Finally…finally…finally with the 57 Belair stretch holding a vacuum on the 3 evaporator systems in that thing 
and the upholstery wrapping up, I can get back on my wiring of Ruby…. the first step on it’s interior. Bringing over my “homeless tool cart” and the wire cart last week, they’re leaving me alone to do one thing I like best….wiring 
Being #41 in the first year, the wiring was being discovered. There was no heavy current connection from the battery in the rear to the electrical system in the front….. in 1975 the primary power wiring circuit was finally standardized so a 2ga. cable front to back is added 
Kinda looks like I’m working in a cave but with all the light coming into the building and being on the south side light is pretty bring…… looking forward, the overhead top clearance light harness also includes new wiring to the speakers in that in 1973-4-5 the speaker wiring was “common ground”. All new radios today require 2 wires to each speaker so new wires to the original locations plus wiring for speakers in the main living area. I mean WHAT can 2 3 1/2″ speakers in the front do! We add speakers in the forward overheads and in the driver/passenger kickpanels. 
We had previously run new AC power wiring but now is the time to tag wires to their purpose and get ready to install the first interior component… the rear cap. 
I’m also opening the big box with it’s “Mac Daddy” dash, I’ll harness things up at this point… stay tuned for that… many have asked if the dash was something that the owner could do…. yes but….. watch what I’m talking about…..Thing will look worse at this point before they look better. Ruby is here with it’s nickers down getting ready to start looking like something…… my life for the last 2 months has been with these 2 red machines…. and the fun continues…..
As I’ve explained, having the capabilities we have together, it’s only natural to have other unique vehicles come to us but never fear… my passion is this crazy old motorhome so even though you will be seeing an increasing amount of other things coming out of our shop as long as I’m here, the GMC motorhome will always be welcome
With the tandem travel trailer roof repaired we now need to check our work. How do we test for leaks? Our blower fan base is designed for a GMC slider window but rigging it up in the door or\f the trailer we were concerned it would “puffer fish” on us but the walls stayed together 
The theory of this process is to create positive pressure on the inside of the units then wet the outside with soapy water and watch for bubbles…. like this 
Here we repaired the left front of the trailer now the right rear corner is blowing bubbles! Gotta fix that too! Yup……...
The Avion travel trailer’s face lift is coming right along. It’s new Attwood roof AC in black accents the black window frames and trim 
Looking at the style of that thing you wouldn’t think it was that old…… The radio antenna they used back then was designed to go on the fender of a car….. water can go straight through it 
Remember back then antennas were on fenders… we’ll replace that leaker with a roof mounted “Eurostyle” short amplified antenna… won’t leak and will pick up a better signal.
Finally leaving yesterday I had to take a couple of pics of “Rock the Alps” polished up, plugged in and ready for a visit from their Swiss owners. Yes, they keep Rock the Alps with us coming to the states for holiday in their dream machine. Coming in next week I wanted them to know their chariot awaits
I dig those crazy red line tires!!!!
OK, that’s it for today, Nathan just pulled up so the day is on. In the low 60’s today, great work weather….. thanks for your support and for dropping by. Give me some input on what you would like to see. The comments section is a little messed up with now here…. Email me at coopmotorworks@yahoo.com or give me a call.
See ya soon…….
There is a Sprinter-only conversion company in Ohio called Advanced RV that is doing a lot of things that are applicable to the GMC, a whole series of videos by them on YouTube, worth a look. Their system of using a second, oversized alternator to power a lithium battery pack plus solar panels is a very interesting setup, drive it for a few hours and the system is completely charged and sufficient to power the coach for several days including A/C. They’ve dropped the dedicated onboard generator as a result, not necessary; in absolute emergencies just start the vehicle in high idle generator mode. They’ve also thoroughly tested four different low profile roof A/C units and determined that one is 50% more efficient, which happens to be the most quiet unit also; that was just published, don’t know who the mfg is but a familiar person could probably tell from the exterior housing whose it is.
Enjoyed the write up this morning, looks like you are having fun in the cool weather.
Thanks Keith T for the info. I am in the planning stages of a GMC restoration and was already looking in that direction, so that information will come in handy. I could not find the AC portion you were talking about. Got link?
I was also intrigued by air and water heating systems. While I wasn’t really planning on going Diesel the on demand hot water, space and weight savings plus better MPG can’t be ignored.
Anyway thanks again
And to the guy that has the best job in the world!! Thank you for bringing the wonderful world of the GMC to my desktop. Here is a question for ya. Has anybody attempted to convert the entry door to a mini van type power slider? If anybody can do it, it’s Jim Bounds.
Robert