I am new to this site and have a million questions. But first Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah! Let me give you some background. We have been avid RV'rs for all 44 years of our marriage. Started with a rented tent trailer and progressed: pull trailers, 5th wheels, truck campers and many motorhomes. Currently we have a 2008 42 ft. Dynasty tag. I have restored a few classic MH's including a 68 Winnie,78 Vogue,Clark Cortez ( one of our favorites and a front engine Bluebird( FC35). We live in Mexico in the winter and I have a complete shop where I can work on a unit. We bought the Bluebird to travel in Mexico. But as Mexcio became a little dangerous and my health suffered we stopped going south and sold the Bird. We travel on some so so roads and firmly believe one needs a solid unit . Not a plastic unit. I am feeling better and am looking for a smaller unit that can take the bad roads. I was a little familiar with Barths but for no reason never considered them as a suitable unit. I have perused this site and tried to remember the few Barths I saw back in the "day". Now for my questions: I saw a 1986 28 rear bath for sale. Not many pics but it looks nice. Are their particular years to avoid? Would a 1986 be a Chev with 454. Is an 86 throttle body or QuadraJet? Did Barth modify the chassis? Is the Park brake on the driveshaft? How do the 28 ft. units handle? Some short WB. units have severe handling problems on uneven roads. Do the steel bodies have rust problems? How big are the water and waste tanks. I have more questions but will save them for later. I looked at a photo of that 86 Regal and it reminds me of our Vogue. We always liked the rear bath. Any hints and tips appreciated.

On edit I think I was mistaken. I did not know the Barth. skin was aluminum. Any problems with galvanic action?

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Originally posted by Moisheh:
Now for my questions: I saw a 1986 28 rear bath for sale. Not many pics but it looks nice. Are their particular years to avoid? Would a 1986 be a Chev with 454.

The larger ones for sure. I think a few shorties had the 350.

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Is an 86 throttle body or QuadraJet?

Q jet.

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Did Barth modify the chassis?

Only on tag axle coaches.

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Is the Park brake on the driveshaft?

On the 19.5 wheel coaches. However, be aware that not all Barths are the same, so who knows what is out there.

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How do the 28 ft. units handle? Some short WB. units have severe handling problems on uneven roads.

The P30 has an undeserved poor reputation for handling. When I hear this, I ask about ride height, chassis leveling and caster. None of the bad-mouthers had any idea what I was talking about. The P30 is never going to be an FMC, but it is as good as the other gas coaches. We had a 27 or 28 ft P30 Southwind, and it handled decently. I believe Barth used a heavier chassis than Southwind, so it should handle better. But, I always had a heavier front anti-sway bar and Bilsteins, so I really can't comment too much on OEM handling. Handling is TERRIBLE with low air bags up front. A good alignment with correct ride height front and rear makes handling decent. There are separate specs for aligning a P30 RV chassis. Many front end mechs don't know that, and will use potato chip truck specs. Again, ride height must be correct, with the frame rails level on a level surface before alignment can be started. Then, before every trip front and rear bags need to be set where the front end guy had them when he did the alignment. BTW, a rear bath coach handles MUCH better with empty tanks. Some of this depends on what tank is where, or course. Weight aft of the rear axle can hurt handling. A Panhard bar can help this quite a bit.

The only Barths known to have chronic issues are the rare Ford 460 (7.5L) gaso pushers and the MCC chasses with the original DD 8.2L (which were fine, but can't stand overheating, period); those with a reman engine are fine.

Thanks for the replies. Is the park brake that infamous hydraulic "Auto Park" that GM installed ? I have another question about the shower in a 28 ft. RB. Can a 6 ft. guy stand up in the shower? Shower looks very small in the photos. I was shocked to see that Barth used a plastic shower curtain ! I have been reading some of the upgrade and repair posts and am learning a lot. I have read where some have experienced bubbling under the paint. That usually means some type of corrosion. Is that normal?

Thanks

Owning a 1986 Regal rear bath 31' , at 5'11" the shower is small but usable. Our has 50 gal. fresh water. I think 40 gray and 40 black. The 31' has a little bit larger shower than the 28'. The 28' with rear bath and twin center aisle beds was one of the most popular floor plans in the 80's. Although some coaches are similar all were custom built. There are differences in every one.

