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Rat Crap Winnebago Treasure Hunt

fesser

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Location
Napa, CA
I freaked out my wife and kids (adults) by dragging this turd home the other day.
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I bought it sight unseen, mainly because it was supposed to have a running 440 and had a Gear Vendors O.D. on a 727 in it. I want to run the GV in my Coronet if it will work, so I enlisted the help of a good guy who works at the local steel mill and is a full-time scrapper with a really big trailer. When we got there the old guy who was selling it explained that he had to do some custom work to get it to run, some of which was wiring up a short cut ignition and fuel pump system which included an open fuel tank in the RV. Decided to let my scrapper friend load it. First attempt was the opposite of being high centered...
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Kind of hard to see but the back wheels are off the ground. Second, high speed attempt was even worse, with about 6 inches of air under the tires. The old guy saved us with a forklift and we got it home with no problems. Had to cut the rear bumper off to get it off the trailer and I still needed to use the Kubota's bucket to get the weight off the rear for a bit. My wife was pretty good natured about the eyesore, considering that I may have told her I was buying some parts, which apparently isn't the same as saying you are buying a motorhome.

Once home I started tearing into the pig. Like many of you I have occasional back issues and because of that I decided it is much easier to cut things away to gain access as opposed to reaching in and around things. While cutting away the front I found rat's nests and feces everywhere as well as a rat mummy.

The GV is there, and appears to have all it's wiring/controls. Still researching these things and am hopeful that it will work in my project.

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Since the O.D. was what I was after for the purchase price, everything else is an added bonus in my weird way of thinking. Like the Perko switch, which I will most likely use on a pontoon boat project I have been messing with. One of the treasures I agreed to give back to the seller is this interesting distributor that he made to get the RV to run...

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a better look...
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Looking at his work, I am amazed that the thing really functioned. Heard it and saw it in action.

Well, my back resting break is over, so I am going out to grab the cherry picker and to see what else this thing has on it that I can't live without.
 
Nice score finding the GV/shorty 727 combo, plus the 440 core.

Edit---I should've looked at the picture LOL it's a standard auto unit.
 
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Just for future info here...When getting any vehicle up on a trailer and it appears that it will contact the ground at any point, get some long boards such as 8x8x10 footers and build approach shoring on the ramp portion and the ground. This will lift it without having to use any kind of lift vehicle to help get it up and onto the trailer. Ground clearance is a bitch I know but when one has spent all my years as a Loadmaster loading heavy vehicles and trailers onto large cargo aircraft, this was our standard op. Same can be used for a similar situation as yours. Just sharing is all!!! And by the way...Nice score on the parts from that hulk. Hopefully you can use them and won't give you any real issues in marrying them up to your other ride...cr8crshr/Bill:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :usflag: :usflag: :usflag:
 
There was a 64,000 mile 73 Winnebago with a bad transmission at a sale but I didn't bid as a friend had bid. He wanted the 6K Onan and got the rig for $140. I asked about the motor and he says I can have it. I haven't gotten it as I looks like a major job. Don't know the displacement, but it does have a steel crank.
 
You might want to advertise a few things depending on where you live.
Some people look for the stoves and furnace and even fridge out of those things because they all run on LP usually and people love that stuff to build hunting shacks or fishing barges or ice fishing shacks.... LP powered fridge can be a real nice addition to a remote shack.
People like the amber cab lights or whatever you call them too. If the tail lights are the screw on type they can be wired for a trailer on the cheap.
 
There was a 64,000 mile 73 Winnebago with a bad transmission at a sale but I didn't bid as a friend had bid. He wanted the 6K Onan and got the rig for $140. I asked about the motor and he says I can have it. I haven't gotten it as I looks like a major job. Don't know the displacement, but it does have a steel crank.
Not if you have access to a back hoe.
 
Not if you have access to a back hoe.
I do. The same friend who bought the thing has one, right there where the MH is. He said I could cut the side door bigger or pull it through the front.
 
Hell the Gear Venders o/d was a score,
make it worth dealing with
 
I do. The same friend who bought the thing has one, right there where the MH is. He said I could cut the side door bigger or pull it through the front.
When I got my 440 out we used the hoe to clean everything off from the floor up.lol
Loaded with the bucket in a single axle dump truck,
Called it construction debri at the land fill.
With a back hoe available you got it made. Nice score !
 
Just for future info here...When getting any vehicle up on a trailer and it appears that it will contact the ground at any point, get some long boards such as 8x8x10 footers and build approach shoring on the ramp portion and the ground. This will lift it without having to use any kind of lift vehicle to help get it up and onto the trailer. Ground clearance is a bitch I know but when one has spent all my years as a Loadmaster loading heavy vehicles and trailers onto large cargo aircraft, this was our standard op. Same can be used for a similar situation as yours. Just sharing is all!!! And by the way...Nice score on the parts from that hulk. Hopefully you can use them and won't give you any real issues in marrying them up to your other ride...cr8crshr/Bill:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :usflag: :usflag: :usflag:
Good advice. I usually plan ahead but I didn't take into account the tremendous rear overhang on these beasts. Will use boards to get it back on the trailer when it goes bye bye.
 
There was a 64,000 mile 73 Winnebago with a bad transmission at a sale but I didn't bid as a friend had bid. He wanted the 6K Onan and got the rig for $140. I asked about the motor and he says I can have it. I haven't gotten it as I looks like a major job. Don't know the displacement, but it does have a steel crank.
The day we brought this home, I helped the scrapper go load another motorhome. It too had a 440, and a big Onan, not sure what size. He offered to bring it to my house to let me take what I wanted off of it but I had to pass. I am not sure how many ugly motorhomes it would take to really piss off my wife, but I am betting the number is really low.
 
You might want to advertise a few things depending on where you live.
Some people look for the stoves and furnace and even fridge out of those things because they all run on LP usually and people love that stuff to build hunting shacks or fishing barges or ice fishing shacks.... LP powered fridge can be a real nice addition to a remote shack.
People like the amber cab lights or whatever you call them too. If the tail lights are the screw on type they can be wired for a trailer on the cheap.
I may do just that. Depends on when the trailer man is coming back for it.
 
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