Some weeks ago Kerry P. became aware of a GMC for sale at auction near
him. He bid on it and pallets of perhaps-associated items and won. The
GMC turned out to have been owned by a handicapped gentleman who apparently
attended the '94 Niagara Falls GMCMI convention and came home to AL to
begin rebuilding his already-nice '75 Avion. He purchased a LOT of
expensive parts, such as new Alcoas and Michelins for them, new exhaust
system, rebuilt radiator, Flexsteel seats, new toilet, etc., etc.
John Beaver, my local engine-builder friend and I have "rescued" two other
LONG-parked GMCs over the past couple of years. Both of those exercises
have been relatively painless and he drove each of those coaches a couple
of hundred miles home without incident -- and they're both still running
exceptionally well. But, neither of those floor plans suited John as well
as that of Kerry's Avion. So, he bought that one (which Kerry, as an SOB
owner, didn't want).
But, remember that line phrase "begin rebuilding"? Well, that's sort of an
understatement. He removed the steering column. And the dash. And the
biggest overhead cabinet. And lots of other "stuff". Basically, he got
started gutting it. Then something, we know not what, happened and he
eventually passed away without completing anything. So, John really bought
a project to be rescued.
Last weekend, John travelled the 341 miles to Kerry's and they began making
the coach driveable. Starting with the engine: After checking things
over, they connected our "on-the-bumper" jerry can, hot-wired the ignition
and starter, installed a battery, primed the carb with a couple of squirts
of gas, and began to crank the engine -- it reportedly fired off during the
first revolution! And ran like a sewing machine! Putting the transmission
in gear didn't cause any response, so they checked for ATF and didn't find
any. WIth schedule constraints, they decided to delay any further action
on that. So, then they moved a steering column from Kerry's parts coach.
And investigated the brakes -- which were in great shape, lining-wise, and
included a "new" sensitized booster. They just didn't work. Despite their
best efforts with a Hupy bleeder, they never could get a pedal. And some
bleeders wouldn't even bleed.
WIth a business to run, John had to return to Americus. Knowing a sucker
as he does me, he called and we agreed to resume the project on Friday. I
don't think I really meant to agree to leave here by 6AM, but apparently I
did, 'cause we did, wIth 7 Alcoas & new tires from one of John's other
coaches, lots of other tools & stuff, and my utility trailer behind John's
PU. About 7 hours later we arrived to learn that Kerry had put ATF in the
transmission and found that it would engage in forward and reverse --
Hallelujah.
My assignment was to get the wiring, including all the lights, in case of
night-time trave, working -- with NO switches.
And in the coach with
90* outside temps.
While I tinkered with that rat's nest, John and Kerry worked on brakes. A
new combination valve and rear SS flex lines soon had the rear brakes
apparently functioning with a pretty high brake pedal.
Then John started on the front brakes. That was FUN! At my insistence,
he'd installed 80mm calipers during our first rescue. That installation
went off flawlessly, so he bought exactly the same calipers and prepared
them for installation on this one. But nothing seemed to work. The
calipers wouldn't go on with the new pads installed. So, the nearly-new
old pads were ground down to get the calipers on -- "we'll figure out
what's going on later". He'd forgotten to buy hoses with banjo fittings,
so we made a trip to parts stores and finally ordered a pair of hoses for
0730 Saturday delivery. On to other tasks.
Saturday morning, John discovered that the new banjo fitting would not
clear the CV joint! Maybe a little grinding would provide clearance, but
then we compared the left hose fitting to the right hose fitting -- only to
find that the right one interfered even more than the left one -- entirely
different shape. It also became obvious that the banjo port was in a
different location than on the previous set of calipers. We also
discovered the reason for the pad problem -- the throat (where the pads and
disc fit inside the caliper) of the 80mm caliper was >1/8 in. narrower than
the old calipers! Remember, these are the identical stock numbers, both
from Advance Auto, that John used on the other GMC!
