Hello, I am the new owner of a 26' 1973 Barth and need some direction to find out what I really have. I sort of stumbled onto the Barth after several months of searching and trying to decide if I wanted a factory-made rig or a bus to convert. I was getting pretty burned out looking and my wife was becoming convinced she was correct about me being out of my mind. A couple months she asked if I thought I would ever find what I wanted and I told her I would know it when I saw it. After travelling many miles to look at various rigs and surfing the net for endless hours I finally found what I wanted just 50 miles from home. It was pretty much love at first sight. I just got it a couple of days ago and am now happy to find this site. But I did have a "moment" last night when I read Dave Bowers message about windshields in early 70's models. I rushed out to the garage to measure them and found them to be about 23 inches or so tall. They both will probably need to be replaced eventualy. I definitely need to update the suspension. Right now, I will be happy to hear from anyone with info on how to identify the model. It has a Chevy 454. Are all Barths with the chevy built on the P30 chassis? I did a site search for "barth history" but didn't get much. I will be happy to hear from everyone willing to take the time to write. Sorry such a long post, I'm usually not so verbose.----Bill

Bill, congratulations and welcome. I sent you by email the entire cataloge for the 1973 model year. It is very informative as far the construction is concerned. You certainly have one of the best for that year or any year. I think that for the 1973 model year the P-30 Chevy was about all you could get. Starting in the 80's they jumped into diesels as well as Oshkosh, John Deere and even International Harvestor chassis and they all had Ford engines.

My suggestion is "safety first" check the brakes, wheel bearings, steering gear etc. And then, the next order of business is to "have fun".



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"Ships are safe in the harbor.....But that's not what ships are for"

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

Welcome to the wonderful world of Barth, Bill!
You'll find lots of helpful information here and many people willing to share experience, expertise and advice. If experience is the best teacher, we're all learning a lot. Come to one of the rallies and meet some other Barths and their owners. We're all convinced that Barth is quality throughout but like those of us who drive them, age can wear out certain parts. Good luck with your purchase/investment/enjoyment.

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Susie and Gary (SUGAR)
'95 Barth Regency 34'
'96 Explorer

Congrats on your Barth! We have had ours about a month now and haven't had a moment to ourselves yet - we have been doing for the Barth in one way or another most of the time and have enjoyed every moment of it!

Dave - thanks for the tip re the safety items to get checked - we are taking our Royale in next week to get it ready for our long trek to Arizona, etc. Oregon, Ill, California and everywhere else we get the urge to visit - we are making a list for the mechanic and the bearings and the steering gear weren't on it - glad to have the info before we head out just after Christmas!