So what did you do to your GMC today?

Today I pulled a valve cover and tweeked it slightly so it was no longer rubbing on my new full roller rockers. They were making a slight noise, I could feel it more then hear it, and left two small shiny spots on the rocker tips. Ball peen hammer massaged some clearance into the cover. Now she just purrs. Needs new exhaust donuts to be truly quiet but they can wait.

Also, major victory, I had a slow leak in a tire. Soap and water found the stem leaking. With PB Blaster, a 9/16 wrench and a pair of vicegrips I was eventually able to get the nut to move without spinning the stem and ruining the rubber seal inside the tire, and was able to tighten it up so it no longer leaks.

In process I also verified my new skinny air hose and chuck are able to put air in any of the tires, and the air bags.

Also fired up the generator and ran a 1500 watt heater for a couple hours, just to verify that still worked.
 
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Today I did an oil and filter change to prepare for the ~2400 mile trip home, leaving PA on the 28th. I was a little over the mileage at approx 3400 miles, but I'm now using mobil-1 synthetic oil, so I guess it's okay.

I hosed it off too and washed the wheels. I have always thought that nice shiny wheels make any vehicle look better, even though the rest of it is still kind of dirty.
 
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sailor man said:
View attachment 14544
My coach finally arrived from Cliff Golby late Wednesday night and I was finally able to get this setup together for the first time. I had the (2) YMGI Mini-splits, custom ac mounting frame, wheel cover and Thule box painted to match the coach. The Thule is not yet quire leveled. There is a through the bumper hitch which is supposed to have a 15,000 lb rating. This setup reduces it to 7,500 lb. When I tow the toad, the Thule is moved to the rear of the toad. The Thule is rated for 350 lb. View attachment 14545
Note that there is nothing on the roof. The storage box and the heat pumps are completely out of the air steam.
The normal lpg compartment does not have a tank. There is an additional compartment behind the front wheel for the lpg tank freeing the old compartment for storage.
I am now ready for the solar panel installation.
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License plate not on the Thule yet. I've got to fashion a plate to cover the "Thule" and put the GMC logo on it.
View attachment 14550
The spare tire is made by Roadmaster. The vertical mount post actually telescopes to provide leverage to swing the tire to the ground on either side.
Remove the cover and rotate the tire to the ground. Unbolt the tire and roll it to where it will replace the flat tire. roll the flat tire to the mount and bolt it. Then rotate the mount to the vertical position.
No tire lifting!
There is plenty of free air for the heat pumps. The storage box can rotate backwards about 30° to provide more access to the tire.
View attachment 14611
It can hold 350 lb. Looks a bit like a Pacman.
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I have got to shorten the GMC Motorhome's base to get the C-Max toad down for accuracy, but I think that is is very cool to RV this way.
Don.
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I think that there will be very little air resistance, but I am thinking about a rear spoiler on the coach. I have seen a few applications.
I have 2 red 16ft Hobie kayaks using Thule Hullavator mounts that support and drop the kayaks on the side of the vehicle.
 
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Yesterday, when I got back from work, I was able to R & R the stock waste tank blade valve. It was stuck in the closed position, although it leaked out water on the ground directly beneath it, as well as through the discharge pipe. I was in a hurry to get ready for my first camping trip in the GMC, so I opted to purchase the original Thetford white valve. Direct fit. Had to drill one hole and use a longer bolt, washers and nut. I tested it with 10 gallons of water and no leaks!

I plan on adding a macerator in the future. I wonder how many of you out there have upgraded to a macerator, and how many of you continue to use the stock system and the stinky slinky?
 

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RvRev2 said:
I plan on adding a macerator in the future. I wonder how many of you out there have upgraded to a macerator, and how many of you continue to use the stock system and the stinky slinky?
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I installed a macerator back in 2009 and I'm never going back to a stinky slinky. I can pull up to the dump station, pull out my macerator hose, dump and re-stow the hose in less time than many take to wash out their slinky hose!
 
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I so need to do that, biggest problem is I have a coachman with grey and black tanks so the plumbing is a lot harder.
Part of me wants to get rid of one tank, not like I use it that much
 
I just returned home from a two-night trip with the GMC. This was my first time camping in the rig. It was a business trip. I got to try out all the systems in a real-life experience. Everything worked perfectly. I did find showering to be an experience. Perhaps some of you veterans can share what you do with the shower curtains, etc. I also noticed that the waste water tank sure fills up quickly. How many gallons is that thing?
 