That settled the 80mm mod. The removed calipers were apparently in good
condition. We did have one more problem -- one of the flex hoses, like one
in the rear, would NOT pass fluid, air, or welding rod. And the parts
houses didn't have new ones of those either. Fortunately, Kerry's now had
5 GMC's so he found useable hoses. They had the front brakes bled and a
VERY high pedal by the time I had the ignition switch working. We were
able to crank the engine and test the booster -- GREAT!
Kerry had managed to dislodge both the gas tank drains, so John drained all
the 20+ yo gas (about 15g) out and disposed of it -- despite the fact that
it was pre-ethanol, smelled and looked good, and had no water in it. 10
gallons of new "gas' replaced that probably-good stuff.
Believe it or not, I got all the lights, and the ignition switch working
normally. The dash complement including the OEM speedometer, an old vacuum
gauge, and John's newly purchased and installed H2O temp, Oil pressure, and
Voltmeter were all fairly well lodged or ty-wrapped into sort-of-visible
locations, so they put wheels all around and lowered the beast to the
ground.
After a few mile test drive, John declared everything to be working great
except for a few perhaps-odd sounds. After a service station stop for more
gas, we went back to Kerry's and parked in the shade. Then, Kerry broke my
heart: He plugged the coach into shore power (we'd already failed to get
the Onan to turn over) -- and turned on the roof A/C! That old OEM
Dometic, with the inside cover missing and the metal plate held on with one
bolt, fired right up and started dumping a MASSIVE blast of COLD air --
right into that same area where I'd spend two days in 90+*F FUN.
This is already too long, without my mentioning the great hospitality of
the Pinkertons, the wonderful shade tent provided for John's on-the-ground
brake work, or MANY other incidents and actions by all of us. So, hoping
to avoid having this blocked for being toooo long, I'll just say that John,
driving the GMC, and I, his PU with the loaded trailer, left N. AL at about
9 yesterday morning and got home about 4 PM. Not ONE hiccup, glitch,
anxious moment, nuthin! It ran like a top at a cruising speed of 60-70
with the oil pressure at 30-40 psi, the H2O at 190*F, and the dual side
pipes just a-singing.
Happy Day!
Ken H.
him. He bid on it and pallets of perhaps-associated items and won. The
GMC turned out to have been owned by a handicapped gentleman who apparently
attended the '94 Niagara Falls GMCMI convention and came home to AL to
begin rebuilding his already-nice '75 Avion. He purchased a LOT of
expensive parts, such as new Alcoas and Michelins for them, new exhaust
system, rebuilt radiator, Flexsteel seats, new toilet, etc., etc.
John Beaver, my local engine-builder friend and I have "rescued" two other
LONG-parked GMCs over the past couple of years. Both of those exercises
have been relatively painless and he drove each of those coaches a couple
of hundred miles home without incident -- and they're both still running
exceptionally well. But, neither of those floor plans suited John as well
as that of Kerry's Avion. So, he bought that one (which Kerry, as an SOB
owner, didn't want).
But, remember that line phrase "begin rebuilding"? Well, that's sort of an
understatement. He removed the steering column. And the dash. And the
biggest overhead cabinet. And lots of other "stuff". Basically, he got
started gutting it. Then something, we know not what, happened and he
eventually passed away without completing anything. So, John really bought
a project to be rescued.
Last weekend, John travelled the 341 miles to Kerry's and they began making
the coach driveable. Starting with the engine: After checking things
over, they connected our "on-the-bumper" jerry can, hot-wired the ignition
and starter, installed a battery, primed the carb with a couple of squirts
of gas, and began to crank the engine -- it reportedly fired off during the
first revolution! And ran like a sewing machine! Putting the transmission
in gear didn't cause any response, so they checked for ATF and didn't find
any. WIth schedule constraints, they decided to delay any further action
on that. So, then they moved a steering column from Kerry's parts coach.
And investigated the brakes -- which were in great shape, lining-wise, and
included a "new" sensitized booster. They just didn't work. Despite their
best efforts with a Hupy bleeder, they never could get a pedal. And some
bleeders wouldn't even bleed.
