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| Re: Factory craftsmanship?? [message #168810 is a reply to message #168751] |
Mon, 07 May 2012 19:43   |
Dennis S
Messages: 3046
Registered: November 2005
Karma: 2
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Senior Member |
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Kelvin has the only coach with an original 73 door handle that I know of...
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/screen-door/p34725-my-73-door-handle-is.html
Dennis
| Matt Colie wrote on Mon, 07 May 2012 12:10 |
| Glenn Giere wrote on Sun, 06 May 2012 23:28 |
Could this be the way the factory modified the door latch on my '73?
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Glenn,
As I heard the story:
The original coaches all got the door latches re-fit after the GM executives that too a very early production unit to a show and ended up having to enter by climbing in a window that they managed to get open. Early coaches that had been delivered to dealerships were refit at the dealer. Some others were refit at Gemini (the place that put interiors in '73~'75 coaches). And, the rest were refit at Truck and Bus - Pontiac. My '73 has a few extra holes in the door frame but was obviously carefully done modification.
Matt
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Dennis S
73 Painted Desert 230
Memphis TN Metro
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| Re: Factory craftsmanship?? [message #168824 is a reply to message #168694] |
Mon, 07 May 2012 21:02 |
JohnL455
Messages: 4447
Registered: October 2006
Location: Woodstock, IL
Karma: 12
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Senior Member |
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I heard it was the execs wives being shuttled to a formal and they got stuck inside. A quick TSB followed.
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
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| Re: [GMCnet] Factory craftsmanship?? [message #168839 is a reply to message #168799] |
Mon, 07 May 2012 22:13 |
bryant374
Messages: 563
Registered: May 2004
Location: Pleasant Valley, NY 12569
Karma: 1
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Re: [GMCnet] Factory craftsmanship??
Mon, 07 May 2012 19:24
Robert Mueller
Matt,
I "heard" that they were stuck IN the coach!
I have Cc'd our "Official" Historian - Bill Bryant on this email as I'm sure
he can give us the "straight story." 
Regards,
Rob M.
-----Original Message-----
From: Matt Colie
Glenn,
As I heard the story:
The original coaches all got the door latches re-fit after the GM executives
that too a very early production unit to a show and ended up having to enter
by climbing in a window that they managed to get open. Early coaches that
had been delivered to dealerships were refit at the dealer. Some others
were refit at Gemini (the place that put interiors in '73~'75 coaches).
And, the rest were refit at Truck and Bus - Pontiac. My '73 has a few extra
holes in the door frame but was obviously carefully done modification.
Matt
>
>
Here is what I think I know.
I have been told of 2 public happenings with the Bargman latch failing. The earliest was when Alex Birch was doing a driving demonstration in front of a crowd sitting in bleachers. The second was when Alex & Dolly Mair with friends were going to a show. They prepared to exit and the latch stuck. They exited the coach through the large side window. I was told by one of the engineers that early the next morning they were called into Mair's office and told to fix that latch in no uncertain terms.
I believe these incidents had to occur with very early 1973 coaches. It is somewhat of a mystery (to me) then why coaches up to somewhere in the 18XX serial numbers, which were built in July, before the new latch was installed without the modicification (see attached link for holes cut in the door for the modification). I believe all modifications were made by the Dealer. My reasoning is, why would the factory (either the GMC Pontiac plant or Gemini which did the interiors for 1973 & 4 cut 2 sets of holes or mount 2 sets of hardware?
There are still some GMCs out there without the change, I have seen probably half a dozen, also, there are somewhat more than that out there without the refrigerator vents.
For those of you with the GMC Mini theatre films, one of them showing the testing of components shows the door latch test and mentioning how many thousands of times it was tested. The film actually shows the latch failing and bouncing, not latching. No one cought that one (but me maybe :^)
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/production-changes/p7370-hole-the-ss-patch-cove.html
Bill Bryant
PO 1976~PB (owned 34 years)
1914 Ford (owned 70 years)
1965 Corvette (owned 39 years)
GMC Motorhome History
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| Re: [GMCnet] Factory craftsmanship?? [message #168970 is a reply to message #168839] |
Tue, 08 May 2012 19:21 |
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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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Bill,
Thanks for the "straight skinny."
Well as "straight" as it can be thirty odd years later! ;-)
I've got the GMC mini theater DVD I'll have to watch it again and if I can
spot what you've noted below.
Regards,
Rob M.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Bryant
Here is what I think I know.
I have been told of 2 public happenings with the Bargman latch failing. The
earliest was when Alex Birch was doing a driving demonstration in front of a
crowd sitting in bleachers. The second was when Alex & Dolly Mair with
friends were going to a show. They prepared to exit and the latch stuck.
They exited the coach through the large side window. I was told by one of
the engineers that early the next morning they were called into Mair's
office and told to fix that latch in no uncertain terms.
I believe these incidents had to occur with very early 1973 coaches. It is
somewhat of a mystery (to me) then why coaches up to somewhere in the 18XX
serial numbers, which were built in July, before the new latch was installed
without the modicification (see attached link for holes cut in the door for
the modification). I believe all modifications were made by the Dealer. My
reasoning is, why would the factory (either the GMC Pontiac plant or Gemini
which did the interiors for 1973 & 4 cut 2 sets of holes or mount 2 sets of
hardware?
There are still some GMCs out there without the change, I have seen probably
half a dozen, also, there are somewhat more than that out there without the
refrigerator vents.
For those of you with the GMC Mini theatre films, one of them showing the
testing of components shows the door latch test and mentioning how many
thousands of times it was tested. The film actually shows the latch failing
and bouncing, not latching. No one cought that one (but me maybe :^)
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/production-changes/p7370-hole-the-ss-patch
-cove.html
--
Bill
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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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