March 2005 - GMC Classics Motorhome Club
Contents
1. Joanne Davis Marvin amp Gay Guelker and Lin wood amp Sue Arthur Sorry for those that missed Jon Rutherford our entertainment Thanks Sue The GMC classics are a fun group to be associated with and our next rally as understand Is In Cowboy country and promises to be just that April is wildflower month in Texas so hope to see some of this beauty on the way down and back Looking through the new direc tory see a lot of names and faces we havent seen for some time Wouldn t it be nice if these faces would appear in Bandera sat in with the planning Hosts and I know it will be a rally you do not want to miss Thank you for the confidence you have shown in me as your new president The coming year will be a challenge to me and I hope re warding to you as we go Let s ride see ya In Bandera Lorren Spring 2005 MY LIFE AS A GMC ER Part 3 of 3 By Virgie McHaney The good old Onan generator never did work prop erly from the time we got our coach until the day we replaced it with a Honda generator You know back in the beginning when I talked about our trip to Lexington for the GMC International Well while we were there at the flea market we were told by one of our Charter Classics members that we needed to purchase a bridge whatever that is for the generator and we should never leave home without one guess he was right because It Is still in one of the drawer s in our coach an2. about Jon at http www jonrutherford com jon rutherford htm Emmy Dunlap and Jon Ruther ford New officers were installed on Saturday night What a great job everyone did in 2004 Ann Brieger outgoing Presi dent Kandy Lilly new use for Duct tape Classics E Mailing List If a club member has a bit of news that he wants all the members to know about the Classics E Mailing List is the tool to use If you have something for the E Mailing List but want someone else to send it please send it to me and I ll post if for you Email webmaster gmcclassics com This will circumvent the HIPPA ruling and keep the club and officers out of harms way with the legal system We need someone to take care of informing those that do not have internet connections about urgent news that is sent over the E Mailing List A Sunshine Lady would be nice or maybe a Mr Peppermint Any volunteers Bully Massey RED HAT ROUND UP Bandera here we come Get ready for our Red Hat Cowboy Brunch Put on your Red Hat Cowboy clothes We are going to have a RED HOT time in Bandera We will be having a Tx Mex brunch and show off our Red Hat Cowboy duds There will be a 3 00 charge We are planning on between 50 and 60 Red Hatters Be sure to being your door prize and appetite DO NOT BRING YOUR TEA CUPS WE WILL FURNISH CUPS et PREPARE TO BE PAMPERED Queen Mother Emmy Dunlap NEXT RA
3. had the alternator converted to a one wire terminal design at a cost of about 50 Random Notes Adjusting Ride Height In discussion of the correct ride height for the mo torhome it was emphasized that rear suspension height MUST be set correctly before attempting to make front ride height adjustments This is not con spicuously addressed in the service manual that I could find however I have heard several owner presentations on this and agree completely Do this as follows 1 lift vehicle and position jack stands under front cross member 2 remove front wheels 3 using a knife edge such as piece of angle steel as suggested by Gordon Dunlap on a floor jack cradle lift the vehicle at the center of the crossmember 4 lower the jack stands and lower vehicle with jack to proper front ride height see page 3A19 GMC Motorhome Service Manual X7525 5 Turn ignition switch to run position and place ride control to travel 6 Check and adjust rear ride height per page 4 34 GMC Motorhome Service Manual X7525 Now proceed to adjust front ride height 7 Reinstall front wheels 8 Drive coach forward and apply brakes several times to remove camber bind in front wheels 9 Check front ride height per page 3A 20 GMC Motorhome Service Manual X7525 Spring 2005 Red Willow RV Park Chico TX January 20 23 2005 TECH EXCHANGE 10 If height needs adjusting lift vehicle with floor jack until wheels cle
