Last weekend I made a deal with Joyce Carter for the 28' Regal that she'd been offering on this forum. This will be my first coach, since I've been frittering away my time working.

Even though I've been reading EVERYTHING on this forum, I just realized that I know nothing about the ownership and operation of a semi-antique coach.

I presume this is a P-30, since the engine is a Chevy 454.

My short term plan is to begin by having all the fluids changed. I'm thinking that it would also benefit by new shocks and air bags.

Any comments or advice would be appreciated.

John Stippick (aka Ironhead)

Welcome John, you're about to embark on an adventure which, when you're through, will leave you with something worthwhile to enjoy. If you can do yourself what is required to put the rig in tip-top shape, you'll learn a lot about it too.

Fluids, including trans. & rear axle are definitely step one. Also fuel filters. There's at least one in-line filter underneath, most likely along the passenger-side frame rail, just aft of the passenger seat, probably with 1/2" fittings, not 3/8". If your 454 has a Quadrajet carb., there's one at the fuel inlet to the carb. also, most likely the long variety (there's along one and a short one for the Quadrajet).

New air cleaner is a good idea, too, and while you have the engine cover off, check to be sure the centrifugal advance in the distributor is working. If the engine is running OK, and the plug wires all look good, you probably don't need a tuneup right off the bat, but it wouldn't hurt.

Check all your belts to be sure they're not cracked, or frayed.

Examine your tires for cracking, and general condition.There's a post on this forum that tells how to check their age. The fresher they are, the better.

All this stuff that you can afford to do at the outset, is something that won't jump up to bite you on the butt on a dark and rainy night when you're a hundred miles from nowhere.

Check the age and condition of your batteries, both house and starting.

Knowledge that all this stuff is up to snuff, is a great confidence builder when you're on the road a long way from home.

It wouldn't hurt to do a tuneup on your genny, too.

Definitely inspect your brakes and air bags, but drive it a little bit before you go into new air bags and shocks. The operant instruction for much of this stuff is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but you don't want to wait until outdated, worn-out fluids, belts, filters, brakes or tires leave you stranded at an inopportune time, or cause unnecessary damage.

On a brand-new (for you) rig, it's hard to determine how much of this updating is enough, or how much is too much, but you definitely don't want to err on the side of too little.

This gets your rig in shape mechanically to hit the road with confidence, but you need also to check your propane and electrical systems, and your appliances, for safety and reliability. They're what keep Mama happy, and make the rig livable.

I'm sure Bill H wil have another 50 items for you to check, and of course, there will be cosmetics, both inside and outside. The pix of your rig suggest the exterior finish could stand a little work, and it looks like your headliner sags, a common problem with that particular fabric. I've got one just like it.

I just checked my to-do list on our new (to us) '90 Regal SE. I've completed 18 items, ranging from minor to major, and have about 10 to go, the biggest, and last one being the headliner.

I've done everything I need to hit the road with confidence, but things aren't yet as pretty as I'd like to have them.

At 75, it takes me a week to do a half-day's work, and at our ages we don't have a lot of time left. About the middle of this month, ugly or not,we'll hit the road for a little while at least.

As you go through the teething process, there will be both pleasant surprises and disappointments, but keep your eye on the goal, and keep having fun.

I also checked this rig out over the phone. I talked to one person that was going to buy this rig and he said that one of the front airbags was bad. I'm not sure on this, but it is something to look at. The guy that looked at it said that the air compressor didn't keep the air bag up. I have found that the compressor doesn't inflate the airbags they are inflated through an air hose that comes out of the bottom of the bag that is located inside of the coil spring. This guy also said that the front end would shimmey. I asked Joyce and she said that he was driving over some bumps in the road and there was nothing wrong with the suspension. I bought a 28 foot Regal and have put in a lot of work to make it reliable. Have fun with your new Barth. We like the extra room over my 22 foot Barth. I put in a satilite radio and I really enjoy it.

I, like Dennis, bought a 1985 28 foot Regal. I would check out everything that everyone suggests but my list would include of course the things I didn't check and ended up having problems with. #1 Hoses. If you radiator hose falls off you have bought a new engine in about a minute or so. (I bought an engine) #2. Our wheel bearing went out near Marathon, Ontario. I don't know which is worse. The coach would crash or we had to stay 3 days in Marathon while the stage coach brought the wheel bearings in from Thunder Bay. Luckly the $700.00 fix was only $550.00 American and I now put gravy on "everything".

By the way, also check your oil about twice or three times as much as you think you ought to until you know how much it takes. I have talked to guys whos 454's use one qt every 1000 miles and it has for the last 50,000 miles.

Don't get too freaked out about all of this. After all non of us have bought a 2004 Itasca Suncruiser... We're all in the same....boat?

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Dennis & Dave have some good comments. On Dennis' advice re: airbags, I'd add to look and see if you have a couple of Shrader valves on your front bumper apron. That's where my airbags are filled.

Dave'sadvice on hoses and wheel bearings is wise also. Wheel bearings should be done when you have your first chassis lube. A few extra $, but good insurance.

