Mechanical Work

So, there was a fair amount of mechanical work that had to be done, including new tires, new brakes and a frame patch.

This is one of the old brake lines:

New brakes :

Frame rust - hard to tell, at first glance it kind of doesn't look that bad...

But, when you chip away at the rust, this is what you got! Pretty darn thin in parts, certainly risky to leave as is. It was something you'd miss on inspection unless you got underneath. The theory is the battery overflowed some time, and the acid ate away at the metal.
This is what it looks like after the repair. A donor piece was taken from another GMC frame and welded into place and then coated with some rust prevention coating.


More rusty parts... and it's held together with a tie wrap. Interesting.

Stickers everywhere...

This previous owner seems to have loved to let everyone know how he felt! There's a ton of stickers on the coach. We thought the flames were cool, but everything was peeling, so they will all have to go.

These flames are cool, but peeling very badly.

Packer fan

Hippie bear and wheel

More Peeling

Lots of words and two rather circular poems on the side window.

I can't really have a gator head on my vehicle!

First Interior Views

So these are my first views inside - we came to the Coop to discuss the coach's needs regarding mechanical work:
Looking front -Vintage steering wheel -

There's a doggie print divider curtain! I'm remaking that. In fact, there's a matching dash cover.

View looking back:

View looking front from the kitchen: Sink doesn't work. Stove works. Microwave works.

Dinette Area: The walls have shag green carpet on them.

I guess I can deal with the Route 66 print.

Pink thing is the base of the center console, plus they were nice enough to give us tire covers.




Drinks Cabinet - yes, this was designed for evening cocktails apparently!


Gaucho Bed - Not sure why it's called that

Weird Blinds -


Inside of Fridge - Looks ok but it doesn't work.


Back Closet - only one we have, already full of random stuff.

Bathtub - looks ok,  Tub faucet doesn't work. Same with toilet.  There's a general theme going on here...Sink works though.
 
Is this the original wall decor? It looks like the walls have been painted.

So, apparently the previous owner lived in it full time  but didn't fix things that he didn't need. There's mishmash of ugly fabric curtains that were sloppily sewn to fit. And funky blinds, what is with the blinds and curtains?

The New(to us) Coach

My husband drove off halfway across the state(at least it was not across country!) and bought this thing. It's a 1976 GMC motorhome. It's 23 ft long, Birchaven model with a rear bath, The previous owner got it from her dad. Her dad used to live in it full time, but she hasn't used it in a few years and it had been sitting on the side of her house. The tires are always the sketchiest thing about vehicles that have been sitting, and these were like caveman tires, rock hard and not round. So after a short drive, he calls AAA for a tow to the local repair shop.



Fortunately for us, the local repair shop is the Cooperative Motor Works aka the GMCCoop. It's there to get a full evaluation and fixed up to a stable condition. We'll probably be doing a bit of work ourselves.