Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1
| [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1 [message #298502] |
Sat, 02 April 2016 13:17  |
Sara Robinson
Messages: 17
Registered: March 2016
Karma: 0
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Junior Member |
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We’re in Portland, in Day 2 of our working weekend on the Engine. Here’s what we found, and where we are.
The rig is actually in incredible shape, given the level of neglect she’s suffered. The biggest surprise is how tight she is. The headliner looks like it did the day Jim installed it in 2002 — no stains or signs of water at all. The carpet and flooring are also perfect, as is the upholstery and the fuzzy stuff we put on the walls below the beltline.
There is some sign of water inside, all of it around the windows, because most of the window and door seals failed. And there was some condensation, too. But it doesn’t show signs of going deep — just dribbles by the corners here and there, and bigger one back in the bedroom. (We did have to ditch the mattress.)
The big thing, as we’d feared, was the mice! We suited up in bunny suits, masks, and gloves, and removed most of the nests and droppings yesterday. Today, we’re cleaning out everything with bleach. There was only one wasp nest, and it was in the outside shower compartment by the door. That’s fixed now, too.
The outside decals are faded and decaying, as we expected the would be. (The next owner will probably want to do their own thing here, anyway.) They’re easy and cheap to remove and replace — any sign shop can do it. The two-tone Audi-gray-and-white paint, which Jim did, mostly appears to be in very good shape, but we’ll take a closer look at that once we’ve got the exterior cleaned up.
We’re now waiting for the tow truck that will take her over to a nearby garage, which will oversee the restart of the 455 and the Honda. (We found a full set of hoses and belts, along with hose clamp!) Further decisions are pending our check out of the house systems once we’ve got the lights and power back on.
What we need now is information from Portland locals, including:
— What’s the best shop if you want to drop and service the black tank and macerator?
— Best source of GMC tires in the neighborhood?
— Best GMC brake shop?
We’d also like to buy a bunch more of the “fuzzy stuff” that we were all using to cover interior surfaces in our GMCs back in the early 2002s. It’s sort of nylon/poly plush fabric that’s thin, lightweight, and easy to clean. Does anybody remember the name of this stuff, and where we got it, and if they’re still in business? (We used it to line the metal overhead cabinets we got from Darren, and ripped it out because it was the easiest way to get rid of the mouse nests.)
She’s a brave old girl. Working on her this weekend is reminding us all over again how much we loved her, how many amazing memories we made in her when our kids (now in their 20s) were still not yet teenagers, and how well she suited us. If this keeps up, we may talk ourselves into just fixing her up again and keeping her. With the price of gas down, she’s a lot harder to let go of now.
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| Re: [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1 [message #298524 is a reply to message #298502] |
Sat, 02 April 2016 22:32  |
Scott Nutter
Messages: 782
Registered: January 2015
Location: Houston/San Diego
Karma: 4
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Senior Member |
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From the pictures I've seen of your coach, I would definitely keep it. The co-op does excellent work, that's probably why she's in as good as shape as its in now. And I'm guessing it's bought and paid for. After 20 years with a GMC, I couldn't ever see myself without one. Keep the faith, it will repay the kindness!!
Scott Nutter
1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final drive, Quad bags, Dave Lenzi super duty mid axle disc brakes, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi. Alex Ferrera installed MSD Atomic EFI
Houston, Texas
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| Re: [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1 [message #298527 is a reply to message #298524] |
Sat, 02 April 2016 23:07 |
Sara Robinson
Messages: 17
Registered: March 2016
Karma: 0
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Junior Member |
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That’s exactly what we were thinking. It’s always a bad idea to consider sunk costs when assessing the value of an investment — but she’s already bought and paid for, and I’m starting to realize how little money it would take to bring her back to fine condition and keep her in the family. There are serious issues — I just outlined the brake problems — but there also appear to be rich resources for fixing them, and it may be worth the effort. (Also: we could do it over the next two or three years — once we get some basic issues addressed, there is no hurry on most of the rest of it.) Given how good she is at heart, it’s also likely that these fixes would add much of their cost back to her overall market value.
I also discovered today from the GMCMH resources list that there’s a GMC rebuilder in Sheridan, OR, just an hour from where she’s parked. I’m going to call him on Monday and see how he might help. (Are you on this list?)
We’ve owned her since 2001 — coming up on 15 years.
> On Apr 2, 2016, at 8:32 PM, Scott Nutter wrote:
>
> From the pictures I've seen of your coach, I would definitely keep it. The co-op does excellent work, that's probably why she's in as good as shape
> as its in now. And I'm guessing it's bought and paid for. After 20 years with a GMC, I couldn't ever see myself without one. Keep the faith, it will
> repay the kindness!!
> --
> Scott Nutter
> 1978 455 Royale Center Kitchen, Quad bags.
> Houston, Texas
>
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| Re: [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1 [message #298537 is a reply to message #298527] |
Sun, 03 April 2016 08:44 |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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Senior Member |
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Sara,
Have you contacted Jim Hupy, he's in Salem, Oregon?
http://bdub.net/jhupy/
Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie - Downunder
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces@list.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Sara Robinson
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2016 12:07 AM
To: gmclist@list.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1
That's exactly what we were thinking. It's always a bad idea to consider sunk costs when assessing the value of an investment - but
she's already bought and paid for, and I'm starting to realize how little money it would take to bring her back to fine condition
and keep her in the family. There are serious issues - I just outlined the brake problems - but there also appear to be rich
resources for fixing them, and it may be worth the effort. (Also: we could do it over the next two or three years - once we get some
basic issues addressed, there is no hurry on most of the rest of it.) Given how good she is at heart, it's also likely that these
fixes would add much of their cost back to her overall market value.
I also discovered today from the GMCMH resources list that there's a GMC rebuilder in Sheridan, OR, just an hour from where she's
parked. I'm going to call him on Monday and see how he might help. (Are you on this list?)
We've owned her since 2001 - coming up on 15 years.
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Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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| Re: [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1 [message #298552 is a reply to message #298502] |
Sun, 03 April 2016 14:35 |
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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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Sara,
Would you like some encouragement to keep her??
Got by any RV place and price something new.
Then look at the quality you get for that price.
And, if you are even still considering, try to sleep in the back of anything else when underway.......
Then there is the simple fact the you can replace an awful lot of GMC for one payment of anything newer.
Just do us all one big favor. Find someplace dry to store here and have an boat engine guy put the engine to bed if you ever know you won't be running here for at time.
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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