Rocky Mountain Hi!

[peter brandt]

Hi everybody from snowy and cold western Colorado!

My name is Peter and I bought my first GMC about 6 weeks ago - a 1977
Eleganza II with a 455 and a 3.46 final drive. It runs great up here at
6500+ feet. Do you put chains on all six wheels? Just kidding!
I hope I'll get a few things done before spring - it needs minor cosmetic
and mechanical repairs but I'm sure there are some surprises waiting for
me...
I do have a couple of questions:

Front Wheel Bearings:
Again, I'm new to this GMC-thing, so this is probably a dumb question - Is
there supposed to be ANY noticeable play in the front bearings (with the
front end jacked up)? My experience with front wheel drive CARS is that if
everything is assembled and torqued to specs there is very little to no
noticeable play in the front hubs. My GMC has substantial play in both front
bearings. They were done 20,000 miles ago, so I guess it's time to replace
them. Also, is the Tom Warner tool still available?

Window Coverings:
My wife didn't like the curtains and threw them out a day after we we bought
the coach (including hardware). She assured me that it would be "no problem"
for her to sew new ones - now we're looking for BLINDS - any suggestions?
Are the Camping World miniblinds any good? (I'll install them myself, after
all the CW stories!)

Roof Vents:
Who sells replacement domes for the roof vents?

Thanks,
Peter Brandt
1977 Eleganza II
Carbondale, CO
schaf

 

[gary miller]

Peter--
Congratulations and welcome to the "club". You are starting out right by
attending the the mechanical condition.

RE HUBS--You should have no noticeable play. Sounds like you need immediate
bearing attention. My suggestion is to insist on Cinnabar bearings and get
someone who knows how to go through the replacement with you for the first
time. Warner may have some tools left -- he's on the GMCNet all the time.

RE: BLINDS: Call Guske sales. They have GMC "packages" and their prices beat
CW. I like the day-nite ;pull down pleated shades.

RE: VENTS.

The Fantastic vent is the only way to go. CW sells them but I think Scott ,
again on the GMC Net all the time, also has them and at a better ;price.

Gary
North Bend, Oregon Coast (between rain showers today(

> Hi everybody from snowy and cold western Colorado!
>
> My name is Peter and I bought my first GMC about 6 weeks ago - a 1977
> Eleganza II with a 455 and a 3.46 final drive. It runs great up here at
> 6500+ feet. Do you put chains on all six wheels? Just kidding!
> I hope I'll get a few things done before spring - it needs minor cosmetic
> and mechanical repairs but I'm sure there are some surprises waiting for
> me...
> I do have a couple of questions:
>
> Front Wheel Bearings:
> Again, I'm new to this GMC-thing, so this is probably a dumb question - Is
> there supposed to be ANY noticeable play in the front bearings (with the
> front end jacked up)? My experience with front wheel drive CARS is that if
> everything is assembled and torqued to specs there is very little to no
> noticeable play in the front hubs. My GMC has substantial play in both front
> bearings. They were done 20,000 miles ago, so I guess it's time to replace
> them. Also, is the Tom Warner tool still available?
>
> Window Coverings:
> My wife didn't like the curtains and threw them out a day after we we bought
> the coach (including hardware). She assured me that it would be "no problem"
> for her to sew new ones - now we're looking for BLINDS - any suggestions?
> Are the Camping World miniblinds any good? (I'll install them myself, after
> all the CW stories!)
>
> Roof Vents:
> Who sells replacement domes for the roof vents?
>
> Thanks,
> Peter Brandt
> 1977 Eleganza II
> Carbondale, CO
> schaf

 

[thomas g. warner]

Peter if there is front end play in your wheels it could be due to several
different things.
1. Hubs are out of tolerance
2. Knuckles are out of tolerance.
3. Wheel bearings of the wrong type or out of tolerance.

I would suggest that you get the June 1996 issue of the Cinnabar GMC
motorhome, I believe it is $2. as it has a very good article on how to
properly check everything out, complete with tolerances for the hubs and
knuckles, and a step by step instruction on how to remove and reinstall the
bearings.

I still have a few bearing removal tools available. The cost is $200 which
includes the puller and the OTC927 attachments and postage. If you want one
send a check, and your complete mailing address to:

Tom Warner
3692 Hogan Road
Vernon Center, NY 13477

>Hi everybody from snowy and cold western Colorado!
>
>My name is Peter and I bought my first GMC about 6 weeks ago - a 1977
>Eleganza II with a 455 and a 3.46 final drive. It runs great up here at
>6500+ feet. Do you put chains on all six wheels? Just kidding!
>I hope I'll get a few things done before spring - it needs minor cosmetic
>and mechanical repairs but I'm sure there are some surprises waiting for
>me...
>I do have a couple of questions:
>
>Front Wheel Bearings:
>Again, I'm new to this GMC-thing, so this is probably a dumb question - Is
>there supposed to be ANY noticeable play in the front bearings (with the
>front end jacked up)? My experience with front wheel drive CARS is that if
>everything is assembled and torqued to specs there is very little to no
>noticeable play in the front hubs. My GMC has substantial play in both front
>bearings. They were done 20,000 miles ago, so I guess it's time to replace
>them. Also, is the Tom Warner tool still available?
>
>Window Coverings:
>My wife didn't like the curtains and threw them out a day after we we bought
>the coach (including hardware). She assured me that it would be "no problem"
>for her to sew new ones - now we're looking for BLINDS - any suggestions?
>Are the Camping World miniblinds any good? (I'll install them myself, after
>all the CW stories!)
>
>
>Roof Vents:
>Who sells replacement domes for the roof vents?
>
>Thanks,
>Peter Brandt
>1977 Eleganza II
>Carbondale, CO
>schaf
>
>
>
>

