1974 Southwind barn find, Raising the dead.

[Doug B.]

I had typed out a long introduction and hit a random key erasing it all.. that was yesterday, I'm going to try again here, as what I really have is a project.

I just bought a 74 Southwind that has been tucked in a nice dry barn since 1995, and stored there when not in use since 1978. It's got some problems, the master cylinder shaft seal is blown and the master itself is crusty, I presume from the engine heat. I inspected the rest of the brakes and everything seems to be OK, no signs of leaks, nothing crusty. I do expect to have some more brake work once I pressurize the system, hopefully that is tomorrow.

Most of the rubber is hardened at least a little, and I plan on replacing it all eventually but most things seem well enough to get her home. I have no choice but to fix it on the spot and drive it, towing is almost out of the question due to expense and distance, I need to make her go 200 miles in a week or two. It's at a large farm, and they have a fairly well equipped shop, so some of the things I lack (like a compressor and a 6 ton jack) they have on hand, and its in the barn still so I can work even in the rain.

Yesterday I did most of a tune up, I fell prey to the wrong part problem with the spark plugs but have figured out what I need now. I also changed the oil, and installed a new starting battery.. come to find out I have to have a house battery installed to be able to start it, even though they are isolated otherwise. I did notice I have one single solitary ground, to the chassis.. I will be adding at least 1 dedicated engine ground right from the negative terminal.

I saw a few places wires were factory routed poorly, and some connections that will need at least cleaned, or replaced, but nothing that should cause a problem in the short term

The RV otherwise is in fantastic condition, I found 1 small wood piece up next to the batteries that at some point was wet and delaminated some, but its only about 8" square and the rest is good. Every other place Ive looked or felt has been solid as a rock, and the edges of the boards that I see look like good plywood. The underside has a coating all over it that looks intact, and exposed metal is not rusted. The holding tanks are undamaged and appear viable.. the cabinets and furniture are solid, but there is a little bit of mouse damage to the carpeting and I saw some droppings under the sink.. I expect I will find a little more damage somewhere from them. I hope to make new cushions down the road, with better materials and a more neutral pattern, but the interior of the RV is a time capsule, with everything appearing very new, considering its actual age. I saw a small part of one of the tables veneer tops lifting, I can totally fix that...

The carpet needs replaced.. carpet was never intended to last this long, and even though it's surprisingly clean it has a bit of an odor. That's OK, I'm going to cut a hole in it to get to the master cylinder anyway.

The exterior has a couple little dings from getting bumped here and there, its a little bent in in front of the LF wheel, but otherwise is the same as the rest of the RV, solid and original.

My plan is to make small updates to the RV, but to clean and restore as much of the original vehicle as possible. Immediate plans are to make the brakes safe, finish the tune up and take whatever steps needed to get the engine running well, and attempt the trip home. My only real concern is tires, but even though they have expired date wise, they seem to be in remarkably good condition, not cracked or checked, and they haven't sat flat, apparently the old man has put air in them, or they are the only tires I've ever seen that didn't lose air over time. It does have a spare, I'll just take it as easy as possible (I plan on running 55 all the way home on smooth fairly flat highways)

I do plan on replacing them asap, but its a 1400.00 expenditure from what I've seen.. it needs to wait. If I have the money when everything else is done I'd like to at least put new steering tires on before driving it, but we'll see..

As soon as I get it out of the barn and home I'll be resealing the entire exterior, to keep this from becoming another rotten RV.. I'm sure there can't be many of these old 1974 southwinds left, I know I find very little reference to them anywhere.

I'll take pictures tomorrow when Im there, I tried with my phone but its not light enough for it to get anything.

[mnoyes]

i like the plow!!!! how does it do pushing snow? :)rotflmao

[Oz]

Reminds me of the "Ark" Kevin had.

[LJ-TJ]

Congratulations Looks kind of neat. Can't wait to see more pictures. Where about's are you and where are you going. There might be a few of us in route in case you get into trouble. When are you planing on heading out? Hm?

