USRV "DREAMER"

[Ray Hancock]

The newly christened 'USRV Dreamer', finally seemed to be ready to try and take a trip & the front tires that looked almost new (actually c1990 still had the nubs) went bad before we ever got out of town. Thank goodness me and my new puppy been driving around with it for a week. Got some newer 16" tires and GM wheels from a guy on craigslist (GM wheels will only work on the front). I learned a bunch from him about tires. I learned 20+ year old tires ain't gonna make it very far. I also learned how to read the date and size. She still needs 16" tires and wheels on the back but the 15+ year old 16.5" tires (on Ford wheels I had to drill the alignment holes in) I traded for, seem to be holding up so far. The new batteries disguised the bad alternator until they went dead (duh). Did a quick job of silicone on every potential crack in the caulking on the roof, cause it looked like rain (I'll make some time this summer to do it good). Took apart the tail-lights and fixed and sealed them up as well. The propane fittings were outdated got that fixed 'by the pro's'.
HA! well kept stored RV can sure be deceiving from a lot of aspects but I still stole it! We'll try a shorter trip in a couple of weeks.

[Lakota Wolf]

Always refer to Murphy's Law. If it looks like its going to break, it will.  Tires are your life line from your RV to the ground.. I change mine every 5 years,, (course I save the old tires, even tho they look *New still, for misc stand by emergency tires,,), Unless they are badly weather cracked, incl. side wall and between tread.

[Rich Thomas]

I had a bad fan time relay on mine and found one on E-Bay. There's also a company called Dinosaur electronics that builds parts that are compatible. Mine was a Suburban from the late 70's.   

[Ray Hancock]

Yeah, I got lots of extra parts. Everytime I go to the parts store, I think of something else. When the weather gets a little warmer I'll start tackling some of those projects (or sooner if required). The solenoid for my furnace is obsolete so I'm looking to retrofit or buy a newer furnace. There are a few newer used ones out there but but it's hard to tell if I'm buying someone else's problem.

[Rich Thomas]

I agree with Pat Ray, I too learned a lesson on the old looks new tires, only I was 110 miles from home. In addition to Pats list I would encourage you to replace the short flex lines on your brakes, they're cheap and may save you a lot of money,time and frustration. one of my fronts failed and ruined a new tire 200 feet from the tire shop that installed them. Not a good feeling at all. Even with these hick-ups I love my old RV and wouldn't trade it for a new one (at least any that I have looked at over the last few years.)