Need to drive from Oregon to Illinois - what to check?

[HookWakaBang]

I just bought a 1972 Winnebago D-22. Listing says Brave - I'm pretty sure it's an Indian.

It's going to be pretty much permanently parked on a river front property and used as a weekend cabin of sorts.

All good so far, BUT... it's in Southeastern Oregon and I need to get it to North Central Illinois.

It runs, though is hard to start.

What should I be check before I attempt to drive it that far? I'll get an oil change, check the belts and other fluids, but are there any obvious things I should be wary of?

I mean, if you're going to break down in the desert, a motorhome is a fine place to be. But I'd rather make it all the way.

[Oz]

Tires.  Age.  Look for sidewall cracks.  Not good.  You should have some key, spare parts like ignition module and ballast resistor.  They're pretty cheap.  Test drive long before leaving.  Brakes... obviously very important.  You're bound to have play in your steering.  It can be adjusted.  There's a step-by-step topic on it here. You likely won't be able to take care of all the potentially worn steering/suspension components before leaving, maybe you can, but if you can't you need to know and be able to compensate for the handling with confidence. 

There are other things to check as well.  I'll let some others chime in.

When you go. Go slow, take it easy, begin slowing down well before turns and stops.  Accelerate slowly as well.  In short, "baby it".

[skloon]

Brake hoses, brake fluid condition of radiator and if the engine heater works- had one where it all seemed fine until I selected cabin heat and got steam. As mentioned earlier tires even if they look good check the age I had one disintigrate even though it looked good- it was 15 years old though

[Oz]

Aside from mechanical things, you want to check the body for loose things which could be ripped off by the wind when you get up to speed. Particularly roof vent covers...   
Side access doors. Be sure they latch securely.  The main door. Sounds ridiculous but, never take anything for granted, right?
The awning.  It's advisable, even if it sits securely on the top, to put velcro straps around the uprights.  Yeah, it's happened.  It bounces loose and the whole thing unfurls and flies up over the roof.
Body panels.  Particularly those in front of the front wheels.  Be sure they aren't coming loose, even a little bit.  They aren't held on by much so it doesn't take much to make them go flying off.  Be sure to check the rest as well.
Check your underbelly holding tanks to make sure they're secure.  I had my back water tank go bouncing down the highway behind me once.  Good thing my wife was driving chase and it was empty!

[Eyez Open]

Being from Oregon and doing a little traveling I can tell you first hand you cannot guess on the tires brakes drive line and transmission. You will be crossing some steep mountains and passes. And those passes will test your brakes and tranny severely. Heat fade is lethal in brakes, you will have use the tranny to gear you down....at times.

Oregon Motanna and Wyoming have long stretches of hwy with no civilization for miles and miles. Old tired tires might look good but when they heat up going down the road for miles and miles they simply blow out. Changing the entire brake fluid system is a must, old fluid heats up very easy and when that happens no brakes.

[Mlw]

Maybe it's a shot for open goal and I don't want to push your buttons but,

Seeing your plans with it, it seems far wiser to me that you have it transported because you most definitely are going to have your share of work just to get it from point A to B, next to the question "what if you are in an accident with a definitive outcome?" The thing is 50 years old and will have multiple problems.

I was planning to go the same way you are thinking right now, but boy, am I glad that I didn't because chances are i would have burned my rig down BIGTIME!

If you want, read my story and see what unexpected things I found, ESPECIALLY WIRING! It took me months to figure everything out. Check this inside and out and even in the cablegutters/bindings so ask the previous owner if there has been work on the wiring and if so where. If he says "no" don't take his word for it and check it anyway but if confirmed you know where you especially need to look.

As for the hard start: clean your carburetor! still starting hard, check your fueltank, the "sock" in the tank, your fuel lines, your fuelfilter, your fuelpump, your vacuumlines, your spark plugs, your Spark plug wires, your rotor, your rotorcap, your distributor your ignition coil, the ignition module and if there is enough power on the whole starting system and if not you will have to figure out why, because bad power starting will mean bad power driving it and then it's going to be a bumpy ride.

http://dave78chieftain.com/Charging_TS.html

Still starting hard? fill the bowl manually by putting in gas manually. Worked for me every single time and you'll know you have a problem between the carburetor and the fueltank.

A Tip: Go and watch a few episodes of this guy (especially his intro  ) He does what you are planning for a living, plays stupid but is actually a very cunning mechanic.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ViceGripGarage


Still think, Yep, I'm going for it, I wish you the best of luck, Godspeed and a very beautiful safe trip. It's going to be a hell of a adventure, no doubt about that.

[Oz]

Sound advice.