Best Compliment...EVER....

[skip hartline]

Evening all,

Couldn't pass up sharing this one. We were camping at Disney this weekend and I was outside eating my Cheerios this morning and 2 spaces down I saw a
little boy about 3 and his littler sister walking out to the loop, he stopped his sister right at the yellow like a good brother. The dad walked up
and warned them about the cars, golf carts, and kids on bikes and walked them back in, as they headed back the little 3 year old boy pointed over to
our GMC beast and said "I want to drive that one" and the dad said "that is pretty cool isn't it." And on top of that as we were leaving saw a guy on
a bike almost wreck trying to give me a double "thumbs up" Just made my morning, just can't get that with an SOB.

Skip Hartline
--
74 Canyon Lands, FiTech,
3.7 FD, Manny Tranny,
Springfield Distributor,
2001 Chevy Tracker Ragtop Towd

 

[Carl Stouffer]

Very cool! I've had similar reactions to my coach. On the other hand, some people don't have any idea what it is and couldn't seem to care less.
--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles,
Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member

 

[steve southworth]

Was riding past an Ice cream drive in. A bunch of tweens excitedly pointing at us yelling "Ben Ten". CFO didn't understand. I had to get on the
net and show her about Ben Ten. She wasn't impressed with the "Rust Bucket" reference.
--
Steve Southworth
1974 Glacier TZE064V100150 (for workin on)
1975 Transmode TZE365V100394 (parts & spares)
Palmyra WI

 

[johnny]

When I was still showing, I often took the 23' coach to shows. Now there are professional handlers who live i their coaches with as many as ten or
twelve dogs. If they're good, it's lucrative. I often found myself parked between a couple of 40 - 45 foot pushers with many dogs in x-pens. And
here sits me under the awning with Ch Jazz taking air in the evening after the show. Along walks a crowd and one guy looks and says "Lookit the GMC.
And a Kuvasz!!" Crowd gathers, pets Jazz, looks at the coach, etc. Then walks by the coach next to me with ten show dogs outside. Totally ignored.
Owner wouldn't speak for three or four shows after

--johnny
--
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell

 

[tmsnyder]

Oh yeah, thumbs-ups from strangers on the road and lots of conversations with strangers at the gas pump. Birds of a feather...
--
Todd Snyder, Buffalo NY
1976 Eleganza II

 

[johnny]

Fortunately none of them were looking when the crankshaft busted on the 26' putting us into a roadside rest for a couple hours waiting for the hook


--johnny
--
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell

 

[Richard RV]

Love this thread!

Carl, I consider the GMC a rolling Rorschach test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. If someone doesn't
instantly recognize the inherent superiority and desirability of the GMC's sublime lines, well, clearly they are emotionally and intellectually
stunted. This is not my opinion but scientific fact, and I have the research to prove it!

Some of my favorite unsolicited admiration moments:
- coming out of an RV store and seeing two kneeling rumps by my front passenger wheel, the rest of their bodies were _in_ the wheel well! Two
mechanics from the RV service area were in deep discussion oohing and aahing over the front wheel drive. I smiled, stuck my head in the wheel well and
said, "What are we looking at?" They proceeded to tell me of the wonders of the GMC. Clearly highly intelligent and sensitive young men. There is
hope for the world.
- driving in the right lane around Boston during rush hour (sheesh - don't!) and a woman in a car pulls up next to me and just stays there, won't
pass, heavy traffic, frustrated motorists behind us both, she waves, I wave, she...stays...? She honks, I wave, she stays. I'm getting
uncomfortable. She puts down her passenger side window, waves and honks. I check my sideview mirrors, no smoke, just backed up traffic, open the toll
window and she yells, "NICE CAMPER!" and drives off.
- getting into the coach after gassing up and a guy 300 feet away starts yelling and running over to me. Wants to talk to me about the GMC.
- parked along the Portland Maine waterfront at a Nor'easter rally, beautiful day, lots of people walking, biking, jogging along the waterfront paved
path, and three comely young ladies start exclaiming how cute the GMCs are and start taking pictures. Me, standing next to the GMC, totally ignored,
but I was still the proud Poppa.
- another fill up and as usual a conversation, another guy walks up and listens waiting his turn to ask questions, another guy walks up, and I'm not
making this up, gets in line to ask questions!

