New purchase road trip- Colorado to Michigan

Jonesy

Jonesy

New member
Jan 11, 2021
9
7
3
Rockford, MI
Picking up a 26’ Kingsley that has bounced around a bit. It was stolen from a man in Florida who did tons of mechanical updates and upgrades with Cooperative and others in Florida. The thief sold it to an unsuspecting buyer in Colorado who did more work on it before it was confiscated, and parked in a storage faculty in Colorado where it has sat for 4 years until now. I purchased it from the estate of the owner in Florida. Online auction. Whew!
I found a shop in CO with GMC experience to get it road worthy for the trip. New tires, fluids, checking all the usual stuff.
Should be an adventure!
Planning to fly out and drive her back, last weekend of January. Wish me luck!

9DFFF226-72B7-463A-9A2A-6C600596E484.webp
 
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Jonesy said:
Picking up a 26’ Kingsley that has bounced around a bit. It was stolen from a man in Florida who did tons of mechanical updates and upgrades with Cooperative and others in Florida. The thief sold it to an unsuspecting buyer in Colorado who did more work on it before it was confiscated, and parked in a storage faculty in Colorado where it has sat for 4 years until now. I purchased it from the estate of the owner in Florida. Online auction. Whew!
I found a shop in CO with GMC experience to get it road worthy for the trip. New tires, fluids, checking all the usual stuff.
Should be an adventure!
Planning to fly out and drive her back, last weekend of January. Wish me luck!

View attachment 3812
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Super clean-looking coach! Good luck with your travels!
 
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Mark,

You have just become a member of an amazing community of helping and supportive people the likes of which you may not know. For this reason, look up and print a copy of the GMC Assist (aka Black's) list and carry it with you.

You will be turning north to make for GR at the wrong time of year. I suggest that you watch the weather very carefully. I don't think I need to tell you about "Lake Effect Snow", do I? because of this, I am going to advise you to provision for three days. Why Three?? Because the smartest thing for your to do when the storm hits the fan is to find some place to hunker down and let the people that absolutely have to be out there have their accident and go home. This can easily take a day plus. The extra day is just extra margin. Do you also know that the GMCs are noted for the poor traction? I would lend you my chains, but the box is really heavy and would cost a fortune to ship. If you do have to hold up somewhere, see if there is someone local that you can meet.

At home you will be in the territory of the oldest (both ways) owner's chapter. This is also an amazing group. There is also a lunch group just south in Indiana as I recall. You have a just acquired several thousand brand new old friends that you have yet to meet. We are never upset if you try to take advantage of this fact. You do want to join both GMC Motorhomes International and the Great Lakers. When you can and get to a rally to get to know some your new friends.

You have a good start on a sigfile and that is good. It will do well over at GMCnet (the birdfeeder site) as well. Be aware that everybody at both forums has the same agenda. That agenda is to see to it that you get to enjoy both the coach and what she can do for you. We all know.

I am a congenital waterman and this group is so much like that world that I have taken to welcome those that find us much as you might be welcomed there. So,

May the Good Lord bless this coach and all those that set forth within her.

Welcome Mark

Matt
 
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Matt,
Thank you for the kind welcome and generous advice. Due to some delays getting her to the shop, and having a few things mechanically sorted, I won’t be picking her up until early March. Still, as a fellow Michigander, I know that weather could be worse than January. I will plan for at least three days and take it pretty easy heading back.
I will definitely check out the resources you mentioned and can’t wait to connect with fellow enthusiasts.
I’ve joined GMC Motorhomes International, and will check on the Great Lakers.
 
Mark,

I am actually relieved to hear that you will be delaying this excursion. You never said where your pick-up point is, but my chart says that Denver to GR is a lot like 1200 miles. While that is far from a record for a retrieval, you should plan on it being a 4 day haul. If you have a C0-Driver, you can do better. I had a friend that used to drive from Steamboat Springs to Ann Arbor on a regular basis. He had (now have his) very comfortable car and it was still three road days for him.

Do you have a GPS?? If you don't buy one now and put it in your daily driver and get accustom to dealing with it before you really need to. You really don't want to be trying to learn this thing while driving. Little GPS are junk for route planning. If you have GPS questions, I'm here.

If you are a MIAAA member have them ship you the complete set of maps for the route. If not, order up an old Truckers Road Atlas (spiral bound laminated) to carry. It will have two purposes. More on this later.

Get a mount for your phone and a two or three way mouse hole stretcher so you can plug everything in.
On your phone, you want:
Waze - to monitor the road ahead.
GasBuddy - to look for best fuel prices.
RVParky - to locate good Over Night Parks (campgrounds are expensive and you won't need or want them.

I have never had any success at trying to use the phone as an enroute navigator and I am sure that this would be worse as a single driver.

There is a good ONP at the BasPro in Gary. I know it is almost home for you, but a good way to get dead is driving while tired. The next best way is to try to push through weather. We used to hold up when west bound at the Cabela's, but the city got crabby. I miss it.

Will you be traveling with a laptop? If so, learn to set up the phone as a hotspot before departure. having wire (and OLD term for internet access) on the trip will be a great benefit. Not just to run Gasbussy for the next day's transit.

With the time of year you will be traveling, try to have provisions onboard for at least a few days. If the weather goes bad, just find a place to holdup and the people that have to be somewhere get there or have their accident trying.

If you would like a direct contact, use <matt7323tze at gmail dot com>. That even goes to my phone.