WIth a business to run, John had to return to Americus. Knowing a sucker
as he does me, he called and we agreed to resume the project on Friday. I
don't think I really meant to agree to leave here by 6AM, but apparently I
did, 'cause we did, wIth 7 Alcoas & new tires from one of John's other
coaches, lots of other tools & stuff, and my utility trailer behind John's
PU. About 7 hours later we arrived to learn that Kerry had put ATF in the
transmission and found that it would engage in forward and reverse --
Hallelujah.
My assignment was to get the wiring, including all the lights, in case of
night-time trave, working -- with NO switches.
And in the coach with90* outside temps.
While I tinkered with that rat's nest, John and Kerry worked on brakes. A
new combination valve and rear SS flex lines soon had the rear brakes
apparently functioning with a pretty high brake pedal.
Then John started on the front brakes. That was FUN! At my insistence,
he'd installed 80mm calipers during our first rescue. That installation
went off flawlessly, so he bought exactly the same calipers and prepared
them for installation on this one. But nothing seemed to work. The
calipers wouldn't go on with the new pads installed. So, the nearly-new
old pads were ground down to get the calipers on -- "we'll figure out
what's going on later". He'd forgotten to buy hoses with banjo fittings,
so we made a trip to parts stores and finally ordered a pair of hoses for
0730 Saturday delivery. On to other tasks.
Saturday morning, John discovered that the new banjo fitting would not
clear the CV joint! Maybe a little grinding would provide clearance, but
then we compared the left hose fitting to the right hose fitting -- only to
find that the right one interfered even more than the left one -- entirely
different shape. It also became obvious that the banjo port was in a
different location than on the previous set of calipers. We also
discovered the reason for the pad problem -- the throat (where the pads and
disc fit inside the caliper) of the 80mm caliper was >1/8 in. narrower than
the old calipers! Remember, these are the identical stock numbers, both
from Advance Auto, that John used on the other GMC!
That settled the 80mm mod. The removed calipers were apparently in good
condition. We did have one more problem -- one of the flex hoses, like one
in the rear, would NOT pass fluid, air, or welding rod. And the parts
houses didn't have new ones of those either. Fortunately, Kerry's now had
5 GMC's so he found useable hoses. They had the front brakes bled and a
VERY high pedal by the time I had the ignition switch working. We were
able to crank the engine and test the booster -- GREAT!
Kerry had managed to dislodge both the gas tank drains, so John drained all
the 20+ yo gas (about 15g) out and disposed of it -- despite the fact that
it was pre-ethanol, smelled and looked good, and had no water in it. 10
gallons of new "gas' replaced that probably-good stuff.
Believe it or not, I got all the lights, and the ignition switch working
normally. The dash complement including the OEM speedometer, an old vacuum
gauge, and John's newly purchased and installed H2O temp, Oil pressure, and
Voltmeter were all fairly well lodged or ty-wrapped into sort-of-visible
locations, so they put wheels all around and lowered the beast to the
ground.
After a few mile test drive, John declared everything to be working great
except for a few perhaps-odd sounds. After a service station stop for more
gas, we went back to Kerry's and parked in the shade. Then, Kerry broke my
heart: He plugged the coach into shore power (we'd already failed to get
the Onan to turn over) -- and turned on the roof A/C! That old OEM
Dometic, with the inside cover missing and the metal plate held on with one
bolt, fired right up and started dumping a MASSIVE blast of COLD air --
right into that same area where I'd spend two days in 90+*F FUN.
This is already too long, without my mentioning the great hospitality of
the Pinkertons, the wonderful shade tent provided for John's on-the-ground
brake work, or MANY other incidents and actions by all of us. So, hoping
to avoid having this blocked for being toooo long, I'll just say that John,
driving the GMC, and I, his PU with the loaded trailer, left N. AL at about
9 yesterday morning and got home about 4 PM. Not ONE hiccup, glitch,
anxious moment, nuthin! It ran like a top at a cruising speed of 60-70
with the oil pressure at 30-40 psi, the H2O at 190*F, and the dual side
pipes just a-singing.
Happy Day!
Ken H.
