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| [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252310] |
Mon, 16 June 2014 13:50  |
glwgmc
Messages: 1014
Registered: June 2004
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Hi Dan,
You will enjoy your new found life! That is you will enjoy it if you and your family are on the road. A GMC sitting for 7 years is going to need a through going over every system one by one. The chances of that being 17,000 miles are not great, much more likely 117,000 or 217,000. No matter, you will need to go through every system independent of the mileage. Think of it as a house that was built in 1978. What things would you replace or update to make it fit your lifestyle today? Likely all the appliances, furnace and AC, rugs, upholstery, paint and maybe the plumbing fixtures. Now think of that same house living in an earthquake zone for all these years.
Add in the mechanical systems to check out like brakes (including the hard and soft lines, the proportioning valve, master cyl and the four rear slave cyl) in addition to linings, drums and rotors. Then move to tires - replace if over five or six years old no matter what they look like. If it has 16.5" steel wheels your tire choices will be limited to Firestone. 16" aluminum wheels will make your life a lot easier. Next, check the air bags, compressors, air lines, ride height, front end components and alignment. Then check the cooling systems including the radiator, water hoses, belts, fan clutch and thermostat plus the engine and transmission oil cooler lines and the power steering hoses. If any of those go out on the road they will make a mess out of your otherwise fun and enjoyable family outing. The engine, transmission and final drive are the least likely to need attention other than changing fluids and filters, including changing ALL the fuel filters and the fuel
pump, checking the mechanical advance in the distributor, changing the module if it is HEI and putting on new spark plug wires. The ethanol in our fuels will likely have made mush out of all your fuel lines which for a coach that has been setting usually means dropping both fuel tanks for cleaning and replacing all the rubber fuel lines that run all around the coach.
I am not trying to scare you away because all of us who have reliable, good drivers love our GMCs and you and your family will as well. We put between 10,000 and 20,000 miles on our two coaches every year and would not want to miss a minute of these adventures. I am trying to suggest that buying a coach that has been sitting for a number of years can be a daunting starting point unless you have lots of experience with 30 to 40 year old vehicle restoration. Most people find they are much better off paying a lot more to buy one that has had all the reliability work done and has been used on a regular basis. Let us know where you live and we can likely put you in touch with a GMC owner who might be willing to help you look at the one you are interested in and/or steer you to one closer to being in on the road condition. Good luck, join one or more of the many GMC clubs and attend rallies. You will find lots of new friends of all ages to help.
Jerry
Jerry & Sharon Work
Kerby, OR
glwork@mac.com
541-499-1027
http://jerrywork.com
78 Royale
77/94 Clasco
,,,,,,,,,,,
Message: 11
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:34:06 -0400
From: Daniel DeLuca
Subject: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII
My wife as stumbled upon a 1978 Eleganza ii with 17,000 miles that has been sitting for 7 years, available for a song. I am going to look at it tomorrow, but for all I know the frame could be rusted through. But for a second lets imagine we pick up this thing up. My question is what are are the essential upgrades this is going to need to make it a reasonable driver?
I know the engine is going to need an overhaul, and I will need all new tires. What about the braking system. I have seen a lot written about a reaction arm from AppliedGMC. Is this a good upgrade for the price? Assuming they are not rotted away would the fridge, stove, furnace and AC units be usable or are they the kind of thing that need to be replaced with modern components? Thanks for your wisdom.
Dan
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78 Royale
Kerby, OR
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| Re: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252399 is a reply to message #252310] |
Tue, 17 June 2014 19:45  |
Daniel DeLuca
Messages: 120
Registered: June 2014
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Well guess I am part of the family now. We bought the 78 for $1000. Has not been moved in 7 years. But it appears to truly have less than 20,000 miles on it. 138 hours on the generator. Leveling system still working. So is the clock. :-) Also seems to have the original tires. One blew when they tried to push it down the driveway.
It will be an adventure.
