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What have I gotten myself into... [message #198309] Wed, 13 February 2013 08:46 Go to previous message
Joe Weir is currently offline  Joe Weir   United States
Messages: 769
Registered: February 2013
Location: Columbia, SC
Karma:
Senior Member
I like travel and camping, but the old VW bus, that served us well when the wife and I were younger and more limber, just wasn't calling us to travel much anymore. We needed an RV, I decided. After much research on how most rv's are made and how well they hold up, I finally came to the GMC. I had to have one.

Now there is article after article on the interwebs about how the best way to buy a good GMC is to find one that has been maintained or upgraded by its current owner. It is the same with cars (another hobby of mine) find someone who got carried away with their restoration and spent double what the thing was worth, and just want to move on with their life.

That would be too easy.

So after casually looking at the local craigslist listings in SC, I responded to a posting for a Birchaven:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/DarkJethro/3Mb3o63N15I95G75Mfccqe4055db42b541f0a.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/DarkJethro/3Kd3Fe3Lf5Ff5Md5Jaccqb88b662618c71dad.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/DarkJethro/3Eb3I73Fd5Ib5E65Mbccq3f2231298888181a-1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/DarkJethro/3Mb3o63N15I95G75Mfccqe4055db42b541f0a.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/DarkJethro/3Kd3Fe3Lf5Ff5Md5Jaccqb88b662618c71dad.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/DarkJethro/3Eb3I73Fd5Ib5E65Mbccq3f2231298888181a-1.jpg

The ad said the engine fired up without hesitation and it drove "like a cadillac". $4500. I was so sure I had found a gem, I invited my skeptical wife with me on the hour long drive to check it out.

The coach was actually yellow. I later found after cleaning the oxidized paint that the lower half had been re-painted. The interior had been modified with the dinette removed to make a bed/ u shaped couch, the rear bunk beds had been converted into a homemade sliding davo, the bar had been removed, and the kitchen countertop profile changed from angled to straight. The seats had been replaced, the carpet replaced but there were no seatbelts - strike one with the wife. The generator turned over but the battery died before it fired up. The owner had picked it up from a neighbor and had no real knowledge of the coach or its modifications. But it had a ton of books, including old GMCI publications by the binderfulls.

It started and ran as described. What was missing from the description was the intense exhaust smell in the cabin - there was a tremendous leak. Strike two. Undeterred, I opened the window and took it for a test drive. At this point I should mention that the owner really needs to get her cadillac looked at because the coach rode like it had 4 square wheels. Oh, and I almost rear ended a new accord as the brakes required me to literally stand on them to bring the coach to a stop from 20 mph. Strike three.

When we arrived back from the test drive I could not get a word in edgewise as my wife told the owner in no uncertain terms we were not interested. The owner kept responding with "make me an offer".

It needed me, so I made an offer and bought it anyway. I may now have to sleep in it more than just when traveling.

I had it towed the 50 miles home to a buddy's Firestone shop. $2700 later it had new master cylinder, booster & Stainless lines from GMC Coop, tires, packed bearings, a tune up, all fluids flushed and a new master cylinder. It drove like a dream and stopped on a dime. But I still needed oxygen to stay in the cabin while it was running.

Then the real fun began. On the way home it threw an alternator belt, and the next morning the radiator gave its unbiased opinion of being flushed by depositing the coolant in the driveway. Of course, one of the coolant lines was rusted in place and snapped off. Off it went to the radiator shop while my brother and I scour the local shops for appropriate 11mm belts and a replacement line.

The exhaust system was cobbled together with asbestos cloth and bailing wire. I had ordered some Thorley's and a 3" stainless exhaust from Jim K at Applied. The old system was removed with the help of mr sawzall, and the headers installed. The exhaust system was a bit more challenging as the 6 ft straight exhaust sections did not like sliding in from the rear. We had to notch the frame at the back where it sweeps up by about 1/4" to get it to fit, but Mr sawzall was there to help. The rear airbags were replaced with a Todd Sullivan kit (and I managed to snap off the bottom of the t-skirt by setting it down).

The seatbelts were found and installed. it seems they were under the pedestals, not re-installed after the carpet was put down. However, the seat mounts were hardware store jury rigged. The swivel pedestals are gone, the seat tracks are mounted to the angled base, and a rather precarious-looking 4" bolt is used to elevate the front mounting point on the seat to level. Anyone have pics of how the seat base is supposed to look?

The coach battery was recharged, but the house battery in the engine compartment would only charge to 6 volts (it was listed as a 12v). I replaced it with a single deepcycle 12v, But the generator still acts like I have a dead battery. Hook up the charger to the new battery - 75% charged. so I charge it. It finishes - 100% - gen gives dead battery like turn and then all power dies to house. Battery now at 90% so I charge again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Something has to be wrong. So I finally look at the wiring diagram for a birchaven and it shows a second house battery. Located in the rear closet, behind the generator housing. AHA! All my problems are now fixed. So a second matching 12v deepcycle from Sam's was procured and installed.

Because God has a sense of humor, there was no change to the house power and genset behavior after the new battery, and three GMC's have popped up for sale within 5 minutes of my house. I can provide information and photos on two of them if anyone is interested. I have not checked out the third.

We will be installing the radiator, belts and finishing the exhaust this weekend. The house power is another story.

The wait is killing me.

Special thanks to GMC Coop, Applied GMC and Todd Sullivan for their patience and help in getting all of the bugs worked out. The GMC Community is lucky to have such specialty suppliers.

76 Birchaven - "Wicked Mistress" - New engine, trans, alum radiator, brakes, Sully airbags, fuel lines, seats, adult beverage center... those Coachmen guys were really thinking about us second hand owners by including that beverage center... Columbia, SC.

[Updated on: Wed, 13 February 2013 08:54]

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