Hello all! Just joined a few days ago and this will mark my first post. Very excited to have found what appears to be a very active online community dedicated to the Barth. Hoping to get lots of info, advice, opinions, and facts.

Here is the story in a nutshell. I have acquired a 1986(?) Barth Bookmobile. What I do know is that it is on a P30 454, appears to be pretty solid condition even after sitting most of it's life. Right now there are 36k on the clock. My plan is to turn this bookmobile into a fully functioning RV with generator, fridge, AC, solar, bed, possibly a dinette, cooktop, and last but not least (and certainly most challenging!) a bathroom!

I have taken this Barth in it's present form to the Indy 500, the Brickyard, and MotoGP. While being substantially better than a tent, I have a long road ahead to convert it into what I want. I am aware that this project will likely be very difficult and that is why I am here, hoping to gain some of the knowledge that many of you possess. This will be my first RV. Previous to this, I was considering restoring a small (13ft) vintage trailer. The Barth is just so much cooler than a trailer. Love the flat front "mini bus" look.

I forgot to mention that I am planning on installing some windows.

Sweet. I like it without the windows. Plenty of information here to complete your project.

W E L C O M E. You'll be really glad you found this site. Be sure to send Bill a few $ for the CD or DVD.

What a nice mini-bookmobile. I like the interior. I'd work in a porta-potty.
Surplus or salvage windows from a vendor for that sort of thing will not be too costly. Rear View Safety Backup cameras like Costco sells are a remarkably good value now.
I see that your tail lamp lenses turned pink. You can make them light up vividly red with red LED replacement bulbs from SuperBrightLEDs.com

Awesome!

I've done many of the tasks you are contemplating. Do you already have propane in the rig? Biggest challenge I think you will have: choosing where to mount the generator. Water tanks can be located in a few spots.

Happy motoring!
Matt

welcome to the site and congats on your bookmobile. you sure invited to the GTG in June. Only a few hours up the road. Will be one of the largest gathering of Barth in some time. You will get an earfull of ideals from there. There is also many RV outlet stores in the area.

Doorman

Hello and welcome to Barthmobile. So far, you're doing it right - first post and you supplied pictures of your data tag and coach and you said hi! - You'll fit in very well here.

I don't see an a/c unit on the roof, or a place for a generator. Being sustained in an r/v would required several things to consider. Do I want propane in my coach?

For my Commercial Conversion Coach - I decided that the answer was no. What I did was install a household fridge that runs off of 120 volts.




~APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS (HxWxD): 58 in x 23 in x 24 13/16 in
~TOTAL CAPACITY: 9.7 cu ft

I also installed an inverter to run the fridge when my generator isn't in use. As long as you have a decent battery bank, this will sustain you for a few days without running a generator or firing off your coach to recharge your batteries.





Because I said no to propane, and I like to stay warm when it's cold out, I replaced my "burnt out" roof mounted a/c unit with one that does heat (heat pump) and a/c. Works well, but you'll need a generator or shore power to run it. I also have a few toe kick heaters mounted in the base of several cabinets. Don't try to use these with an inverter.

My interior was shot so I gutted and I redid it. Here are a few pictures.




White paint, wooden trim and paneling worked well and is relatively cheap.

Notice the pull down bed? Got that out of an Alegro Rv at a junk yard. Here's a writeup I did for a member on that bed. Saves space and at 21', you'll need it.

Also, a futon sofa/sleeper works well. This is what I have, in dark blue, behind the drivers seat. It has a storage box below the seat.



I also have a bunk bed in the back bedroom. Queen on the bottom, twin on the top.

Seat configuration left pics. - Bed folded out on right side of pics..



Keep asking questions and we'll do our best to help you out. Chances are, whatever you're contemplating, someone here has already done.

BTW, we love to see pictures at Barthmobile!

I noticed, in this picture, that you have a heater in it. That does run off of propane right? Where and what size is you propane tank?



And, in this picture, I see a 120v outlet. Do you have a generator? Where is that mounted?

Thank you all very much for the responses! A friend with 30+ years as a mechanic came over last night and we started a "grocery list" of parts to get this coach reliable and drivable. Starting with the engine and moving back. Decided that cooling is a priority right now, so we will be upsizing the radiator and adding extra fans. Replace all rubber hoses and wiring that has either been sitting and rotting or that has been exposed to excessive heat. Speaking of excessive heat, we are planning on improving the starter and solenoid. Heatsoak seems to be an issue with this chassis. So some better parts capable of with standing that and some creative heatshields, we should be in business. Thankfully, my friend has a gift for wiring, and as best I can tell, this coach is going to be almost completely rewired. Also on the table is a conversion to fuel injection.

I presume this is a fairly normal mod for a lot of you. Are there any FI kits anyone can personally recommend? Are there any known disadvantages to going FI? It seems it only improves drivability and MPG.

Bill- Love that pull down bed! May have to fabricate something similar.

