Salutations All

[brent hinrichs]

Just wanted to introduce myself and Shellback. I’m a retired Navy vet with a new (to me) 1978 GMC Royale rear bath (Shellback). The good news is she is almost all original. It has the original built in countertop blender, and it still works! This rig was built for entertaining, way ahead of its time. It also has a round, detachable, wired trouble light under the passenger side front access hood. I think its original? Very unique. I’m calling it the battle lantern (Navy term). It doesn't work, but I have plans to upgrade it later.
The bad news is it’s almost all original. So the battle lantern is the least of my worries. I was able to drive it home so no major mechanical issues at the moment. The fridge is DOA. No worries, I plan to replace it with a suitable apartment size fridge for now. It also has the original “buzz box” converter which I plan on replacing it right away.
My Question,
The original 6000 onan generator turns over but I don’t know if it starts. The previous owner said it works but it probably needs work. I can’t get it to slide out so I don’t want to try and start it without checking the oil and so-forth. It has two release latches that I am able to push and the latches release. It also has a release lever on the top right which I am able to pull to the right. But no matter how I try the gen will not budge! Am I missing something?

Brent Hinrichs
1978 GMC Royale 403 RB
Marysville Wa. 98271

 

[tawptool]

Brent,

Congratulations and welcome aboard shipmate!

I have a 23' rear bath Birchaven finished by the same company, so very similar. Mine is named Orion (so now you know part of my Navy history too).

It sounds like you are trying to slide the generator (APU) out correctly. It also sounds like its been in it's hiding hole for quite some time. The slides are probably dried and crusty, and maybe a little bit of rust?

Good luck on your project, and keep us posted!

Guy Lopes
1975 (ish) 23' RB Birchaven Orion
Sacramento, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist On Behalf Of Brent Hinrichs
Sent: Saturday, June 2, 2018 11:19 PM
To: gmclist
Subject: [GMCnet] Salutations All

Just wanted to introduce myself and Shellback. I’m a retired Navy vet with a new (to me) 1978 GMC Royale rear bath (Shellback). The good news is she is almost all original. It has the original built in countertop blender, and it still works! This rig was built for entertaining, way ahead of its time. It also has a round, detachable, wired trouble light under the passenger side front access hood. I think its original? Very unique. I’m calling it the battle lantern (Navy term). It doesn't work, but I have plans to upgrade it later.
The bad news is it’s almost all original. So the battle lantern is the least of my worries. I was able to drive it home so no major mechanical issues at the moment. The fridge is DOA. No worries, I plan to replace it with a suitable apartment size fridge for now. It also has the original “buzz box” converter which I plan on replacing it right away.
My Question,
The original 6000 onan generator turns over but I don’t know if it starts. The previous owner said it works but it probably needs work. I can’t get it to slide out so I don’t want to try and start it without checking the oil and so-forth. It has two release latches that I am able to push and the latches release. It also has a release lever on the top right which I am able to pull to the right. But no matter how I try the gen will not budge! Am I missing something?

Brent Hinrichs
1978 GMC Royale 403 RB
Marysville Wa. 98271

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[Ken B]

You have the three items correct that hold the Onan in place. The Onan is mounted on two sliding rails. One high on the right and one low on the
left. The rails are probably rusted up. Soak the rails / slides with a good penetrating oil like Kroil or PB Blaster and try pulling again. I am
working on one the hadn't moved in 19 years. It had the same problem and it took two of us pulling on it to get it to move. Once it does move oil
the slides good and work the Onan in and out a few times and it will loosen up.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana

 

[Matt Colie]

> Just wanted to introduce myself and Shellback. I'm a retired Navy vet with a new (to me) 1978 GMC Royale rear bath (Shellback). The good news is
> she is almost all original. It has the original built in countertop blender, and it still works! This rig was built for entertaining, way ahead of
> its time. It also has a round, detachable, wired trouble light under the passenger side front access hood. I think its original? Very unique. I'm
> calling it the battle lantern (Navy term). It doesn't work, but I have plans to upgrade it later.
> The bad news is it's almost all original. So the battle lantern is the least of my worries. I was able to drive it home so no major
> mechanical issues at the moment. The fridge is DOA. No worries, I plan to replace it with a suitable apartment size fridge for now. It also has the
> original "buzz box" converter which I plan on replacing it right away.
> My Question,
> The original 6000 onan generator turns over but I don't know if it starts. The previous owner said it works but it probably needs work. I
> can't get it to slide out so I don't want to try and start it without checking the oil and so-forth. It has two release latches that I am able to
> push and the latches release. It also has a release lever on the top right which I am able to pull to the right. But no matter how I try the gen
> will not budge! Am I missing something?
>
>
> Brent Hinrichs
> 1978 GMC Royale 403 RB
> Marysville Wa. 98271

