History: 106,000 miles - 403 engine - 26-footTZE368V101571 - 3 owners in 36 years
1st - 1978 owners - 24 years - 76,000 miles (Washington)
2nd - 2002 owners - 4 years - 11,000 miles (Washington)
3rd - 2006 owners - 8 years - 19,000 miles (Texas/Florida)
An insurance man bought it, used it every year & maintained it covered for 24 years. A mortgage man lived in the same town as the insurance man (Sequim, WA) & made all the upgrades and ignored nothing. He was smart and got the needed parts and had a GMC guru in British Columbia install them or good local mechanics... and there are lots of mechanics that can work on a 1978 vintage vehicle. It does not take a specialist... like some would make you think! He kept the original paint intact and only changed the graphics and stripes. His investment was over $50,000 for the rig and all upgrades. We bought it for $30,000 sight unseen and flew from TX to WA to drive it home. I might have paid a little more than it was worth... but didn't have the will to negotiate a lower price. The guy was already taking a $20,000+ hit! He could afford it, it did not fit their new lifestyle in the Caribbean.. so he discounted it. Yes it costs that amount or more to buy & upgrade a rig... any 1978 GMC Royale rig... even one that is in good shape and "original".
It is thoroughly tuned-up... belts hoses fuel lines, etc., a new master cylinder and brake tune-up and a set of Firestones tires and ready to roll,... good for another 100,000 miles! I think we will see more high mid $30s for the good 1978 GMCs outfitted by Coachman in the near future!
Upgrades:
The 2nd owner did most of the major upgrades... graphics for the exterior, matching awnings on both sides, front window cover, aluminum wheels & slightly oversized radials, wheel spacers, final drive & cover, headers, timing chain, wheel bearings on all wheels, two new air bags & shutoff valves, new frame body pads, new steering wheel, new furnace, new hot water heater, new outside mirrors, new head lights & clearance & tail lights, rotating satellite dish, black counter top, sink, water pump, upholstered front chairs and dinette, fantastic vent, wood floor, new front and galley carpet, shades, curtains, door seal, aluminum entry step, new 3 way refrigerator/freezer, new microwave/oven, new windows, lifetime galley water faucet, converter, battery charger, alternator, starter, master cylinder, brake booster, vacuum pump, plugs and wiring, distributor, 3000 watt inverter and heavy duty red cable wiring front to back between the batteries.
I made changes so it worked for us as an RV for driving/living trips... rewired the breaker box for interior plugs, installed a size larger breakers, replaced the radiator cooling fan and clutch, starter, generator starter, (1) marine house battery, (1) marine engine battery, improved twin beds to original size with batting and micro-foam topper, added decorator pillows to the twin bed/lounge area so it is either/or use, air vent to motor, converted a/c to 134 and rebuilt compressor, porcelain toilet, new floor in the head, new bed room carpet & pad, removed sling beds, a new converter, plus a screened enclosure, full RV storage cover, added stereo speakers & added a 2 burner covered propane stovetop for the galley and new Mitsubishi fuel pump for the 6000 watt ONAN generator with 333 hours. Our actions made it more livable and we maintain the vehicle better than it has ever been maintained. Recently I changed the oil, lubed the front end and bogie pins. I just installed a sensitized brake booster and vacuum pump from Iden Corp. The results were better than expected. Don't feel I need to go to the larger sized 80mm disc brakes in the front now. Also re-oiled the wood cabinets, walls and the wood galley floor. Looks sharp & everything works... including the vacuum dependent cruise control! To those of you in the know... that is a good sign of a tight, healthy 403 engine. The has new 245/75R16 Load Range E tires @ 55 - 60 lbs 10 ply rating and 3,000 lbs plus. They are perhaps 13 - 18% more than needed... but that allows running at the lower tire pressure for a given load & a better ride.
The original engine and transmission are still in top shape (no rebuilds)... I do treat them with care.. just like the previous two owners. True GMC guys. This rig could last me another 15 years at 3,000 miles a year! It does not heat up, has good oil pressure, sounds good, uses only synthetic oil. Any good mechanic can rebuild the 403 engine and transmission for under $5,000... if when it needs it.
Only spent money on it if it maintained or improved the rig's performance. Looks fine and worked well for us. Re-chroming the rear bumper, patching a few little dings and touching up the paint on my list. I recently converted a twin bed to an office/media center... the last two pictures... wrong dates. Perfect addition as the area serves as a living room, bedroom and office between the kitchen/dining room and the rear bath. It is a huge upgrade for more comfortable full-time living for a single guy. The last two pictures show it pretty well!
I tow a Nissan Juke not quite 3,000 lbs... no problem where I go... coastal lands! Did not notice it was there!
Does this really look like a 36 year old RV?
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Larry Anderson
936-718-1264 (cell & text)
Navarre Beach Campground
