Tere and I bought the 74 Class C that was in Punta Gorda. This week, my son-in-law and I drove it from Florida to Tennessee over two days. The engine did well. However, this Barth is far from the ad's description of "mostly everything works and is original" and "it's in very good condition". When we get done with it, everything will work, it will be in good condition, and it will still be alive. To say that the entire experience left a rather bad taste in my mouth would be putting in mildly. Moral of the story--you fill in the blanks. In the meantime, if anyone has any information on the 19', '74, Class C Barth, please share it with us. Very little information came with the Barth. As we proceed, I'll add to this thread.
Jim. sorry if you feel I deceived you on the condition. I was reporting on a 43 year old coach as best I could. Not sure what you were disappointed in, as when I inspected it I found a solid coach with no rustthrough that I could find, just surface rust and a shot paint job. The underside looked very solid and was not rusted. The roof air blew ice cold, the generator fired right up and ran smooth. The engine ran good and she drove very well, good breaks, good acceleration, and very true steering. I told you the tires were junk and would have to be replaced immediately. He told me the fridge worked fine, and I took him at his word on that as there was no way to stick around and see. I'd like to know what you found wrong so in the future I will be a little better prepared when I go to check out a coach for someone.
79 Barth Classic
Posts: 3495 | Location: Venice Fl. | Member Since: 07-12-2004
Danny, your info was actually spot on. Sorry if I implied that you were part of this problem, because you were not in anyway. I'll send you a PM with more info. For all on the site, Danny did a great job in looking at this Barth. It is just as he described, no rust, ran well, good brakes, etc. Unfortunately, there were several things that Danny could not have known about that became apparent during the drive back to TN and later. For me, I think that the only way to decide if you want to buy something is to go look at it. Don't put the decision on someone else. My mistake was to offer to buy it,sight unseen, and then think I was obliged to honor my word. Guess the days of a handshake are over.
Have now fixed the generator. Initially, it would run and power up the a/c unit as long as the Barth was standing still. Now, a/c runs while driving. Makes for a cooler ride.
First order of business is to have a seance with the generator spirits from 1974. This is a Generac XP 4000 watt unit and is much smaller than other 4000 watt generators. Only weights 289 pounds. There is a low oil pressure cut off function and I thought that was my main problem. But remembering 'Old Blue', the way these things are filled with oil, it is quite easy to overfill the unit. Indeed, that is what was happening. The correct way to do things is to drain the oil and fill with 3 1/2 quarts. This had 16 oz more in it than it should have, even though the dip stick did not show it was overfilled. Drained it out and everything worked fine. Don't know why having too much oil makes it stop while in motion--don't care. Will probably drain, replace oil and filter with decent stuff and go on.
Hey Jim, one of the first things I did to my "OLD" Barth was to degrease the engine with Dilute with water one to one, and spray it on and wait a few minutes. Hose it off.You should be able to purchase it in gallons at a Commercial floor cleaning supplier.
Posts: 2475 | Location: Ohio | Member Since: 07-29-2012
Jim, this is a little off topic, (we had this conversation somewhere else) but the beer you would provide does NOT qualify as 'BEER" for my taste buds.
Posts: 2475 | Location: Ohio | Member Since: 07-29-2012
Update: Have taken the Barth to a shop that has the equipment to test the propane system including the appliances. The good news is that the furnace, hot water heater and stove all work. The bad news is that the furnace is getting no electrical signal from the thermostat--something my son-in-law can help me chase down. The other bad news is that the shut off valve for the tank will not shut off. It's a 43 year old tank and the technician is trying to find a replacement for it. So, all in all, pretty good news.
Originally posted by Jim and Tere: Check this out https://www.visitknoxville.com/restaurants/breweries/ Next time you're in the area, we'll go check out some of them. I only drink stout so the choice will be easy for me. Tere is the same.
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Posts: 2475 | Location: Ohio | Member Since: 07-29-2012
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