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RvRev2 said:
Yesterday, when I got back from work, I was able to R & R the stock waste tank blade valve. It was stuck in the closed position, although it leaked out water on the ground directly beneath it, as well as through the discharge pipe. I was in a hurry to get ready for my first camping trip in the GMC, so I opted to purchase the original Thetford white valve. Direct fit. Had to drill one hole and use a longer bolt, washers and nut. I tested it with 10 gallons of water and no leaks!

I plan on adding a macerator in the future. I wonder how many of you out there have upgraded to a macerator, and how many of you continue to use the stock system and the stinky slinky?
Click to expand...
A macerator makes the worst part about RVing just a minor inconvenience. Cleaner and quicker. Keep the 3" bayonet outlet as backup.

I mainly followed Dan Winchester's write up on the GMC photo site, but used cable controlled valves and put the pull handles and the macerator switch by the driver's side back corner.
 
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RvRev2 said:
I just returned home from a two-night trip with the GMC. This was my first time camping in the rig. It was a business trip. I got to try out all the systems in a real-life experience. Everything worked perfectly. I did find showering to be an experience. Perhaps some of you veterans can share what you do with the shower curtains, etc. I also noticed that the waste water tank sure fills up quickly. How many gallons is that thing?
Click to expand...

Yes 40 gallons doesn't last very long.

I love the shower in the GMC! Look up Navy shower.

My coach didn't come with curtains so I never use any. I can't imagine how one could shower within those two curtains about 24" apart, they'd be constantly sticking to me. Maybe if they were fabric it would be ok.
 
tmsnyder said:
Yes 40 gallons doesn't last very long.

I love the shower in the GMC! Look up Navy shower.

My coach didn't come with curtains so I never use any. I can't imagine how one could shower within those two curtains about 24" apart, they'd be constantly sticking to me. Maybe if they were fabric it would be ok.
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Thanks for the input, especially about not using curtains. I'll experiment with that. Fully understand the Navy Shower. Did it for six years. Did you notice the front license plate?

40 gallons you say. That should last awhile. Perhaps I had a false reading on the tank gauge.
 
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RvRev2 said:
Thanks for the input, especially about not using curtains. I'll experiment with that. Fully understand the Navy Shower. Did it for six years. Did you notice the front license plate?

40 gallons you say. That should last awhile. Perhaps I had a false reading on the tank gauge.
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Thank you for your service!

I believe on my E2 with the OE tanks, it's impossible to flood the black water tank. If the black tank is empty, and the entire freshwater ended up in there, it would not overflow into the shower.

Better to verify this at home first however. But basically you don't even need the gauge, or just the freshwater b/c the black is the inverse of the freshwater gauge.

My wife and I can dry camp for about 1 week using only the water on board. That's pretty typical from what I've seen online.

I find dish washing is the number one water hog. So we use paper plates.
 
tmsnyder said:
Thank you for your service!

I believe on my E2 with the OE tanks, it's impossible to flood the black water tank. If the black tank is empty, and the entire freshwater ended up in there, it would not overflow into the shower.

Better to verify this at home first however. But basically you don't even need the gauge, or just the freshwater b/c the black is the inverse of the freshwater gauge.

My wife and I can dry camp for about 1 week using only the water on board. That's pretty typical from what I've seen online.

I find dish washing is the number one water hog. So we use paper plates.
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Thanks Todd. Very helpful for me. Nice to know about the tank capacities.
 
Saturday:
Roof is now ready for solar panel installation (needs to be cleaned yet).
  • Removed rear AC, replaced with vent fan.
  • Removed ladder and roof rail. Patched holes with flush-rivets/watertight rivets and sealed.
  • Removed TV antenna base and patched with aluminum, sealant, and flush-rivets.
  • Removed radio antenna base and patched with aluminum, sealant, and flush-rivets.
  • Removed TV twin-lead input, flattened cover panel, riveted down with sealant and flush-rivets.
Flush rivets were used where solar panels have to cover the patches or where repairs will be seen (rear window panel).
Messenger_creation_16761AF0-E8C2-4F57-BDFB-87E934DA6FC8.webpMessenger_creation_ED5930D1-2E57-4F35-8678-C0FAA36DCB72~2.webp
Testing solar panels and MPPT controller:
  • 900W panels
  • 553W output in the morning, in the spring, in the PNW, with panels flat to the ground.
    • It will only get better as we approach the peak solar hours and get closer to the summer solstice. 😁
      • (2 hours later) The battery was charged before peak solar for the day, but I saw consistent 630W by 11AM.
900W.webpBattery & controller.webp
 
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