| [GMCnet] More on using a GMC for long distance wilderness travel [message #300917] |
Sat, 21 May 2016 11:43  |
glwgmc
Messages: 1014
Registered: June 2004
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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In the discussion about fuel prices on the way to Alaska I failed to mention that at the current 0.8 to 1 exchange rate the easy conversion to get from Canadian dollars per liter to US dollars per gallon is to multiply the price per liter by 3. That will be close since there are 3.78 liters in one US gallon times the .8 conversion rate = roughly 3. So, traveling through BC and now the Yukon Territory we are seeing gas prices of about $3 to $3.60 per gallon US equivalent. We don’t yet know what they will be once in Alaska.
We are finding the GMC just about the perfect Alaska trip vehicle. It is small enough to fit into all the spaces we have encountered so far, yet large enough and comfortable enough for extended living. The combination of front torsion bars and rear air bags provides a much smoother ride over the rough roads than any box on truck chassis could. And, being lower to the ground we surmise we experience less pitching that we would in a SOB with 8 air bags where your fanny is another 2 or so feet off the pavement than it is in the GMC. We also like that we can hear what is banging around inside and correct it, rather than the reports we have had from friends who made this trek in a pull trailer or fifth wheel. In those cases the people in the pickup cab have no idea what is going on inside the trailer or fifth wheel so experienced broken dishes and periodically finding messes of stuff being thrown on the floor.
If only our grand old ladies were not 40 years old! The drive train geared around 3.7 is just fine for pulling the grades but the carb on the Royale is less than optimum for all the altitude changes we are experiencing (that can and will be fixed when we return). But, you do have to be mindful that everything you started with is 40 years old so careful attention to maintenance and system upgrades is a must for worry free wilderness travel. As I said in my other post, pay at least as much attention to the living area systems (water, electrical, heat, etc.) as you do to the drive train systems (go, shift, stop, etc.) because you will use all of them every day.
In both our coaches we use the stock one air bag rear suspension with height controlled by a wireless air system. We find this particularly helpful in places with lots of major dips as we can easily raise the rear end up to prevent drags and we can easily adjust the rear ride height to fit other road condition anomolies and speed. Yes, you can do those things with any of the three stock ride height controllers - if they work properly - but I find this easier. We also use bag lifters on both coaches. These are just metal pieces that bolt to the stock boggie arms which relocate the air bag a bit higher. That results in our being able to achieve proper rear ride height with about 75 psi in the stock air bags. That gives us 25 psi to level the coach and still stay within the 100 psi limit of the wireless air controller. We have found that adequate to level in any of the parking spots we have been in so far. The Clasco came with huge Caspro anti sway bars on the front and rear when we purchased it. Those prevented leveling side to side. As you tried to level one side the large sway bars would simply riase the other side to compensate. They did keep the coach very steady on the road, but not being able to level side to side was a pain. The downside to air bag lifters is you experience a bit more sway and float in normal driving, but the lower pressure in the bags makes for a more comfortable ride as well.
Jerry
Jerry & Sharon Work
Kerby, OR
glwork@mac.com
http://jerrywork.com
78 Royale with most everything done to modernize a GMC mechanically
77/94 Clasco bone stock (now with FiTech EFI) and looks like it just left the Clasco facility
Both drive equally as well.
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Jerry & Sharon Work
78 Royale
Kerby, OR
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| [GMCnet] Gas price in Alaska [message #300923 is a reply to message #300917] |
Sat, 21 May 2016 14:14  |
Nelson
Messages: 120
Registered: August 2014
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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On May 21, 2016, at 12:43 PM, Gerald Work wrote:
> In the discussion about fuel prices on the way to Alaska I failed to mention that at the current 0.8 to 1 exchange rate the easy conversion to get from Canadian dollars per liter to US dollars per gallon is to multiply the price per liter by 3. That will be close since there are 3.78 liters in one US gallon times the .8 conversion rate = roughly 3. So, traveling through BC and now the Yukon Territory we are seeing gas prices of about $3 to $3.60 per gallon US equivalent. We don’t yet know what they will be once in Alaska.
$2.32 @ Sams club in Anchorage
>
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