1975 GMC Palm Beach RV

Well, it was quite a ride home in the 1975 GMC Palm Beach!

We bought it!

We (mainly I) need to do some work on it.

Going in to the deal I knew it would need some work, after all that is half the fun - my point of view - the owner had put over $12,000 in the engine, transmission, new tires, some new upholstery. The generator has just over 10,000 hours on it but it also needs some things done to it.

Some of the things that need to be done:

Battery for the Generator

Heat, no heat in the RV while driving (mid Nov at night is still quite cold across the south west desert!). Could be the valve that controls the water shut off from the engine  for the AC or could be something more serious.

Air bags, the air bags leak down pretty bad after about 24 hours (see top image) with out the generator the compressor can't run, no compressor, no air for the air bags. This is a very large annoyance, the air bags control stability while you are driving. If they leak down while you are driving the vehicle is very unstable.

Steering, the steering has to much play from left to right and right to left, about four inches of steering wheel turn, this causes you to over correct. Another thing is the steering is very fast, if you turn the wheel more than a half inch you are on the other side of the road. (scared the heck out of me on that one!)

Gas tanks, the gas tanks are not vented. So when you gas up you have to go slow or air builds up in the tank and you get blow back, gas gushes out of the filler neck. This is not good, some where along the line the vents have been removed and plugged.

The body is in great shape, the paint is pealing in places, looking at the inside of the panels it does not look like there has been a repaint of the body. Some of the trim needs to be replaced.

The bumpers are in great shape as well as the frame, very little corrosion. The aluminum ladder and rails do have some minor corrosion but that is to be expected when it sets out in the weather with out any up keep for five years.

Wiring, the electrical wiring runs from bad to in good shape. Some of the exposed exterior wiring needs to be replaced. Then there are all the extra wires that the previous owners have added on different things then removed them with out taking the wiring out. There are some broken switches in the dash that need to removed or replaced. The interior wiring is in good shape, only in a couple of places the wiring insulator is hard and brittle.

Gages, the original speedometer and gas gage work, the temperature gauge doesn't, neither does the ammeter. The speedometer is not accurate and bounces, there is anywhere from 3 to 5 miles per hour error, the error is on the high side, at 70 MPH indicated the vehicle is doing 66 mph. This could be a good thing if you are a lead foot, may keep you from getting a speeding ticket. There are add on gauges in the dash, two that don't work.

The interior will need some work, the dining table is starting to delaminate and needs to be sanded and varnished. The refrigerator door cover is coming loose. There are a couple of door locks that need to be replaced, they come open when going around corners.

Then there are the things the Misses wants to change, normal decorating stuff. :)

For a 33 year old vehicle this one is in very good shape. In the classic car class I would call this a high Class 3 or a low Class 2. It does however have a few things to do. Having restored a few 1970's cars that needed more than this Motor Home I am quite pleased with my choice. (If you would like to know what I am talking about have a look at this site: www.classicarparts.com ).

The index on the left will lead you to the process of the cleanup and restoration and the final product of our project - a 1975 GMC Palm Beach!