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Old 06-21-2017, 12:47 AM   #1
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My 1984 Fleetwood Southwind Build Thread - Upgrades and maintenance

I just picked up this 1984 Fleetwood Southwind this weekend. It needs new tires (dry rot) so that's first on the list.

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Old 06-21-2017, 12:51 AM   #2
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I drove it 3 hours down off the mountain it was on. No rust anywhere underneath, has air ride suspension (I noticed rear passenger bag is flat while crawling around underneath, so that will need to be addressed.
This was my first time driving something this big, keeping it between the lines on small mountain twisty roads is a challenge!

The motorhome did several large mountain passes no problem. I climbed AND went down the passes in 2nd gear, that seemed to work best. Once I got down to Denver and the temps were warmer (90's) it seemed to be running a little warm, so I just ordered up a bunch of gauges (coolant temp, transmission temp, wideband (air/fuel ratio) voltmeter and ampmeter) because I like to know how the motor is doing and none of the factory gauges seem to work reliably, nor do they show any useful info even when they do).

Tires are cracked though so I'm replacing all 6, they're 235 85 r16. Most shops around me in Littleton quoted me just under $1000 for Hercules Ironman Load Range E 16 ply, so I'm going with those.


I'm also going to remove the fan / fan clutch and put electric Volvo / Taurus fans on it. (They're very popular with off road guys, they move a metric **** ton of air and can be bought from a junkyard for $10). I'm taking a long trip in July to a family reunion and want to make sure I can keep it cool.



Driving it off the lot:



Dogs love it.
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Old 06-21-2017, 12:55 AM   #3
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The radiator is also original. Does anyone know a part number for replacing it? I might just toss a new one in with new hoses if they're around $100 or so.

This one looks right, I'll measure tomorrow to make sure:
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sk...or/OSC709.html

I found belt and hose part numbers.
Chevy P30 454 (7.4L) Fan Belts And Hoses
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Old 06-22-2017, 10:35 PM   #4
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That's one nice looking 1984!
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Old 06-23-2017, 08:51 AM   #5
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The Chevy P-30 chassis is basically a stretched Step Van so here's a good source for some parts: https://www.millsupply.com/
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2005 Safari (Monaco)Trek 28RB2, Workhorse W20, 8.1, Allison 1000 5 spd, UltraPower engine & tranny, Track bars & sway bars, KONI FSD, FMCA 190830, Safari Int'l. chapter. 1999 Safari Trek 2830, 1995 Safari Trek 2430, 1983 Winnebago Chieftain, 1976 Midas Mini
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