Brent,

Welcome to the group, family, cult, asylum.
You found your way here and that is a very good thing. Though we have just a very few plank owners, we we do have lots of very experienced owners
here, and there is little chance that you can hit this group with a new and un-seen difficulty.

Hang one guy, here we go.

Replacing the reefer with an compact apartment/dorm unit is not a real bad idea unless you plan to exist off grid for more than about a day at a time.
There is also an issue with the fact that most need air over the sides because that is the cooling. They also need a lot of AC for starting. We
have been running a little dorm reefer on a 750/1500va Hazard Fright modified square wave unit for at least five years. If you go this way, buy the
service plan and in a year, buy a backup unit. The fan does bad. It will have to be in the back, near the house bank and not with the batteries but
out of weather. It will have to have BIG cable to the house bank, but you can put in a piece of marine (stranded) romex to the reefer space from
there. I recommend the marine romex because it is fatigue resistant and easier to make sharp bends.

An alternative would be to look up one of people that rebuild the cooling units for absorption reefers. They are about half the price of new and
usually have a good warranty. Unfortunately, all that I know of are in the Amish areas, but most do ship. The change out is only a little tougher
than field stripping a MaDuce.

The battle lantern is in all the coaches that were sold as to be motorhomes at least. They are usually unplugged at the right (stbd) side lazaret
where there is a switch to turn it on when that is open. They are supposed to have a coach-long cable on the spool, but they are never easy to deploy
or stow and it is no better with 40 years of age. I have not powered mine up in years, but it is still there.

Ripping out the buzz box is simple and should have a high priority as that thing is better at destroying batteries than it is at charging them. You
will not need the isolator mounts as the new versions are quieter. I will suggest that you look at Progressive Dynamics 92XX, either 45 or 60 will
do. Iota Engineering units do as well, but I have not kept up with their models. Do not scrap the buzzbox if it works. Offer it to a friend that
would like to have a Gozo-Mama 12V (really 14.4V) bench power supply.

About the house bank: If it is not in a slide out tray so they can be maintained, get the tray from Applied GMC and put that in first. Most here
have found the most successful house bank to be a pair of GC2s (6V golf cart) batteries in series. Without the pullout tray, they can be very tough
to maintain.

About the onboard generator, it will probably need new fuel line between it and the tank. The supply may be a T in the main (after) fuel tanks line.
I am told most Royale were that way. Then you need to check that the fuel pump works and that the solenoid valve that may be inline (varies) allows
fuel to pass. The carburetor will probably need cleaning. It is a pretty normal Walboro LMB or LMC (memory issue there) but most kits are supplied
for gravity feed so the port at the needle valve is too big. That is another thing that can be correct if you get the kit from Applied (JimK). If
you do not feel like going after this on your own, find an older guy in a small engine shop (after you get the slides freed up). Avoid Cummins/Onan
shops as they are very proud of their time and parts. It is worth the time and effort to get this working because there are few simple and effective
replacements. There is a lot of both OE and trouble shooting documentation available "here". When cared for, they are usually anvil reliable.

As soon as you do get it running, consider the mod of a Pertronix flywheel trigger to replace the ignition points. You get to set the timing where it
should be and the part will never require your attention again. And it will run better too. Look up the instructions here.

Thank you for starting out with a good sigfile, that makes a lot of what we are about all the easier.

Now, the most important part.
Finding us has just gotten you a couple of thousand brand new old friends. All of us here have an agenda that we do not hide. That is that we want
to make sure that you can enjoy what your coach can do for you as much as we all do. The community is much like that of the watermen of my world. (I
am a ship's engineer by trade, a lifelong waterman and a congenital sailor of wind powered vessels.) Most of us have stories about this to share of
assistance from others. I do not have any experience with another community that is like this at all.