Concerning propane and propane accessories, I think I am going to keep it simple. There is some existing propane "stuffs" installed, but I'm not exactly trusting of it. I think I"m just going to be running a cooktop on propane. No heat, no fridge. Currently, I don't see myself in a true cold weather setting, as I will be mostly using this for going to races. That said, it did get down to about 34 deg last fall at the Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta. But that is nothing that wool socks, long johns, and a heavy fleece can't handle.

Once again, thank you all so much! More to come soon........

Bill- Haven't gotten into the propane yet. I will post on that as soon as I get a good look at it.

The 120v is all supplied from shore power. There is no generator. I think my immediate solution will be a Yamaha 2400 for simplicity and versatility.

I have a picture of my Barth by my name now in posts! Thanks!

quote:

For my Commercial Conversion Coach - I decided that the answer was no. What I did was install a household fridge that runs off of 120 volts.

I also installed an inverter to run the fridge when my generator isn't in use.

Bill, does your fridge run off the inverter at all times or did you install a transfer switch to run it off shore/generator power when available?

I am in the process of replacing my original Dometic with a 120v residential unit and I am considering my options.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ:
...does your fridge run off the inverter at all times or did you install a transfer switch to run it off shore/generator power when available?

I have a manual transfer switch that I place in the position I'm running.

While it's "Not to code", here's the way I did it.



The switches are marked plainly for me to figure out - the right transfer switch is turned based on what I want - shore or generator.

If I'm on shore I do nothing extra. Just turn the right knob to shore. It doesn't matter what you do with the left switch, but I turn it to the off position anyway.

If I'm on generator I flip the right switch to gen and the left switch to generator.

If I'm on inverter. The right switch can be in any position, but I turn it off. The left switch is turned to inverter and then I go into my circuit box and turn off every circuit breaker that has a red label next to it.

After those 7 breakers are turned off I'm set. The reason for turning off the breakers is I don't want to accidentally run the 2 roof a/c units, the toe kick heaters, a battery charger or the electric hot water heater on inverter power.

The only things on inverter at this stage is 120v outlets, lighting and the fridge.

The inverter is mounted and wired to the 12v batteries, the 120v heavy duty extension cord is hard wired into the back of the left transfer switch and is plugged into the inverter.



Also note, these pictures shows a Tripp-Lite inverter, but has since been replaced by a PROwatt Inverter - it is still wired the same way.



Now, a word from our lawyers: "Do not try this at home" - I'm a professional and as such, I assume all risks associated with my behavior. In short, I know how to do the wrong thing the right way.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill N.Y.:

The inverter is mounted and wired to the 12v batteries, the 120v heavy duty extension cord is hard wired into the back of the left transfer switch and is plugged into the inverter.

Thanks for the pictures Bill. I have an existing inverter that I want to replace. It is wired thru a manual switch like yours to a second breaker box. It didn't appear that the PROWatt inverter could be "hardwired" so I was expecting to need to use a cord to wire the transfer switch.

quote:

Originally posted by DesmoPilot:
Thank you all very much for the responses! A friend with 30+ years as a mechanic came over last night and we started a "grocery list" of parts to get this coach reliable and drivable. Starting with the engine and moving back. Decided that cooling is a priority right now, so we will be upsizing the radiator and adding extra fans.

You might not need a bigger radiator. Just a better one. I use a Desert Cooler from US Radiator and a high flow water pump. Search some of my old posts for info on heat problems and heat soak. My own experience has been that the trans needs more cooling help than the engine.

quote:

Replace all rubber hoses and wiring that has either been sitting and rotting or that has been exposed to excessive heat. Speaking of excessive heat, we are planning on improving the starter and solenoid. Heatsoak seems to be an issue with this chassis. So some better parts capable of with standing that and some creative heatshields, we should be in business. Thankfully, my friend has a gift for wiring, and as best I can tell, this coach is going to be almost completely rewired. Also on the table is a conversion to fuel injection.

I presume this is a fairly normal mod for a lot of you. Are there any FI kits anyone can personally recommend? Are there any known disadvantages to going FI? It seems it only improves drivability and MPG.

Not sure it would pay you back in gas saved.

quote:

Concerning propane and propane accessories, I think I am going to keep it simple. There is some existing propane "stuffs" installed, but I'm not exactly trusting of it. I think I"m just going to be running a cooktop on propane. No heat, no fridge.

Consider a vented compartment that will hold a 5 gallon or even smaller tank. One that can be removed for refilling. Life is simpler when you don't have to drive the MH to get propane.

Does Desmodriver = Ducatisti?

quote:

Originally posted by bill h:

Does Desmodriver = Ducatisti?

You are correct. My second obsession, directly behind high performance VW's.

I will be searching your past posts. Thank you very much for your insight! Those are exactly what I've been looking for. I really want to get this coach as close to 100% as I can the first time so I can enjoy some worry free travel.

Can't say enough about the helpful people on this forum. A lot of good thoughts so far. Keep it coming.