4. LLY Dates April 14 17 2005 Cowboy Theme Location Bandera TX Site Skyline Ranch RV Park Hosts Larry amp Linda Turner Corky amp Virgie McHaney Ed amp Kandy Lilly Harry amp Nancy Fulks Al amp Ann Brieger Reservations are due by April 4 2005 See inserts for reservation form and schedule SUMMER RALLY Dates July 21 24 2005 Location Thackerville OK Site Red River Ranch RV Resort Hosts James amp Redonia Harper Jerry amp Francis Reeves Willard amp Joyce Murdock Bill amp Lillian Wortham MINI RALLIES CARA VANS Branson MO May 4 9 2005 L D McWilliams is the contact for this mini rally 903 871 2648 or email Imcwilli yahoo com Colorado Caravan June 9 16 2005 Linwood amp Sue Arthur are the contacts for this Caravan 972 539 8202 or email larthur5389 msn com FMCA s 74th International Convention Caravan Aug 15 18 2005 North Dakota State Fairgrounds Minot N D Gordon amp Emmy Dunlap are the contacts for this trip 903 295 6828 or email enmydunlap aol com More information on these Mini Rallies Caravans is available on the website www gmcclassics com events html Spring 2005 ES _ i et v 1976 Eleganza Owned since 1987 Lots of up grades 28 000 miles on rebuilt engine transmis sion final drive and radiator New tires Ready to roll on your cross country trip 19 500 Willard or Joyce Murdock in the Dallas TX ar
5. Spring 2005 President s Messa ge Lorren White President When one thinks back about all that has happened in this past year well you just have to say GRReat You wouldn t have ex pected less from Ann Brieger at the helm What a good job you did Ann What you accomplished will be with the club far into the future You didn t have to make it such a tough act to follow Know their are several who do not know me coming from the North country however am not new to the GMC motor home first bought one in 1977 It was a 1973 green Palm Beach with 7 000 miles When I sold it I had put 42 000 miles on it in about five years The GMC we have now was bought in Dec 1993 and it had 60 000 miles On our first trip it broke down and we had to be towed to a garage where we spent the night About four years latter the engine went out on a trip to Flor ida From that point on I had a sick engine Bill Bramlet and Gordon Dunlap had been on me to put on fuel Injection which finally did This alone eliminated all the sick en gine problems Space does not allow me to mention all that have done to the GMC but fuel injection should have been first Are we there yet Sounds like what some of us were saying when the locals around Chico couldn t direct us to the Red Wil lows RV Park Before it was over we were glad we found it thanks to the hosts Wayne amp Charlotte Alumbaugh Jim amp
6. amp Virgie McHaney L D amp Johnnie McWilliams Willard amp Joyce Murdock Charles amp Minnie Myers Quata Powers amp her son Ron Jerry amp Frances Reeves Tom Schlich New Member Ken amp Ruby Thoma Carolyn Tipton Norman amp Margaret Treude Larry amp Linda Turner Tommy amp Ann Walker Charles amp Janice Wersal Lorren White Billy amp Lillian Wortham Dot Siniand Gwen Ayres sis ter Boyd Mooney Came for a visit Friday afternoon He is active with the North Texas Lunch Bunch Winter Wonderland Red Hat Tea 34 ladies were treated to a beautiful Winter Wonderland in Chico Texas led by our Queen Mother Emmy Dunlap Carolyn Tipton is the Historian and is in need of things for the scrapbook If you have any pictures newspaper articles etc please get in touch with her or bring them to a rally Carolyn Tipton Johnnie McWilliams read When I m an Old Lady Winter Rally 2004 Red Willow Linda Turner Kandy Lilly Ann Brieger and in the back ground is Sue Arthur Can you guess who the Mystery Hatter is Here s a clue her initials are MJ or is it JM Margaret Treude and Charlotte Alumbaugh Friday night the Classics were entertained by Jon Rutherford He has been singing writing and playing country music since an early age He has become familiar to audiences as a singer actor and model both on television and in print ads You can read more
