I've been out of the loop for quite a while. I had a lot of fun day camping just down the road from home for a few years, then let it sit for more years. Finally pushed into doing something with what I've got or let her go to highest bidder. Would like some input from my pals here at irv2...
She's a 31 foot with 390 carb type ford engine. Only 31,000 + miles on her. After long sleep I got her running, with less trouble than I had expected. Here's what was wrong...
Gas tank rusty, no holes but gas unusable. I temporarily solved this by hanging a lawnmower gas tank on the front bumper, added elec fuel pump, shutoff, filter, and ran 10 ft gas hose to the engine, connecting it to where the original line from the back hooked up.
New battery and it started right up, but the carb was so bad it just dumped the gas all over the engine. Also, one of the plug wires broke and just layed there sparking... oops!
So, rebuilt the carb, replaced the plug wires and tried again. She started with no issues this time, good oil pressure, quiet as a new car, not a rattle or a clunk to be heard. Amazing, that ancient 390!
Next was to move it to a better place to work on it and not be in the way. Took a few 37 pt turns to get it away from the garage, which drove me nutzo because the belts were squealing so bad, and the breaks are a bit low peddle, but it drove the hundred feet or so with no other issues, other than running a bit rough. Guess needs a good tuneup?
Power train seems strong and quiet, but the roof has been leaking and there's a bit of ceiling damage from the front back about 6 feet, but the flooring feels ok. The roof is one piece metal front to back and I believe the leaks are from around the vents and the joint between the fiberglass front cap and the roof. Tires, tho old in years, are full tread, no cracks, holding air as new. The 3-way fridge was replaced with a 19cu ft? home type, the stove and micro work fine, and I had added pressure tank to water system. No problems w genny or other electrical systems.
So here's my question... do I sell as-is, needing at least 3k to be happy, fix it first, then sell it, or gut it and rebuild like a tiny home, more for back yard use than travelling???
I'm guessing tuneup, belts, new or restored gas tank may cost me 1k, repairs to ceiling maybe 500.00. It might be an adventure, but not sure which way I'd want to go. I'm 73 now, still can do stuff, but rather get the kids to help when needed.
So, what kind of pipe dreams are floating around that you might share with me?
Thanks for taking the time to think about it, at least.
Allegroman.