A long search for the perfect vintage motorhome led two friends and I on a 2000 mile journey through three states in just 30 hours. Meet Adam and Yancy, two crazy, vintage loving guys in search of adventure.
I agree with you. There is a company buying them up and doing just that and painting them with the modern paint schemes. They look great inside and out. I like the shell of it , don't think you will worry about rain getting inside.
I've been talking for a while now about Northstar drivetrain swaps or even better fwd 5. 3 LS swaps that were in SS Monte Carlos, Impalas and a couple other GM full-size cars. imagine getting one of these cars that were rear-ended or T-boned. I'm sure there's lots more you could use besides just the drivetrain.... The brake system alone would be a nice upgrade!?! ABS, traction control, etc...
I worked for Forrester R V in Amarillo Texas the last half of 1974. We were a GMC Motorhome dealer until the dealership closed in early 75 due to the oil embargo. I had the chance to drive these wonderful machines on quite a few occasions. I had one of them up to 105 MPH, and it had more left in it. It rode and handled as good as it ran and looked. Good times.
Wow, that’s amazing. I would love to see one that is untouched from the factory. They drive fantastic, even by today’s standards. I think they drive better than new RVs.
Love the sound of that carburetor engine! Reminds my of when I was young and thought I had plenty of time to do what ever it was I was born to do. That was a fun video! Thank you!
Had a '77. Drove from GA to Seattle up to Vancouver then back across Canada then home. Loved it. I miss that GMC. Side note: made that trip at the height of the gas crisis.
The Wolfe Fam It was great other than always searching for gas. When we crossed into Canada I asked about the gas crisis at the 1st filling station I came to. The attendant said "What crisis". Lol
my dad had one, bought it new. put 150,000 miles on it with no problems. he did burn up one transmission because he insisted on driving it 80 miles per hour! terrific vehicle. wish i would have had the chance to buy if from him. fantastic motorhome!
You were lucky to have buddies along. I could not persuade any of my friends to go with me on my adventure - 1272 miles from SLC to Austin. I had looked at this one too as it was closer to me but I am 6'3" and the dry bath shower is just too small for me. That and I really wanted a 455. My 1975 E2 made it with no problems, like yours, but I did it over 3 days and spent two nights in the MH. It was a real bonding experience between myself and the machine.
John Strauss I followed your adventure as well on Facebook! Adam had considered that one as well and ultimately decided on the other floor plan. Looks like you had a fun journey and got a really great coach!
I got 8mpg on the trip but found out when I got home I was only running on 7 cylinders. I hope to do 10mpg on my next trip that is long enough to measure. Taking it to Lubbock in November for the Texas-Texas Tech football game.
Yeah, I should have waited until the end to comment! It all got cleared up between minute 5 and minute 7. GREAT trip, guys! I loved seeing that part of the country again, I probably did it 30 times before I was 30 years old, but havent been able to get back there since early 80's.
Love the video. I was looking at that one from afar in May. Ended up with a California-raised Palm Beach via Kansas City. But sadly, didn't make a video.
One of the best videos I’ve ever seen! Great production. Surprised you made it home without a major breakdown. Always dreamed of one of these GMCs, just don’t have the time for the upkeep and improvements needed. Best of luck on the journey...
Brings back memories. I drove one of the first two off the assembly line. One went to Florida and I drove ours to my family’s dealership in Santa Ana Ca. Several problems occurred on the way but General Motors sent techs out in a jet every time we broke down. Spindle overheated and broke in Amarillo, trans in Albuquerque, major electrical in Flagstaff. 3 week journey. But,,,, at the Anaheim RV show we sold 31 orders in one weekend. Decades ahead of there time. I personally liked the 23 ft over the 26 ft.
that's a sweet old rv I have a 1976 dodge class c motor home one owner my great aunt she sold it to me for a whopping 500 bucks all original everything 9945 klms on it . I sold my house and moved right in lol.
That's awesome man! I've personally never been as big a fan of the GMC motorhomes. I prefer the more classic style rear wheel drive motorhomes with less windows. But man, that thing cruises down the interstate like it was born to do that!
