Am I using this correctly?

Started by Inherited RV Fan, April 19, 2022, 07:35 PM

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Inherited RV Fan

Okay, I'm now registered and trying to post my intro/welcome.  I look forward to sharing what I can with and learning much from all of you.  I have a 1983 Winnebago Chieftain 22 that I inherited when my brother passed away.
    It has a nice 454 motor and the fridge and roof AC/heater seems to work when I plug in to my house (only a 110v line so far) but I haven't checked out all appliances or propane yet.  I also haven't hooked up to water yet but was told the pipes are leaking.
     I had it towed to a shop that "fixed" it so that I could drive it home (about 60 miles) and despite brake caliper problems, brake failure, no instruments on the dash, a blown tire 10 miles into the trip (didn't figure that out until today) and intermittent signal lights...it is now in my driveway waiting to be taken care of.
     In memory of my brother, I'm hoping to fix it up and use it but have a very limited budget.  I'll try to do as much of the work as I can but my wife doesn't want me to take chances on safety (brakes, gas, propane, etc).  Finding the correct parts for the front brakes and some gas hoses (filler and from aux to main tank) is my current problem.  No luck so far... if anyone can point me in the right direction I would be most grateful.

Oz

Hello and welcome.  Your story is a very common one. Just don't get overwhelmed by the things you found and have yet to find that need fixed. Prioritize your items and tackle them one at a time. It's all too easy to start on one thing and get sidetracked into several others.  That is a bad thing.  Stick to doing one or two things and your progress will amaze you and motivate you to keep going.
1969 D22, 2 x 1974 D24 Indians, 1977 27' Itasca

John

Good advice, QZ. I would add that when doing one project, stay with it until it is fixed and put everything back in order before starting another project. Having the rig uncluttered and looking sorta' good will keep one motivated.

Mlw

Hello and welcome.

For your brakes: www.alretta.com

With your fuellines, I can't help you directly but maybe classic auto shops or Rock auto https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/chevrolet,1983,p30,7.4l+454cid+v8,1059139
Just check if your rv really is based on the Chevrolet P30 chassis but I think it is.
and I hear a lot about Napa too: https://www.napaonline.com/

Eyez Open

RV chassis are quite simple to repair, now understanding what type of brakes and suspension you have can be a journey. Decoding the vin will assist you quite a bit and this forum is full of information use the search function and in the search function is a wonderful little Google search...Very powerful tool.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Chieftain+22+&sitesearch=www.classicwinnebagos.com

TerryH

A couple of remarks regarding your original post:
"the fridge and roof AC/heater seems to work when I plug in to my house (only a 110v line so far) ":
You should be using a dedicated 120V/30Amp circuit.
"a blown tire 10 miles into the trip (didn't figure that out until today)":
I would assume this is regarding a rear tire, likely an inner. One common result of a blown dually is a tire fire. Dangerous, may cause expensive damage, and is very difficult to extinguish. Another is the shredding tire causing damage to chassis components and/or the coach itself.
An easy frequent test is to strike each of the four dual tires with a length of steel pipe. You will easily be able to tell if one is blown or seriously low. This does not replace frequent air pressure checks, but will suffice between checks.
As an aside, properly set up, the pipe can serve as an extension for your torque wrench that, of course, you use when changing a wheel and tire.
It is not our abilities that show what we truly are - it is our choices.
Albus Dumbledore