It is a very rare time that I will go for weeks without even touching my camera and/or posting much. But this last couple of weeks has been the beginning of a whole new adventurous chapter in my life and my family's lives!
Ever since I was a young boy, I have wanted to own a motorhome, a house boat or anything along those lines that would make a life of all out adventure possible. This week that dream came true! In a vintage 1982 Ford Glendale 21 foot motorhome.
The age of the Rv and the work that needs to be done made it very affordable. The exterior definitely needs some TLC though. A paint job, new top lights, removing the old satellite dish and replacing it with a Starlink system, and putting 4 200 watt solar panels on the roof.
The interior has already had work done but still needs a lot more!
So far I am beyond happy with it and so is my family!
Although we are happy, I do have a lot of work ahead of me! The interior is in really good shape, but there are changes to be made. The front cab needs a paint job and heavy cleaning (probably new seats as well), the whole interior of the living space had wood paneling on the walls that was painted over, if it possible I will be sanding the paint off and returning it to its 1980s glory. The water systems and electrical are all in great shape, so thankfully there is not much to be done there.
But before any of that will be done, its the engine work that takes priority! The engine starts and runs, but it stalls when idling or while driving (when slowing down). There could be 3 reasons for this: a carburetor issue, a fuel pump issue (it has 2 gas tanks so it could be both or 1 of the pumps), or an ignition issue. So I have decided to just do a full replacement of all 3! The brakes are pretty old and not in the greatest shape, so they will all be fully rebuilt. All of that is on top of what should be done when buying an older used vehicle. Full cleaning out the transmission, oil and gas lines. New filers for those and spark plugs, etc.
This is going to be a very hectic and exciting couple of months of preparing it for long trips, and I cannot wait to share more of the process with you!
Challenge is on, project in getting this good looking vehicle back into tip top condition to enjoy for years to come.
Exciting to build up an old vehicle if you have the know how, why not.