Introduction from Europe

[Mlw]

Hi, I'm Marc from the Netherlands. After a few thousends of kilometers traveling thru Covid-infested Europe, I finally found myself a RV I liked, a 1979 C-Class Winnebago Minnie Winnie.

It was sold as a fixer-upper, but after a month of working hard I found that's quite the understatement and the previous owner was somebody who would made Tim "the toolman" Taylor look like a cunning professional.  N:(

The Heater you isolate with sound isolation so more heat comes out of the air hoses. You just stuff the space the heater is in untill there is no room left, Only problem, the stuff doesnt like dry heat an disintegrate so all hot air hoses are now full with the stuff. Cleaning it up was also a real chalenge cause as soon you touched the stuff it fell apart.

When your ceiling is sagging you just get on the roof and shoot the screws straight thru it and put a big blob of caulk over it. Cleaning the surface first? that's for dummies. leakage due to faling caulk you repair by shooting new caulk over it.  W%

Cleaning the carpet? Why bother. When the carpet gets dirty you just throw a rug  over it, and if that gets dirty...

But the worst the guy also dug into the vehicles electrics... need to say more???

But the good thing, everything he couldn't or wouldn't touch works excellently and the the Rv's outside, apart from the cab) is still shining like a diamond in a goats bum (as Richard Rawlings would like to say). The chassis is in excellent shape, the engine runs strong although it desperatly needs every gasket to keep the oil in the enging exept the head gasket.

So i will have a long road ahead of me and a lot of cursing the former owner but when i'm done it will be our own little piece of paradise and i can't wait to go "on the road again".

At the right parts of the forum you will find the story of the RV by me asking for help and tips, as far as it isn't allready on here somewhere.

Hope to speak to you soon...

[Oz]

Doesn't look too shabby for a fixer upper. Not at all. 
Love your insights on "repairs", lol!  :D0

Welcome to the group.   Looking forward to hesring about your Europen adventures!

[Mlw]

Thanks OZ,

It is definitely salvageable. Like I said, things the former owner didn't touch still work like a dream after 42 years, so it's either very good or very bad.

I will make it all good again, it will be quite the adventure, and most importantly, it keeps you off the streets what is a good thing nowadays.

[Mlw]

Now I think It would be wise to add some information to the introduction so to better understand the way I'm writing my adventures fixing up Betsy.

I'm now 1 ½ year in trying to fix here up. This has not exactly been a walk in the park and there are still some very hefty construction jobs ahead of me, so I'm not out of the woods either. The engine still needs to be finished and build in, then there is the question what state the A727 transmission is in, the roof needs to be replaced and then the entire interior needs to be stripped and replaced.

Would I have bought the RV if I would have known this in advance? The answer would be a very hearty "HELL NO!!!" My head really is saying, cut your losses fool, ship it off to the junkyard and forget about it. but I just got way too much time and money invested in Betsy to walk away now.

The problem is that the man originally owning the RV was a Redneck Butcher and a damn crook to boot, So excuses me cursing him multiple time in my posts and calling him the Previous Idiot, but if you can ruin an RV the way he's done and then selling it without blinking an eye not bothering to mention all the problems, I can only hope the readers are agreeing he damn well deserves it.

The next problem I had was that the man I bought it from was really REALLY nice, and you find that back in the reviews given by his other customers. The were all lyric about his level of service, honesty  and aftersales, and there is just one review who exactly matches my experience. American cars are the hobby and love of this man, and he does his job  to scrape a living. There are pictures on his website of the vehicles where he's standing next to the happy faces of the new owners with their thumbs up and he's just not your average slick car salesman with a bright white smile in a suit and shiny shoes. Reading the reviews of all his other customers and my own experience with him I'm just guessing he had ( like me ) way to much heart for Betsy, paid way to much money for it  and had ( like me ) way to much trust in the good intention of people. That tends to go wrong here and there and that's why I just can't get it over my heart to sue him for every penny he's got.
As I see it the only person truly responsible for the mess I'm in right now is ME. I decided to buy here without a technical inspection and thinking my knowledge was enough to do without and I think People nowadays are way to easy to blame others for the damn mistakes they make themselves.

Honest to truth I'm a little over my head with Betsy, but then you get all the positive feedback from people seeing  her. In the last 1 ½ year I talked with hundreds of them an not one said to me:  Boy were you stupid buying this thing, probably because there is the reality of this?:

We Traded Our 1976 Vintage Camper Van for a 2020 RV! | How Do They Compare??

So with all my messages with the good, bad and ugly, Me cursing the PO because he really deserves it, and my tantrums I'm just making a diary. A diary that tells the truth what it really is like to rebuild an old RV like Betsy, so that people who are thinking of doing the same can see that it is really hard work to fix a classic RV and can think in advance if they really want to put in the incredible amount of Blood, sweat, tears and.... Money, because buying a classic dilapidated RV cheap NEVER automatically means you've struck a good deal.
I hope you will enjoy my adventures and they will help you to make the right decisions buying a classic RV.
With highest regards to you all...

[Eyez Open]

I've been watching you hit major speed bumps and working your way thru the challenges. Great job and patience would be my thoughts.

Actually I find myself in your shoes right now...this old HR has been survived time incredibly well. The Morryde suspension was a major speed bump. Costs of new parts actually doubled...such is life.

I now face a very major speed bump, the frame of the floor shell has had extensive rusting. Had I foreseen this I would have never gone thru adventure. So I push forward...fingers crossed along with a deep dive into cost effective rust mgmt. I've restored more than a few boat trailers with great results..time will tell.

[Mlw]

Hey man,

yes we are pretty much in the same spot. I remember te problems you had with the wiring. Glad I could help.

I guess we will be extra happy we went thru this when we are on the road because nobody will know his RV like us guys and gals here on the CWVR forum fighting our beloved RV's back to life.     

That and the positive feedback keeps me going and loving the wicked old girl altough she hits me with every stick I got. It really is a love/hate relationship