Looking for a c10,20,30 Motorhome…

[bradmodela]

Anyone have any leads on a c10 Motorhome. My family is wanting to vacation more and I know there’s a few of the triple crown events I want to attend.
**photos for examples**

[1976gmc20]

A C/10 is not near heavy duty enough to be a "motorhome", other than possibly a shell camper or a pop-up slide in.

A "one ton" C/30 is about the starting point for a chassis mount camper, which is what the first picture is. The green truck is a C/30 dual wheel pickup with ~10' slide in camper.

You have to account for not only the weight of the camper but also fuel, water, food, people, and all the other stuff you might take along like guns, fishing gear, tools, etc etc etc.

[Warrens69GMC]

https://tucson.craigslist.org/rvs/d/...188088975.html

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/ws...189821286.html

[bradmodela]

Already contacted the 66 gmc in Arizona.
Thanks for the links....still looking....

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by bradmodela

Already contacted the 66 gmc in Arizona.
Thanks for the links....still looking....

I had a 305 v6 and SM420 in a 1965 C/50. With a pole trailer I hauled log loads of 20K-25K pounds gross over high mountain passes in CO.

It's a great engine and great transmission but not fast on the highway. If you push them too fast, the rods have a tendency to run away from home

Low gear will pull you up anything that you can get traction on.

The engines are easy to work on. You can pull one or both heads without pulling the distributor, as there is a plate covering the camshaft and the intake sits up above the engine. The water pump is an insert with four bolts holding it into the housing.

Open Road was a really major camper manufacturer back in the 1960s.

[bradmodela]

Dude thank you for the information as I’m not familiar with this power train. Good to know it can handle the job, just at a slower speed. Lol. I have big plans to LS swap one in the future. Just got to get one first. I’d also like to pull a trailer one day to hall my sedan. Yes I know getting ahead of myself.

[bradmodela]

Still looking...anyone have one stashed behind a barn.

[1976gmc20]

There's lots of Class C motorhomes out there that have the van chassis.

Not so many chassis mount on conventional cabs were made and virtually all of those were made 50 years ago or more.

As far as pickups and slide-in campers, there should be plenty of those around that you can buy as a pair or separately. Just make sure the pickup is big enough to carry the camper, 3/4 or 1 ton at least. I've always wanted to put a camper on a medium duty and never worry about load capacity

[burnin oil]

For the wieght of a camper I would stay away from the LS platform. They make good power but the RPM is also about a grand higher in the RPMs. Those slide ins are alot heavier than you think. Look really careful at any old camper. They used to use alot of wood for wall construction. Just a small water leak can have massive hidden damage after 50 years. This will be a cool project so don't take my comments as negative. Think stroker style, long stroke, motors and you will be happy. 383 or 400 sbc or a big block, then add FI for a little more mileage and bling. The 305 v6 was a great motor in its day but parts are getting alot harder to come by, especially performance ones. It was an industrial motor placed into trucks. Low power and milage but would take a beating and pretty much last forever!!!! For a RV you want simple and reliable. Having lived in a RV for a decade i can honestly say this, small issues always happen with a camper but mama will always pissed when sitting on the side of the road broken down and the local autozone doesn't stock the parts to get ya going again. Keep it simple and enjoy it. Good luck on the hunt!

[burnin oil]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

There's lots of Class C motorhomes out there that have the van chassis.

Not so many chassis mount on conventional cabs were made and virtually all of those were made 50 years ago or more.

As far as pickups and slide-in campers, there should be plenty of those around that you can buy as a pair or separately. Just make sure the pickup is big enough to carry the camper, 3/4 or 1 ton at least. I've always wanted to put a camper on a medium duty and never worry about load capacity

I have a 5500 so I follow that real close. I would love to sell the 5ver and go with a 14 foot slide in adapted to the flatbed or just build something. I would probably just start with some sort of shipping container and modify from there. After all you can do alot pf cool things on a 11 foot flat deck that has a 7500lb capacity

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by burnin oil

I have a 5500 so I follow that real close. I would love to sell the 5ver and go with a 14 foot slide in adapted to the flatbed or just build something. I would probably just start with some sort of shipping container and modify from there. After all you can do alot pf cool things on a 11 foot flat deck that has a 7500lb capacity