Richard
--
'77 Birchaven TZE...777
'76 Palm Beach with 18,477 miles on it.

 

[Jim Hupy]

We see similar examples every time we drive the coach.
From the dump station while using the mascerator, to pulling up next
to us at a traffic signal, to the smart car driver that zips alongside us
on the freeway, rolls down the window and gives us the big thumbs up.
Mouthing the words, "love it!".
Huge interest out there.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Mon, Sep 9, 2019, 7:30 AM Richard via Gmclist
wrote:

> Love this thread!
>
> Carl, I consider the GMC a rolling Rorschach test to examine a person's
> personality characteristics and emotional functioning. If someone doesn't
> instantly recognize the inherent superiority and desirability of the GMC's
> sublime lines, well, clearly they are emotionally and intellectually
> stunted. This is not my opinion but scientific fact, and I have the
> research to prove it!
>
> Some of my favorite unsolicited admiration moments:
> - coming out of an RV store and seeing two kneeling rumps by my front
> passenger wheel, the rest of their bodies were _in_ the wheel well! Two
> mechanics from the RV service area were in deep discussion oohing and
> aahing over the front wheel drive. I smiled, stuck my head in the wheel
> well and
> said, "What are we looking at?" They proceeded to tell me of the wonders
> of the GMC. Clearly highly intelligent and sensitive young men. There is
> hope for the world.
> - driving in the right lane around Boston during rush hour (sheesh -
> don't!) and a woman in a car pulls up next to me and just stays there, won't
> pass, heavy traffic, frustrated motorists behind us both, she waves, I
> wave, she...stays...? She honks, I wave, she stays. I'm getting
> uncomfortable. She puts down her passenger side window, waves and honks.
> I check my sideview mirrors, no smoke, just backed up traffic, open the toll
> window and she yells, "NICE CAMPER!" and drives off.
> - getting into the coach after gassing up and a guy 300 feet away starts
> yelling and running over to me. Wants to talk to me about the GMC.
> - parked along the Portland Maine waterfront at a Nor'easter rally,
> beautiful day, lots of people walking, biking, jogging along the waterfront
> paved
> path, and three comely young ladies start exclaiming how cute the GMCs are
> and start taking pictures. Me, standing next to the GMC, totally ignored,
> but I was still the proud Poppa.
> - another fill up and as usual a conversation, another guy walks up and
> listens waiting his turn to ask questions, another guy walks up, and I'm not
> making this up, gets in line to ask questions!
>
> Richard
> --
> '77 Birchaven TZE...777
> '76 Palm Beach with 18,477 miles on it.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[6cuda6]

And dont forget all the " didnt they use one of those in **** movie? " comments.....lol.
--
Rich Mondor,

Brockville, ON

77 Hughes 2600

 

[Jim Hupy]

Coming back into the USA from British Columbia, Canada yesterday. The
"usually stoic" crossing guard at Sumas crossing asked us the usual, where
did you go, who did you see questions, then realized we were driving a
GMC, asked "is this the EM-50?" BIG SMILE!!.
Jim Hupy

On Mon, Sep 9, 2019, 7:55 AM tonka6cuda6--- via Gmclist <

> And dont forget all the " didnt they use one of those in **** movie? "
> comments.....lol.
> --
> Rich Mondor,
>
> Brockville, ON
>
> 77 Hughes 2600
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[76]

There was an incident that happened a few years ago while I was on my way to last GMCMI rally in Mansfield, Ohio. I decided to get a bit to eat and
pulled in to a Steak & Shake parking lot and noticed that I lot was followed in by a Michigan State Police cruiser. He parked in front of me without
his flashing lights on. I was stunned, wondering what I had done wrong. I watched as he get out of his cruiser and walked up to the toll window and
motioned to me to open it. I slid it open and started to get out my license, registration and insurance information when he said "we had one of these
when I was younger and loved them then and still do." We spent the next 10 minutes or so talking about some of trips he took with his family in their
GMC Motorhome. It was a relief that he wanted to talk about GMCs and not about some traffic violation.

