Addicted to my new travco in Boise!

[tcharters]

Hi everybody! My name is Tom, and my girlfriend and i purchased a 1976 270 rear bath last year. We picked it up for $2300 and it did not need much work, but we are putting a lot of time into it anyways. The guy i bought it from was not mechanically inclined. He thought he blew the motor, and had no idea what to do about it overheating. After some haggling, we settled on 2300 with the condition that after i replaced the thermostat, as long as it fired up and did not overheat... i would take it. Long story short, it pays to know a thing or two about engines. New thermo and it did not overheat, but was missing. I did a blown head gasket test in the parking lot and it came back negative. So i handed over the cash and we babied it back to our house. First thing i did was tear into the motor. Only 70,000 miles, but if you dont use it... it will eventually break. So i started looking around, and first thing i found was a binder with ALL the service records and the original bill of sale to a guy here in Idaho! It has spent its life here. That made me happy!! Then i noticed a few bills for leaky valve cover repairs. So i tore into those. No gaskets... just RTV sealant. So i cleaned that all out, and put in new gaskets. I realized a few of the SP wires were melted and figured that and the timing were probably the reason for the rough idle and i replaced the plugs, wires, cap, rotor...etc. Fired it up after some severe timing adjustments and the 440 started purring like a kitten. Replaced the alternator... tore out all the old AC junk, and took out all the left over Propane fuel system that was left.(Old carb has been replaced with a qjet.) \n\nDon't get me wrong... easy tune up aside, this thing was kept in really good condition! All the systems worked. Interior was a 6/10 i would say.. but after the tune up, we used it right away. Somebody had babied this thing. And to have a list of owners since the original i figured every owner knew what the had. The last one however, admitted he knew nothing about maintenance and that he just liked the retro look and he was glad to see it go to someone who was able to work on it. We have since started an interior remodel. Staring with just new cabinet doors and cup holders. (I will post pics tomorrow) Being a flooring contractor and also making custom furniture for the last 20 years, plus coming from a mechanics house growing up.... i feel confident in everything that i am doing. Some of this is all just cosmetic and temporary... as i will do a better job with better materials if we decide that this whole Travco thing is for us...(I think it is!!) Then we will gut it and i will replace it all with brand new custom woodwork, upholstery, and floors. \n\nWe want to save this beauty, and give it a complete overhaul.(Including a diesel swap!) But this is our first season with it and we will be testing it out. We primarily bought it for use at Cascade Lake where we race Hobie cat sail boats in the summer. We have tent camped for ever, and mid year 2014 decided something with A/C would be nice. We never even heard of Travco before we found this one, and just fell in love. After looking at tons and tons of crap around our budget... we found this beauty that needed a little bit of easy TLC and we fell in love!!! We now see why there is a following for these awesome vehicles. \n\nAny and all recommendations are wanted. We are trying to learn as much as possible about the do's and dont's with these. Any questions, please ask. Thank you all, and i cant wait for the years ahead with our new beauty!!

[KB2CRK]

Welcome.\nLook like you got a great deal. We are in the process of fixing up a 76 Mahal and plan to go camping in it by April. Good luck and have fun

[77Travco]

Welcome from Texas!\nSounds like your new Travco is in the right hands. A major part of RV ownership is just common sense combined with some mechanical and electrical skills.

[RobC]

Mine is the same 1976 rear bathroom 270.\n\nMine was gutted and I am in the process of getting it back in shape.\n\nI am redoing mine with modern appliances and what not but I am keep the factory layout. So I might have a few interior layout questions for you in the future.\n\nRobC

[tcharters]

Thanks for the welcome's! I would be happy to help anytime i can. I am about to start a thread in the 270 category with pictures and whatnot, detailing what we have and what we are doing to her. Still need a name for her though... We loved Dodge Mahal, until we found out it was a model style. LOL!

[Acesneights]

Welcome !!\nOn the spark plug wires, Mine kept melting at the spark plug on the center cyls on both sides. I put heat shield boots over them from Advanced and problem was solved if that helps.\nPost up some pics !!

[77Travco]

FWIW... we don't have a name for our Travco either... We just call it "The Travco".

[KB2CRK]

Ours is a Dodge Mahal but her name is Nessie after the Loch Ness Monster. Hoping to get the interior set up like a Scottish Pub.

[tcharters]

I dig the idea of a Scottish pub! My ancestors are from Scotland. The previous owners named her "Twinkie" and its still visible on the spare tire holder. There was one in Northern Idaho earlier last year for sale called Mr. Pickle. You might have seen it???