Oh, about the Truckers Atlas, Spiral Bound so it lays out flat in the table and the pages stay in. Laminated so you can mark the pages with a dry-erase pen. That way you can also use this as a travel log to show others where you have been. Keep a record of every thing. Both regular and required maintenance and repairs. If you do this right, in a very short time, it will all be a blur. If you write the Odo on the fuel receipts, then you have a good record.

I wish you four (maybe five) really boring driving days. (Sometimes excitement and adventure are not welcome.)

Matt
 
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Mark,

I'm back!

I completely forgot to tell you to look up Historic (hysteric) and Authentic registrations in Michigan. My 1973 registration cost 85$ and will be good as long as I own the coach. You have to provide a "year of manufacture" plate. An Historic registration costs about the same but is only good for ten years. Either may also get you a break on the insurance costs.

Both come with some restrictions: You are supposed to only drive the vehicle for testing and repairs, or to go to shows. That is except August is wide open. This really does not matter, all you have to do is carry a copy of the rally schedule if you are concerned. Most of the year there is a GMC of maybe FMCA (if you join - I'll tell you about this) rally somewhere. All GMC rallies have an Open House on Sunday and nowhere does it say you have to take the short way to get there and back.....
Did you know that Yellowstone NP can be on my way to Chippewa Falls?? (Well, it was.)

Matt
 
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Update: It’s alive!
After the usual fuel, fluids, and safety checks, she fired up and made the two hour drive to the shop in Colorado Springs.
Stage 1 complete.
Stage 2, the shop is going to give it a more thorough going over before the 3-4 day trip to Michigan.
obvious so far, are an oil leak up front, and an airbag with a slow leak. Also, a new set of tires will be installed.
D75AA330-D8F3-4C42-BE29-BBD7EF5204C0.webp
 
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That oil leak up front can be looked at as an onboard antirust system. Just watch the fluid levels until you get home and deal with it then. If the air bag leak is actually in the bag, it might be worth borrowing a bag from someone to get home. If it is in the air system, isolate the bag with isolation valves and drive it home. Have you done an oil change on the engine?
 
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Matt,
Wow, thanks for all the awesome advice.
I have recruited a copilot. He and I are used to the long drives. We use both GPS and Mapbooks, and several apps, scouting and hunting public land in other states.
I’m going to ship an essential tool set to the shop before flying out there.
I’ve never heard the term “mouse hole stretcher” lol. But, good advice. I’ll make sure the shop checks my Dash 12 V!
We will be sure to take it easy with plenty of stops to check fluids, hot bearings, etc.
Doing as much as possible to have an “uneventful” trip.
Thanks for the registration tip. I’ll definitely be looking into that!
Mark
 
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Jonesy said:
Matt,
Wow, thanks for all the awesome advice.
I have recruited a copilot. He and I are used to the long drives. We use both GPS and Mapbooks, and several apps, scouting and hunting public land in other states.
I’m going to ship an essential tool set to the shop before flying out there.
I’ve never heard the term “mouse hole stretcher” lol. But, good advice. I’ll make sure the shop checks my Dash 12 V!
We will be sure to take it easy with plenty of stops to check fluids, hot bearings, etc.
Doing as much as possible to have an “uneventful” trip.
Thanks for the registration tip. I’ll definitely be looking into that!
Mark
Click to expand...

Matt - Great looking ride. I am here in Colorado and I was curious about the shop in CO Springs you mentioned? I don;t know of many shops here in CO with any GMC experience so I would love to know who you are talking about! DM me if you like, or respond here.

Would love to see some interior pics of tyour new purchase, looks amazing. Would love to get together while you are in town maybe and see it in person, but March is pretty busy month. Let me know when you are more firm on your dates?

Thanks!
 
Kevin,

I think you skipped a groove.....
You wanted to address this to Jonesy (aka Mark Jones).

Nothing I have looks very good again - yet. The only thing I know about Colorado is that Emery and Michelle Stora live there. Emery is on his third (at least) GMC having worn one past salvageable. He lives in Fredrick now and it is well worth your while to look him up in the GMCMI roster or Assist list. I do not believe he reads this forum.

Matt
 
Matt Colie said:
Kevin,

I think you skipped a groove.....
You wanted to address this to Jonesy (aka Mark Jones).

Nothing I have looks very good again - yet. The only thing I know about Colorado is that Emery and Michelle Stora live there. Emery is on his third (at least) GMC having worn one past salvageable. He lives in Fredrick now and it is well worth your while to look him up in the GMCMI roster or Assist list. I do not believe he reads this forum.

Matt
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OOPS!
 
Jonesy said:
Matt,
Wow, thanks for all the awesome advice.
I have recruited a copilot. He and I are used to the long drives. We use both GPS and Mapbooks, and several apps, scouting and hunting public land in other states.
I’m going to ship an essential tool set to the shop before flying out there.
I’ve never heard the term “mouse hole stretcher” lol. But, good advice. I’ll make sure the shop checks my Dash 12 V!
We will be sure to take it easy with plenty of stops to check fluids, hot bearings, etc.
Doing as much as possible to have an “uneventful” trip.
Thanks for the registration tip. I’ll definitely be looking into that!
Mark
Click to expand...
Jonesy, when you coming through Denver?
 
Hey Kevin Carter,
I checked with Brad, and he said I could feel free to share his info here.
Five 6 Shop. 4675 Park Vista Blvd Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Phone 719-200-5751.
Brad, the owner, owns a GMC, and has worked on many. Not a “GMC Shop” but he’s qualified.
I’m having a bunch of work done. I probably won’t be picking it up until end of March.
 
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GMCMI Spring 2026 Rally

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