 

[1976GMC]

It is fun to read this thread. We hadn't had our GMC for too long, but also heard the following comments:
- at a gas station, a gal pulled up next to us and said - "that's a nice van";

- camping at state park... usually, as we pull in and make a loop to get to our site, most activities in the park stop and the heads turn and follow
us until we pass (and not because we make an ungodly noise or blowing smoke ). Then people snap out and continue with whatever they were doing. As
we camp, people walk by and check it up up close. I had many people talk to us about how their parents or neighbors had a GMC too.

- another state park camping trip. A park ranger stopped by and said that this was the coolest RV ever in the park.

- at a dump station of all places... our GMC was showered with praise by a couple driving one of the new Mercedes campers. Turns out they gentleman's
folks had one of these way back when.

Make us smile every time
--
Vadim Jitkov
'76 Glenbrook 26'
Pullman, WA

 

[sandra price]

On our first trip (of two) GMC trips to AK, when we stopped to get gas, the
attendant asked how much gas we wanted. Bob said, "Fill it up.", "Why did
you ask?". The kid said, "most of the big coaches only buy enough to get
to the next station.".

In Anchorage a man in a truck rode alongside us until we got to a traffic
light. He rolled his window down and yelled, I have one of those at home!
At the next light he pulled up and tried to show us his album of pictures
of his coach. Then we lost him. Going back out of AK a few weeks later,
we pulled into a Fred Meyer parking lot and saw a white GMC parked across
from us. Turned out to be the same guy and he was thrilled to show us his
renovated, customized GMC.

We all are proud of them. Love all your stories.

On Mon, Sep 9, 2019, 4:20 PM Vadim Jitkov via Gmclist <

> It is fun to read this thread. We hadn't had our GMC for too long, but
> also heard the following comments:
> - at a gas station, a gal pulled up next to us and said - "that's a nice
> van";
>
> - camping at state park... usually, as we pull in and make a loop to get
> to our site, most activities in the park stop and the heads turn and follow
> us until we pass (and not because we make an ungodly noise or blowing
> smoke ). Then people snap out and continue with whatever they were
> doing. As
> we camp, people walk by and check it up up close. I had many people talk
> to us about how their parents or neighbors had a GMC too.
>
> - another state park camping trip. A park ranger stopped by and said that
> this was the coolest RV ever in the park.
>
> - at a dump station of all places... our GMC was showered with praise by a
> couple driving one of the new Mercedes campers. Turns out they gentleman's
> folks had one of these way back when.
>
> Make us smile every time
> --
> Vadim Jitkov
> '76 Glenbrook 26'
> Pullman, WA
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[Matt Colie]

I love this thread.
I'm also going to add some possible interest.

As I am often at local car shows (I haven't had a show quality car in decades) and people see Chaumière, they often stop to look.
I don't mind at all, but it does get wearisome. So, we carry an easel and a big foam-core board that has all that stuff that we all know listed.
Many stop and read the whole board. Many still have questions or want to say that the grandparents had one.

When we stopped at "The Pickers" place in Le Caire last (on the way to Amana?), it was a shooting day. More than a few people thought we were part of
the show. We told them no, we were just fans too.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit

 

[richshoop]

This thread is truly a tribute to those very creative, imaginative, and diverse group of people who invented a timeless classic. When working on these 12,000 lb hot rods with plumbing, you see the amount of imagination that was spent in creating these machines.

I can only imagine how many hours were spent doing 'water cooler design meetings', before there was even a program. How many hours spent re-purposing parts from all over GM to make this thing work. How hard the visionaries worked to get project buy in to get a project considered and actually get funded, a feat in a large company of no small miracle. And then make it happen over 12,000 times.

We are caretakers of a timeless piece of automotive history.