Any tips on getting this towed?
Dan
Allentown, NJ
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jun 16, 2014, at 2:50 PM, Work Jerry wrote:
>
> Hi Dan,
>
> You will enjoy your new found life! That is you will enjoy it if you and your family are on the road. A GMC sitting for 7 years is going to need a through going over every system one by one. The chances of that being 17,000 miles are not great, much more likely 117,000 or 217,000. No matter, you will need to go through every system independent of the mileage. Think of it as a house that was built in 1978. What things would you replace or update to make it fit your lifestyle today? Likely all the appliances, furnace and AC, rugs, upholstery, paint and maybe the plumbing fixtures. Now think of that same house living in an earthquake zone for all these years.
>
> Add in the mechanical systems to check out like brakes (including the hard and soft lines, the proportioning valve, master cyl and the four rear slave cyl) in addition to linings, drums and rotors. Then move to tires - replace if over five or six years old no matter what they look like. If it has 16.5" steel wheels your tire choices will be limited to Firestone. 16" aluminum wheels will make your life a lot easier. Next, check the air bags, compressors, air lines, ride height, front end components and alignment. Then check the cooling systems including the radiator, water hoses, belts, fan clutch and thermostat plus the engine and transmission oil cooler lines and the power steering hoses. If any of those go out on the road they will make a mess out of your otherwise fun and enjoyable family outing. The engine, transmission and final drive are the least likely to need attention other than changing fluids and filters, including changing ALL the fuel filters and the fu
el
> pump, checking the mechanical advance in the distributor, changing the module if it is HEI and putting on new spark plug wires. The ethanol in our fuels will likely have made mush out of all your fuel lines which for a coach that has been setting usually means dropping both fuel tanks for cleaning and replacing all the rubber fuel lines that run all around the coach.
>
> I am not trying to scare you away because all of us who have reliable, good drivers love our GMCs and you and your family will as well. We put between 10,000 and 20,000 miles on our two coaches every year and would not want to miss a minute of these adventures. I am trying to suggest that buying a coach that has been sitting for a number of years can be a daunting starting point unless you have lots of experience with 30 to 40 year old vehicle restoration. Most people find they are much better off paying a lot more to buy one that has had all the reliability work done and has been used on a regular basis. Let us know where you live and we can likely put you in touch with a GMC owner who might be willing to help you look at the one you are interested in and/or steer you to one closer to being in on the road condition. Good luck, join one or more of the many GMC clubs and attend rallies. You will find lots of new friends of all ages to help.
>
> Jerry
> Jerry & Sharon Work
> Kerby, OR
> glwork@mac.com
> 541-499-1027
> http://jerrywork.com
> 78 Royale
> 77/94 Clasco
> ,,,,,,,,,,,
> Message: 11
> Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:34:06 -0400
> From: Daniel DeLuca
> Subject: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> Message-ID:
> Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII
>
> My wife as stumbled upon a 1978 Eleganza ii with 17,000 miles that has been sitting for 7 years, available for a song. I am going to look at it tomorrow, but for all I know the frame could be rusted through. But for a second lets imagine we pick up this thing up. My question is what are are the essential upgrades this is going to need to make it a reasonable driver?
>
> I know the engine is going to need an overhaul, and I will need all new tires. What about the braking system. I have seen a lot written about a reaction arm from AppliedGMC. Is this a good upgrade for the price? Assuming they are not rotted away would the fridge, stove, furnace and AC units be usable or are they the kind of thing that need to be replaced with modern components? Thanks for your wisdom.
>
> Dan
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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| Re: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252407 is a reply to message #252404] |
Tue, 17 June 2014 21:03 |
A Hamilto
Messages: 4508
Registered: April 2011
Karma: 39
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Senior Member |
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Daniel DeLuca wrote on Tue, 17 June 2014 20:27We do not have any grand restoration plans. I want to
1. Get it running
2. Upgrade Brakes
3. tend to things like the generator, fridge and AC.