[fleetmasterfred]

Doug,

Congratulations on your find.  Lots of fun ahead for you and your helper.  I hope you don't have too far to go on your trip home with your prize.  Just because the tires look sturdy and road worthy the trip and increased heat it brings can make otherwise healthy looking rubber disintegrate quickly.  Fully functioning brakes and tires are essential to the safe operation of these dinosaurs.  Something to consider.  Safe journey.       

[Doug B.]

The plow is strictly in preparation for the coming zombie apocalypse, it should push 15-20 zombies no problem. 

The RV is in Jefferson, east of Cleveland, and I need to get it to Columbus, about 200 miles away. While the tires are old, they were newish when the RV was parked from what I understand, Ill have a look for a dot number next time I'm there. In a perfect world I'd be able to put fresh tires on before moving it but this isn't a perfect world.. Going to keep both hands on the wheel and drive her easy.. I'll stop a few times to visually check them, and check pressures.. but I think they'll be OK..

Helper? Hah.. I wish.. I could probably bribe a buddy with beer to come help with a large job but this is pretty much a one man operation..

Future plans include the renovations and updates, all required maintenance, and then a trip west from Ohio towards Denver, then probably south from there and come back through Atlanta so I can visit some friends there.. If the money is there and the RV is running well, I may try to push to the west coast somewhere. I'm more focused right now on getting the old girl running and stopping than I am trip logistics, I imagine the amount that goes into the RV will determine how long I can afford to operate it this year.

I will be a live aboard for at least part of the rebuild period, it's a whole different topic but it just makes the most sense right now, and is why I went searching for an older RV in good condition.. everything I own is already in storage, and I have a private lot I can safely park it on. luckily most of the projects are minor and wont cause much inconvenience. The biggest thing will be doing without systems until I get them checked and repaired.

[LJ-TJ]

Having been there and done that it is a lot of fun and very satisfying. Just take one project at a time don't try and do it all at once. Do a good walk around before you leave, check all the fluids and take your time and you should do just fine. As far as cost your dealing with a pretty frugal bunch here. We really can't afford the rigs we got so we scrounge. Ask and you'll probably get some real good leads on stuff your looking for. Keep us abreast of how your making out as a lot of us will follow along as you go.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

That DOES look a lot like The Ark, Mark!

I can't wait to see interior pictures...see if its similar inside too!

Kev

[Stripe]

 Hm? Hmm, Plow..  i should look into that when I get the 'Goose' to Upstate NY..

[Doug B.]

Just some pics I took today, nothing has been cleaned and what you cant see in the pics are tool boxes and parts boxes in the aisle.  Today I was able to finish the ignition tune up, I used NGK plugs, and after installing them and a squirt of carb cleaner the engine fired up. There was a little lifter noise at first but that went away and 'purred like a kitten' at least at idle. I didn't play with the throttle much, just warmed her up for 10 minutes or so and shut it back down. The center two plugs on the drivers side are a pain to get out, even removing the center of the guard and moving the drivers seat didn't help.. just a lot of weird angles there...

After that I pulled the master cylinder, it wanted to fight me but I won, the only casualties were the lines that connect to the master, and they are connected to unions about 4' behind the front tire, so that's an easy fix.

Can anyone tell me what that pedal to the left of the steering column does?

[sasktrini]

That's a cool rig! I'm curious about that pedal too... had the same question.

[d21 special]

I believe you push it forward with your foot and then push or pull the steering wheel to adjust it for comfort.

[joev]

yep thats what it is i have the same thing on my 74 indian

[ClydesdaleKevin]

That is VERY similar to The Ark, even on the inside!  Hmmmm...The Ark was a 72 Futura...wonder if the companies were related?  I never could find much info on that old girl.

Even the rear bed area layout is the same.  With ours, we spanned the isle in between with heavy plywood, and were able to fit a king size memory foam mattress back there...lol!  Not easy to make the bed, but it was huge!