7. ansmission and replaced the torque converter but at that time had no reason to suspect engine damage Some owners commented that they used the proce dure described in the service manual for engine re moval from the bottom side See Pages 6A53 6A57 GMC Motorhome Service Manual X7525 The engine can be removed with the transmission and final drive attached but it is recommended in the manual that the transmission and final drive be removed before removing the engine Dirty DC Power and Engine Manage ment Computers Byron Maxwell reviewed his experience with the OEM alternator and the computer for his multi port fuel injection system When he was unable to get satisfactory performance with the system he inves tigated possible causes and found the OEM alterna tor to be the problem It does not convert AC to DC as clean and as efficient as alternators built for mid 90s and later vehicles Because of emissions control January 20 23 2005 reguirements about that time automobile manufac turers converted from carburetion to fuel injection and designed electrical generating systems to be compatible with the engine management computers Byron retrofitted an alternator from a mid 80s GM product and had no further problems with his en gine management computer Ken Thoma com mented that he had the same experience on a throt tle body system He installed an alternator from a 1993 Chevrolet product to solve his problem Ken said he
8. ar the floor and support with jack stands STOP UNLESS YOU HAVE THE COR RECT TOOL FOR THIS JOB SEE GM TECH SERVICE BULLETIN 73TM 2 25 JUNE1973 The GM tool shown was originally from Kent Moore Tool Company It is available from SPX Corporation as J 22517 C supersedes no shown in OEM manuals and TSBs about 175 ex S amp H Contact SPX 1 800 345 2253 www spxkentmoore com 11 With the correct tool unload the torsion bars and turn the adjusting bolt CW to lift or CCW to lower ride height 12 Repeat steps 8 11 as needed to achieve proper front ride height Memo Jim Anstett Loveland CO wrote a procedure for adjusting the ride height for the November 1999 edition of GMC Motorhome Marketplace It is one of the best I have seen I based some of the steps above on Jim s procedure Digital Projector Technology I mentioned that GMC Classics will purchase a digi tal video projector to use with laptop computers DVD players etc at rallies There are two major technologies that are the basis of these devices One is digital light processing DLP and the other is liq uid crystal display LCD Projectors that are to be used in heavy duty 1 e many hours per day gener ally use DLP technology They are also more expen sive than LCD projectors however through a de tailed Internet search we 1 e Billy Massey and I were able to buy a DLP projector for only a small amount more than a comparable LCD projector The p
9. d has been there since July of 1986 suppose it worked Now about our replacement of the Onan Corky found a source for purchasing a Honda Generator which is a water cooled generator just outside of Des Monies lowa Since we were going to the FMCA Rally in Ames lowa we would just get one while we were there have it installed and every thing would be great He removed the old Onan before we left home Now you understand this was in July and we had no dash air but luck was on our side going while driving up to Ames because the weather was cloudy and cool the weather took a turn for HOT The tempera ture and humidity was so hot and high that FMCA let you run your generation all day and night but remember we had no generator because Corky had removed it before we left home However thanks again to the Dunlap s who hooked us up to his gen erator In his big coach we were able to run our air conditioner at night so we could at least sleep After the Governing Board meeting we drove down to the place we had purchased the new gen erator thinking they were ready to install it We were told that it would be a week or two before they could install the new generator Not wanting to stay around waiting Corky asked if they thought a goat herder could install one and they told him that with a little instruction from one of their techni clans and the Instructions that came with the gen erator they thought he could instal
