Good evening all, progress is being made in the deconstruction phase. Have my vision for the interior. Gen is running with new fuel pump. New 15000 BTU AC unit ordered. New roof vents. New ac/dc breaker breaker panel with converter is here. New auto switch for gen/shore power waiting for install. Have decided to take interior out completely and start with new subfloors and build it back in. Interior will be far from the original plan, but very cool. Have tons of parts showing up everyday. Hope I dont run out of steam or money, LOL. I have a 36’ enclosed car trailer that is my garage/workshop. Today I emptied out all the VW stuff (14’ of it floor to ceiling) and put it all in storage unit (10 x 20).. I now have staging area for interior etc. I have an ambitious deadline of mid July to have it on the road. Hope to be Michigan bound in the Barth August first, If I have any Money left??? Might end up in the next RV park down the road from where I currently live full-time in my fifth wheel. I have lots of good friends that will help the vision come to life. Rebuilding front end from A-arms out. Trailing arms to steering box. Sway bar bushing front and rear. Rear end bearings, seals, brakes. Driveshaft refreshed and balanced. Brake lines, master cylinder and whatever else. Turbo 400 will be gone through and some extra cooling added. One biggy that was part of the original plan that is going on the back burner is the 496ci swap that I have sitting on the shelf. The 350 has great compression and low miles. Want to get it on the road and see if I’m in love. Peace out people

John, sounds like a real classy upgrade, going to be a fantastic unit.

Well folks, The Lodge is almost completely gutted and driveline tore down for the most part. Unfortunately the Data Tag is gone. So many things happening with it that head is swimming a bit. Couple more days on it and I think I’ll be at the beginning? Front end has been removed to the frame. Everything new going back in accept the spindles. Radiator was a tough one to find but had a beautiful 4 core all aluminum cross flow made that will be here any day. Condenser for factory AC is shot and have not got a plan for that yet. All the accessory brackets on the motor were powder coated today. New external oil cooler is also on its way. Once front air-bags arrive (forgot to order) I can start assembling the front end. Going with a 19.5”x 6.5” aluminum wheel instead of 16” steel. Will be running 225/70 series’s tires which are less than an inch taller than 7.50 16LT that are on it now. Should have a nice look I hope... Roof is stripped to bare aluminum accept a few spots. Have new AC unit, 14” vents, TV antenna and gray/black water tank vent caps. Have some rivet work to do on the roof before coating. Have decided to use Dicor products on the roof. Have seen lots of negative comments on here about it, but think its the right choice for me. It’s late and the bed is calling me.

quote:

Originally posted by Camper-John:
Also looking for info on built in propane tank.

John I have the lp tank removed from my 72 that is in good shape. I would be willing to donate to your project. Only problem is you have to get it from here in Minnesnowta. I will be plumbing to my gas grill to remove the propane soon. I was/am going to put on craigslist once empty but I like your ambition and would donate to your project. No Im not like Amazon no 2 day free shipping.

Anvil 400 is the most successful product for the roof. I just did my 72 last summer and even the abused roof on the 72 looked great in November when up deer hunting. I had some left after doing my 94 Aristocrat. I will be re coating my 97 Monarch sometime in the future. Proven product 25 years just wore thin from exposure. Dicor I was able to pressure wash off after just a couple years.......

Wow is all I can say for you ambition to redo yours right! Good luck and keep us informed. We all love to hear and see your progress. We love pictures. 'A picture is worth a thousand words" fits.

Good Luck

Just a word on AC. R12 is getting cheap as no one uses it anymore and I would stay with it. I changed to 134 and wish I had stayed with R12 except for the cost of R12 at the time. My neighbor in Yuma will give me 7 cans of R12 if I want next fall. Let me know and I will send them to you when I get back to Yuma in Sept.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Carter:
Just a word on AC. R12 is getting cheap as no one uses it anymore and I would stay with it. I changed to 134 and wish I had stayed with R12 except for the cost of R12 at the time. My neighbor in Yuma will give me 7 cans of R12 if I want next fall. Let me know and I will send them to you when I get back to Yuma in Sept.

Gary, where might I purchase some of this cheap R-12, the only stuff I have found is reclaimed and still expensive. R-134 is about 4 bucks a 12 oz. can here in Iowa.

Dana and Gary. Thank both for the input. Going to replace propane tank with new. Down here in Florida they are sticklers in many places about filling propane tanks. I think it’s anything older than 12 years, rusty or worn they won’t fill. I found a new replacement for around $450. I hear you on the Dicor product but it on the shelf waiting to be applied. Will pass along my review as time passes or it blows off when I get passed by a semi... As far as the ac goes I will definitely run 134. I was told it operates more efficiently, meaning less horsepower to operate? Don’t know this to be fact, but sounds good, lol. Would love to post pics here but is not easy. I do have a Facebook page 1976 Barth 21 “The Lodge”

quote:

Originally posted by Camper-John:
Unfortunately the Data Tag is gone..

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Hey John, how about a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)? The VIN should be on the title. I am curious to the rules in Florida. What links the title to your Barth?

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Great going with your project.

If you are getting rid of any of the padded vinyl on the walls, please let me know! I messed mine up.

quote:

... As far as the ac goes I will definitely run 134. I was told it operates more efficiently, meaning less horsepower to operate? Don’t know this to be fact, but sounds good, lol.

Yes go with R134A, however as a refrigerant R12 is superior, but it has the dreaded ozone killer CFC, so no longer widely used.