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GMC Motorhomes...

squeezer

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Yea, the 40 plus year old Olds Tornado drive ones...


Working out a deal on one and am wondering if any of the inmates have ever owned one?
 

mash on it

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Pops had a '72 Revcon, same Olds 455 drivetrain, but he really wanted a gmc 3 axle unit. He drove it all over the southwest and up into Washington a few times. Pretty reliable for a 20+ year old (at the time) moho. He put a later gm hei ignition on it and ran it for miles. Towed the boat from socal to Havasu a bunch too.

Dan'l
 

fmo24

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Buddy of mine restores and flips them. Full retro interiors and all. They drive all right but not really a lot of head room or space inside them
 

squeezer

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It followed me home... Can I keep it?


CD361ECA-738F-476D-AEAD-7AF75359E4D6.jpeg
 

LazyLavey

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Bitchen!

I used to work at a motorhome joint when those were popular... like 1973ish

except for they didn't handle to well and the transaxle wasn't hardy enough they were definitely cool as hell!

I hear you can get modern suspension and drive upgrades for the problem issues

Good luck, it's awesome
 
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outboard_256

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They are pretty cool but the lack of slides makes it hard to compete with new motor homes, even when restored.
 

squeezer

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They are pretty cool but the lack of slides makes it hard to compete with new motor homes, even when restored.


For our use we have always avoided slides...

We spend way more time going down the road than actually being inside (Except for sleeping) the weight/complexity/reliability issues of slides cancelss the benefits when parked and deployed.

This GMC is temporary for us, just a lark until we can find the replacement for our last Foretravel. (Which odly enough will be another 36' U320...)
 

74 spectra20 v-drive

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I dig those rigs, a cousin had one back in the day, he lost the throttle linkage coming down the grapevine into Bakersfield area pulling his eliminator flat, got it pulled over and hooked up a 3' long screw driver to the carb and drove it to Lake Shasta! There is one by our Church and I always look at it and smile and my wife on que every time, "don't even think about it. "
 

ATKpilot

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Those are so cool, when I was a little kid I thought you must be a real baller to have one. There is a guy near me that has somewhere around 30 of them in various stages of restoration. He customizing them for clients.

This is a entertaining story with one of these:
 

wzuber

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Damn that thing looks clean, barn find/indoor stored type dealio?
 

BajaMike

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When I was in EMS in the 80s and 90s, a lot of hospitals were buying these and converted them to a MICU (mobile intensive care unit). With the front wheel drive, the unit had a low to ground floor and door in the back, making it easier to load gurneys and infant care units.

They road very smooth and quiet compared to truck based ambulances.
 

RiverDave

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When I was in EMS in the 80s and 90s, a lot of hospitals were buying these and converted them to a MICU (mobile intensive care unit). With the front wheel drive, the unit had a low to ground floor and door in the back, making it easier to load gurneys and infant care units.

They road very smooth and quiet compared to truck based ambulances.

im sorry.. did you just say these things are front wheel drive?
 

mash on it

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im sorry.. did you just say these things are front wheel drive?

Yep, olds toronado, 455 and a front wheel drive turbo 400.

From top speed:
"The transmission was GM’s new Turbo-Hydramatic heavy-duty three-speed automatic. In this FWD form, it was called the TH425 and featured a torque converter that was separate from the planetary gearset. A chain-drive system connected the two. This system, called the Hy-Vo, was made of hardened steel and proved to be very durable. In fact, the entire drivetrain proved to be stout enough for duty in GMC’s large motorhomes."

Dan'l
 
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