 

[thomas g. warner]

New knuckles are $240 from cinnabar wiht no exchange

>
>> My GMC has substantial play in both front
>> bearings. They were done 20,000 miles ago, so I guess it's time to replace
>> them.
>
>Peter,
> Welcome to the obsession! ;-) When you do the bearings, be sure to check
>for wear in the steering knuckles. I had one bad one on mine. New knuckles
>are available from Cinnabar, about $300+ IIRC. If you get the right bearings
>and do it by the book, they should last more than 20,000 miles. (Recommended
>service interval is 25K.)
> Good luck. HTH.
>
>Rick Staples
>'75 Eleganza
>Louisville, CO
>
>

 

[gene]

Thoma rebuilds knuckles, some say they are better than new because of the
insert he puts in.

gene

>New knuckles are $240 from cinnabar wiht no exchange
>

>>
>>> My GMC has substantial play in both front
>>> bearings. They were done 20,000 miles ago, so I guess it's time to
replace
>>> them.
>>
>>Peter,
>> Welcome to the obsession! ;-) When you do the bearings, be sure to
check
>>for wear in the steering knuckles. I had one bad one on mine. New
knuckles
>>are available from Cinnabar, about $300+ IIRC. If you get the right
bearings
>>and do it by the book, they should last more than 20,000 miles.
(Recommended
>>service interval is 25K.)
>> Good luck. HTH.
>>
>>Rick Staples
>>'75 Eleganza
>>Louisville, CO
>>
>>
>
>
Genef -- 77PB/ore/ca
GMC MOTORHOME INFORMATION
mr.erf
http://www.california.com/~eagle/

 

[richard guthart]

Hi, Peter, and greetings from Fort Collins!

Two years ago I, too, bought a '77 GMC - a Birchaven with a 455 and 56,000 miles
on it. Although it was in good mechanical condition overall, the front
suspension needed a lot of work. Drive shafts and tie rods were fine but wheel
bearings and lower ball joints were shot, as were the A-arm bushings, anti-sway
bar bushings and shocks. (The ball joints had 1/2" of vertical play!) While I
had everything apart I also had the lower A-arms reinforced.

This is one area in which the Olds components have to work very hard in our
11,000 lb. vehicles.

The many long-time owners who contribute to this forum have been incredibly
helpful to me during the restoration of my GMC. You will no doubt find the same.
Much of the information has now been posted to several excellent web sites,
complete with pictures.

Richard

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Peter Brandt
To: GMCnet
Sent: Monday, December 13, 1999 9:14 AM
Subject: GMC: Rocky Mountain Hi!

> Hi everybody from snowy and cold western Colorado!
>
> My name is Peter and I bought my first GMC about 6 weeks ago - a 1977
> Eleganza II with a 455 and a 3.46 final drive. It runs great up here at
> 6500+ feet. Do you put chains on all six wheels? Just kidding!
> I hope I'll get a few things done before spring - it needs minor cosmetic
> and mechanical repairs but I'm sure there are some surprises waiting for
> me...
> I do have a couple of questions:
>
> Front Wheel Bearings:
> Again, I'm new to this GMC-thing, so this is probably a dumb question - Is
> there supposed to be ANY noticeable play in the front bearings (with the
> front end jacked up)? My experience with front wheel drive CARS is that if
> everything is assembled and torqued to specs there is very little to no
> noticeable play in the front hubs. My GMC has substantial play in both front
> bearings. They were done 20,000 miles ago, so I guess it's time to replace
> them. Also, is the Tom Warner tool still available?
>
> Window Coverings:
> My wife didn't like the curtains and threw them out a day after we we bought
> the coach (including hardware). She assured me that it would be "no problem"
> for her to sew new ones - now we're looking for BLINDS - any suggestions?
> Are the Camping World miniblinds any good? (I'll install them myself, after
> all the CW stories!)
>
>
> Roof Vents:
> Who sells replacement domes for the roof vents?
>
> Thanks,
> Peter Brandt
> 1977 Eleganza II
> Carbondale, CO
> schaf
>
>

 

[kara m kosier]

RE: VENTS.
>
> The Fantastic vent is the only way to go. CW sells them but I think
Scott ,
> again on the GMC Net all the time, also has them and at a better ;price.
>
If you try the Turbo/Maxx ceiling fan/vent with thermostat from Camping
World you will throw rocks at all the Fan-Tastic vents you see. That's my
opinion. Gary Kosier