GMC in the northeast/Pennsylvania winters

[k80alyssa]

Hi! I'm new to the community. I'm picking up my very own 1973 26' in Colorado this Saturday and driving her back to her new home near Pittsburgh. I'll probably be full of questions for you all since I plan on doing a total interior/exterior renovation.
But for now, my first concern is that I've got no garage space for it. It'll be in an outdoor storage facility for at least its first winter here.
Anyone have any suggestions on the best-fitting waterproof, weatherproof cover for it? I'd like to try and keep it out of the elements as best as I can until I can get it indoors somewhere.
Cheers and thanks!
- Kate

 

[MarkR]

Wow Kate, congratulations! Welcome.

I bought mine in Seattle and drove it back to PA a year and a half ago, chased the whole way by a nasty Fall blizzard. It’s quite an adventure, one I will never forget. I got very lucky and had only a leaking power steering reservoir to deal with. Having limited mechanical experience, I dealt with it by pouring PS fluid into the reservoir until I got home - too many bottles to count! But it worked, as I said, lucky.

Tell us about the coach you bought - how did you find it, what do you know about the previous owner (PO), when did the coach go on its last trip other than around the block, what condition is it in now? If it’s really a candidate for a total interior/exterior renovation, your first concern may not be finding a winter cover. You have to get it home first.

The folks here can help with that. A lot of knowledge bouncing around here.

I can’t help with much, but my first piece of advice is to check the date codes on the tires. All the tires on my MotorHome when I bought it had lots of good tread left on them. But the newest tire was 7 years old and most were between 10 and 14 years old. An old tire is not a safe tire, even with lots of tread. A blown tire can do a lot of damage to your coach ($$ more than the cost of tires) even if you get lucky and it doesn’t cause an actual accident. First thing I did before leaving WA was Replace all 7 tires with brand new Firestones.

I had planned to also find a shop to change out all my fluids (brake, trans, coolant, etc.) before departure, but delays in the buying process and the previously mentioned blizzard canceled those plans. But my PO kept meticulous records and I could see from the receipts that it was very, very well maintained, so, fingers crossed, away I went.

if you are mechanically inclined, the folks here are a tremendous resource. If you are not, they are lifesavers.

Again, congrats and welcome.

ps - one more piece of advice, AAA with the RV rider. Less stress with that in your pocket.

 

[Matt Colie]

Kate,
Welcome to the group, family, cult, asylum......
What you will not recognize until later is that the real value of owning a GMC is not the big new toy, it is the community it connects you to. These are amazing supportive and helping people. This brings me to three things:
First, download a print the "Black's List" aka GMC Assist list before you leave home. This is a list of people that are willing to supply assistance, and they are all over the place.
Second, build a sigfile both here and on the old forum/mail list at <http://gmc.mybirdfeeder.net/GMCforum/> You will need information and guidance (that is a given), and if you ask on these two forums, you will get good answers. But not all versions of TZE are alike and there may be important differences. So, in the sigfile, include a real name because we like to recognize who we are helping, a short about the coach (year, fitter and major mods), and a geographic reference.
Lastly, you can join a local chapter even before the coach is home. You may be in the range of about 4 local chapters and the international. They are well worth the effort to connect to them.
So, there are two web forums that you can count on and a few hundred new old friends you have to meet.
Matt

 

[tmsnyder]

For a cover, look for a travel trailer cover. If you get a Class A cover, it will be way too big.

I had a 30 ft Class A cover from a previous motorhome, and it was waaaaay too big. The sides came down and underneath and met in the middle, and it was still loose on the GMC. New motorhomes are ridiculously tall and wide compared to a GMC.

 

[Matt Colie]

There are two schools of thought on winter covers.
If you buy the cover for a 26' trailer (iirc) they are pretty close. That will keep the leaks from coming in.
A cover will trap moisture inside and the wind will make it wear on the finish. (In the case of my coach, that could be an improvement.)

 

[k80alyssa]

Wow Kate, congratulations! Welcome.

I bought mine in Seattle and drove it back to PA a year and a half ago, chased the whole way by a nasty Fall blizzard. It’s quite an adventure, one I will never forget. I got very lucky and had only a leaking power steering reservoir to deal with. Having limited mechanical experience, I dealt with it by pouring PS fluid into the reservoir until I got home - too many bottles to count! But it worked, as I said, lucky.

