My name is Harry and my wonderful wife is Cathy. Last July I purchased a used MH, a very old Eldorado Eldorado, 1987. Why, I am not sure. What I liked was the low miles on the Chevy 454 with no oil leaks, it's all fiberglass shell, including roof, and low cost. We put about $2500 into the RV with a new floor (subfloor with vinyl plank floating flooring), new sofa, and repaired areas where leaks had rotted wood. Previous owners had repaired the front. However we had to repair the back bedroom. Even though the roof is fiberglass the two pieces come together in the front and back and have a seam. This is where the water comes in and damages the wood structure. After using specialrepair tape on the market the seals were repaired. We also we painted the outside white and we also added a red stripe and painted the lower section a grey with polyurethane paint. The inside wall on the passenger side at the opening with the door had to be repaired due to extensive water damage this repair made this wall stronger.
Mechanically the RV is pretty sound I had to replace the front brakes entirely up with new calipers brake lines and master cylinder. I like the fact that this RV also had all wheel disc brakes. The transmission is very strong it is a Chevy turbo 400. However it is only a 3 speed so I understand that I will lose a lot in mileage.
After tempting to get the refrigerator to work properly I did not like the design of the gas absorption. I replace refrigerator with an apartment size home refrigerator which only consumes max 300 watts. I will add a 800 watt inverter to allow the refrigerator operate while I am driving. If we decide to Boondock I will add a solar panel the all out max 300 watts with refrigerator. The cost of the refrigerator inverter and a solar panel is still left in half the cost of a new gas absorption. It is also a lot safer.
Soon I will be retiring from the US Army. My wife and I are enjoying the campgrounds at Fort Gordon. When I retire soon we will hope to enjoy the full time RV ing on the road. We hope to see you there. Thank you.
MarkS said
04:57 PM Apr 20, 2013
Welcome aboard Cathy and Harry. Sounds like you have your arms pretty well wrapped around your project but if you want some input there are plenty on here who can shed some light. Thanks for your service. There are a few brothers on here and we are always happy to have another veteran amongst us.
PIEERE said
06:00 PM Apr 20, 2013
Welcome to the best RV forum and friendliest people on the internet. Being an old school mechanic be pleased that the MH has the Turbo-400 as GM had their share of troubles with the 700-R4 Overdrive tranny. If you want to spend a few thousand there are aftermarket overdrive units that can be adapted to the back of the T-400. See Ya down the road!! PIEERE
Terry and Jo said
06:25 PM Apr 20, 2013
Harry and Cathy,
First of all, thanks for your service to our country. While I spent less than 4 years on active duty, I am also an Army vet.
Secondly, welcome to the RV Dreams forums. If you've not been reading here for long, you will find that the folks here have a lot of knowledge, along with being friendly, helpful and encouraging. So, if you do happen to have any questions, feel free to ask them. Oh, and the only "dumb" questions are the ones that don't get asked and thus one learns expensive or time consuming mistakes.
Third, my curiosity is killing me. Is the 1987 RV a Class A or a Class C. When I tried using "Google Images," it came up with images of both kinds.
Terry
Lucky Mike said
01:35 AM Apr 22, 2013
Welcome Harry & Cathy!!!!
HarrynCathy said
04:08 PM Apr 24, 2013
Thank you for the thoughful replies. Our MH is an Eldorado, Eldorado 34 foot Class A. It is hard to find information about this RV but, I do like its features (for an old RV): All Fiberglass, including roof, 6.5K Onan Gen., passenger and driver doors, no rust, new tires, and 454. If you are a member of Good Sam you can seem my pics. Harry
WestWardHo said
02:39 AM Apr 25, 2013
Welcome Harry & Cathy.
You sound really talented with redoing your Eldorado! Your skills will be really helpful. Thank you for your service and do remember to check out military campgrounds when you're ready to head out; we've found them to be a great bargain and well maintained, especially in places like California or Key West.
Harry and Cathy,
First of all, thanks for your service to our country. While I spent less than 4 years on active duty, I am also an Army vet.
Secondly, welcome to the RV Dreams forums. If you've not been reading here for long, you will find that the folks here have a lot of knowledge, along with being friendly, helpful and encouraging. So, if you do happen to have any questions, feel free to ask them. Oh, and the only "dumb" questions are the ones that don't get asked and thus one learns expensive or time consuming mistakes.
Third, my curiosity is killing me. Is the 1987 RV a Class A or a Class C. When I tried using "Google Images," it came up with images of both kinds.
Terry
Harry
You sound really talented with redoing your Eldorado! Your skills will be really helpful. Thank you for your service and do remember to check out military campgrounds when you're ready to head out; we've found them to be a great bargain and well maintained, especially in places like California or Key West.
Sherry