We own an RV wrecking here in Washington state. West Coast RV Recycling and Sales. Up until this past week we had never heard of a "Barth". We received a call earlier in the week to pick up a motor home that was a left over at an estate. We do this quite often, but have never ran into one like this. It is a 1994 Barth 28' coach. After doing some research we found this website and thought we would share our new motor home with the Barth community.
This coach was driven very little. It only has 4647 miles on it. We were able to put fresh batteries in it and start it up. I drove it the twelve miles back to WCRV. Unfortunately it has been parked since about 2001. It has leaks in the roof and a major mouse infestation. We have a long cleaning and restoration process ahead of us. Any information on the vehicle would be greatly appreciated. What model name is it?? What was the sticker price when new in 1994?? Thanks, I hope you enjoy seeing another one.

It is a '94 Barth 28' Breakaway. Unlike the earlier models, this has a GM 6.5L TD and 4L80E tranny, and that's confirmed by the generator door tag. There are only 4 known of this year and model (I have the prototype, but I have significantly upgraded the drivetrain); one other is in the Seattle area, but I don't think this is it. '93 and prior 28's had a Cummins 5.9L TD and Allison tranny.

The brakes and power steering are victims of the wretched GM Hydroboost system (Hydraulic over hydraulic).

The major feature of this model is that the floor was raised ~11", providing much more storage than pre-'94 and much of the 12VDC distribution has been moved inside.

The interior is identical to prior years, although a few of the older are believed to have an athwartships bed.

In addition to the interior repairs, the engine and transmission will need upgrades for long-term durability.

BTW, please make any future posts to this thread. I'll be consolidating and removing duplicates shortly.

Thanks Rusty, This is the first time I have ever wrote anything on a forum and I am still trying to figure it out. Please delete as you see necessary.
Thanks for the info on the rig. What kind of upgrades for the drive train??
I will look for that tag tomorrow Kevin when I get to the shop. I do not believe I have seen one.
Thanks again.

In my first post that should read "RV wrecking yard" I'm not able to edit the post.

quote:

Thanks for the info on the rig. What kind of upgrades for the drive train??
I will look for that tag tomorrow Kevin when I get to the shop. I do not believe I have seen one.

The Data Tag will be on the outside bulkhead behind the driver's seat.

The GM 6.5L TD was a very early version, and its only virtue was its 599 block. It wasn't designed for the loads of a 16K lb. motorhome. The transmission likewise was at its upper limit. My coach is on its 3rd, but it's now upgraded from stock 450 lb.ft. to 850. The engine is an AMG from Peninsular Diesel in MI, rated at 230 HP. These are not inexpensive upgrades, but because the coach has sat so long with no operation, the engine is likely ill, and the tranny not up to the task with a healthy engine.

Sadly this model did not have EGT, boost, or tranny temp gauges, a serious oversight.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin:
Post a picture of the data tag by the driver seat. It is just over your right shoulder when sitting in the driver's seat.

or left, if you happen to be facing forward.

quote:

Originally posted by WCRV:
In my first post that should read "RV wrecking yard" I'm not able to edit the post.

you should be able to edit your own post by clicking on the pencil eraser symbol at right margin

Sorry Kevin, We are closed Monday's so I never made it into the shop today. I though I might, but stayed on the farm instead. Anyway I will get a picture of the tag tomorrow. Rusty, any idea what the sticker price was on these when they were new? We are just curious. It came with all the paper work, receipts etc. but nothing saying what the original sale price was. Just a ballpark figure would be interesting to know. Thanks Loren

Sale invoice on mine was $116K; I don't know what the MSRP would have been. Most Barths were built-to-order, although mine, being the prototype, wasn't, and was sold by a dealer in Barrington Hills.

Why Barth went to the GM drivetrain for the '94s escapes me, as the the Cummins 5.9L would have fit with even more room. I suspect the GM was cheaper, possibly due to kickbacks from GM. Only the '94 28' Breakaways had it, with the exception of a few FREDs with the 6.2L NA.

However, with my built-to-spec AMG 6.5L TD, my fuel economy (and power) exceeds most Cummins/Allison Breakaways at 12+ mpg.

WOW, well I didn't quite expect that much. Dang. So is ours number 4 of the 4 you new about or is this a 5th one??

Okay, I looked for a data tag today with no luck. It is not inside the coach at all. The only tag I find is the one on the generator door. Any ideas.

If it's not on the wall behind the driver's seat, it may have been removed.

I finally found mine behind the privacy curtain when it is in storage position.
It would be well over your left shoulder when you sit in the drivers seat.
Maybe this will help

Hank
1997 Barth Regal. " the yellow one"
p-30 454 Chevy

Thanks, I'll look again tomorrow.

Wow, very interesting. That's only about 25 miles from us. It's tempting to go take a look at it just to say I've actually seen another Barth in person other than ours!