We need to get it towed about 40 miles. I am thinking a low boy or giant flatbed is in order.
Dan My maintenance manual says one can be flat towed (all six wheels on the ground) 50 miles, as long as it does not exceed 35 mph.
Now the underlying assumption is that the transmission fluid has been circulating recently, because its "tail" shaft will be turning as if it was being driven. The transmission innards affected by that rotation need to start our fully lubed before the tow. That lubrication MIGHT also be accomplished by flooding (over-filling) the transmission by a couple of quarts.
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/towing-gmc/p40264-trans-flooding.html
Except when I was living in Northern VA, I have never had anything towed. I have such an aversion to paying auto club fees and against paying for something of mine to be towed, I always limped home, or left it and came back later with a big enough vehicle to tow it, a chain, bolts, a length of steel pipe, and another driver (experienced in towing or being towed). I am still considering my contingency plan for getting my GMC to a place I can work on it if I am a thousand miles from home. I am thinking that trans flooding idea, a Demco Excalibar II (tows 10,500 pounds, the GVWR of my 23 footers), some kind of a surge braking system, and a U-Haul truck.
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| Re: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252408 is a reply to message #252404] |
Tue, 17 June 2014 21:12 |
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Matt Colie
Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma: 7
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Senior Member |
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Daniel,
Welcome to the group, family, cult, asylum.
It sounds like you did real well.
You now know the condition of the tires. Expect that all the rubber, meaning brake lines, fuel lines, belts hoses and brake parts are in the same condition. Taking a coach as you just acquired from its current condition to reliable and fun will be a small amount of cash (tires are the only expensive thing) and probably a month's worth of evenings and weekends. But it will be worth every skinned knuckle!!
Speaking of tires, 8.75X16.5 are still made by only one manufacturer (Firestone Transforce). My advice would be that you think seriously about acquiring alloy rims at this time (and new tires). Yes it will be expensive, but the rims will be less than two month's payment on a new RV. I have acquired steel rims for mine, and the final cost was not that different than what Applied gets for Eagles.
You are in the right place to get any advice you might need.
Lastly, you are now a member of a community that may be like none that you have known, but it is much like my own. That of watermen, they help each other with little other regard. As that is how it is here, I decided some time ago to welcome new owners as a new owner or vessel would be welcomed there. So,
May the Good Lord bless this coach and all those that set forth within her.
Welcome Daniel
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
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| Re: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252415 is a reply to message #252310] |
Tue, 17 June 2014 21:30 |
Steve
Messages: 506
Registered: September 2013
Location: East Greenville, Pa
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Welcome aboard. I am close by near Allentown PA. We have a 78 Royale as we'll. let me know if you have any questions. I have been through nearly every system and have learned a lot from forum members here.
1978 GMC Royal
Eastern Pennslyvania
1968 Chevrolet C20 396 Camper Special
1969 Chevrolet C20 Camper Special
1985 Buick Electra Park Avenue
1992 Camaro 25th Anniversary Heretage Edition Black
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| Re: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252419 is a reply to message #252408] |
Tue, 17 June 2014 21:42 |
Daniel DeLuca
Messages: 120
Registered: June 2014
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Thank you for all the great feedback, and advice!
One question, it has been suggested several times that we invest in alloy wheels. I know this has been discussed at length, but I am still not 100% clear on the issue. I understand that alloys will greatly increase the tire options available, but what are the other benefits? Are the firestones that bad? Are the old wheels that out of true?
Dan
On Jun 17, 2014, at 10:12 PM, Matt Colie wrote:
> Daniel,
>
> Welcome to the group, family, cult, asylum.
>
> It sounds like you did real well.
> You now know the condition of the tires. Expect that all the rubber, meaning brake lines, fuel lines, belts hoses and brake parts are in the same
> condition. Taking a coach as you just acquired from its current condition to reliable and fun will be a small amount of cash (tires are the only
> expensive thing) and probably a month's worth of evenings and weekends. But it will be worth every skinned knuckle!!