I once had a dream to "retire" my C/50 from commercial use and build some sort of camper on the back for traveling. It basically drove like a big pickup but was so much more capable, and I really needed a bigger truck for hauling logs. But instead I basically went broke and had to go get a job to support the kids. Then I traded off the whole outfit (2 trucks, sawmill, etc) and I later heard that the GMC got burned up in a wildfire

Right now we have a K2500HD with a high rise topper for traveling and camping. It's basically just a sleeping unit, and cook outside. We might someday get a small slide in but I want to keep the outfit nimble for exploring back roads. But there's all this other stuff to do right now. We're hoping to get away for one or two nights this month as a shakedown cruise.

[special-K]

I was going to say the same thing about the LS swap. If you want to build a frame mount classic GM C-series camper, step away from the C10/LS mentality. You want an 8-lugger with full-floating rear and you don't want a motor that makes it's best power in a higher powerband. If I ever did a swap in a camper rig it would be a diesel, better for the weight (torque) with less fuel consumed. Not that there's anything wrong with a small block or big block.

As far as posting a WTB thread, you need to subscribe to do that. If you are just asking for tips on where to look, you probably know as much as we do. There is no dealership the specializes in vintage camper trucks like I thought about doing far ahead of it's time. It took a long time for people to catch on to those and it's not like they are all that plentiful once they did.

A 350 hauled this rig all across America, no problem. It had the original motor still running great (have it on a stand now) when I retired it in '04. I was the second own. Bought it in '88

[burnin oil]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

I once had a dream to "retire" my C/50 from commercial use and build some sort of camper on the back for traveling. It basically drove like a big pickup but was so much more capable, and I really needed a bigger truck for hauling logs. But instead I basically went broke and had to go get a job to support the kids. Then I traded off the whole outfit (2 trucks, sawmill, etc) and I later heard that the GMC got burned up in a wildfire

Right now we have a K2500HD with a high rise topper for traveling and camping. It's basically just a sleeping unit, and cook outside. We might someday get a small slide in but I want to keep the outfit nimble for exploring back roads. But there's all this other stuff to do right now. We're hoping to get away for one or two nights this month as a shakedown cruise.

Good luck on the shake down cruise. After taking a couple road trips with a camper I figured out the slide in is the way to go. Dragging a 40ft RV a couple thousand miles sucks. You just can't stop any where and your exploring is limited. Not to mention having to back track every night to get the house. RV slots got so expensive that you might as well stay at a hotel. Walmart parking lots and cracker barrels became my friends. I had a blast but I think the smaller hotel on wheels would be a totally different experience. Bigger was better for full timing it. Indian casinos can be a great layover. I stayed at one for $2 a night and included run of the amenities. Pool and hot tub was worth it after a day of exploring before spending a whole doller on the penny slots. Then back to the house at night for familiar surroundings and grilling.

[burnin oil]

special k. I am a diesel guy and I can tell you that a swap that wont see a payback. The power is way better as is the MPG. Unfortunately it won't catch up with the purchase price of the drivetrain. It has gotten serioisly out of hand in the last 10 years unless you catch that once in a lifetime deals. I see 300k mile motors with $3500-4500 asking prices around me most of the time. Might as well suck it up and buy the truck also. That buys a SBC crate motor with 0 miles and generally RVs are low milage use. My 6.7 cummins only gets 7-8.5mpg fully loaded with 11-12 empty. It is a 5500 4x4 so its heavy and built like a tank. The 5.9 in a 2500 gets about 17mpg on avg running empty. My old 3500 got 10-12 when hauling a 35 foot RV and 17-19 mpg empty. That was a 4x4 6spd manual. The built 12v was better loaded but was around 17mpg empty with mixed driving. Another 6spd 4x4. All but the 2500 were hoped and had an honest 1000 ftlbs of torque on tap. Hills were never a concern.

