Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » 1968 Clark Cortez 20′ Motorhome (BAT)
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| Re: 1968 Clark Cortez 20′ Motorhome [message #359398 is a reply to message #359356] |
Sun, 11 October 2020 10:06   |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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A Mopar 360 and perhaps an 833 transmission? Coupled to something with a Front wheel drice takeoff?
--johnny
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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| Re: [GMCnet] 1968 Clark Cortez 20′ Motorhome [message #359402 is a reply to message #359398] |
Sun, 11 October 2020 11:49 |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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Clark forklift company built them. Fork lift differentials. All Mopar
engine and drive trains. Started with slant sixes, not enough power. They
went to 318's, then last year of production some of them showed up with
413's. Always manual transmissions, modified to mate with the Clark
forklift components. They were high quality drivetrains, but were just a
rectangular box, no style at all. Some people described them as "Butt
Ugly". Sold out west quite well, not so much east of the Rockies. Pretty
much a collection of commonly available RV components, like fridges,
furnaces, water heaters, etc. Still see a few of them around.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon
On Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 8:07 AM Johnny Bridges via Gmclist <
gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:
> A Mopar 360 and perhaps an 833 transmission? Coupled to something with a
> Front wheel drice takeoff?
>
> --johnny
> --
> Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
> Braselton, Ga.
> I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me
> in hell
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
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| Re: [GMCnet] 1968 Clark Cortez 20′ Motorhome [message #359404 is a reply to message #359402] |
Sun, 11 October 2020 12:16 |
rallymaster
Messages: 662
Registered: February 2004
Location: North Plains, ORYGUN
Karma: -4
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Senior Member |
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Ah, yes, the Clark Cortez.
We test drove one a bunch of years ago. Not bad on the level
straight-aways, but we had problems turning at single lane "T"
intersections; not enough room to make the turn.
RonC
On Sun, 11 Oct 2020 09:49:56 -0700 James Hupy via Gmclist
writes:
> Clark forklift company built them. Fork lift differentials. All
> Mopar
> engine and drive trains. Started with slant sixes, not enough power.
> They
> went to 318's, then last year of production some of them showed up
> with
> 413's. Always manual transmissions, modified to mate with the Clark
> forklift components. They were high quality drivetrains, but were
> just a
> rectangular box, no style at all. Some people described them as
> "Butt
> Ugly". Sold out west quite well, not so much east of the Rockies.
> Pretty
> much a collection of commonly available RV components, like
> fridges,
> furnaces, water heaters, etc. Still see a few of them around.
> Jim Hupy
> Salem, Oregon
>
> On Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 8:07 AM Johnny Bridges via Gmclist gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:
>
>> A Mopar 360 and perhaps an 833 transmission? Coupled to something
> with a
>> Front wheel drice takeoff?
>>
>> --johnny
>> --
>> Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add -
> ons.
>> Braselton, Ga.
>> I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must
> answer to me
>> in hell
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
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Ron & Linda Clark
North Plains, ORYGUN
78 Eleganza II
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| Re: [GMCnet] 1968 Clark Cortez 20′ Motorhome [message #359460 is a reply to message #359458] |
Wed, 14 October 2020 14:56 |
Ronald Pottol
Messages: 505
Registered: September 2012
Location: Redwood City, California
Karma: -2
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Senior Member |
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All steel body on those too. U-joints in the drive shafts, don't stomp the
gas hard with the wheel cranked. The only replacement parts for the 1960s
era transaxel is another Clark Cortez. No 1970 model, 1971+ sold as Kent
Cortez, using the same drivetrain as our GMC Motorhomes. Good luck with
parts, I know their main parts guy died 5 or 10 years ago, I don't know
what they do now. I was looking at those before I got my GMC.
On Wed, Oct 14, 2020, 12:09 Mark Sawyer via Gmclist
wrote:
> NASA used a Cortez as the original astronaut transfer van... Was in
> service from Apollo until right through the early shuttle missions... They
> replaced it with an Airstream as the crew size on the shuttle increased in
> later missions...
>
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_transfer_van#/media/File:Apollo-era_Astronaut_Van.jpg
> --
> Mark S. '73 Painted Desert,
> Manny 1 Ton Front End,
> Howell Injection,
> Leigh Harrison 4bag and Rear Brakes,
> Fort Worth, TX
>
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1973 26' GM outfitted
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| Re: 1968 Clark Cortez 20′ Motorhome [message #359461 is a reply to message #359458] |
Wed, 14 October 2020 15:16 |
captjack
Messages: 271
Registered: February 2010
Location: Sebastopol, California
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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I owned one of these, a 1964 standard 18 foot. I kept it after I bought my GMC for 5 years, but I just didn't have the bandwidth to keep two old motorhomes on the road. I sold it after 15 years of ownership.
I replaced the /6 with a 318 V8. I think that was the perfect engine for the unit. The transmission was a weak point and, since it was unique and only used in the Cortez, that was a problem. Mainly a ring and pinion issue. They weren't up to the job. The Jim K's of the Cortez world had something like 500 sets specially made, but they're all long gone. I had two transmissions fail. That's partly why I sold mine. I used my last transmission. The other problem was rust. The roof rusted out from the inside. I stripped out the inside and redid and sealed mine.
Although I respect Jim H, I disagree that it was "butt ugly". Think of the competition in the 1960. The Winnabagos clearly took the crown for that.
Although front wheel drive, the weight balance was pretty even between front and rear and I was able to take it on a lot of back roads which I'd never attempt with my GMC.
I had a lot of fun with mine and my wife actually liked it better than the GMC. We've been married for 57 years so I've just learned to deal with her difficult choices.
Jack Christensen - K6ROW,
'76 Glenbrook/Clasco - "The Silver Bullet",
Sebastopol, CA
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