>
> Speaking of tires, 8.75X16.5 are still made by only one manufacturer (Firestone Transforce). My advice would be that you think seriously about
> acquiring alloy rims at this time (and new tires). Yes it will be expensive, but the rims will be less than two month's payment on a new RV. I have
> acquired steel rims for mine, and the final cost was not that different than what Applied gets for Eagles.
>
> You are in the right place to get any advice you might need.
>
> Lastly, you are now a member of a community that may be like none that you have known, but it is much like my own. That of watermen, they help each
> other with little other regard. As that is how it is here, I decided some time ago to welcome new owners as a new owner or vessel would be welcomed
> there. So,
>
> May the Good Lord bless this coach and all those that set forth within her.
>
> Welcome Daniel
>
> Matt
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie - Members GMCMI, GMCES
> '73 Glacier 23 With 4 Rear Brakes that pull as they should
> SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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| Re: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252422 is a reply to message #252419] |
Tue, 17 June 2014 21:56 |
A Hamilto
Messages: 4508
Registered: April 2011
Karma: 39
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Senior Member |
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Daniel DeLuca wrote on Tue, 17 June 2014 21:42Thank you for all the great feedback, and advice!
One question, it has been suggested several times that we invest in alloy wheels. I know this has been discussed at length, but I am still not 100% clear on the issue. I understand that alloys will greatly increase the tire options available, but what are the other benefits? Are the firestones that bad? Are the old wheels that out of true?
Dan It has been said the alloy wheels are truer and better balanced, so make a better ride. I don't know, I can't afford alloy rims, so I got 16" steel rims and put Michelins on them. Your rims may or many not be straight, may or may not be rated for radial tires. I found Firestone 8.75R16.5 LRE tires for $129 each plus shipping ($120) on the internet last night. That's less than a thousand dollars for 6.
https://www.tirehero.com/firestone-transforce-ht-tire-875r165lt-189-803.asp
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| Re: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC [message #252426 is a reply to message #252399] |
Tue, 17 June 2014 22:00 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Congratulations, Dan!
You've got to be a little apprehensive about the coach's having been
sitting for 7 years. That's valid, but don't think you're setting a
record. Last year, a friend and I recovered a '76 coach from 160 miles
away which had been sitting for 20 years! The first weekend we surveyed it
and got the engine running. The second weekend we mounted tires borrowed
from my coach, replaced the front brake calipers and hoses, and then drove
it the 160 miles. It was a relatively uneventful trip, considering.
In your case, I'd either go ahead and mount new aluminum wheels and tires,
or quickly establish a friendship with a local GMC owner to borrow 6 good
wheels and tires for a day. You'd then have the option of making it
drive-able to your home. Failing that, a Landoll trailer is probably your
best bet. If you don't know, a Landoll's wheel bogie moves fore and aft
hydraulically so that the flat bed can be canted up at an angle that will
allow the coach to be winched up on it. Then the bogie moves back to
travel position. If you put good tires on the middle and rear wheels, it
CAN be towed with a wheel-lift wrecker (tell them it must be capable of
lifting 4000#+ and towing 12,000#+). Yours is really a very short distance
tow.
Stay in touch with us here -- we like to hear new adventures and you'll
need some of our help, guaranteed!
Ken H.
Americus, GA
'76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI & EBL,
Manny Brakes & 1-Ton, etc., etc.
www.gmcwipersetc.com
On Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 8:45 PM, Daniel DeLuca wrote:
> Well guess I am part of the family now. We bought the 78 for $1000. Has
> not been moved in 7 years. But it appears to truly have less than 20,000
> miles on it. 138 hours on the generator. Leveling system still working. So
> is the clock. :-) Also seems to have the original tires. One blew when they
> tried to push it down the driveway.
>
> It will be an adventure.
>
> Any tips on getting this towed?
