1977 Itasca C25C

[johnnytugs1]

Hello all, i have acquired a 1977 itasca C25C with 74k miles and plan on doing a total rebuild on it. i work on a tugboat, 2 weeks on & 2 weeks off so when wifey doesn't have plans for me i will be moving along in 2 week spurts. This is what i have done so far...
found that there are a bunch of leaks from the roof, windows etc. but that doesn't scare me. the engine runs strong but is burning water thru the exhaust. that doesn't scare me either. the transmission only works in reverse.....well that does concern me because i don't know anything about transmissions but i have gotten some good tips on how i may be able to get thru it. the water heater had a 7" rip in it, the potable water system seems to work well. all tanks seem to be sound. the propane system is working as is the furnace, stove & oven. the roof a/c unit works well. the refridge is a sibir and that doesn't seem to be working. i tried electric, gas......nothing. i tried end for ending it every 12 hrs but had to come back to work and didn't get to try it again for 2 weeks (after end for ending it every 12 hrs for 4-5 days). i may give it another try when i return home on the 9th. i pressure tested the cooling system and blew the water pump out with only 4-7 lbs. of pressure. the head gasket or the manifold gasket is leaking.

my plan.....
i'm going to pull the motor and replace all seals & gaskets.
remove all cabinetry and overhead to see whats rotten.
remove all side wall paneling to see whats rotten.

anyone that has any advice, comments or info that may help me feel free to post away .

here is a pic of what it looked like before i got it home


and after i got it home and pressure washed it before wifey got to see it.


oh yeah and put on new "to me" tires so i could tow it home.

i hope this post wasn't to long. below is the link to my photobucket page where you can see more pictures.
My motorhome pictures by johnnytugs1 - Photobucket
thanks,
JT
johnnytugs1@gmail.com
917-842-1809

[fatmanobx]

All 3 of my uncles work on tugs and they are crazy too! Just kidding, good luck on your project, great pictures. Really only two of them are crazy, the other one is just simple!!

[73Indian]

Hey Tugs1,
I can relate to the pressure washing before the MRS saw it. I know I washed mine a few times after the tow truck left and before my wife got home. And if the work you are doing to it dosen't work out, you just have another anchor, right? lol Les

[johnnytugs1]

FATMANOBX it's not a job it's an adventure do they work on the east coast?

73Indian wifey doesn't share the same enthusiasm that i do as far as motorhomes go. she would love to make it an anchor. well see what she thinks when it's finished. she says she would rather fly and do hotels. i guess we'll have to see what happens. my daughter and i ride off road go karts so i want to use this for our camping end of it. she's not a big fan of tents and out door showers, bugs, animals in the nite. that kind of stuff. i hope to have it ready for early june.
JT

[TXiceman]

Glad to have another vintage project on the forum. If you got any questions, just post a picture and of the problem and ask questions.

Ken

[johnnytugs1]

thank tx, i do have a question actually. i am seeing water damage from a number of places. over the cabover area, below the back escape hatch/bathroom window, under the driverside window near the galley area.the worse being the cabover area. on the other areas it seems that the paneling disintegrated from the backing out. it looks intact till you poke your finger thru. all this being said where should i start? i know from my construction experience that water travels the path of least resistance. i don't know how they built these things & i have been trying to find a video of MH manufacturing but no luck. my guess is to remove the overhead and follow the water stains. what do i have to worry about as far as structural integrity of the unit. i have seen what looks like supports that run across the overhead from the drivers side to passenger side (on a boat they call it athwartship) can i take them off or just remove whats around them. i'm trying to get a game plan together before i get back home.






thanks,
JT

[George Schweikle]

Johnnytugs1,

Good luck with your project. We looked at at similar rig back in 1977, and my memory is that it is really built on a small class A chassis with Winnebago / Itasca then fabricating the front cab from individual components. I seem to remember that the front "hood" is actually fiberglass and pivots from the front, rather than opening like a van.

[fatmanobx]

JT they live in Washington N.C. and only two of them are still on the boat. My oldest one retired. But Johnny and Melvin are both Capts. Just kidding about your project. I love working on these things. Mine is a little newer, but I have still rip out the living room and dining booth to make it the way I wanted it. Good luck and keep us posted..

[GOLDWINGER2]

This is going to be an easy one. I restored a 20 ft eldorado back in 1991. I had a bad trans, fixed it. Bad brakes, fixed it. The parts are ez to find. U need to get a chevy one ton van manual. Mine was a dodge, but the big 3 are all similar. The house part is ez to figure out once u drop the panels.

[TheDubs]

Sounds like a fun project. Im just finishing up the remodel of my 82 winnie brave. It looks like you have a bunch of the same problems I had. I removed the plastic from around the steel supports, removed all the upper cabs and cut as much of the 1/8 ply out as i could, checked the foam to see if it needed replacing. Then started putting new ply back in with contact cement. Oh and I would find where its leaking from outside and fix that first before you do the inside.

[johnnytugs1]

The Dubs fun? fun is sitting down, drinking a beer and watching the grass grow i'm not sure about finding the leak first & then fixing that because i have a bunch of wood in the cab-over area that is deteriorated an needs replacing. i have seen some pics of other rebuilds on a class "c" and they had to peel back the roof to replace the curve of the front above and below the window. on mine i believe that is the case. so you left the supports up and ripped out everything around it. at some point didn't they have to be removed? to repace what was under them or do they butt up to the metal on the roof?

GOLDWINGER2 from your lips to gods ears! i'm a big fan of easy...somehow i don't think it's gonna go that route. but i'll take it one step at at a time.
fatmanobx no worries, i agree 100% i need my head examined to do this but it's the only way i will beable to afford one. so we'll just hope for the best.
George Schweikle so i'm thinking that is a good thing that it's on a small class "A" chassis? it does (i believe) have a fiberglass nose but it opens in the regular van fashion.
thanks for the replies the more info i get the better plan i will have!
JT

[mfire1339]

Jonnytugs1,

Years ago we had a leaky Jamboree class C. I removed the sheet metal roof and saw that the entire roof was made in three sections, with the interior panels and insulation. I replaced them 1 at a time, building them on the ground and flipping them over and installing. Nice new ceiling from end to end. I first supported the hanging cabinets so the walls did not sag. Used 3/16" vinyl covered panels, 2x2's for framing and 20' of seamless aluminum for cover.

Mike

[GOLDWINGER2]

I say easy because there are so many new building products out. Two part epoxies, liquid nails, and other products are great for joining wood plastic and metal. Don't forget metal studding, works real nice. On your engine, blown head gaskets leak into two cylinders adjacent to each other, cracked heads into only one cylinder. Don't repair a crack, purchase a good one and have it rebuilt if it's not fresh. Have you ever done a valve job? Also check your engine fluids for water/oil mixing.

[johnnytugs1]

mfire1339 now were talking. can you give me a little more detail of how you got the roof off. did your damage require any of the wall supports to be replaced. how long do you believe the problem existed before you found it. how long did it take for you to complete the project?

GOLDWINGER2 being new to the whole motorhome situation. how would i use epoxy into the rebuild. where would metal studs come into play?
my second cylinder on the drivers side had antifreeze in it but no others. thats not in the plan to replace the heads. i did get a call yesterday a guy (friend of a friend) had a crate motor in a suburban only 30k he wrecked the truck and wants 3-$400.00 for the motor. it is a 4 bolt main. if that will work for me i may try to get the motor, tranny & wiring harness/computer for a decent price. any thoughts. as far as the new building products the best part is being able to get them all in one place
thanks,
JT
p.s. there was no water in the oil.