New Owner

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Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:22 pm
Travco Model: 1965 P375
Location: Xenia OH

New Owner

Unread post by Handy1 » Thu Oct 10, 2019 7:47 pm

I am a retired heavy equipment mechanic, welder fabricator. I have also worked many years in residential construction. I have recently bought a 1965 Travco P375. Just started on the brakes at the location where It is setting. The chassis has 37,000 miles on it but the inside is very rough. Roof seam has leaked for years and the floor is basically gone. I am in the process of changing it over to a split brake system with a hydraulic brake booster. A lot of custom made bits and pieces but I think that I can make it work.

It hasn't been started since 1999 so I going to go through the fuel system. The previous owner had put a pickup gas tank under it with plumbers strap. The gas that was in it had turned to varnish mixed with rust. I am going to weld up a tank but would like to have some dimensions and pictures of an original one mounted. I have nothing to go from. Also there were no keys. I have bought a new ignition switch and have managed to pick one of the old door locks. I would like to know what key blank fits the door lock.

Any help would be appreciated.

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Travco Model: 76 Mahal 2+2
Location: Arnoldsville GA
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Re: New Owner

Unread post by KB2CRK » Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:13 pm

Welcome to the forum. There were several different gas tanks used so any info on where it was originally mounted would help. As for the door lock I have not a clue. After 75 Travco went to Hydroboost but that was a newer chassis. The hydraulic power brakes are great on my 76 and if there is a way to put them on an earlier model I would recomend it. Odds are the leak is from the vents and everything else that passes through the roof leaking rather than the seam unless somehow it cracked. It is glassed together. All of the internal frame work is steel tubing . There is a little bit of wood around the windows and the main air vents in the roof. Sounds like you have a great blank slate to start from.

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Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:22 pm
Travco Model: 1965 P375
Location: Xenia OH

Re: New Owner

Unread post by Handy1 » Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:06 pm

I appears that the tank was located behind the rear axle with a couple of straps running from frame rail to frame rail. You are right about the roof vent. One of them is almost ready to fall out. It has to be leaking from a lot of different location. The floor is so bad that I am afraid to step between the steel supports. Gone from front to back. I plan to try the master cylinder and booster that I have, it came out of a 10,000 GVW Chevy truck. I will verify that it works properly before I put it out on the road. I got lucky that the previous owner had put all new brake shoes, wheel cylinders, shocks and tires on it before he gave up on it. All I had to do was sand a little rust off of the drums and the foundation brakes are good to go. The Hydravac booster was blown and was full of brake fluid. I don't think he knew what it was as he had tried to grease the bleeder on top. The bad thing is that the 6 new Bridgestone tires have 100% tread and are all 20 years old and dry rotted.

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Posts: 1233
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Travco Model: 76 Mahal 2+2
Location: Arnoldsville GA
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Re: New Owner

Unread post by KB2CRK » Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:37 pm

Behind the rear axle between the rails is what my 76 has. It is a 70 gallon tank and I think the dimensions are on the forum somewhere. The company that made the 76 tank is still in business but if you can weld one up yourself that would be the way to go.
The original tank is a big rectangle with the filler out the back coming up behind the license plate holder, 2 pick up lines and a vent, with the sender hole toward the middle.

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Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:22 pm
Travco Model: 1965 P375
Location: Xenia OH

New Owner

Unread post by Handy1 » Sun Oct 27, 2019 8:45 am

I finally have the brake system complete. Took a little time to find all the fittings to hook the GM Hydra boost in to the old Dodge power steering system. I have found that if you need hydraulic hoses or fittings try to find a Parker distributor. My local distributor had everything, odd ball adapter fittings and hose ends that no one else in town had.

I finally got the engine running and it had a dead cylinder. I checked compression and #3 only had 15 LBS pressure. Pulled the valve cover and the intake push rod was gone. Also I had it running for a good 10 minutes and the lifters still had not pumped up. I pulled the intake and the found both pieces of the intake push rod. The cam had tossed the lifter out of the bore and the lifter had came apart. All the oil for the remaining lifters was pouring out of that lifter bore. I cant figure out why the push rod bent and finally broke. It had wear marks on it that shows it had been rubbing on the head for some time before it broke. The intake valve appears to be free to move. Going to put a push rod and lifter in and see what gives.
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