>
> Dan
> Allentown, NJ
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jun 16, 2014, at 2:50 PM, Work Jerry wrote:
>>
>> Hi Dan,
>>
>> You will enjoy your new found life! That is you will enjoy it if you
> and your family are on the road. A GMC sitting for 7 years is going to
> need a through going over every system one by one. The chances of that
> being 17,000 miles are not great, much more likely 117,000 or 217,000. No
> matter, you will need to go through every system independent of the
> mileage. Think of it as a house that was built in 1978. What things would
> you replace or update to make it fit your lifestyle today? Likely all the
> appliances, furnace and AC, rugs, upholstery, paint and maybe the plumbing
> fixtures. Now think of that same house living in an earthquake zone for
> all these years.
>>
>> Add in the mechanical systems to check out like brakes (including the
> hard and soft lines, the proportioning valve, master cyl and the four
> rear slave cyl) in addition to linings, drums and rotors. Then move to
> tires - replace if over five or six years old no matter what they look
> like. If it has 16.5" steel wheels your tire choices will be limited to
> Firestone. 16" aluminum wheels will make your life a lot easier. Next,
> check the air bags, compressors, air lines, ride height, front end
> components and alignment. Then check the cooling systems including the
> radiator, water hoses, belts, fan clutch and thermostat plus the engine and
> transmission oil cooler lines and the power steering hoses. If any of
> those go out on the road they will make a mess out of your otherwise fun
> and enjoyable family outing. The engine, transmission and final drive are
> the least likely to need attention other than changing fluids and filters,
> including changing ALL the fuel filters and the fu
> el
>> pump, checking the mechanical advance in the distributor, changing the
> module if it is HEI and putting on new spark plug wires. The ethanol in
> our fuels will likely have made mush out of all your fuel lines which for a
> coach that has been setting usually means dropping both fuel tanks for
> cleaning and replacing all the rubber fuel lines that run all around the
> coach.
>>
>> I am not trying to scare you away because all of us who have reliable,
> good drivers love our GMCs and you and your family will as well. We put
> between 10,000 and 20,000 miles on our two coaches every year and would not
> want to miss a minute of these adventures. I am trying to suggest that
> buying a coach that has been sitting for a number of years can be a
> daunting starting point unless you have lots of experience with 30 to 40
> year old vehicle restoration. Most people find they are much better off
> paying a lot more to buy one that has had all the reliability work done and
> has been used on a regular basis. Let us know where you live and we can
> likely put you in touch with a GMC owner who might be willing to help you
> look at the one you are interested in and/or steer you to one closer to
> being in on the road condition. Good luck, join one or more of the many
> GMC clubs and attend rallies. You will find lots of new friends of all
> ages to help.
>>
>> Jerry
>> Jerry & Sharon Work
>> Kerby, OR
>> glwork@mac.com
>> 541-499-1027
>> http://jerrywork.com
>> 78 Royale
>> 77/94 Clasco
>> ,,,,,,,,,,,
>> Message: 11
>> Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:34:06 -0400
>> From: Daniel DeLuca
>> Subject: [GMCnet] Considering purchasing a GMC
>> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
>> Message-ID:
>> Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII
>>
>> My wife as stumbled upon a 1978 Eleganza ii with 17,000 miles that has
> been sitting for 7 years, available for a song. I am going to look at it
> tomorrow, but for all I know the frame could be rusted through. But for a
> second lets imagine we pick up this thing up. My question is what are are
> the essential upgrades this is going to need to make it a reasonable driver?
>>
>> I know the engine is going to need an overhaul, and I will need all new
> tires. What about the braking system. I have seen a lot written about a
> reaction arm from AppliedGMC. Is this a good upgrade for the price?
> Assuming they are not rotted away would the fridge, stove, furnace and AC
> units be usable or are they the kind of thing that need to be replaced with
> modern components? Thanks for your wisdom.
>>
>> Dan
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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