Tell us about the coach you bought - how did you find it, what do you know about the previous owner (PO), when did the coach go on its last trip other than around the block, what condition is it in now? If it’s really a candidate for a total interior/exterior renovation, your first concern may not be finding a winter cover. You have to get it home first.

The folks here can help with that. A lot of knowledge bouncing around here.

I can’t help with much, but my first piece of advice is to check the date codes on the tires. All the tires on my MotorHome when I bought it had lots of good tread left on them. But the newest tire was 7 years old and most were between 10 and 14 years old. An old tire is not a safe tire, even with lots of tread. A blown tire can do a lot of damage to your coach ($$ more than the cost of tires) even if you get lucky and it doesn’t cause an actual accident. First thing I did before leaving WA was Replace all 7 tires with brand new Firestones.

I had planned to also find a shop to change out all my fluids (brake, trans, coolant, etc.) before departure, but delays in the buying process and the previously mentioned blizzard canceled those plans. But my PO kept meticulous records and I could see from the receipts that it was very, very well maintained, so, fingers crossed, away I went.

if you are mechanically inclined, the folks here are a tremendous resource. If you are not, they are lifesavers.

Again, congrats and welcome.

ps - one more piece of advice, AAA with the RV rider. Less stress with that in your pocket.

Amazed at how quickly I got so many helpful responses!

I've been fascinated with the GMC's for quite a while. I'm a big fan of giving new life to classics (my daily driver is an '88 Bronco II), and I really wanted to take on this GMC motorhome project with my dad in order to spend some time with him and tap into his wealth of knowledge (he's a CDL licensed truck driver/jack of all trades).

The body looks great overall. Honestly, the only reason I'm doing a total interior/exterior renovation is because I'm starting up a small business in it!

Previous owner has been a great and honest communicator. He bought it in New Mexico in 2017 and it's been in Colorado ever since. He took it out camping a few times each year, and out for regular drives. He's only selling because he bought something bigger.

The folks that had it before him put brand new tires on it in July of that year (he sent me photos of every tire, which I'd asked him for).

Known mechanical issues are that the fuel gauge doesn't seem to be reading properly (he says this is a relatively new problem, it always reads full even if it isn't), and the cab A/C isn't blowing cold air (the coach A/C works fine). Those quirks aside, PO said he'd absolutely trust it to make a trip to PA, as long as we have a few extra containers of gasoline handy.

I'm heading out with a month's worth of the best insurance coverage I could get and a prayer for now. I plan on switching to storage insurance when I get back, since this year it's pretty much just going to be driven from the storage facility to the garage where I'm working on it and back, one or two days a month. The AAA coverage will come when I'm actually ready to take it out regularly.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Mark!

 

[k80alyssa]

For a cover, look for a travel trailer cover. If you get a Class A cover, it will be way too big.

I had a 30 ft Class A cover from a previous motorhome, and it was waaaaay too big. The sides came down and underneath and met in the middle, and it was still loose on the GMC. New motorhomes are ridiculously tall and wide compared to a GMC.

This is the exact reason I posted this question. I knew most Class A covers were going to be massive on this 9' tall frame! Thank you so much for the info - I'll look into travel trailer covers. Any brands/types you recommend?

 

[k80alyssa]

Kate,
Welcome to the group, family, cult, asylum......
What you will not recognize until later is that the real value of owning a GMC is not the big new toy, it is the community it connects you to. These are amazing supportive and helping people. This brings me to three things:
First, download a print the "Black's List" aka GMC Assist list before you leave home. This is a list of people that are willing to supply assistance, and they are all over the place.
Second, build a sigfile both here and on the old forum/mail list at <http://gmc.mybirdfeeder.net/GMCforum/> You will need information and guidance (that is a given), and if you ask on these two forums, you will get good answers. But not all versions of TZE are alike and there may be important differences. So, in the sigfile, include a real name because we like to recognize who we are helping, a short about the coach (year, fitter and major mods), and a geographic reference.
Lastly, you can join a local chapter even before the coach is home. You may be in the range of about 4 local chapters and the international. They are well worth the effort to connect to them.
So, there are two web forums that you can count on and a few hundred new old friends you have to meet.
Matt

Hi, Matt! Thanks so much for the info.

Part of the reason I had my heart set on a GMC was because I knew avid GMC-er's aren't just "campers" - they're folks with the guts to take on a passion project, and folks who appreciate things that "they just don't make them like anymore."
I knew I'd be among kindred spirits. That's one part of this new adventure that I'm really looking forward to.