10. ea 972 291 4864 More information and lots of photographs can be seen at www gmcclassics com murdock 1978 ROYAL 26 Rear Bath with 403 engine 115k miles Always garaged original paint beauti ful walnut cabinets no smoke or pets HD sway bars front and rear Bilsteins Ragusa Tranny pan and temp gauge Peck 346 final drive Thorley headers on 3 exhaust system overhauled Onan Many more upgrades Must see Houston TX area to appreciate 21 500 Harry Driskell at 936 636 7100 hnmdris earthlink net Thorley Headers Kit includes headers gaskets adapters bolts and a good set of GMC specific in structions Everything you need Corky McHaney Medina TX 830 589 2431 jvmchaney 78055 com The Classics Chatter is a quarterly newsletter for the member ship of the GMC Classics The club is a chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association and primarily draws it s membership from Texas Oklahoma Louisiana and Arkansas It s purpose is to promote the preservation of the GMC Motorhome and to bring it s owners together for their exclusive enjoyment and common interests Officers President Lorren White 9818 Pheasant Lane Oklahoma City OK 73162 405 722 2732 E Mail truckins sbcglobal net Vice President Mattie Driskell P O Box 144 Lovelady TX 75851 936 636 7100 E Mail hnmdris earthlink net Secretary Charlotte Alumbaugh 7000 Glen Hills Rd Richland Hills TX 76118 817 595 9068 E Mail cwachar sbcglobal net Tr
11. easurer Redonia Harper 277 Old Hwy 135 Gladewater TX 75647 903 845 5181 E Mail james f harper att net Technical Seminar Coordinator Fred Hudspeth 5919 Quail Creek Dr Tyler TX 75703 4532 903 509 2495 E Mail fohtxak aol com Wagon Master Bill Wortham 8912 Persimmon Rd Big Sandy TX 75755 5164 903 636 9973 E Mail billandli mn com Assistant Wagon Master Jim Jackson 4 Masters Village Conroe TX 77304 936 856 8489 Caravan Coordinator L D McWilliams 1612 E Main Whitehouse TX 75791 903 871 2648 E Mail Imcwilli cox net Administrator Webmaster Billy Massey 7110 Forbess Dr Brownwood TX 76801 325 784 5861 E Mail bdub gmcclassics com E Mail jjsjintexas yahoo com FMCA Representatives National Director Corky McHaney 1257 FM 337E Medina TX 78055 830 589 2431 E Mail jvmchaney 78055 com Alternate National Director Gordon Dunlap 510 Brookhollow Dr White Oak TX 75693 903 295 6828 E Mail emmydunlap aol com Publications Newsletter Editor Debbie Massey 7110 Forbess Dr Brownwood TX 76801 325 784 5861 E Mail editor gmcclassics com Website www gmcclassics com
12. l it himself Ar rangements were made to ship It back to Medina and we headed home Now you remember It was the hottest summer no generator and no dash alr However we did have fans on our mirrors and we had the infamous MO and Helen wind wings Being a true GMC er you learn to roll with the flow We figured out that every 5 mile sticker we could spray ourselves with water from a spray bottle that we had put in the refrigerator during the night With the help from the wind from the fans and our Mohelen s as we call them we made it home in record time and not too much for the wear guess by now you have had enough of the experi ences we have had in our GMC It may seem as if we have nothing but trouble but remember this Is a 1977 GMC and all of this happened over a period of 18 years So if you stop and calculate we have had more good times than bad These experiences have been Just stepping stones and learning how to cope with them guess the big question might be why do we still love our GMC Because of the wonderful people we meet and the coach can truly say that wouldnt trade the experiences we have had the wonderful times and true friends we have made over the years for anything It has been great and we hope it will continue for many years to come It Ran Good Being an owner of a front wheel drive motorhome with Olds power we attended several GMC Classic rallies with friends who were GMC owners ai
13. oordinator the design used in the chassis for the base vehicle the Olds Toronado Cadillac Eldorado for the GMC Motorhome Bill said other than a likely cost factor he does not know why the front track was not widened more to match that of the rear wheels Contrary to popular belief the 23 Birchaven was not named nor in any way influenced by Alex Birch an engineer on the GMC motorhome project team The Birchaven was a name that originated with Coachmen Industries the upfitter for many 23 transmodes Memo Item The person who bought the rights from Alex Birch to resume fabrication of screen doors for the GMC Motorhome is Robert Burkitt Bob lives at 11382 Marlette Drive Cincinnati OH 45249 2210 Phone 513 530 5021 bob burkitt xtek com No one present had any Email information on the production status of the doors Bill authored a series of three articles that appeared in the FMCA Magazine February March and April 2004 You can read his excellent historical perspective of the GMC Motohome in those issues you can also contact FMCA for reprints of the arti cle www fmca com 1 800 543 3622 He said if the articles appear to have a somewhat generic sound it is because he had to write them to ap peal to the broad cross section of the FMCA mem bership Bill said he has a massive amount of addi tional information A hydro pneumatic suspension system was initially considered by the project team for the rear su