Kev

[LJ-TJ]

WOW! What a GREAT looking rig.Looks like you've got a great adventure a head of you. The gangs right about the peddle on the left. Just step on it and push it ahead then push the steering wheel a head and back. I'd almost be tempted to put some Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas just to help lube things up. I can tell you this for sure. If the chassis air doesn't work and you take that big compressor out of there it will make the engine a hole lot easier to work on. I pulled mine just for that reason. Now if you want to save yourself a world of grief and hurt then step up to the plate and buy yourself some of this. http://www.bgprod.co.uk/Agricultural/438.htm. Put some of this on every nut,bolt and screw no matter how rust and it will spin off like a breeze. Man your going to have a blast working on this old girl.

[Doug B.]

Good to know what the pedal is for, though that's not half as cool as some of the things I dreamt up.. like on the fly black water tank draining for that annoying tailgater

I intend to put my queen mattress and possibly box springs back there, I had briefly considered using the bed over the driver compartment and keeping that as a sitting area, but I just don't think I can give up my regular bed.. maybe I could do a twin and use the other half for a computer desk? That's the other must have that I'm not sure where it can fit.. need a comfy place to sit and use my PC, its a combination gaming rig and media center, I haven't had an actual television since 2007.

I don't know if the chassis air works or not, haven't even tried it yet, but I'll probably keep it for now. I was told yesterday that the roof air made a noise last time they used it, like a motor bearing going out or something.. I'll have to look into that, I kinda do want some kind of air conditioning for summertime.

I've used a lot of BG products, we sold them at a dealership I worked out, I can say the BG-111 and 44K both work like magic. I put seafoam in the fuel I added where it sits, I may dump in some marvel when I tank her up for the ride home.. can't hurt a bit that's for certain. I'll have to find some of the BG penetrant.. I use PB but its really not any better or worse than WD40 at loosening rusty stuff.

I've always found 'big truck' stuff fun to work on, more so than cars.. plus it's easier to justify spending money bringing back stuff that's built well enough to last forever.. not like spending money on my 90s GM, which is falling apart pretty much everywhere.. I feel like any money spent keeping it road worthy is almost wasted..

I'll have more pics and some progress to report after the next visit.. It should start to go back together at that point and with a little luck might be ready for its journey.

[Doug B.]

That is VERY similar to The Ark, even on the inside!  Hmmmm...The Ark was a 72 Futura...wonder if the companies were related?  I never could find much info on that old girl.

Even the rear bed area layout is the same.  With ours, we spanned the isle in between with heavy plywood, and were able to fit a king size memory foam mattress back there...lol!  Not easy to make the bed, but it was huge!

Kev

I bet there is some history between the coach builders anyway.. maybe a designer or builder branched off from one company to the other, or the work was subbed through Fleetwood or something similar. Seems there is a lot of lost history in regards to old RVs. I'd like to see the brochure for this southwind, I'm sorta surprised it's not immortalized on the web somewhere.

Are there any pictures of the Ark? I'm curious to see it.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep.  In the member photo section is a gallery title The Ark, under my user name.  At least it was last time I checked...lol!

Kev

[Doug B.]

Last visit I managed to get the brakes working, and it withstood my full foot pressure several times. I even managed to get every bleeder open.. small victories

So it runs well, I also warmed it up completely twice last visit, it didnt show a tendency to overheat and I didnt see any leaks. Im going yo replace both radiator caps  next visit and try again.

The tail lamp sockets have a problem where the rubber piece that provides tension have collapsed, Im thinking I can put an o-ring in there and get adequate tension to get it home..

The turn signal switch was floppy loose, pulled the steering wheel and it was just a loose screw on the shaft.. more small victories!

Im shopping front tires now, I have about a 500 dollar budget, and have found one company that will install them where it sits for 460 plus tax.. I would have liked to find someone with a set of take offs or something but I dont know any of the businesses up there and google has not been my friend..