Very nicely done. Haven’t been to the Breaking Bad house yet. It was nice seeing it. Did Cadillac Ranch years ago. Had it all to myself. My drive back was not as long or interesting except for the start. My previous owner was a “Beltway Bandit” and a real weasel ( he was a pilot too) who lived on a private island in the Severn River. The bridge to his house was narrow and in terrible shape and he drove the GMC across at full throttle bouncing and heaving but we made it in one piece. Luckily the 200 mile drive back to.NJ after that was uneventful.
Nice video, reminded me of when I talked a buddy into flying from San Diego to Minnesota to get my brother's IH Scout. I neglected to tell him it had been sitting in the trees for a few years on my parents farm. We drove that old IH back after a few days of working on it. Hope the GMC doesn't end up in the scrapyard like the Scout did.......
Tom's Tinkering and Adventures you made a memory to last a lifetime. Too bad it's in the junkyard... Adam has spent enough time and money on this to make it last another 40 years.
I kept a few pieces of it, the IH was completely rotted but the trip was more of an homage to my brother than getting the vehicle. Your video got me looking at GMC RV's on craigslist to replace my 25 year old RV with an older one!
Tom's Tinkering and Adventures there's a community of GMC owners who help each other out to keep these things on the road. They were built well, but need a lot of love and attention to keep them going.
My parents have a 73 with the Olds 455 and TH425 trans, it was full updated and tuned up a few years back by Alex Sirunm GMC 1800 HWY 70 East, Okeechobee, FL 34972, United States and it looks amazing.
Really enjoyed several of these videos. You guys look like a great group of friends. Wish I had this exact kind of friendship. I have a 1977 Airstream Argosy 28. I have fully restored it and it's a stunning beauty. 454 bored and stroked to a 492 custom cam to get the torque/ powerband in the correct rpm range for a 12k lb beast. Went from 6 mpg to 14mpg and with the big duals it sounds like a muscle car beast. If I could I would attach pics. But it's own my youtube channel by my name. Good luck all of you on your projects. Maybe someday we can cross paths. I'm 2,000 miles away in Kentucky
@@TheWolfeFam , you guys are really a throw back to when friends were like you all. I love the square back VW, the washer n dryer, everything. I have not taken my love of vintage to you alls level but I did take my Argosy to a pretty extreme resto mod with vintage tastes inside. I lived on AZ for a while in school and my best buddy stayed there. Would love to dig into you alls resto projects. What was all that knocking noise when you all were traveling ? One of you did the diesel conversion right ? How's that turned out ?
Thanks, Jesse! Mostly luck. We picked up some tools at the Walmart fully expecting we'd have to use them, but it drove all the way back as smooth as butter! Thanks for hanging out with us!
I love those GMC , I know you going to enjoy it. I'm sure you've seen them painted with todays paint scheme . Ooh man that really makes them stand out. There was a company a few years ago buying up these GMC's rehab the insides and painting them with new paint schemes. I don't if there still in business. There some RU-vid videos of them and the guy that buys them to race. Enjoy ,Stay safe and go RV'ing. Don
THAT was COOL ! Thanks Guys. Something I would love to do myself. But, I did notice I think the A/C wasn't working ? Three things I gotta have is air conditioning, shower and toilet. And looked like all three of those might be a hassle. But, ONE DAY, when they make the self-driving ones, I'm in there with ya.
tim spivey The two rear air conditioners were working off the generator but the dash AC wasn't working at the time. It was really, really hot going through the desert!
Wow that Bunk Bed is way cool.Brought back good memories going to disneyland in the car with my bro n sisters.Does this model have the bed in the back to?really Cool motor Home.Better than anything made now..Cute Family too.
yeah that's a really cool RV I believe it has an Oldsmobile Toronado engine which is a 455 and that ring that you held up with the little circles on it is just a spark plug wire retainer that goes on top of the distributor
FSEVENMAN Most of them had 455s until late 1978 when they switched to 403, which this one has. The unknown part makes sense. Adam found some other parts in it related to the ignition that we used a couple of weeks later when it broke down! LOL
403...while not a bad engine...wouldn't be my choice in a motorhome...siamese bores/windowed main webs / they run hot in cars (hence the drilled to shit bumper)...455 bulletproof and if you can afford 10mpg....you can afford 9
Awesome looking rig! I'd buy a GMC Motorhome if I had someone to share the travel experience with who also likes vintage vehicles. I also find the GMC Motorhome, along with FMC 2900R, and Travco, to be the best looking motorhomes of the vintage. And (I think) they're way better looking than anything offered today.