Parking brake on 1986's 19.5'" Chevy chassis is a cable operated drive shaft mounted 4 wheel Disk brakes. Most are 178" wheel base although like our 31' I have seen 1 with an extended 195" wb. Depending on chassis year an 86 could have cast iron exhaust manifold or Stainless steel. Both are going to have air injection. the SS not having the cracking issues of the cast. Header improves either. The chassis with 19.5" wheel has bigger frame rails than 16" wheel chassis.

The aluminum riveted framework and skin of the Barth makes for 1 stout coach. The construction of the interiors are well made and screwed together instead of stapled. The one Improvement that I would make for rough roads is to thru bolt under body storage boxes, battery boxes and generator compartment. Barth riveted them to the steel floor framing. My batteries were headed road bound when I caught this on my coach. Lot of weight hanging just on rivets. I like the mid 80 interiors, over earlier or later years, but everyone has their on taste.

Because of the aluminum skin can hide lower steel structure rust issues, 1 needs to inspect closely. Remember you are dealing with a 25+ year old coach. If you end up with a Barth you will find a well built coach that will impress you on the workmanship.

I was looking in the sold and for sale forum to better understand some of the layouts. I was scanning some photos of one of the DP's and noticed it does not have a screen door!! It was a front entrance. Are the mid entrance units (Regal) the same? No screen door????

I had a 1985 28' Regal w/ 454 + Gear Vendors. It was rear bath, twin beds, etc. The wheel base was 195", Barth having extended the factory wheelbase at the request of the original owner. It drove like a dream. But that was after I replaced a lot of components with Henderson equipment(including the air bags in the front). Also, I had to tell the alignment shop what to do. There is an excellent tutorial on the site for that. But, remember, these are light coaches in the 14000 to 18000 GVWR range. They will move around on the road when it's windy. There's no way of getting around it. If you want something that handles better, especially in windy conditions, you're going to have to go longer and heavier.
Mid to late 80s were Barths best years,IMO

Hi Jim: I have been reading some of your posts. You have been injected with Barth venom! How many do you own and how many have you owned. I have owned some very short WB motorhomes. Had a 68 or 69 Winnie . It was 18 or 19 ft. with a long overhang! Impossible to keep on the road. But your 195 wb with a 28 ft. length should be no problem. I spent some of my youth in HD truck chassis shops. Both as a parts mgr. and service writer. Learnt a lot. We had our Dynasty @ Henderson's and other than them trying to sell you a ton of aftermarket overpriced items they did a great job. About 10 years ago we had a 34 ft. Pace Arrow on the Chev chassis. It handled well. But I am spoiled as we currently have a tag axle Dynasty that is amazing when it comes to handling. I have a question: While looking at many of the photos I notice that Barth uses a molded shower base. Like a small tub. But it only goes up the wall a short distance. maybe 2 ft. I can see the upper part of the shower walls but they look like wall board. Or is it some sort of plastic or formica?

Thanks

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Originally posted by Moisheh:
I was looking in the sold and for sale forum to better understand some of the layouts. I was scanning some photos of one of the DP's and noticed it does not have a screen door!! It was a front entrance. Are the mid entrance units (Regal) the same? No screen door????

My 30 ft tag Barth does not have a screen door.

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Although some coaches are similar all were custom built. There are differences in every one.

Our 31' Regal has screen door. 21' Class C does not.

I haven't seen a front-entry with a screen door. The PO of mine made a screen curtain, which I use occasionally.

I have owned 4 Barths. The 85 Regal and 3 Breakaways, including a 30'er and 2 28'ers. Currently and forever, I do not own a motor home. My tinkering is restricted to an 87 VW Rabbit. I loved the drive train of the Breakaways but not the handling. The Regal was on balance, the best. BTW, my shower was from the specs for a Regency, full fiberglass with walls and ceiling. Roger in Seattle has it now. My wife, Tere, has first dubs on it and when I die, most likely will buy it back. Good for her.