  I figure if a rear blows on the ride home it won't be catastrophic, a front could be.. and the pucker factor driving on those old fronts will be through the roof.

[LJ-TJ]

Sounds like your getting it covered pretty good. 

[Doug B.]

I did get a couple of new tires installed, they aren't anything fancy but they have to be safer than what was on there, right?

I repeated the bleeding sequence on the brakes one more time, and got just a little more air out.. I now have fresh clean fluid coming out of every bleeder.. gave it several more pressure tests using all the pressure I could exert with my foot.. fairly confident that it isnt going to blow a line at this point.

Both radiator caps are replaced and the system has been cycled twice more.. I added a small bottle of bars leak just to be on the safe side.

Aux tank is full of fresh fuel.. based on what I put in and what the PO put in, Id say there was about 8 gallons of old gas in it when we started.

Looking for a fuel pump.. I think that Airtex #6935 will fit, it will at least fit the car version of the 440.. is anyone aware of any differences in fuel pumps for the -3 engine? Its not dead but it is a little weak, and is easy enough to change that I want to take care of it just to be on the safe side.

That leaves me ready to try the journey home.. I'm just trying to line up a day with weather that isn't too hateful and that I also have a chase driver available.. I'm a little nervous, there is still lots that could go wrong on the trip, and I havent had an opportunity to road test it yet.. it pretty much has to wait till Im ready to go..

I have been taking pics and will post some up once I get situated somewhere that I have fast internet.. right now access is sketchy at best.

[LJ-TJ]

   
• Oh Boy, this is getting exciting. Remember just about everyone here has embarked on the very adventure that your about to embark on. There are no secrets. Just take your time. Don't get in a hurry. Don't try and break any speed records.Keep and eye on your fluids, Oil, Water, Trans, Brake. Your in Ohio where some of our best members are so if you get in trouble we're an e-mail, text, Face book, twitter or what ever that stuff is away. Where are you starting out from and where are you headed to?

[M & J]

He's in Columbus, 3 hours from me.
I remember when we drove ours home. Scared to death. Leaving the lot it went 10, 20, 30 mph and still didnt shift out of first. I thought oh no what have we gotten ourselves in to. Close to 40 it did shift - hard. On to the nearest gas station and $100 later the gauge still read only about a 1/4 tank.
On the interstate and I could feel my neck and shoulder muscles starting to  burn from the stress. The rig drove like a row boat in 10 foot swells, rocking with every semi passing and feeling like it would roll over on every curve. It was only a 45 mile trip but by the time we exited I was exhausted and dripping with sweat. Our chase vehicle said we hit 85 mph at one point - I had no idea as I pried my aching hands from gripping the wheel. I felt like I'd just landed a 747 jumbo jet with both pilots passed out.
But, the airbags were deflated causing the extreme body roll, easy fix. The vacuum modulator to shift the tranny had a hole, easy fix. The fuel was simply the way it was and now we keep her filled. New radial tires this spring made her drive like riding on air and a good GPS helps me keep an eye on my speed.
Overall I was terrified on our maiden trip home but now it's easy peasy taking her out for our trips. The first one(s) are always scary but what an adventure. Plan well, hope for the best. There will never be another first time with this rig.

[Doug B.]

Ashtabula to Columbus pretty much, 90 East to 271 South, then 71 South to 70/Alum Creek drive, Where I have a secure lot to park her in. After that I can go full speed ahead on the mechanical restoration, and I'll be close to alot of resources to help me accomplish it.

I plan on taking it slow, and stopping at least a couple times to inspect and check fluids, presuming nothing forces me to stop.

It'll definitely be a new experience for me, I've driven a couple semi's and some bigger trucks, but never a 27' house on wheels.

I've done just about all that I can do with the budget and time constraints that I have to give me pretty good odds of an uneventful trip home, but I am sure when I do get her parked in her new spot, I'll have that "just landed a jumbo jet" feeling as well.

[joev]

  Best of  luck with getting it home may the Winnebago Gods smile on you