I hope we have not scared you away, half the reward of owning an old Barth is getting it road ready after a long sleep and then maintaining and improving the old beast. Good luck Newby!!!

Has it been winterized? Otherwise new plumbing

Buy this antique ASAP...
IF you are (1) A masochist and glutten for punishment/frustration (2) Eager to spend TEN TIMES the purchase price to make it decent.

quote:

Originally posted by Mogan David:
Buy this antique ASAP...
IF you are (1) A masochist and gluten for punishment/frustration (2) Eager to spend TEN TIMES the purchase price to make it decent.

Ya gotta have love for one of these old beasts' I agree with your statement Mogan, but if you can make it run well and look good what a rare and beautiful creature!!

Ole Nose has never been an easy going friend, always something to fix and I may have reached the point of no return with it!!! Will see soon! But I have only put 4 times the purchase price into it so far...So still a ways to go!!!

A friend once told me the cheapest boat is the one you can use immediately without repair. I would venture the veracity is applicable to all toys.

Its in the driveway!
Fourteen hours from the time I awoke to the moment I drove up to my house.
It was up on blocks when I arrived, I brought every part for the brakes along with me that I could source on short notice in my City. I also brought along new wheel bearings, Engine oil and filter, Air-filter, tools, fluids and various chemicals. I would have also brought an ignition coil, spark plug wires and distributor cap but they could not be got in time and thankfully I didn't need them. Whoever had this thing 25 years ago before the owner I purchased it from brought it home from a farm estate cleanup was obviously very maintenance conscious. I'm not saying the Barth won't accept many thousands of dollars happily but aside from tires and front shocks nothing will be needed immediately before its maiden camp trip at the end of the month.
In case anyone in the future is looking to do something similar and might stumble upon this post and find it useful here is what I did:
1) Disconnected the feed line to the carburetor and connected a long hose with a pump and pumped all the petrol out of the tank that I could. I then fitted an in-line filter and reconnected the carb.
2) Poured fresh petrol into the tank. In my case there was visible rust but it was just spotted around the bottom of the tank so its definitely not structurally unsound and will not need to be replaced immediately with an inline filter in place.
3) Replaced air filter (even though the one there looked nearly new) I found the one I brought was not needed because the PO had an unused air and oil filter stowed under the dining seat..
4) Connected a New Battery.
5) I then pulled the choke and tried to crank it over. I was sidetracked by the ignition switch that needed some cleaning but afterward cranked it for about fifteen seconds before it turned over. No Ether needed and I am glad because I've heard many more knowledgeable folks say its terrible to use.
6) I turned it off. Then drained the coolant and refilled with water which I will replace pronto. I also had to plug some open hoses that used to lead to the hot water heater that is no longer around. This made a mess
8) I topped up all the other fluids.
9) I then added the oil flush bottle. I think if I wasn't so cheap and also cognizant of my wife having to solo with all three kids while I did this I would have dropped the old oil first and essentially done two oil-changes back to back but I just flushed with the old stuff.
10) I crawled from one end of the rig to the other taking note of any leaks and assessing condition of everything in general. I found the vacuum hose from the transmission had disintegrated and replaced it with a bit of fuel line.
11) I then put fresh grease to all zirc fittings. I was pleased to see much grease at each point which tipped me off to the fact that the previous owner cared.
12) Then I filled the tires with air (Rears are old but with full tread and only small cracks) Fronts don't match and were horrendous so I only filled to 50psi and prayed they would hold for two hours.
13) I was going to do all the brakes and wheel bearings but the rotors really didn't feel all too bad and removing the cap over the wheel bearings revealed soft bluish coloured grease. So instead I filled the caps with gear oil and quickly hammered them home. The gear oil should seep through and soften any hardened grease that I'm pretty sure doesn't exist. I will repack before the next journey.
14) The differential fluid was cruddy but at least there so that is on the list of things to do as well.
15) I made sure I had brake, reverse, and signal lights which took a fair bit of time because that wiring needed replacing.
16) Then I drove it home very gingerly!
I think that is it, I may have left some out. Please stay tuned for a new thread asking specifics regarding parts sourcing inquiries after heating and plumbing systems.

Thank you all for your interest and attention.

Awesome! You are literally well on your way.

You obviously knew what to look for and what to do. Given your success and your additional immediate plans I would say you will be able to get that baby doing fine again. Kudos!

Congratulations, the positive things you found reflect the outward appearance of the coach. Luck trumps skill and preparation pays dividends. Despite my negativism in 1970 I drove home with the 1946 Chevy pickup I inherited from my grandfather. It was 350 miles, my uncle allowed he would not drive it to town about 6 miles. I started with 5 of 6 cylinders lost a second 300 into the journey and towed the last 20 after a rod struck water and fogged a half mile of highway 66. There was enough momentum to make a turnoff and hide.

Nice write up. Nice rescue. Keep us in the loop. You had a great plan of attack and followed through to safely make it home.

quote:

Originally posted by Dana:
Nice write up. Nice rescue. Keep us in the loop. You had a great plan of attack and followed through to safety make it home.

I salute you, Timothy.

You change the frame mounted fuel filter but did not say you changed the one in the carb. It is located where the fuel line enter the carb. use a 1" open end to hold the filter housing and a 5/8" line wrench to remove fuel line then remove filter housing. There is a spring that holds filter in place. They make a short and long filters, get the right one and buy an extra or 2. there small and plug quickly. If you have rust in the tank, let the rust settle for 5 or 10 min after filling with fuel. This will prevent filter from clogging up as fast. I purchased a 75 Class C. Got about 4 times what I paid for it. Try to find a factory service manual for the p30. Ebay is good place to look. Good luck and enjoy using it. Class C shake down trip.

Hot Dog, We have another True Barth nut in our group. Tim you also have a strong stomach, and a bit of luck too, nice job I am impressed!!