As this is so much like the community of watermen that are what I know, I decided some years ago that any new owner here should be welcomed much as
any new owner or vessel is welcomed there. I have to paraphrase to make it work. So,

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

Welcome Brent

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

 

[johnny]

If you or the PO haven't replaced ALL the rubber fuel and vent lines with barrier hose, do so NOW before you set the woods and the coach on fire.
Make up a couple of quarts of Magic Elixer and carefully (keep it off the paint and soft stuff)wet down the genset slides with it. Use an oil can
with no rubber or nylon parts, Elixir will deteriorate them.Do this once or twice a day forthree days and then see if you can't yank it loose. Once
out, wipe the slides dry and clean and grease them with some waterproof grease.

--johnny MSGT retired FANG

DOS Tip: Magic Elixir is made of equal parts by volume of Type A transmission fluid and acetone.
--
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" - ol Andy, paraphrased

 

[SteveW]

Welcome Brent !!

Excellent suggestions already provided about the Power Drawer slides.

You'll also discover that the generator is mounted with bolts through rubber cushions. On mine, these rubber cushions had deteriorated / squished to
the point that the generator was actually rubbing against the power drawer floor. The starter's high amperage connection is in this neighborhood -
and you definitely don't want that touching the power drawer bottom and causing a various serious short circuit. Yea... guess how I know that !!

New cushions and my power drawer slides out easily. Good Luck !!

Steve W
1973 23
Southern California

 

[thomas phipps]

And while you are playing with Mr. Onan, check the starter bracket for cracks or even broken. Grab the starter with your hand and see if you can move
it. If it moves, the bracket is broken. Another way to check, when you pull the Onan from it's hole, see if the frame beneath the Onan has a shiny
spot where the starter has been dragged across the frame.
JmK has nice steel replacements that will solve your problem.

Tom
--
2012 Phoenix Cruiser model 2552
KA4CSG

 

[brent hinrichs]

Thank you all for the wealth of information and all the warm wecomes as
well.

Best regards,
Brent Hinrichs US Navy Ret
1978 GMC Royale 403 RB

Marysville, WA

> And while you are playing with Mr. Onan, check the starter bracket for
> cracks or even broken. Grab the starter with your hand and see if you can
> move
> it. If it moves, the bracket is broken. Another way to check, when you
> pull the Onan from it's hole, see if the frame beneath the Onan has a shiny
> spot where the starter has been dragged across the frame.
> JmK has nice steel replacements that will solve your problem.
>
> Tom
> --
> 2012 Phoenix Cruiser model 2552
> KA4CSG
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[Ken H.]

Brent,

You've gotten yourself into an old enough group that a large percentage of
us have a military background, many of us "lifers" (23 years in USAF
myself). And we're old enough to know a spark plug from a hub cab
(usually).

Welcome aboard,

Ken H.
Americus, GA
'76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI & EBL,
Manny Brakes & 1-Ton, Troy-Bilt APU, etc., etc., etc.
www.gmcwipersetc.com

> Thank you all for the wealth of information and all the warm wecomes as
> well.
>
>

 

[jim kanomata1]

You should consider contacting us as we help lot of people with their isues
and suggestion.
Also look into the Cascaders GMC Club.
Oh, I'm a Army Vet.

On Sun, Jun 3, 2018 at 7:27 PM, Ken Henderson
wrote:

> Brent,
>
> You've gotten yourself into an old enough group that a large percentage of
> us have a military background, many of us "lifers" (23 years in USAF
> myself). And we're old enough to know a spark plug from a hub cab
> (usually).
>
> Welcome aboard,
>
> Ken H.
> Americus, GA
> '76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI & EBL,
> Manny Brakes & 1-Ton, Troy-Bilt APU, etc., etc., etc.
> www.gmcwipersetc.com
>
>

>
> > Thank you all for the wealth of information and all the warm wecomes as
> > well.
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502

 

[jdlisenby]

Welcome to the madness! As you see in my sigfile I also have a 78 Royale, some of the things Coachmen did are interesting. Ken H. has the wiring
diagrams that are a great help in troubleshooting electrical issues. Be glad you coach is nearly original. I spent a lot of time and money undoing
some of my beloved P.O.s improvements. As you will see there are a lot of fellow veterans in the community 8)
--
JD Lisenby- USAF Ret
1978 Royale-455
MacDash, Manny Tranny, FI-tech, 3.70 etc etc

Navarre, FL