New To Me "1971 Open Road"

[TNfiddler]

Hello! I have a few questions about a Class C that was recently given to me, its a "Open Road" brand built on a 1971 Chevy Van 30 Chevrolet van chassis, this RV runs great, but need some small work, mostly just updating the interior, because it is fairly spartan and is like stepping into a time capsule, and just routine maintenance that comes with a vehicle that has been sitting for 13 years, (it hasn't been used since 1998) I was just curious to the Manufacturer, they are not one that I am familiar with. I would also like to know if there is a manual to this RV available. Thanks in Advance

[Francesca]

Hi- is it "Tennessee Fiddler"?

Welcome to the Forums!

That's a real beaut you've got there...
I LOVE the Avocado green colors, and that's no joke.
It's s-o-o-o-o '70's!
I hope you're not going to "modernize" the color scheme.
In fact, if you could find some orange carpeting, preferably shag, it'd be just about perfect.

But enough about the way she looks, which is great...
It's my understanding that there'd be a manual for the chassis put out by Chevy. I think it'd be the same as their regular 1971 van- an online search should turn something up.
I don't know anything about the Open Road Brand, but but maybe others will chime in with info about it.
I can tell you, though, that the working fixtures like heater, fridge etc. would also have manuals provided by their manufacturers. Most of those are also available somewhere on the Web- Googling the make/model should lead you to them.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress and adventures with your new rig!

Francesca

[greggholmes]

[Francesca]

...

O-o-o-o-h yeah!

......
Francesca

[Automobilist]

Open Road was a very popular brand in SoCal back in the 60's-70's. They had a cool design on some models that had a rear fold up "patio" with actual sliding glass doors. I would probably keep the groovy late 60's theme, and not try to do a lot of "updating".

[GOLDWINGER2]

Welcome to the forum, nice Class C, makes me miss my 20 foot El Dorado.
I like the "period" exterior, for the interior...wood floor with some green shag area rugs. The upkeep is so much easier. Have fun!
J

[greggholmes]

We put laminate flooring in my house and i wont do that again. I just dont like wood floors. Mostly they are just cold. Also they dont dampen noise like carpet. Now the house is louder and colder.

[bicklebok]

That's an absolute beauty you have! And just the right size.

[mustang652]

Open Road brings back a few memories including they were the sponsors of a major night time clear channel country radio station out of Dallas back in the late' 60s and early '70s. I had a chance to buy one on a '67 3/4 ton Chevy truck mounted unit back in '83 or '84. It belonged to DW's father who had bought it on a whim and wanted to get rid of it to get a slide on camper. We used it a couple of times to check it out, but found that nearly every system on it was in need of major repair or outright replacement.

[TNfiddler]

Francesca, you got it right, its "Tennessee Fiddler". First off Thanks for all the input Y'all!! This is my first RV, so I am a total newbie. As for what i meant by updating, the flooring needs replacement, looks like someone during this rigs life had laid down linoleum, very shoddily at that, it looks like it originally had a almost lime green shag (which is still in the closet, and under the cabinets in the kitchenette). I was thinking about laminate flooring due to the ease of cleaning, and the ease of putting it down. Although the orange shag sounds really awesome!!! Kinda have a soft spot for orange anyway, being a UT student, . As for changing the exterior, don't worry, i would not change it for anything! I absolutely love the color scheme, although the Cab has faded extremely bad, (it was the only part of the rig that was exposed to sunlight in the barn that it was stored in) I would also like to add a TV to the rig, and update the lighting to 12v LED instead of incandescent, but other than those few "upgrades" that is all I would change

[FDchief]

I was with my parents in '68 when they brought their brand new Open Road in So Cal. It was mounted on a 1968 Ford F350 truck chassis with a 4 speed manual transmission and a 360 V8. It had the fold down patio in the back with the sliding doors which opened up to the dinette. This post brings back some great memories for me. My sister and I had a great time traveling around the country with the folks in that rig. It was very well built. We enjoyed RVing so much that we both have motorhomes and she and her husband are fulltiming as we speak. I believe that she is somewhere in the San Diego area.

Enjoy your new rig, I know we sure did.

[Francesca]

Whew!

Glad to hear you'll be keeping the original colors.
The camper body color looks amazingly good, but I see what you mean about the faded cab coloring.
If it was stored inside for years and all we're seeing there is UV fading, you could be in luck, though.
We might just be seeing a layer of oxidation on the cab...it's very possible that a good wash followed by buffing would bring the color right back.
Those older vans came with a pretty thick coat of paint slapped on them, especially compared to the millimeters applied today.

Keep us posted!

Francesca

P.S.

Speaking of musicians, the '70's, and floor covering choices...
I heard that Elvis had an ENTIRE ROOM (walls, floors, ceiling) in his house done up in shag carpet!
I don't know what color...

Francesca

[Yellowreef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greggholmes We put laminate flooring in my house and i wont do that again. I just dont like wood floors. Mostly they are just cold. Also they dont dampen noise like carpet. Now the house is louder and colder.

Laminate is not wood, it just kind of resembles it. I agree with your complaints on the laminate flooring though.

[Possum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francesca Whew! Glad to hear you'll be keeping the original colors. The camper body color looks amazingly good, but I see what you mean about the faded cab coloring. If it was stored inside for years and all we're seeing there is UV fading, you could be in luck, though. We might just be seeing a layer of oxidation on the cab...it's very possible that a good wash followed by buffing would bring the color right back. Those older vans came with a pretty thick coat of paint slapped on them, especially compared to the millimeters applied today. Keep us posted! Francesca P.S. Speaking of musicians, the '70's, and floor covering choices... I heard that Elvis had an ENTIRE ROOM (walls, floors, ceiling) in his house done up in shag carpet! I don't know what color... Francesca

Blue suede?

We put laminate in our C Class (see avatar) and my wife loves it. Being we are in sandals or deck shoes when we travel and camp we do not notice them being cold.