Travelling the US in a motorhome-- with a carvewright?

[easybuilt]

Looks Like a awesome deal Lawrence and you guys will have a great time too!

[badbert]

Damon bought Holiday Rambler. Their plant is Gigantic, they build a very nice product! 50K is a lot of miles for a Motorhome. Tires are a good place to start. But the driveshaft is ready to be rebuilt. And a complete brake job should have already been done. At that mileage it needs rotors, and wheel bearings. Change the fluid in the differential as well. Unless the front end has been repaired, it will need some servicing too. Check for play in the Kingpins. Or Ball joints of it is a Chevy. Really go over the maintenance records and see what kind of problems it has had in the past. If it is a chevy the front springs are probably ready too. The rear springs need to have the Eye-bolt bushings checked. And while you under there. Upgrade the sway bar bushings and links. I wished you lived closer... But I am unable to do any of this work anymore. But I could at least go over it for you. Good Luck with her!

[ladjr]

Very nice, when does the bus leave for Forida.

[fwharris]

Happy trails to you!!!

[CNC Carver]

Is there going to be a slide out in the back for the carvewright workroom? Very nice I'm sure you will enjoy yourself.

[pkunk]

Damon bought Holiday Rambler. Their plant is Gigantic, they build a very nice product! 50K is a lot of miles for a Motorhome. Tires are a good place to start. But the driveshaft is ready to be rebuilt. And a complete brake job should have already been done. At that mileage it needs rotors, and wheel bearings. Change the fluid in the differential as well. Unless the front end has been repaired, it will need some servicing too. Check for play in the Kingpins. Or Ball joints of it is a Chevy. Really go over the maintenance records and see what kind of problems it has had in the past. If it is a chevy the front springs are probably ready too. The rear springs need to have the Eye-bolt bushings checked. And while you under there. Upgrade the sway bar bushings and links. I wished you lived closer... But I am unable to do any of this work anymore. But I could at least go over it for you. Good Luck with her!

That's a F53 Ford V10, same as mine & I have over 70K of trouble free miles. My drive shaft is tight, brakes at 70%, front end is tight, and the only thing needed replacement was the rear sway bar bushings. 20 min. repair by me with new poly bushings off ebay for $40, and I'm 70. If it hasn't had a trans oil change that might be recommended, but the rear end is good for 100k.

[badbert]

That's what I like to HEAR!!! That is my BABY!! I built the first 6 prototypes for that chassis. After battling for years with the OLD f53, I fought long and hard for all the changes! Everything from the widened frame rails and front axles. To the 1/2" trans cooler lines! I started with blank frame rails, drilled every hole. Made the wiring harnesses, brake lines, fuel lines. The wider front axle and the bulkhead mounted brake master cylinder, revolutionized the industry! There are two different chassis' though. One has an electric assist brake booster and a Huge Dana 135 rear axle. The smaller one has hydraulic brake booster and a Dana 80. If you guys are riding around on those crappy General tires... pitch them and buy Michelins. They improved the 45mph lane change by 180 feet and half of a lane! You might also want to look into the Bilstein shocks. If they aren't already equipped. Also check your gas tank for me. Does it have just straps underneath, or does it have cross-members? The cross-members lower the ground clearance by a little more than an inch. But if you break a strap with out the cross-members... dragging an 80 gallon gas bomb down the road is not recommended! It took me 8 years to finally get them to improve the fuel tank with cross-members. I did most of the original suspension development, the ride is a little stiff, but it handles better (at that time) than any chassis made. Pulling the spring contract from the Mexican supplier to the American supplier improved the rate accuracy by 40%.
I am glad your driveline is holding up! Keep regular maintenance on it, and keep it lubed very well! It can go wrong very quickly. If it is a Dana 135 rear end, I concur it is good. But the Dana 80 is overworked at that weight. And I strongly urge you to change the fluid, and use Ford's Synthetic Hypoid lube!

[jpaluck]

Lawrence,

Looks awesome, but where is the bar going?

[ladjr]

Lawrence,

Looks awesome, but where is the bar going?

There is another one behind this one which is the carvewright tool shop and Bar

[lawrence]

Thanks a bunch guys- I really appreciate the support and help from everyone (esp badbert and pkunk with such intimate knowledge of the system I a buying!)

We are getting the unit waaaaay under NADA low price (over 10% below low book) and there is no tax because it is a private sale- Registration is free for me as I am still active duty so my tax/tag/title/registration is only a total of $23 - This is allowing us to set aside a significant amount of $$ in an emergency fund for any major repairs- with the hopes that we won't need it... (but just in case!)

We're also buying this RV a full year out from our planned depart time- allowing us time to adjust what we need to and do several dry-run trips throughout the year to get us used to it and (hopefully) highlight issues (which we are sure will crop up)

Thanks again, and PLEASE keep the inputs coming!

Lawrence