New 85 coachman owner

[rtp7754]

Hey everyone,I'm new to BB.I just bought an '85 Coachman,does anyone have any info about it.I'm from Southern Indiana and need some restoration suggestions.Thanks in advance for any help.

[idtracey]

Congratulations on your purchase. There is a lot of good information in the files and manuals section of the photo gallery as far as info on your coach and its accessories. I've found a lot of good restoration advice by simply perusing the existing posts. Some of the members here have done some really nice restoration work on their rigs.

Restoration is a pretty broad topic - anything from some simple clean up and minor repairs to a total rebuild. It would help if you gave some specifics about the type of restoration you're doing.

[rtp7754]

It's in really good shape,only 75,000 miles.The man I bought it from bought it brand new in '85 & he still had all the instruction manuals & paperwork from everything he had done to it.It needs some cleaning,new roof vent covers,curtains,etc.It has a large dent on the top passenger side of the roof over the cab from a tree limb falling on it.Don't know yet the best way to repair that,but I only paid $1000 for it so I can't complain.

[idtracey]

Sounds like a really great deal! We should all be so lucky.

There are lots of good products for cleaning both interior and exterior. For hard surfaces, I like a product called LA's Totally Awesome (http://www.lastotallyawesome.com/index.html). Does a great job and the even bigger bonus is that it's cheap - a lot of dollar stores carry it. For curtains, wash them on the gentle cycle with some Woolite. For carpets and upholstery I use a little bit Oxy cleaner for the tough spots and then for general cleaning I mix a weak solution of Awesome, spray it over the carpets and upholstery, brush with a soft bristle brush and then vacuum up with my wet/dry shop vac.

When I had to replace my vents I found the best deals on Amazon.com. Most of them are marketplace items, so no free shipping, but it was still a better deal than I found elsewhere.

The dent can be a bit of a challenge. Number one, you want to make sure it didn't cause any leaks. Leaks will put you in world of hurt real fast - my Dolphin is currently undergoing a near total rebuild because of water damage. The location and severity of the dent will determine the best way to fix it. If it's real bad, the only effective way to get the dent out is from the inside - which means removing and replacing the paneling the covers the area. Smaller dents can be repaired from the outside using items like cotton rope and a hot glue gun. If you can post a picture of the dent, it would help with suggestions.

Since it's an '85, did you check to see if it has the upgraded axle? If you're unsure, read the post Toyota Motorhome Axle Facts (http://www.toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6).

Hope this helps.

[rtp7754]

idtracey,

Thanks for all the info.As I am new to this I can use all the help I can get.Thanks to finding this web site before I bought the rv,I did check out the axle & it has the 6 lug upgraded axle.

[bufbooth]

Hello RTP7754,

Since you are located in the Mid-West, and just South of me, I just wanted to tell you about

the Mid-West Toy-In Rally that I am hosted near Galesburg Illinois on October 3rd-5th.

Dennis...

A Mid-West Toy-In is being held on October 3th (Friday) to

October 5th (Sunday) 2008 near Galesburg Illinois (Knoxville) at the

Galesburg East Campground, (www.allcampgrounds.com/galesburgeast)

It is one of the nicer campgrounds that I have stayed at, lots of

trees, full hook ups, pull thru sites, a Good Sam Park, fishing pond,

firewood, nice rest rooms, propane station, walking trails, large

(4 or 5 acres) open grass area, pets are welcome, and about 8 miles

East of Galesburg. Exit 54 on I-74 just SE of Knoxville. After

taking the exit, head North to first intersection, turn right (East)

and campground is about two miles on the North side of the road.

Our group name is "Toyota Rally". The rate is $22.50 a night for

two adults, and $2 for each additional adult and $1 for each

additional child. For reservations call 309-289-2267 and tell

them you are part of the "Toyota Rally" group. If you have any

problems, ask for Judy.

To ensure that we all end up with sites next to each other, we

need to make our reservations by September 1st.

After you make your reservations, please send me an email at

bufbooth@yahoo.com so I know how many will be attending, and

please include the ages of any children coming along, I will try to

plan a few activities for them, movie night, pumpkin craving

contest, fishing tournament, ect.

Some of the activities that I would like to plan is a pot luck dinner

for Saturday night, a camp fire sit-in, Toyota RV Open House, and

maybe even a Toyota caravan on the Knox County Scenic Drive

(see below) or just the drive into town. I will be arriving Friday

evening (6pm to 9pm) and own a 1990 Toyota Odyssey.

Thank you,

Dennis Booth

bufbooth@yahoo.com

317-844-4051

Carmel, IN

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*************** A R E A A C T I V I T E S ***************

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The October 4th - 5th weekend is the Knox County Scenic Drive

and the Galesburg Scarecrow Festival. In addition, there are

county wide garage sales going on, a flea market at the fair

grounds, and tons of other events going on.

KNOX COUNTY SCENIC DRIVE - October 4 & 5

Enjoy historic sites, displays, demonstrations, and country cooking

as you take a self-conducted driving tour through some of the most

beautiful parts of the historic Spoon River valley. All stops will have

activities to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Lincoln/Douglas

debates held in Illinois. Galesburg is one of the sites of these

debates and Abe & Mary Lincoln will be visiting each stop.

GALESBURG SCARECROW FESTIVAL - October 4 & 5

Seventh Annual Scarecrow Festival held in Standish Park Arboretum.

A special category for homemade scarecrows of Lincoln / Douglas is

added this year. Enjoy live entertainment, handmade crafts,

children’s activities, food and much more. View and vote on home

made scarecrows in five different categories, only visitors vote on

their favorite scarecrows to win.

Walnut Grove Farm

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is an Historic

working farm with special events that offer visitors a unique

glimpse into life of 100 years ago. Visitors step back in time when

reliving lost arts and learning about life in the past. They have a

large barn that multiple vendors sell crafts from, and they have

a large farm stand. Plenty of room to take our Toyota’s to, even

large 30+ foot Class A RVs will fit.

http://home.grics.net/scenicdrive/walnut.html

http://www.walnutgrovefarm.com/ScenicDrive.htm

If you are a fan of small restaurant chains, Galesburg has both

a Maid-Rite and a La Gondola Spaghetti House restaurant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid-Rite (Maid-Rite Restaurant)

http://www.lagondolaspaghettihouse.com/menu.html

OTHER AREA INFORMATION:

http://home.grics.net/scenicdrive/maquon.html

www.woodlandviewfarm.com/Scenic%20Drive.html

www.galesburgrailroadmuseum.org/welcome.htm

www.visitgalesburg.com (check out the Galesburg video)

www.visitgalesburg.com/attractions.html

www.galesburgrailroadmuseum.org/welcome.htm

www.dickblick.com (factory store is on North side of Knoxville)

www.kville.org/kchistory (Knox County Historic Sites)