1976 Chevrolet Rockwood motorhome

[Michael]

hello all. I just purchased this motorhome. It’s in pretty amazing shape for its age. I am excited about this new project. I am going to start with a good cleaning of the inside and out. I am going to do run some sea foam through the engine and fuel system, followed by a full tune up and possible brake replacement on the front. I am interested in any information you all may have on this particular task that I have undertaken. I look forward to chatting with you all about this. 

[Daniel Long]

That tape at least flexes with the seasons. Most other products that say they seal up just crack after a few weeks and are a complete waste. I have to do my front roof seal and the first step is scraping off the 5 layers of silicone someone thought would fix the leak. Just more mess to clean up for me.

[Michael]

I’ve looked into that tape. I may do both on the seams so that I don’t have any further issues. I want to seal the outside really well this spring and summer. I am going to redo the inside over the next year and really get after it this coming winter while we’re not using it. 

[Daniel Long]

Hi Michael! The old butyl tape will be your best friend on getting seams and trim redone. I've tried sillycone, latex, flexseal and all that and that old butyl tape is still holding on. You can buy rolls of in on Amozon. It's always a good idea to swap out as many parts that normally get replaced with use. Heck, RV's don't get used that much but when sparkplugs are 40 years old it's really time to get new ones no matter how low the mileage. Mine literally crumbled coming out.

I've got a roll of that Enternabond stuff but have not used it yet. Looks promising in the right places. I also redid all the vents and skylights since most had succumbed to UV and were taped up. Great to hear you are willing to jump right in!

[Michael]

 I am planning to get rid of the spare tire and go through the engine and transmission do a complete tuneup get everything up just back up to snuff so that we can use it. I am going to peel all of the old caulk off of the outside and re-cock it with marine grade sealant patch any open holes rips tears things like that. We are going to use it this spring and the summer and then this winter we’re going to tear the inside apart and replace all of the water damaged areas with new walls counters floors go through all of the insides

[Daniel Long]

By the way, it's always a good idea to change ALL fluids (oil, transmission, power steering if you have it...) and replace any old rubber seals and gaskets when you are able. It gives you a good sense of what condition things are like if there are metal bits in the transmission pan or not. It also gives you a chance to gain some mechanical experience if you don't have a lot without getting really expensive. With your Chevy it probably has the tried and true TH 400 transmission (Turbo Hydromatic 3 speed) that has it's quirks but it pretty solid.  A good cleaning of the engine and transmission with degreaser and lots of disposable brushes won't hurt either... Have fun!

[Daniel Long]

Funny, my '87 Allegro had a 1976 Firestone spare on it! All spare tires must have been made between 1975-6 then.... I did replace them all, including the 1986 tires on the RV. Yikes!

[Michael]

I will have to look. It’s titled as a 76. I know very little about this particular rig. It’s in pretty good shape for the age. I do have a spare tire from 1975 still hanging on the tire rack, so there’s that. 

[Daniel Long]

Hi Michael! The first step is finding out the specifics on the Chevy van chassis your motorhome is mounted onto. This will help you with most of the powertrain and other front end bits when looking for parts. A lot of motorhomes in the class C range used GM bases from the previous model year so if your's is a '76 it may be a Chevy van from '75. the driver side door will have information on the van base for you if you don't have the manuals. Even a search on the VIN will get you confirmation on the year for the base van chassis.