Re: oil checks - I had a '74 Suburban with a 454. The regular drill was 1 tank of gas - 1 qt. of oil. At 80mph on the interstate - 1 tank of gas 2 qts. of oil.

Early 454s were oil hogs. later ones are better, but once you hit the road, it's smart to check daily until you know how much you're going to use.

From experience, I'd add one more caveat. Get up on the roof with a tube of good-quality flowable sealant (not silicone) and dose every exposed screw head (including those on your running light bases inside the lenses) and every visible seam. More good insurance when you hit that first big rainstorm.

I referred to "teething process" in my earlier post, but that's what you go through with that new 2004 rig Dave mentioned, which cost you 8 or 10 times as much, and has to back to the dealer four times in the first week, then spends three weeks at the factory for warranty work, a month after you bought it. And which will be on the scrap heap while your Barth is going through its third re-incarnation by the next owner after you.

What you're doing is making sure there's no deferred maintenance to rear up and bite you some dark and stormy night down the road, and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing whatever problems arise later are not the result of sloppy workmanship, poor design, or cheap construction by the factory.

Boy you guys are making me feel really good about my new to me 28' Barth Regal, everything you mentioned Vince had aready done. Now if I could figure out a way to keep the grass from growing on the camping spaces on the Little Sandy River, maybe after I get all settled ya'll can come see me if'n the creek don't rise. jray

Remember that your motor home is just a house on wheels.

The 'part' that makes it unique is its construction, and that construction is just about without equal.

After that, motorhomes are just assemblies of various pieces, most of which are/were NOT specific to Barth, ie stove tops, counters, plumbing, toilet etc.

That is good news. I have not found it impossible to find any parts thus far, and I have replaced a couple reaaaallly obscure things. My generator switch on the dashboard was a favorite. It dissolved after a well meaning person advised me to use "contact cleaner" on it. The part that was left had a manufacturer's name and part number. I found a replacement in about 30 minutes, although I paid a premium for not ordering 25 of them!

It may take an ounce of detective work, but the internet is a grand thing, and a LOT of members here have already travelled down your path, and NONE of us are ready to sell.

Make a list, starting with most important (safety, driveability, reliability) points and address them first.

Don't like the curtains? Well, let them be until you bleed the old fluid from the brakes. God only gives us so much time per day, use it wisely.

Keep a log book in your Barth, and keep track of "things needing attention" and "things accomplished">

Take one item a week and get it done. You will catch up.

Don't neglect two things:

Preventative maintenence and USING your coach.

Drive it a MINIMUM of once a month. Get the tires turning and the fluids warmed up. This means, drive it at least an hour.

also, run your generator monthly too, about 20 minutes. That will keep gas from turning to varnish in the carb. 90% of small engine problems are electrical or carbuerator.

You can run your genny while you go down the road, kill two birds with one stone.

Good luck and read past posts. You will learn a ton in a couple days here, just going over old postings.

Thanks for all the help. I've got it at the suspension doctor now, they're charged with bringing it back up to the right ride height, replacing worn parts, and alignment to the forum's specs.

Another question. Instead of 8R19.5, would it be better to go with a bigger tire? Possibly a 235-70 R 19.5?

FWIW, Wes Caughlin's Coach & Chassis column in the most recent issue of Motorhome magazine discusses this issue. A correspondent had problems with 245/70R19.5 tires on 8R19.5 rims. Caughlin says the 245s are too wide for the rims, and recommends 225/70R19.5s. He says 225s are O.E. on all P-chassis today.This suggests 235s may also be too wide.

How much air pressure should my front bags be charged with? I also have air shocks all around,with a recommendation of 40 to 80 lbs. That's quite a spread. I'm thinking start at 60 and see how I like the ride.

For those who have the automatic pump it is pre-set at 60 psi. However, on the front I think Bill H. says to measure the bumper height and use the pressure to level it out. In my case, I like a stiffer ride so I keep mine at 80. I seem to be more stable around corners and less rock n' roll when the big trucks go by.



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Ride height is measured per the picture near the rubber bump stop. Once you have got it right, you can then measure the bump stop clearance (or bumper height) and use it as a reference from then on. Chevrolet gives a metal to metal measurement because some bump stops are more collapsed than others.

Higher or lower pressure is probably OK as long as you stay within the Chevy recommandations.

BTW, rear ride height is important, too, as it affects your caster, which affects your straight line stability.

It's amazing what a difference having all new springs, front end parts, and shocks will make. We DID have the ride height right, and then did the alignment. It drives like a big Cadillac now.

All we have now is the other 1001 things on the list...

quote:

Originally posted by Ironhead:

Another question. Instead of 8R19.5, would it be better to go with a bigger tire? Possibly a 235-70 R 19.5?

A 225 is as wide as you should go with your rims. Ask your tire dealer for a look at his "Tire Guide". The biggest improvement is with 225s on the front. 225s on the rear will lower your rear ground clearance a bit.