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Topic: 1984 tk chevy30 59,000 miles and $5000 (Read 341 times) previous topic - next topic
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1984 tk chevy30 59,000 miles and $5000
It seems to run well. The prior owner only had it a few months but didn’t do anything with it. He is not an rv person either and didn’t even know it had a generator. The coach seems to have always been a Southern California coach with only a speck of rust on one corner of the back bumper. It does need a serious cleaning outside but inside is all original and in relatively good condition. Though the front seats have definitely seen better days and I will most likely replace them. The cb and radio were taken out. Another radio put in that doesn’t fit the hole right and wasn’t hooked up to the speakers. The dash lights are out. The air conditioner in the dash is not working. There is a button that says “overdrive “ on it by the drivers right knee and I am assuming that was from a modification to the transmission?

Tomorrow I want to drop it off at a shop and spend about 5 grand on it making it super safe and any preventive maintenance. What should I do first? What would you do?
1984 Chevy 30 TK Hotel California
Re: 1984 tk chevy30 59,000 miles and $5000
Reply #1 –
 34 year old LD, no matter what its mileage, can have old fluids, along with worn or rotted parts and needs a through inspection.
You may want to find an older mechanic who is still familiar with carburetors, young kids may have never worked on one, much less become at all proficient .
The Quadrajet carb is tricky and hard to work on, intact part kits have become rare. Our 1983 LD carb was replaced it with a Edlebrock aftermarket carb, which still had parts available. Many who restored old RVs replaced the carb with aftermarket fuel injection systems.

Have your mechanic check the entire driveline for condition issues.
-Change all the fluids and filters (including the transmission's),  lube the suspension and any other grease fittings.
-Flush the radiator. Check the water pump for leakage and the condition of the hoses and belts.
    Dirty cooling systems have lead to the early death of many 350 V8 engines, the cooling system needs to be in top condition
-Older 350 V8s have problems with the carburetors's float sinking and the distributor's centrifugal advance mechanisms
   seizing.  A tune-up may be in order.
-Inspect all fuel lines, from the tank to the engine for condition, especially any rubber lines.
-Verify the alternator's output and check the starting and coach battery. Clean battery terminals on both the starting and coach batteries. Verify the battery isolator is still functional.
-The front suspension has an idler arm that wears rapidly, along with a-arm bushings.
-Check and repack the front wheel bearings.
-Check the shock absorbers, the front shocks are definitely a candidate for Bilstein shocks.
-The mechanic should check the steering and suspension for worn parts and alignment, along with the driveshaft's u-joints.
-Definitely disassemble the brakes for inspection, making sure the hydro-boosted brakes are working properly and not leaking.
-Check the brake line's condition, looking for heavy rust or flexible brake lines in poor condition.
-Check the headlights, tail lights and clearance lights.
-The A/C uses the old, illegal R12 coolant. The A/C needs to be converted to R134A coolant, along with whatever repairs are needed to make it operational again.

When done with this, the roof, window frames and vent seals should be checked and renewed if necessary.
Eternabond the roof and use polyurethane to reseal the end caps and around the window frames, the sealants are old and have shrink, due to age.
Tighten the frame bolts, along with the holding tanks, propane tank and generator bolts.
Throughly inspect under the rig for loose bolts and rotting wood, the bottom of the floor is not covered in sheet metal as the later models are. The running board and entry steps are common problem spots.
Check the condition of the plywood exterior cargo boxes, the old plywood boxes are often rotted, the reason newer models now have plastic boxes.

This should get you started.
Good luck with your new rig,
Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: 1984 tk chevy30 59,000 miles and $5000
Reply #3 –
Quote from: Steve  - 
Also the Pitman arm, on the steering box.

Steve

Forgot that one, anything else that I missed?  The G30s had many different problems.
You owned an 1983 LD much longer than our eight years.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: 1984 tk chevy30 59,000 miles and $5000
Reply #4 –
Inspect the large, front cabover window. It's probably cracked and could be a potential source of water intrusion.
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264
Re: 1984 tk chevy30 59,000 miles and $5000
Reply #5 –
Good stuff here! One of the main reasons I wanted a LD is because of the knowledge gained from the groups. Thank you. I’m an old lady doing this on my own but I am not alone 😊 I left it with a mechanic near the seller who came highly recommended to me. Either tomorrow or Saturday he is supposed to send me a list of pictures and recommendations. I will in turn send this list as well. It’s my new money pit and my last chance to go nuts on something like this! After the mechanics are shored up and it gets a good sealing, I’m going to build it a garage for the rest of the changes. And YES the upper cab window appears cracked, but only on the inside! I haven’t examined it super careful yet and it may only be a long scratch in the tinting film? Nonetheless that looks like a very dangerous place for kids or anyone to ride, in the event of an emergency stop they would fly out the window 😮 Also the idea of a sink in the shower grossed me out for some reason. That I just can’t deal with. I am wanting to pull the shower out and install a vantity with a sink instead. I will upgrade the toilet at the same time and maybe install a shower sprayer outside or something? The rv is not going to be used much for boondocking or anything. It is mainly meant to be a more comfortable way of traveling. There are 3 of us and we all have various disabilities but want to do some traveling to see some places.
1984 Chevy 30 TK Hotel California
Re: 1984 tk chevy30 59,000 miles and $5000
Reply #6 –
Quote from: Teresa  - 
It is mainly meant to be a more comfortable way of traveling. There are 3 of us and we all have various disabilities but want to do some traveling to see some places.

This is just a bucket full of wonderful plans with even more exciting adventures in your near future!  Please think to post updates on your LD and as importantly, share with us your travel adventures with your two (2) Amigos!    Teresa, thank you for posting these plans.