There's a whole community of people who work together to keep these rigs on the road. You should look into the local clubs in your area. I agree, they're all really cool looking. Thanks for the cool comment. Cheers.
@@TheWolfeFam I've only seen two in person. One is just a few miles from where I live, in Gig Harbor, Washington. I couldn't tell what year it was, nor was I able to contact the owner of the Motorhome.
Cool vid,....I bought one too! People have no idea. I take it to Wendy's, ....LOL I did buy one that had been renovated,....yours look great. My big mod was replacing the rear view mirror with a chicom. I've got two flat screens, great sound system. You really want a macerator too. Get the airbags replaced with quad bags. It's bitchin'
Dave Roe We did. It worked like a champ, but we were driving into the sun on a 100+ degree day. It just couldn't keep up. Since then, he got his dash AC to work which helps a lot.
i use to own a 1991 winnebago 37ft eladan i drove it 20000 miles up and down the west coast over 5 years very reliable old rig i sold it last year $11k
Let me tell the "Rest of the Story". I hope it's not too long. I was 19 in '74 when I worked at Forrester RV. I was an hourly flunky that did everything the commissioned mechanics didn't get paid for. That meant I did all the fun stuff like drive new GMC motorhomes to fill them up with gas and propane before delivery. The dealership had a used '74 yellow "Painted Desert" 26 footer they would rent out to hunters during deer season. We had a regular client in Lubbock, and I would drive "Old Yeller" down on Friday and bring it back on Monday. Coming back on the north side of Lubbock, I fell in behind three frat brothers with Tech stickers on the back window of a Mustang, Camaro, and a Fairlane. This was before Interstate 27 went in, it was still Hwy 87 with a 55 MPH speed limit. These frat brothers were in a hurry, and I matched their speed between 60 and 80 in between towns. Getting closer to Amarillo, I guess they decided to give me the shake. Old Yeller had a strong 455, and we got up to 105 MPH before they gave up. That 455 was still pulling hard as we came into the south end of Canyon. They turned into West Texas State University, I guess they had dates with some sorority sisters. I'm sure glad there wasn't a radar unit on the road that day. I have always been impressed with the engineering of the GMC motorhome. Their power, speed, ride comfort, and handling has never been matched. Kudos to those of you that keep them alive...Ken
What a great video with a bunch of guys I love GMC motorhomes. How fast were you guys cruising on the way back? And I believe Doug Thorley Headers still makes a tri y for that motorhome. Look like a fun trip I'm envious
The Wolfe Fam 😂 That’s great! I just watched your video last week, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought twice. I was riding my motorcycle from Colorado Springs to San Diego. Hope you had a great trip.
I totally agree. The one drawback about the desire to travel in a GMC is that you don’t count all of your great experiences you countdown to your next break down. That to me is pretty sad.
Maintenence, Maintenence, Maintenence. The coaches are 40+ years old and many owners let them sit for years at a time. They just need a lot of love, attention, and money...
Wanderlust Estate I really liked watching your GMC adventures. I have a ton of content, but just haven't had time to edit it. Are you still in California?
Wanderlust Estate I really liked watching your GMC adventures. I have a ton of content, but just haven't had time to edit it. Are you still in California?
Yes, if you're here to we should get together. I could use a GMC fix. Haha. I really wish that I could have afforded to keep and finish mine. Now I will watch yours, so you gotta put them out.
Was that your first time you driving a motor home? You seemed very comfortable behind the wheel.Looking to buy one of these but have never driven a class A.
It’s also a lot smaller (dimensionally) than almost any class c or class b Motorhome, but It packs all of the amenities though:.. onboard generator, shower, air, sleeps 4-6, etc
Looks like you guys lucked out on the deal anyhow, as I did with my truck, with no major breakdowns along the way. When I got home, I had my truck checked out and was told that it had a bad radiator. Now that's one thing that you wouldn't want to conk out on you along the way. But mine didn't even run hot. Did you guys have a mechanic go over it once you got it home?
Jim Ervin Yep. He's had a couple of mechanics make some miscellaneous repairs and have done a bunch of upgrades, like installing fuel injection. The coach runs really well. I have a ton of content that I'll post soon.
Maybe add a short description of your itinerary, or a time-list? 5 minutes into the video, I WILL finish, but it's not quite clear where you came from you're headed. ;-)