>
>
> On our first trip (of two) GMC trips to AK, when we stopped to get gas, the
> attendant asked how much gas we wanted. Bob said, "Fill it up.", "Why did
> you ask?". The kid said, "most of the big coaches only buy enough to get
> to the next station.".
>
> In Anchorage a man in a truck rode alongside us until we got to a traffic
> light. He rolled his window down and yelled, I have one of those at home!
> At the next light he pulled up and tried to show us his album of pictures
> of his coach. Then we lost him. Going back out of AK a few weeks later,
> we pulled into a Fred Meyer parking lot and saw a white GMC parked across
> from us. Turned out to be the same guy and he was thrilled to show us his
> renovated, customized GMC.
>
> We all are proud of them. Love all your stories.
>
> On Mon, Sep 9, 2019, 4:20 PM Vadim Jitkov via Gmclist <

>
> > It is fun to read this thread. We hadn't had our GMC for too long, but
> > also heard the following comments:
> > - at a gas station, a gal pulled up next to us and said - "that's a nice
> > van";
> >
> > - camping at state park... usually, as we pull in and make a loop to get
> > to our site, most activities in the park stop and the heads turn and follow
> > us until we pass (and not because we make an ungodly noise or blowing
> > smoke ). Then people snap out and continue with whatever they were
> > doing. As
> > we camp, people walk by and check it up up close. I had many people talk
> > to us about how their parents or neighbors had a GMC too.
> >
> > - another state park camping trip. A park ranger stopped by and said that
> > this was the coolest RV ever in the park.
> >
> > - at a dump station of all places... our GMC was showered with praise by a
> > couple driving one of the new Mercedes campers. Turns out they gentleman's
> > folks had one of these way back when.
> >
> > Make us smile every time
> > --
> > Vadim Jitkov
> > '76 Glenbrook 26'
> > Pullman, WA
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org

 

[Agoogol]

The day I brought ours home, my 16 year old daughter and her two friends hung out in it while we were making dinner and doing other things. I went out
to check on them and they asked ift hey could spend the night in it. One of the girls who I had never met before said "Oh I love your camper, it is
sooooo cooool!" I believe my daughter actually liked me for a few minutes there.
--
Kevin
1977 Kingsley
Centennial CO

 

[Carl Stouffer]

Like I said earlier, some people just ignore our GMC (out of jealousy, I suspect) and others are at least curious about it. When I explain about the
front wheel drive and the air suspension, they really get interested.

One time, a lady in Oak Park, in California, asked me if it was a conversion van. Another time, we were heading home from points east and a car
passed us on I-10 near Benson, AZ, the passenger leaned out the window and snapped a series of pictures as they drove past. The GMC almost always
stirs up some kind of interest wherever we go.
--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles,
Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member

 

[LarryW]

We have been traveling in our coach since 2006, mostly south in the winter months. We have been to both coasts as we have kids on both coasts to
visit. In those 13 yrs, we have camped in hundreds of campgrounds thoughout the US, and only once have we been not approached. The first time we were
not asked about our coach, I said to Lucy..."well, this is a first, nobody asking". We stopped at the dump station on the way out and a fella came up
on his bike all out of breath..."Geese, I'm glad I caught you. What is this thing?" Last weekend we went to a "GMC Invasion" where the Greater
Midwest Classics met at Jeff Wolf's property for an informal rally. Then 23 of us went to "Wheels and Wings" fly-in and car show in Osceola Wi. The
first 1000 vehicles were let in. We were among the first in the door and parked together along the back row...as the "GMC Invasion". Lucy and I opened
our coach (as did others) to anyone that wanted to see the inside. We had a steady stream of people come through our coach totaling somewhere around
200 people, all amazed at how neat these 40+yr old coaches were. We note to visitors that while many of the vehicles this show are garage queens,
only coming out on weekends or shows, ours is not stored inside, we put on 10K miles a year and actually live in it around 5mo of any given year.
"Wow...Really?" It has been a great 16 yrs of owning a 26ft, 12,000lb street rod with plumbing, with great life experiences. Hoping for another 16.
JMHO.
--
Larry
78 Royale w/500 Caddy
Menomonie, WI.

 

[johnny]

Along with the looks I got in Apopka with the other guys a couple Decembers ago, I got the greatest (non - GMC) ego boost going. A lady called the
lady who runs our Stewarding company and asked if I could Steward their Specialty Show by name. (A Specialty Show is a single breed show put on by
the national Breed club, in this instance the Scottish Terrier people. A win there is considered a great accomplishment because there will be
breeders from all over showing their best.) This a day before the AKC National Championships weekend, so all the big guns in the breed will be there.
I'm hyped.

--johnny
--
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell