Hello there Barth World,

Well, 3 weeks ago my Wife said we should visit gorving.com. After an exhausting night on the web I stumbled across an old 1978 27' Barth in Glenn Ellen IL. The next day I was there to see what rv's were all about... I now own that old Barth & couldn't be happier. I picked it up on Saturday and on Sunday I took my Wife, Father and 5 kids on a day trip fishing in WS. We had the time of our lives. The smooth ride, the spacious interior. The Wind. Lots of thumbs-up.

I'm going to need a few things to complete the interior but all in time. Right now she is at the finishers getting her exterior polished for the next trip. Until then Happy Barthing to all. I'm hooked.

Paul Wicklow
78 27'

Attached is the 1979 Barth brochure for the entire product line. I am sure nothing of consequence changed in those years.

Welcome and enjoy

1979 Barth Brochure - Entire Product Line - (3,765 KB) ~

Welcome to the group Paul! There's folks here that have the knowledge to keep your Barth running for decades, so ask away......

I have a 1978-24 footer that's going through a 3-4 year "remanufacturing" process.....I've got a good set of manuals that came with it, and I've probably bought two of every wearable part that's on the coach, so let me know if I can be of any assistance......

Let the adventures begin........

Welcome, Besides the always available info from Dave, Lee, bill, and a host of others, about anything you could look for will be found by clicking 'find' at the top of the page and entering what you need. I don't think I would have made it through the first couple years of owning our Barth without this site. Enjoy the coach and take advantage of all there is to learn here.

Welcome to the site.

Bill N.Y.

Well thanks everyone.

This new Machine is going to get interesting for me. By trade I'm a restoration contractor located in oak Park Il. I have restored hundreds of homes including Frank lloyd Wright houses, as well as Earnest Hemingways birthplace home. Now I have a Barth home and Im ready to be gentil yet dress it up.

I'm thinking hardwood floors. Any issues to be concerned with. I have 5 kids 10 and under and spills and carpet dont mix. Didn't know if the carpet has a purpose.

With the 5 kids, I would love to get my hands on a pull down bed kit for over the captians chairs. Does this exist.

My Barth didn't come with the two barrel chairs on either side of the table. Not ever being in another Barth these chairs seem very desirable. Anyone have any out there? also were these ever attached to the floor? [Maybe another reason for the carpet]

On my maiden voyage last week I watched my guages quite frequently. This being a newly rebuilt 454 I noticed the oil guage near 60 almost all the time. Any concerns about this?

I'm an old Cox trailer kid from the 70s. We camped everywhere[Almost every state]. My parents drove us across country from Chicago to the west coast and back one year with a Fiat and the cox trailer. Through the rockies the 18 wheelers were going faster than us. How will the barth handle in the mountains?

Is AAA a good thing for rv owners?

Any good mechanics around the Chicago area that are familiar with a Barth? During a mechanical inspection by a bus company, the need for new shocks came up and I want to make sure I'm getting the right advise.

I know these are a lot of questions, but the Barth has now consumed me. It must be the memory of a bright shinny Barth in a campground as a kid and dreaming of exploring in style. I'm sure more questions will come up. I also want to say thank-you Dave for creating this site and giving life to the Barth Community.

Paul Wicklow
78 27ft

Re: hardwood - I have hardwood in the galley/dinette area. It was refinished before I got it, & not too well. It needs it again, a job I don't look forward to. I replaced the carpet in the bathroom with laminate, & I'm satisfied with it.

IMHO laminate or roll goods would be better. With kids, I'd opt for roll goods. Doesn't crack skulls as easily as hard laminate, & has no cracks for spills to soak into.

Re: barrel chairs - Mine are not fastened down.

Re: shocks - The consensus is Bilsteins are best, at least for Chevy chassis, though mine wears Brand X, & they work fine.

My 454 runs at around 60 lbs. of oil pressure.

Go up to "find" & do a search for each of your items. Lots of prior posts on most of them, probably more information than you want or need.

Hi Paul and congrats on your Barth acquisition. Re your pulldown bed question, I have one in my Barth and had one in my sob. Don't know if they're available new but I bet you can find one from one of the rv salvage places. I added bamboo floors to my Airstream mh and love it. It's lighter than most wood and very durable. Good luck on your restoration project. joe

quote:

Originally posted by Paul Wicklow:
With the 5 kids, I would love to get my hands on a pull down bed kit for over the captians chairs. Does this exist.

I installed such a bed in my Barth. The bed came out of a 80's era Allegro.

If you go down below to "The Story" in my signature profile it will show you some before and after pics of what was done to my 1991 Barth and how I mounted the overhead bed.

Hi Paul, and Welcome!

quote:

Originally posted by Paul Wicklow:

I would love to get my hands on a pull down bed kit for over the captians chairs. Does this exist.

