Community Forums

83Eagle · 06-03-2011, 06:19 AM

Hello,

My name is Brandon. My family and I live in La Vista, Nebraska. We recently inherited a 1985 Mallard Class C motor home from my wife's Grandparents. We're preparing to take her on her maiden voyage (under our ownership) this weekend.

It has 51,000 original miles and the drivetrain was rebuilt less than 2000 miles ago. The tires also have less than 1000 miles on them.

I took it to my mechanic and had the plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor replaced. I also had him flush all the fluids. It currently runs great, but I need to replace the carb, because it backfires on occassion.

Getting this rig ready for this weekend has been a learning experience. I am not a stranger to camping as I have owned two popup campers perviously. Plus we tent camped for a couple of years before my daughter was born. This motorhome is a whole new ball game.

Hoping to go get her licensed today and I want to get some sealer for the roof and redo the seals. My Dad and I replaced the AC shroud last night. That took a little figuring as the bolt holes did not match up just right. Want to seal around the edge of that today or tomorrow too.

I am pretty excited to take the rig out this weekend. I am also excited that I found a great deal on indoor storage for when the motorhome is not in use.

Thanks for having me here at the forum. This looks like it is going to be a great place for me to learn a lot.

Brandon

Dixieray53 · 06-03-2011, 07:12 AM

Welcome to the forum

Thanks for the pictures of your rig

Peace and Safe Travels....D...

**Petro** · 06-03-2011, 07:27 AM

Brandon;

We are happy you joined us. We have a great group here who like to help when they can so don't be afraid to ask questions. You acquired your Mallard at a great price. It doesn't get any better than that.

You can afford to spend some money on it if necessary to fit your needs.

Don

83Eagle · 06-03-2011, 05:23 PM

Thanks for the welcome. I have enjoyed learning about and working on the Mallard so far. It still needs a little work, but it is in great shape. It runs awesome, save for a bit of a backfire problem.

Figured out what choke my hydrojet carb has, and I am going to order a rebuilt one from Summit. That should help it run better. Then, I want to save up for a K&N filter.

I bought everything I need to seal the bottom of the new AC shroud. Hope to work on that this evening, but it is still blazing hot out. I also got enough Kool seal to redo all the seams on the roof. Hope to do that after we do our maiden voyage this weekend. Need to pick up a roller and brush tonight yet.

DRosedale · 06-03-2011, 07:04 PM

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new rig. Many happy and safe miles.

83Eagle · 06-03-2011, 08:22 PM

Thanks. Worked on finishing up the AC shroud install tonight. Also redid some of the seals around some of the accessory doors and tail lights.

Wish we could have some time without rain so I could redo kool seal on the roof. There's a chance of rain tomorrow, but we're going to camp anyway.

Just need to hit the store for some supplies and the hardware store to come up with some type of portable kennel for the pups.

butterbean · 06-03-2011, 08:52 PM

Howdy Brandon et al,
Welcome to IRV2 the best & friendliest forum on the net.. Ask and ye shall receive , but give if you can!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?? WE'VE BEEN WAITING ON YOU!!!
Congrats on the $$$$pit.. It sure looks well taken care of and you can save your
loose $$$ for odds & ends... You'll need them and I mean NEED THEM.. IT'LL BE A LOT OF FUN, but old ladies need a lot of upkeep.. Stay ahead of the game and she'll last a long time...

Smooth roads & balmy breezes !!!!!!!!!

83Eagle · 06-05-2011, 05:49 PM

I certainly plan on keeping ahead of the maintenance. Yes it is in great shape. Need to head to the junk yard this week (hopefully tomorrow) because I lost the bolts that hold the bottom of the dog house and the radio panel on.

I have no idea what happened to them. But the radio cluster and cup holders fell off on the way home. That's not cool.

I will post some pics of our first campground in the motor home here in a bit.

butterbean · 06-06-2011, 10:40 AM

Howdy Brandon,
Hope you took your dad with you.. After all the help, he deserves it!! As for the 'missing' parts, there is a saying in the RV world "Nick happens!". Nick Russell is the editor of the Gypsy Journal Newspaper about the RV life and is ALWAYS in some kinda mess.. Check out the GJN & blog site.. ITZ GREAT!! So, thatz what happened to your bolts; NICK HAPPENS. Glad y'all had a great time last week end...

Smooth roads, clear skies & balmy breezes !!!!!!!!!

Nuge · 06-06-2011, 10:57 AM

Search here for the post on checklists; It's very informative as a starting point to develop your own specific checklist!! Welcome and good luck!!

Go Dawgs · 06-06-2011, 11:14 AM

Welcome to the forum and many happy trips. Looks like your Grandparents took real good care of it. We also have an older MH and love the layout. Cost was good also. This site has a great many people willing to assist you in anything you don't understand. Just give the specifics and you will have your answer quickly.

Happy Camping

DrDaveMA · 06-06-2011, 11:14 AM

Brandon,

Welcome! One comment on the tires, both the mileage AND time matter, tires are all dated, they should not be more than 7 years old (there is discussion about the exact amount but in 5 - 10 years all tires start side wall cracking which can cause a blowout at spead, (not a pretty site and damages your rig big time), RV tires usually run out of time before they run out of tread, so check those "born on" dates (the week and year are on the side wall 1311 = 13th week of 2011) a tire dealer can help you find them.

83Eagle · 07-01-2011, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrDaveCA

Brandon,

Welcome! One comment on the tires, both the mileage AND time matter, tires are all dated, they should not be more than 7 years old (there is discussion about the exact amount but in 5 - 10 years all tires start side wall cracking which can cause a blowout at spead, (not a pretty site and damages your rig big time), RV tires usually run out of time before they run out of tread, so check those "born on" dates (the week and year are on the side wall 1311 = 13th week of 2011) a tire dealer can help you find them.

Thanks for the tip. My mechanic who worked on the motor home for me sells tires and is well versed in them. He said they have a lot of life left. He said it helps that it is stored inside. They are 4 years old, but there is no weather checking or anything. Blow outs do not sound like fun at all. I plan on saving up for some new tires. I have a few things to pay off first though.

83Eagle · 07-01-2011, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterbean

Howdy Brandon,
Hope you took your dad with you.. After all the help, he deserves it!! As for the 'missing' parts, there is a saying in the RV world "Nick happens!". Nick Russell is the editor of the Gypsy Journal Newspaper about the RV life and is ALWAYS in some kinda mess.. Check out the GJN & blog site.. ITZ GREAT!! So, thatz what happened to your bolts; NICK HAPPENS. Glad y'all had a great time last week end...

Smooth roads, clear skies & balmy breezes !!!!!!!!!

Yeah my Dad came out the first time we took the motor home out and he brought dessert. It was nice.

When we stayed at the local KOA (love that place) last time we had the motor home out he came out for Dinner. My Step Mom was in Holland. It was nice to have him out there because it was father's day weekend.