Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC
| [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296304] |
Sat, 27 February 2016 13:18  |
Tony
Messages: 59
Registered: January 2016
Karma: 0
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A bit over a week ago, I had asked for advice on what spares should I
consider for my maiden voyage to deliver my first GMC (and first RV). The
responses and expertise are greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, I was
knocked down hard with the flu and am just now rising to something
resembling a normal human-being. Sorry for the delay, the advice shed
many-o-light on things I had not considered, not surprisingly for a newbie
I guess. Lots to learn, that's for sure. I am still documenting the spares,
upgrades, general advice and generous folks who have offered private
contact. To me, its every bit as good as the BMW air-cooled motorcyle group
(Airheads) I've long been a part of, great knowledge base generously shared
and life long camaraderie.
Another big surprise to me was a few envelopes I received in the mail from
joining the FMCA. All I can say is WOW, what a well-oiled machine with huge
benefits. Heck, I should have joined it when I first started looking at
Travcos, GMCs and Airstreams trying to figure out what will work best for
my interests. Looking forward to meeting people and joining up with the
Dixieland group.
I read this forum through email, works best for me, but have not figured
out where I need to put a profile yet, so I'll put it here for now.
My plan is to rent a one-way car, and drive up so that I can bring my tools
(security blanket), 3-ton jack, jack stands, etc. sometime during the
second week of March, to Minneapolis, MN. I'll probably head through
Indiana (visit relatives near LaFayette, IN). Other than that, I've not
decided on the route back to Watkinsville, GA (outside of Athens, GA). I am
not in a rush, more concerned about getting home safely.
The one mechanical issue I'll need to assess are several pinholes in the
exhaust upon arrival in Minneapolis. I'll replace the whole exhaust (sound
like it may need it, but the seller says it is usable). The Wx looks to be
fairly decent, save for the impending salt bath I'll surely have to torture
the frame with on the way out of the great white north. Does any one live
in the area who could provide info on the roads, temps, etc?
Huge thanks for all the ideas.
Cheers,
Tony (back from the living dead)
--
--Tony
Bennett
1978 GMC Eleganza
Watkinsville, Georgia
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| Re: [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296305 is a reply to message #296304] |
Sat, 27 February 2016 13:46  |
Hiwaystar
Messages: 12
Registered: January 2016
Location: Savannah Georgia
Karma: 0
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Junior Member |
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Did you buy the blue one in Minnie with the NASCAR paint job?
I pondered long and hard before passing on that one.
Also a new owner in Savannah, look forward to following your journey.
Best of luck!
76 Eleganza mostly stock, Sully bags, needs one of everything.
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| Re: [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296306 is a reply to message #296304] |
Sat, 27 February 2016 14:01 |
Dennis S
Messages: 3046
Registered: November 2005
Karma: 2
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Senior Member |
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Tony
As for the exhaust pinholes -- you could use some of the exhaust repair tape or even the old Coke can and hose clamp as temporary repairs. Perhaps better might be a local muffler shop for some quick patches.
Overlay your return trip with the Blacklist and travel along the route with the best support services.
Good luck!
Dennis
Tony wrote on Sat, 27 February 2016 13:18A bit over a week ago, I had asked for advice on what spares should I
consider for my maiden voyage to deliver my first GMC (and first RV). The
responses and expertise are greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, I was
knocked down hard with the flu and am just now rising to something
resembling a normal human-being. Sorry for the delay, the advice shed
many-o-light on things I had not considered, not surprisingly for a newbie
I guess. Lots to learn, that's for sure. I am still documenting the spares,
upgrades, general advice and generous folks who have offered private
contact. To me, its every bit as good as the BMW air-cooled motorcyle group
(Airheads) I've long been a part of, great knowledge base generously shared
and life long camaraderie.
Another big surprise to me was a few envelopes I received in the mail from
joining the FMCA. All I can say is WOW, what a well-oiled machine with huge
benefits. Heck, I should have joined it when I first started looking at
Travcos, GMCs and Airstreams trying to figure out what will work best for
my interests. Looking forward to meeting people and joining up with the
Dixieland group.
I read this forum through email, works best for me, but have not figured
out where I need to put a profile yet, so I'll put it here for now.
My plan is to rent a one-way car, and drive up so that I can bring my tools
(security blanket), 3-ton jack, jack stands, etc. sometime during the
second week of March, to Minneapolis, MN. I'll probably head through
Indiana (visit relatives near LaFayette, IN). Other than that, I've not
decided on the route back to Watkinsville, GA (outside of Athens, GA). I am
not in a rush, more concerned about getting home safely.
The one mechanical issue I'll need to assess are several pinholes in the
exhaust upon arrival in Minneapolis. I'll replace the whole exhaust (sound
like it may need it, but the seller says it is usable). The Wx looks to be
fairly decent, save for the impending salt bath I'll surely have to torture
the frame with on the way out of the great white north. Does any one live
in the area who could provide info on the roads, temps, etc?
Huge thanks for all the ideas.
Cheers,
Tony (back from the living dead)
--
--Tony
Bennett
1978 GMC Eleganza
Watkinsville, Georgia
_______________________________________________
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Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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Dennis S
73 Painted Desert 230
Memphis TN Metro
[Updated on: Sat, 27 February 2016 16:13] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296329 is a reply to message #296305] |
Sat, 27 February 2016 21:04 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Robert,
Did I miss your joining the GMC community? Glad to hear we've got another
GMCer in GA, even if 'way over there in Savannah. Hope you've already
joined GMCMI and GMC Dixielanders and that we'll get to meet you in Dothan.
Remember that we've got a lot of GMC resources here in GA & don't hesitate
to call on us.
Ken H.
