage to the 20 year old bus chassis are the old school diesel motors, the old Detroit diesel motor's were dog's, to put it simple! Yes they would "run forever", but if going really slow uphill is your thing, then go for it! I would find a late 80's, early 90's, Holiday Rambler, Monaco, Beaver, Country Coach! They all make a retro style, with all the nice features you will really like! JMHO??!! Rail!

Hardly! Considering that some had 450HP and almost anything from the late 80's would have at least 325-350HP, they have PLENTY of power!

I drove a 1962 GMC with a "little" Detroit (275HP 8V71T)...but it would pace the newer 450+HP MCI and Prevost coaches up grades. Why? It was about 11,000lbs lighter.

[bob_b1]

Yes, a big thumbs up on that '77 Apollo!

[guardrail53]

Wow, what a beauty! I had a 1974 Shasta 25' class A, with the p-30, 454 carb motor! The bed room in the back had two twin's, that would slide out and hook together, to make 1 big bed, king size, wall to wall, and when up, had a table that would go in the middle for playing cards, eating, games! Also the front was different too! It was up two steps, had a drivers seat, but the rest of the front was a u shaped booth with a table, and it converted into a queen size bed! It had a nice size bathroom, and kitchen for a 25 footer! Wish I had it back! Rail!

[ezcamping]

I have a 1977 apollo I have been working on. I would consider this vintage and excellent candidate for restoration. It uses an all steel frame covered in fiberglass. No wood to rot. Mine had the motor rebuilt and converted to fuel injection by the previous owner at a considerable expense. Has plenty of power and purrs like a kitten.

Only thing I don't like is the 70's interior. Been working on that and will start a separate thread when it's done.

Mine is 26 feet long but they made 30 and 33 footers which are easier to find. Paid $5,000 for mine and that's because mechanically it was perfect and had even been updated in many ways. I regularly see them for $2,500-$3,500.

Good luck with the search and let us know what you do.

[Dave_Pete]

Lots of good potential in all your ideas. I guess for now I'm satisfied with my truck camper rebuild project (over on the Truck Camper forum under 1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod).

I hope we can sell the TT outright, and that the tiny truck camper will work out the way I expect. I'd go Class B if I could find one small enough with all our demands but the GMC is still looking like the most likely Class A for us and our particular interests. But that may well be just thought processes and have nothing to do with reality. Know what I mean Vern?

[guardrail53]

Dave pete, the one disadvantage to the 20 year old bus chassis are the old school diesel motors, the old Detroit diesel motor's were dog's, to put it simple! Yes they would "run forever", but if going really slow uphill is your thing, then go for it! I would find a late 80's, early 90's, Holiday Rambler, Monaco, Beaver, Country Coach! They all make a retro style, with all the nice features you will really like! JMHO??!! Rail!

[jonbushsr]

Seven years ago, I bought a 92 diesel Champion Ultrastar; diesel being the prime objective. Since then, I have refurbished the total interior and exterior of the rig as I like doing the work. This year, I finally had to do some engine/chassis work, a new exhaust manifold.

I converted the island RV queen to a full queen by adding 5 inches to its length. Still unsatisfied, I removed the island queen and built two full size twins, one extended 5 inches to a XL length using a piece of covered foam under the pillow resulting in both beds using the same sheets and blankets.

As we only use the rig part-time (one month longest), it works well for us with no slides. However, it is cramped for more than two adults.

Jon
92 Ultrastar 333TB
5.9 Cummins, MC16-FD Oshkosh

Dave Pete wrote:
DW and I are dissatisfied with the build quality, and lifestyle of our new 2013 travel trailer. We're having trouble selling outright, due to a seeming glut on the market. We are considering trading into a Class A and want to keep it close to straight across or "write us a check for the difference" so we're looking at older units. We've looked at Class Cs, but are more favorably impressed with the front seat experience of a Class A.

We are "classics" and "vintage" kind of people. (Yes getting older, but that's not what I meant). We are doing a resto-mod on a classic 1968 Travel Queen Truck Camper for some of our traveling style needs, and we own a 1954 Willys Jeep CJ3B that we love driving and taking with and having people comment on.

So what constitutes a "vintage" or classic Class A? We don't mind some repair and upgrading, etc., but don't want to start out with a basket case. We're tall so would really need the 80" length of a bed and prefer it to be an "always made-up" type. That means a long-boy double, standard queen (non-RV queen). In other words, not sure a smaller Winnebago or GMC would work, but don't let that stop your comments!

[mpierce]

I love the GMC's. Way ahead of their time. However, if you plan on spending a lot of time in one, and traveling, be sure you check out and make sure you can live with the storage they have, as it is quite limited in comparison to most.

[Matt_Colie]

Dave Pete wrote:
Good advice. We are more of the "modify it to fit your needs, but retain it's classic character" type of people.

I just read the Wikipedia GMC Motorhome page and have re-considered my OP comment regarding same. The GMC could well be living at the top of my search list.

Dave Pete,

If you have any interest at all in GMCs, start by going to GMCers.org. That will link you to a whole heap of stuff. There are several versions with 76" beds and all the rear bed versions can be remodeled to a full width bed (~90") with a purpose mattress, but the interior head room is only 75" in most versions. They have no structural wood so they don't collapse like many others and there are no orphan parts.

We are just back from a 23 day, 4376mi excursion.

Matt

[rgatijnet1]

You could go vintage all the way. Here is a 1937 Chris Craft Roadliner.

1941 Western Flyer