14. red up the tires and air bags started it up and drove around for a bit PURCHASED THE COACH and the lady said GET THAT WHITE ELEPHANT OUT OF HERE but you know IT RAN GOOD More of this article by James Harper in the next Chatter Spring 2005 ae Tae LU r rd Wt PN per i Vi Spring 2005 Red Willow RV Park Chico TX January 20 23 2005 GMC Classico 7ECH EXCHANGE Fred Hudspeth pr NG Red Willow RV Park Chico TX January 20 23 2005 This record of the Tech Exchange is presented as a service to GMC Classics members and guests Accuracy is not guaran teed Independent verification is urged At Chico we were pleased to have two guests pre sent from outside our region Bill Bryant from Pleasant Valley NY and Al Hamilton from Lans downe Ontario GMC Motorhome History Bill Bryant over many years has collected histori cal documents and hardware on the GMC Mo torhome He is always ready to share some of the knowledge he has acquired He did that with us through a question answer session over the better part of an hour Thanks for your contribution Bill Bill Bryant Here is a representative sampling of answers Bill gave in response to questions from the audience The GMC Motorhome was one of five RVs to use front wheel drive The GMC Motorhome was the only one to have the front track widened more than Technical Seminar C
15. rojector we purchased has more than double the light intensity and substantially better clarity than the one I borrowed and used for the Chico tech session Some of the audience at Chico Your club welcomes your comments and suggestions for Tech Exchange subjects You are also welcome to make a presentation on a technical subject of your choice Ad vise what you would like to present and when Call or email Fred Hudspeth at 903 509 2495 and fbhtxakeaol com respectively Spring 2005 Host s Joanne amp Jim Davis Char lotte amp Wayne Alumbaugh Gay amp Marvin Guelker and Sue amp Linwood Arthur Rally Attendees Bud amp Judy Allen Wayne amp Charlotte Alumbaugh Linwood amp Sue Arthur Phillip Atkisson Vic amp Gwen Ayres Bill amp Nita Bryant From upstate New York Bill is recognized as the official historian for GMC Motorhomes Al amp Ann Brieger Jim amp Joanne Davis Gordon amp Emmy Dunlap Bruce a Georgene Farrill Buzz Fischer Harry 8 Nancy Fulks Marvin amp Gay Guelker Al Hamilton amp Nancy Berry From Ontario Canada Al is the editor of the GMC Heritage Cruisers Newsletter James amp Redonia Harper Justin Hill Carroll amp Ethelyn Hodges Richard amp Jaye Hodges Fred Hudspeth Ed amp Jo Ann Johnson Doran Jones Jeff amp son Sammy Kollmeier New Member Ed amp Kandy Lilly Billy amp Debbie Massey Byron amp Angela Maxwell Eugene Mazzurana Corky
16. spen sion of the GMC Motorhome The design had a lot Spring 2005 Red Willow RV Park Chico TX January 20 23 2005 TECH EXCHANGE in common with that used on the Citroen car The cost of that system however was too costly com pared to the airbag system developed for the pro duction vehicle There were fifty five Coca Cola GMC Mo torhomes produced by General Motors 1 e they were not transmodes Bill said the TZE number is also stamped inverted on the driver side frame rail below the window aft of the driver seat Engine Removal Installation Several in the audience commented on methods they have used to remove reinstall the engine Chuck Olhausen who could not be present for the Chico Rally provided some pictures of the rail sys tem he built for his recent engine overhaul project ae V n Moving engine into place for rail lift General view of system Engine ready for transport Spring 2005 Red Willow RV Park Chico TX TECH EXCHANGE Engine being lowered into position Thanks Chuck for taking the pictures and sharing them with us Chuck experienced engine failure during his trip to the Uvalde rally Upon investiga tion he found that the thrust bearing had failed and caused a loss of oil pressure He attributes the bear ing failure to a ballooned torque converter He had a transmission failure returning from the Grove OK rally Spring 04 he repaired the tr
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