Americus, GA
'76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI & EBL,
Manny Brakes & 1-Ton, etc., etc.
www.gmcwipersetc.com
On Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 2:46 PM, Robert Gish wrote:
> ...
Also a new owner in Savannah, look forward to following your journey.
...
>
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296331 is a reply to message #296304] |
Sat, 27 February 2016 21:47 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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Wondering what you bought. I am about an hour north of minneapolis. We have a great group up here.
Let us know when you are in town, and how we can help. If you need a spot to work on it before heading east i am a little out of the way being an hour west of minneapolis but you are welcome to work on it here.
Watch weather closely, we are having a fantastic year as far as weather is. No snow in my yard right now, but can still have a couple nasty storms this time of year.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296333 is a reply to message #296304] |
Sun, 28 February 2016 03:48 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Tony,
First,
You will be passing near my house on I-65 in NW Indiana. I about 80 miles north of Lafayette, IN. I am about 400 miles or a little more from Minneapolis. The Colorado I'm driving came from Minneapolis. Let me know when you are coming through and I'll meet you on I-65 for lunch or dinner. I can also put you up for the evening with 120 volt power if you want. We can also address anything that may have come up on the coach in the first day or two of your trip south.
Second,
Do NOT plan your route to go through Chicago unless you do it very, very late at night. I suggest that you also do not plan your route around Chicago using the Illinois toll road (I-90 and I-294) unless you take out a loan to pay the tolls. They double the tolls because of your 3rd axle and double them again if you do not have an Illinois toll road transponder. Also it is not a friendly place to drive. You can take the Illinois toll road (I-294) in the middle of the day 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM or late at night.
I suggest that you look at taking I-39 south from Madison, WI and stay on it to I-80 before turning east to I-65 A second option is staying on I-39 to US 24 and turning east to US 52 in Indiana. US 52 is a 4 lane low traffic road and goes direct to Lafayette. US-24 is a very good low traffic 2 lane highway. If you go this way you will bypass all of the Chicago metro area and also my house in NW Indiana.
I would strongly suggest that you not attempt to drive that coach south if it snows. Also Illinois loves to dump salt on the Interstates everywhere around Chicago. If it snows I would wait at least one extra day for the salted roads to dry out before driving through Illinois. Illinois does a very poor job of plowing their non-interstate highways after it snows except in the immediate Chicago metro area.
We just had 15 inches of snow on Thursday here in Indiana and the roads were clean and dry today (Saturday) without all of the excess salt. Half of the snow melted off today and the other half should be gone by the end of the day tomorrow (Sunday). It will be 55 or 60 degrees tomorrow and Monday.
Give me a telephone call or email me and I'll meet you on your way through if you come down I-65. If you want, I'll put you up at my hangar in Valparaiso, IN to stay over night or need to work on your coach.
My unlisted home phone number is listed on the Black List under Hebron, IN.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296340 is a reply to message #296304] |
Sun, 28 February 2016 09:55 |
Neal Krisher
Messages: 54
Registered: November 2013
Location: Apple Valley, MN
Karma: 0
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Member |
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Tony, I am in Apple Valley, on the south end of the St. Paul/MPLS area. I'll send you a PM with my phone number. Feel free to stop in if there is something you need to work on before you depart, or even if you need to delay a day due to weather or anything.
Ken's suggestion of avoiding Chicago is a great one. I always take 39 south to Bloomington, then cut east.
As for getting out of MN, since I'm on the southside, I tend to take HWY 52 to Rochester, then head east on I-90 to LaCrosse and continue on to I 39/94. My dad live in Madison, WI and I have a parts coach there should you need anything once you gotten that far.
Tools, phone and Blacklist should get you home.
EDIT: Tried a PM but won't go through. here is my info ...
Neal
six one two eight zero five zero two four seven
or
six one two eight zero three zero nine two eight
v2neal at gmail dot com
"Life has no instruction manual. Parts and labor can be impossible to find. Many go down the road with parts that are in need of service. A breakdown is eventual."
1975 26', TZE165V100301 Project/Driver
1977 26' TZE167V100439 Parts unit
[Updated on: Mon, 29 February 2016 07:57] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: [GMCnet] Planning to Go Get my GMC [message #296342 is a reply to message #296340] |
Sun, 28 February 2016 10:12 |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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You kinda got to watch Ken Burton and his advice on ducking toll roads in
the Chicago area. He ran us down a 2 lane goat trail infested with small
communities and stop signs for 30 miles just to save $1.80 in tolls when we
did the route 66 rolling rally. He also ran us through a storm cell with
funnel clouds when we switched from 1-90 to I -80 to avoid Chicago traffic.
( very big grin) Ken is one of the good guys and his Airport hangar at
Valparaiso is a great overnight stopping place. He has spare parts and
knows a lot about these old coaches.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC ROYALE 403
Tony, I am in Apple Valley, on the south end of the St. Paul/MPLS area.
I'll send you a PM with my phone number. Feel free to stop in if there is
something you need to work on before you depart, or even if you need to
delay a day due to weather or anything.
Ken's suggestion of avoiding Chicago is a great one. I always take 39 south
to Bloomington, then cut east.
As for getting out of MN, since I'm on the southside, I tend to take HWY 52
to Rochester, then head east on I-90 to LaCrosse and continue on to I
39/94. My dad live in Madison, WI and I have a parts coach there should you
need anything once you gotten that far.
Tools, phone and Blacklist should get you home.
--
"Life has no instruction manual. Parts and labor can be impossible to find.
Many go down the road with parts that are in need of service. A breakdown
is eventual."
1975 26', TZE165V100301 Project/Driver
1977 26' TZE167V100439 Parts unit
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