I had one on my previous SOB. Wish I had taken it out and saved it. Good flat storage under the mattress, too. Some Barths came with them. You might check for them in the shorter Southwinds and Pace Arrows. Lots of them had them. Width is pretty standard. If you get one, lube it well before installation, as they can squeak as they move while driving.

quote:

My Barth didn't come with the two barrel chairs on either side of the table. Not ever being in another Barth these chairs seem very desirable. Anyone have any out there? also were these ever attached to the floor?

Barth didn't seem to favor mounted chairs. I bolted down two bucket chairs on swivel pedestals, on either side of the fold down table. Our previous SOB had them and we liked the setup. If nothing else, it's a little more space-efficient, but that's an individual preference.

Since you mention 5 kids, I might mention that on a previous MH, I lifted the barrel chairs up off their pedestals, leaving the tubular bases sticking up. I made a plywood single bed that mounted on both bases. Had another plywood single that lay across the driver and passenger seats. Heck, with my kids and their friends, we had 'em stacked like cordwood.

quote:

On my maiden voyage last week I watched my guages quite frequently. This being a newly rebuilt 454 I noticed the oil guage near 60 almost all the time. Any concerns about this?

What does it read on cold startup?

quote:

How will the barth handle in the mountains?

It will need some help, like all other P30s or P32s. Uphill will depend on the engine builder. Curves will be better with pretty standard chassis enhancements. Downhill is pretty much dependent on your caution and the freshness and quality of your brake fluid.

quote:

Is AAA a good thing for rv owners?

I can only speak for AAA here is southern CA. Not good for RVs. We use them for the other vehicles, though. Talk to RVers in your home state for accurate info on your state's chapter of AAA and how they do.

quote:

Any good mechanics around the Chicago area that are familiar with a Barth? During a mechanical inspection by a bus company, the need for new shocks came up and I want to make sure I'm getting the right advise.

Any good truck mechanic should be familiar with your chassis. Any good RV tech should be familiar with your stove, fridge, air conditioner, etc. There is nothing about a Barth that is non-standard or unique. Just higher build quality. As for shocks, I favor Bilsteins. Front needs the most help. If you put Bilsteins on the rear, let me know, and I will send you a poop sheet on reinforcing the upper mounts if your model needs the mod.

quote:

I also want to say thank-you Dave for creating this site and giving life to the Barth Community.

Be glad for Dave.

quote:

With the 5 kids, I would love to get my hands on a pull down bed kit for over the captians chairs. Does this exist

Paul,

My '78 Barth has a front overhead bunk that is identical to the scissor mechanism that came with my new Winnie in '73. When I was shopping for new SOB's back then, I also looked at Champions, Titans, Open Roads, etc, and they all had the same design, so I'm sure there are tons of them out there from the '70's-80's, still attached to sticks-n-staples SOB's that are sitting & rotting in back yards all over.

I would think it would be available from the right person at the right price from some coach that's dead in the water somewhere. (Just don't let them make you take the whole coach!

An accomplished restorer like yourself could mount it easily, even is it had to be shimmed-out a little with hardwood trim, etc. The scissors will take a small amount of outward bend on the arms and still work, but squeezing them inwards would probably interfere with retraction limits......

I couldn't find a mgfr stamp or label on my unit, and my Google searches came up blank, so I don't know who the sub-contract manufacturer is......Maybe others will have better luck.....

quote:

Originally posted by Lee:
I couldn't find a mgfr stamp or label on my unit, and my Google searches came up blank, so I don't know who the sub-contract manufacturer is......Maybe others will have better luck.....

the stamp on mine reads...

Kwikee Enterprise
Drain, Oregon
503-836-2126

I found this in a Google search

Kwikee Products Company
Division of Ashton Corporation
P.O. Box 638
Drain, Oregon 97435
Phone: 503-836-2126

The phone number doesn't work. Extra info to help in your search.

Take Lee's advice: Try to get it out of a SOB that's sitting around.

Bill N.Y.

Good hit Bill......They moved, but I tracked them down....The unit that Paul's probably interested in has not been manufactured "for years".....Only unit they make today is Queen size - doubt if there's enough room to make that fit....At any rate, I'd guess the price would prevent one from getting much sleep in the first place

Well do share, what did you find? What's the cost?

Bill N.Y.

A couple of IMHO's for you Paul. Hardwood floors may look great, and last a long time, but in a P30 rig you are going to get a ton of noise when on the road. I didn't even tear up the old carpet, as it didn't stink, show water marks, I just put down the new over the old and it cut the road noise considerably. I did strip the floor in the bath and laid 2x2" tile. It has held up very well. Re: AAA. I have RV plus and had to use it in Alabama a couple years ago and it was great. Perhaps what needs to be remembered is that any road service is only going to be as good as the contract holder in the area where one breaks down. And NEVER let them tow without disconnecting the drive shaft!