WI would ask you to excuse me if you’ve sent me a post or antthing these last few days, the excellerating amount of interest in vantage RV things related has all but bowled over my time and it seems the harder I try and pedal harder has not kept me up. The days theme may sound cliche but its true and I do feel this is an impotant topic to hammer a bit.
We all act are driveb by our motivations to reach some goal. And without changing the scenario to try and homoginize this as to not offend someobe I feel its important to address tis motivation thing as it relates to the players involved when there is a vintage vehicIes restoration is at hand.
It all starts with anidea that one of these machines is attractive to someone for some reason. Now there seems to be a limitless supply of ways folks seem to be attracted to the machines.
While this is true, their reasons and process to get a vintage RV working for them may or may not be within reality. I say this out of frustration because with all we see here coaches are now coming out of the woodwork seemingly, look at the status of my lot when I came to the shop thing morning. 
RC’s red Sprinter Van hi top is the cork in out lot bottle last night litterally nothing more can be put at our shop!
Some would say great, the problem is all of these recent purchase coaches are in such need to mechanicals to get them on the road it’s seriously eating into the time we have each day for labor for our 7 restorations in process. Remember, we are a restoration shop and our expertice and labor is actually our business. Not selling parts, and until very recently a lesser part was mechanicals to get needy coach up and reliable. In my business plan from 18 years ago I stated that the older these coaches got the more they would need a wholeistic approach to their rehabilitation. I hate to say it but that’s all now coming true. Back then, there was still some original integrity to these machines, not a pile but still back then you couple pick one of these up and have something… today that’s just not possible.
I mean you have to remember the more we find that has to be done to make these things safe, the more time and thus the more it costs to get them there. Our old way of doing a once over simply doesn;t work any more.
wE ARE NOW FINDING SOOO MANY THINGS THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED FOR THE gmc TO BE SAFE AND RELIABLE ON THE ROAD… GUYS IT’S HAPPENING, CORE AND SURVIVOR COACHES ARE BEING SNAPPED UP BUT MANY OF THE FOLKS PICKING THEM UP ARE NOT PREPARED FOR WHAT IT TAKES TO BRING THEM BACK. iT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, THE REASON WE ARE SO SLAMMED WITH THE COACHES IS PROOF IT’S HAPPENING. oUR RESTORATION TIME HAS NOW BEEN IMPACTED TO THE POINT i HAVE TO SAY… ENOUGH! wE HAVE TO HOLD BACK THE WATER. Oops, his cap lock…. anyway it is important and it is effecting our output, sorry guys but there is no room at the inn…. If we have talking about restoration work of getting a coach back to the road please bear with us. We have expanded our workforce, I’m bringing in a 3rd container today so we’re adapting but there will be some lag time here.
And of course this is also why I’m backlogged on reading Emails and Facebook stuff. Guys, I’m here and we’re on it just bear with it and we’ll do the same.
But what I wanna say to all of you newbee and wannabees, brother if you pay less than $10,000 for a coach expect… and not maybe but expect that will be the smaller check bringing the coach back to the road. These machines will drive broken but that doea not mean you should drive them that way.. you can’t because Murphy is with you. Please don;t put yourself in harms way amd guys please, please expect to spend money one ANY coach you pick up.. does not matter what the PO says, there will be issues you MUST do.
OK, over and out, I need to hit the bricks running.. see ya later and still though, call me if you have a problem.. we can’t let that drop!
Perfect example and I’m done, Scott C. up in the great white north just called and his original 1973 coach engine finally ground a lobe off it’s cam—- why…. because it could! No way you could anticipate that new motor job he’s looking at… and with that I rest my case.. see ya later
To echo Jim’s statements as a new coach owner, I went with eyes open as far as what a 40 year old coach might need (did 2 years of internet research). Found one that looked pretty good (I’ve been around cars for a long time, own a 50 year old car, and my daily is in her 20s….so no stranger to a car with needs to keep it going). I did my due diligence on the coach, spending over 4 hours, test driving, looking over, under, around, inside it.
I found a few issues and worked out a purchase price with the seller, feeling I was going to be okay, with new wheels and tires, and possibly brake work.
Well sure the wheels and tires were a given and I had slated up to another $1.5K for other repairs ($4.5K total). Well the brakes were far worse than I thought (90% of the system had to be rebuilt/replaced save for a few hard lines that were still good), there was some hidden frame rust (where the battery had previously let go all over the frame rail) you couldn’t see until it was on the lift. Add to that body bushings (probably necessary on any coach they haven’t been replaced). This had me go way over my set budget by about a third..just to get her on the road.
She needs alot more love…..a few things I didn’t forsee:
I need to drop the front gas tank as if you fill it all the way it leaks from the top somewhere (will replace all the fuel lines with ethanol resistant stuff too),
a couple of water leaks when it rains – install a new counter (window leak destroyed the pressboard during a week of rain right after I got it home)
There is plenty of other stuff like no generator, no dash AC, and broken fridge (but they were known when I bought it)
Do I regret it? Not for a minute, I’ve already made some great new friends! Did I bite off more than I can chew? Maybe, but I’m a hot rodder, so I’m used to this kind of thing. The good news is, she’s safe to drive, and I am working on the house systems as time and $$ are allowing me to, while still enjoying the coach (my plan all along, get in, go, and fix it up as we are having fun).
Bottom line, I would say unless you see receipts for everything in the last 3 years, expect to spend a minimum of $5-6K to get one going.