HI guys, we have just purchsed 2 barth 24' motor homes 1977.
one with engine and transmission and one without. just found out today that 5 out of 8 cylinders have dropped pushrods. It ran but not well obviously. Anyway we paid 3000.00$ for the two of them. the parts one and the one complete one. but engine looks like a 3200$ repair to have it rebuilt properly like new again. then with things like new waterpump, hoses, clean rad and pressure test, fan clutch belt, clamps, thermostat etc. it will come to 4000$ by the time its all said and done. So my question to all my fellow Barth lovers if you add this to the rest of the restore is it worth it to go ahead and do it all?

You describe your problem is dropped push rods. What do you mean by that. I know that in 1977 Chevy produced bad camshafts (soft lobes) that would wipe out lifters. I have replace few of them years back. If that is what your problem is you might get by replacing cam, lifter, timing chain, gear and water pump. Might be 1k instead of 4K.Much easier to do than having to getting into bottom end and heads. This might get you an engine that got 10's of thousand miles left on it. Craig.

Welcome to Barthmoble, The choice of rebuilding/replacing is what you want to have when your done. Will you get your money back. No but if you can use the coach for enjoyment it be worth it. Barths have good bones. They don't make them any more. You now own a coach that can be kept up with work. This site will try to help you with this. I watch many car restoration show that are spending 50s of thousand $ to get cars on the road that will never get more another 1000 on them. It's all about enjoyment.

quote:

Originally posted by Doorman:
It's all about enjoyment.

Yes, Craig is right on target here. Retrun comes in enjoyment. If you think you can buy and flip the vehicle, profitability is slim to none.

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You can find some Barth Stories bought and Sold on ON THIS PAGE .

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Agree with the ole Doorman, not about return on investment, be a rare case to break even on a sale. Do it because you want to save these beautiful old machines and enjoy them.

Thanks guys for your info. We heard that these were mostly built custom to what each person wanted. and that there were only 300 a year produced for this reason. We also heard that these Barth Motorhomes were only sold to the rich as they were so expensive no average working person could ever afford them.This makes them seem very unique for that reason alone. Just for interest sake does anyone know what the average price was back in the day?
I was wrong the parts one is a 1975 and the complete one is 1976 we purchased.
In any case I have decided by the time you tear into the engine we might as well have it rebuilt properly if you want to give it a second life and take it to the mountains etc. without any worries then just do it right. I also want to purchase an electronic throttle body from Summit Racing and get rid of carb. It will be more fuel efficient and less hassles etc. the money it costs you will save on gas.We are excited about it. I was disappointed when I looked into engine but anyway as I say just give it a complete rebuild and a new life again. There are a few dings in the metal on the outside metal on the corners but the parts one has that metal in excellent condition so planning to remove it from parts one and hopefully re rivet it on the restored one. Not sure how difficult that will be. Also for some reason the guy who had the one with the engine and trans. took the original dash out of it completely and built one which is terrible [no idea why] so the parts one has the original one in it as well as overhead bed etc. SO this will be one of the biggest challenges. He removed defrost ducting and everything. But the parts one has all this.
Anyway thanks again for your info and support. I am sure we might have some questions as we go along.

Lila, are there any parts or components you would like to share from the donor Barth? If so you can post the stuff here.

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I would like to get some additional bullet lights. One bullet light is in the lower right corner of the picture below.

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Lila, I have done many of the things with mine that you are contemplating with yours. If you have the time and the desire, you can get your rig set right. Most machines don't have 30 and 40 year maintenance cycles to deal with, but ours do.

The intake manifold on mine rusted through and prompted my restoration effort. Please tell us more about the problem with the engine in yours.

My Barth cost the Commonwealth of Massachusetts about $88K in 1988. It was rather spartan in accommodations.

We are here to help with advice !!!!!
Matt

I would have to consider a new a newer LS1 swap, Oil pan and I think headers are made for this. Get you FI and should be able to install 4l80 overdrive. Will have more power better mpg , Roller cam. and should be cheaper. We need a Gennie Pig. for project like this. 2010 or so 3500 Donor should be less cost. Might be able to get rear disk. I just think this is out of my ability any more. Just love to see some one do it. I think a 6.5 diesel turbo with 4L80 might be good swap. all accessories should bolt right on to BB.

Restoration of 40 year old vehicles is no small feat. It takes lots of work. If you are capable of doing the work and enjoy it like a hobby, old coaches can be satisfying to have.

Do not have any illusions of payback. As they say you can buy an old coach for $10,000 put $10,000 into and be lucky to sell it for $10,000.

I have over 1000 photos of my work here on the site. Engine rebuild, engine swap, transmission swap, driveshaft, brakes, fuel system, ACs, furnace, wiring you name it.
It was a lot if work but I enjoyed most of it and I put over 40,000 miles on it.
But as I said, I paid 10k for it, put in about 15k more then sold it for under 15k. No regrets. I enjoyed the use and I met tons of great people with it. Worth every penny.

I only sold it because I needed a larger coach since I stay in the coach in Florida in the winter for 5 months. My current Barth I have spent to get tires brakes shocks ACs radiator exhaust and some minor engine work but I have over 30,000 miles on it.

Good luck with your projects keep us posted.

The best thing about Barth coaches, as good as they are, is not the coach but the Barth folks I have met.

As for prices these were indeed high end coaches. My 86 Regal 33ft tag axle sold for around $150k when new! I paid $10k for it in 2011. My 37ft Monarch sold for $203k in 1998. I paid $30k for it in 2016. I have another $15k in it and I would be likely to get about $25k for it now.

Society’s throwaway attitudes and banks refusal to finance old coaches have much to do with the low resale value.

If a older Barth was more desirable if restored to its original specifications, as are some classic cars, going for the existing engine rebuild could add value. But they are not, so upgrading to an LS1 as Doorman suggests to me anyway is the best way to go. Get more HP @ better gas mileage, probably less expensive, and more reliability.

If you decide to rebuild the 454 and do a TBI upgrade. Holley makes a Stealth direct replacement for the Rochester carburetor, complete kit is about $1500. Personally not pulling the engine, to me is best, if the lower engine is in decent shape, valve job, TBI, headers, cam, good to go!

Do not forget to replace or clean the fuel tanks.

Lila, I am not sure how you would get these to Canada. They are two original Barth Regency chairs.

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