 

[k80alyssa]

There are two schools of thought on winter covers.
If you buy the cover for a 26' trailer (iirc) they are pretty close. That will keep the leaks from coming in.
A cover will trap moisture inside and the wind will make it wear on the finish. (In the case of my coach, that could be an improvement.)

Thanks! Hoping the cover will end up being a 1-2 year thing at most, and that I'll be able to work out a garage situation around here before long.

 

[k80alyssa]

Amazed at how quickly I got so many helpful responses!

I've been fascinated with the GMC's for quite a while. I'm a big fan of giving new life to classics (my daily driver is an '88 Bronco II), and I really wanted to take on this GMC motorhome project with my dad in order to spend some time with him and tap into his wealth of knowledge (he's a CDL licensed truck driver/jack of all trades).

The body looks great overall. Honestly, the only reason I'm doing a total interior/exterior renovation is because I'm starting up a small business in it!

Previous owner has been a great and honest communicator. He bought it in New Mexico in 2017 and it's been in Colorado ever since. He took it out camping a few times each year, and out for regular drives. He's only selling because he bought something bigger.

The folks that had it before him put brand new tires on it in July of that year (he sent me photos of every tire, which I'd asked him for).

Known mechanical issues are that the fuel gauge doesn't seem to be reading properly (he says this is a relatively new problem, it always reads full even if it isn't), and the cab A/C isn't blowing cold air (the coach A/C works fine). Those quirks aside, PO said he'd absolutely trust it to make a trip to PA, as long as we have a few extra containers of gasoline handy.

I'm heading out with a month's worth of the best insurance coverage I could get and a prayer for now. I plan on switching to storage insurance when I get back, since this year it's pretty much just going to be driven from the storage facility to the garage where I'm working on it and back, one or two days a month. The AAA coverage will come when I'm actually ready to take it out regularly.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Mark!

Wow Kate, congratulations! Welcome.

I bought mine in Seattle and drove it back to PA a year and a half ago, chased the whole way by a nasty Fall blizzard. It’s quite an adventure, one I will never forget. I got very lucky and had only a leaking power steering reservoir to deal with. Having limited mechanical experience, I dealt with it by pouring PS fluid into the reservoir until I got home - too many bottles to count! But it worked, as I said, lucky.

Tell us about the coach you bought - how did you find it, what do you know about the previous owner (PO), when did the coach go on its last trip other than around the block, what condition is it in now? If it’s really a candidate for a total interior/exterior renovation, your first concern may not be finding a winter cover. You have to get it home first.

The folks here can help with that. A lot of knowledge bouncing around here.

I can’t help with much, but my first piece of advice is to check the date codes on the tires. All the tires on my MotorHome when I bought it had lots of good tread left on them. But the newest tire was 7 years old and most were between 10 and 14 years old. An old tire is not a safe tire, even with lots of tread. A blown tire can do a lot of damage to your coach ($$ more than the cost of tires) even if you get lucky and it doesn’t cause an actual accident. First thing I did before leaving WA was Replace all 7 tires with brand new Firestones.

I had planned to also find a shop to change out all my fluids (brake, trans, coolant, etc.) before departure, but delays in the buying process and the previously mentioned blizzard canceled those plans. But my PO kept meticulous records and I could see from the receipts that it was very, very well maintained, so, fingers crossed, away I went.

if you are mechanically inclined, the folks here are a tremendous resource. If you are not, they are lifesavers.

Again, congrats and welcome.

ps - one more piece of advice, AAA with the RV rider. Less stress with that in your pocket.

Forgot to mention - I've also got a '91 Dodge Ram conversion van, and I've been in the power steering fluid situation you described on long trips a handful of times already. Inconvenient, to say the least!

 

[Christo]

Hi! I'm new to the community. I'm picking up my very own 1973 26' in Colorado this Saturday and driving her back to her new home near Pittsburgh. I'll probably be full of questions for you all since I plan on doing a total interior/exterior renovation.
But for now, my first concern is that I've got no garage space for it. It'll be in an outdoor storage facility for at least its first winter here.
Anyone have any suggestions on the best-fitting waterproof, weatherproof cover for it? I'd like to try and keep it out of the elements as best as I can until I can get it indoors somewhere.
Cheers and thanks!
- Kate

Glad you found the forum!