How to buy parts from parts stores for Class A MH?

[Rmelectrical]

i have a 97 class a mh with a chevy 454fi engine, autozone and others dont know how to look up parts. is that a chevy p30 series or ????

[Bahamaniac]

Here Oriellys can look up information with your vin or license plate number. At least for the automotive parts. Good luck!

[HJLowell]

Originally Posted by Rmelectrical

i have a 97 class a mh with a chevy 454fi engine, autozone and others dont know how to look up parts. is that a chevy p30 series or ????

For ten years we ran an 88 Class A Airstream.
Chevy 454 with a T400 transmission.
Every auto parts store had every part.
NAPA, Summit racing etc.etc.

Year and engine serial number is most you need.
Each part should have a part number also.
Like starters, alternators, carburetors etc.etc.

I never mentioned chassis nor rv, motor home when looking for parts. That info they don't get.. And you dont get parts.
You have a truck engine with a serial # Chevy, Ford, Dodge Etc.

[Alpine36]

Autozone....yeah, haven't had real good success there.
Tried to buy a water pump there for my ol Chevy 5.3.
When the kid asked me if it was a LS or LT model I knew this wasn't going to end well. I was right. Went to a local independent parts house the guy just walked back and pulled it off the shelf.
My point is just tell them it's a 97 Chevy 3500 pickup, unless of course you need suspension or brake parts etc...then you need to find someone who knows something besides computers.

[George Schweikle]

Agree. I usually use Advance Auto parts (didn't they buy/merge with Autozone?)

Originally Posted by HJLowell

For ten years we ran an 88 Class A Airstream.
Chevy 454 with a T400 transmission.
Every auto parts store had every part.
NAPA, Summit racing etc.etc.

Year and engine serial number is most you need.
Each part should have a part number also.
Like starters, alternators, carburetors etc.etc.

I never mentioned chassis nor rv, motor home when looking for parts. That info they don't get.. And you dont get parts.
You have a truck engine with a serial # Chevy, Ford, Dodge Etc.

[Isaac-1]

Yes that should most likely be a P30, though some parts list may show it as a P32. Also make sure you have the model year right on the chassis, often motorhome model year and chassis model year may be one off. In other words a 1997 motorhome may have been built on a 1996 chassis, and have a completed vehicle VIN number that shows it as a 1997 model.

[D Gardiner]

What I've learned with Autozone is to identify the part/s on there website first. Then check local stock online, before I drive to the store. Same goes if you are checking Amazon for parts. Best to identify the part yourself first.

Luckily the Chevy 3500 has mostly the same engine parts. Brakes and some other things you'll have to be more careful.

Agree with Isaac-1, RV manufacturers generally order dozens or hundreds of chassis at a time, then have wait in their yard weeks or months before the house is built into the chassis.

The other confusion is how the P-chassis was classified by various vendors. Some vendors classify our 96 chassis a P30, others P32 because we have the heavy duty chassis. Luckily you have a 97 so even if your chassis/engine is a 96 you still have the Vortec 454.

You may want to download this PDF about the Chevy P-series.
http://www.offroadtoybox.com/RV/P-Ch...entProcess.pdf
Helped me to get the correct alignment specs, and identify which chassis I had.

[Soppy]

Your chassis is a P30 motorhome chassis. It has a few differences from the P30 truck chassis. When buying parts have your vin# ready and be sure to specify it's a P30 motorhome. Some parts are slightly different , front tie rod ends are about 1" longer for the motorhome chassis.

[Rmelectrical]

thank you all for your help....new to this motorhome stuff...first one ever....it sat up for a few years and needs some TLC, has 51k original miles and i bought it at what i thought was a good deal for $2300.

[marjoa]

Go here and type 1997 P30 motorhome chassis in the search box
rockauto.com

[LETMGROW]

Brakes can be difficult. If you have the line sheet for the chassis build it should have a brake system code on it. Often times a Chevrolet dealer can pull the line sheet up in their parts department and print it off for you.
Otherwise the second best option is to find the casting number on the brake calipers to help identify the system. There may have been different systems on the same year and model chassis depending on the gross weight the chassis was designed to carry.
Lynn

[House Husband]

Your MH chassis is a P32 not P30. The P30 chassis is a truck chassis. The P32 chassis is a highly modified P30 chassis. The P32 chassis has been mislabeled for so long that even the parts houses get it wrong.

[daveandcarol]

Since Damon became part of Thor in 2010, you might try them first (assuming they have a functioning customer service department...). Possibly they either have some leftover old stock stored or the panels were used for several different model years and may still be available. At the least they might be able to tell you which model years used those particular parts. Barring that, time to start contacting RV salvage yards looking for a burned, rolled or front damaged unit with the rear panels intact.
Are the panels actually plastic or are they fiberglass?

[daveandcarol]

Oh Jay...if you haven't already, you might want to start a new thread in the Thor Owner's Group.