I use diesels in my trucks that are used as trucks. Gas motors are for my toys. My 72 gets 7mpg on average. I can't wait to see if 5.14s will make it any worse than the 4.10s

[special-K]

I'm saying diesel is the way to go if you are going to spend money on a swap. If you want the most economic solution, keep what's in there. That costs nothing. I was running diesels from the mid-'80s until '14, so I'm familiar with those two. Ever since most guys found every reason under the sun to stay with gas, like they didn't like the smell. My reply was always, you like the smell of rotten eggs coning from your catalytic convertor? . I've never had to do an emissions test. It's always been old trucks and early diesels for me.

I think this is the type of camper bradmodela needs . I think he just wants to build something with a camper theme... that he can camp in. Not a matter of economics

1934 Chrysler Hot Rod Camper - YouTube

[bradmodela]

Ok
So what I’ve learned so far.
Don’t run a LS in the future. It’s good for what it was designed for. Heavy campers weren’t it.
3/4 and 1/2 tons the way to go.
More tires on the ground is a plus.
Look into a diesel power plant. You cant go wrong with pure torque...

Thank you all for the information. I’m now looking into a 1 ton crew cab with slide in...

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by burnin oil

Good luck on the shake down cruise. After taking a couple road trips with a camper I figured out the slide in is the way to go. Dragging a 40ft RV a couple thousand miles sucks. You just can't stop any where and your exploring is limited. Not to mention having to back track every night to get the house. RV slots got so expensive that you might as well stay at a hotel. Walmart parking lots and cracker barrels became my friends. I had a blast but I think the smaller hotel on wheels would be a totally different experience. Bigger was better for full timing it. Indian casinos can be a great layover. I stayed at one for $2 a night and included run of the amenities. Pool and hot tub was worth it after a day of exploring before spending a whole doller on the penny slots. Then back to the house at night for familiar surroundings and grilling.

We just go boondocking or find a place to park along the highway.

Camper trailer was essential when I was working in the timber, so I was free to drive around with the pickup. These days I just want to have a single unit.

[special-K]

Yeah, slide-ins are nice because you have a pickup when not hauling the camper. When I retired the '71 I showed it was because I wanted a low-profile crank up camper with 8' floor (no tail overhang) for my K2500. Low-profile for better clearance of limbs going back to more remote camping spots, more stable, and easier to load kayaks up top. No tail overhang so I could tow... another camper, boat, car trailer, or motorcycle. Even a work trailer for out of town jobs.

That never happened but I'd like it to. But more recently I am on to the idea of a smaller travel trailer. Then I could use either my '72 K2500 or my '95 Suburban K2500, or another vehicle. And it can be left at the campsite while I adventure in the tow vehicle. It's nice to not have to pack up every time you pull out of the campsite. I don't have a boat anyway, more into paddling or paying for fuel in someone else's boat . The motorcycle? I'm not doing rallies like I used to. And if I do I'll ride there, bare minimum style like the old days.

It's cool that there are so many different way to go with campers. Right now I just slip a light aluminum cap on and use a 6-man dome tent, or use an air mattress in the bed

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by special-K

I just use a 6-man dome tent, or use an air mattress in the bed

Tim, my take on that was tent in the bed with air mattress! We knew the rain was coming this particular trip. Me, nice and dry. My buddy, not so much.

[bradmodela]

Still looking. Willing to buy someone’s in use...

[Chevyland]

My friend’s have this one behind their barn in Sacramento Ca.
They are asking $4500
If you are interested, pm me. I’ll give you their number

[Chevyland]

Or


https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/c...191750448.html

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by Chevyland

My friend’s have this one behind their barn in Sacramento Ca.
They are asking $4500
If you are interested, pm me. I’ll give you their number

I could have picked one up just like that a few years back for next to nothing. But I had nowhere to park it. I had to pass. The guy just wanted to get rid of it because he was moving. It killed me to say no. But I just didn't have the space for it.

It still bugs me. It was clean and it was cheap. It had new tires and everything.

[The Rocknrod]

JOCKO just posted one here: https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...postcount=1127

[Axle]

I like the vibe of that 61.

The 73 Camper special, probably an auto wrecker save considering the wrecking yard picture, but more importantly no title. I'd also question how many times the odometer rolled over. A few red flags on that one that would need some close looking at it, especially with the wrong under carriage photo (of a red truck bed, light duty suspension, spring under conversion, different tires).