Older MH repair parts - hard to find? Pls advise!

JeffCarol wrote:
I would imagine that many normal "home" parts could be fit with a little creativity?

This and what Mr Wizzard said. I have a 1996 GBM MH and over the years replaced or fabricated new parts for it. When the plastic vents cracked on the dash from the sun I made new vents out of wood, stain to match and polyurethane. They will out last me. when the baggage door latches broke I replaced the potted metal mechanism with steel which will never break. All the plastic latches that broke were replaced with steel. I can't count how many steel angles or supports that I made over the years to stop vibrations or brace things up. My conclusion after fixing things on an old MH is why buy the same replacement part that broke if you can make it better with a better material or design. Body parts like rear caps can be fixed with FG and resin. Eng and front end parts are still fairly cheap at Napa. I am not a mechanic or electrical guy but with the help of this forum I found a lot of help and you will too.

I would imagine that many normal "home" parts could be fit with a little creativity?

Older RVs present a problem with finding parts for sure. Most answers revolved around body parts (They are correct). Someone mentioned the detail stuff (again, right on the money). Dont forget the cockpit stuff also. (switches/buttons/ETC). What about trim/walls/furniture/appliances. Especially colors and designs. This stuff can be nearly impossible to find. Even windows and window treatments could take some aftermarket companies weeks to "try" to re-create.

The biggest problem you'll have is with all the little stuff (not the big ticket items) especially if they're plastic. At that age they will break or crack easily. For example the defroster vents for the front windshield. They're in the sun and rot out pretty fast. Use that example and call around to see how easy it is to replace them. It might give you some insight on what's ahead if you buy the rig and want to cherry it out.

I got stuck in Carthage, MO for thee weeks (weather) and spent a fair amount of time in the RV salvage yard. Yes, they have a ton of Class A's, but they are not going to have the exact make and model you may have. Back to those vents.

The reason people buy Winnebago is because they carry a large supply of parts to support their customer base. They are the only one's I know that do that.

lower body parts are stainless steel and can be fabricated
end caps are fiberglass
main body is Aluminum

everything else is available somewhere, drive train etc,, is all basic truck and bus parts

sometimes more expensive than others
more expensive than P30 gasser chassis
less expensive that larger diesel bus parts, i haven't run into anything that couldn't be found
we have a 1995 Safari 34.5ft

Thank you folks! I must say this is a very useful tool, the forum that is!

all you have to do is type in rv salvage and you can spend a month reading

If you have any serious need for body parts then your rv will probably be totaled anyway so I wouldn't worry about it.

Miles

Hi,

In 2008 I found parts hard to find for the chassis on my 1987 Ford Diesel E-350 Class C.