It was problem after problem for what should have been a quick job restoring our antique RV’s fuel tank …
Category: Mechanical
When our Clark Cortez motorhome greeted us, it did not run and did not brake. That was just the beginning, too, which is why Andy and I started our RV restoration with mechanical repairs.
“Everything we do with this hunk of **** metal just leads from one disaster to another one,” Andy cusses at our antique RV in his angriest outburst yet. Find out why replacing our clutch cylinders had him announcing he was done with our RV dream.
Finding petrol spraying from the front of our Cortez’s carburetor was not what we expected, nor planned to tackle, but when you have an antique RV predicting next jobs is a rarity.
In the on-going saga of getting our 1965 Clark Cortez motorhome to run reliably, we remove a questionable electric fuel pump and replace our mechanical one.
A Clark Cortez motorhome’s Achilles heel is its transmission, which means L and I try to make sure it is in as good of a condition as possible. Find out why the transmission is so fragile here …
L and I have been working on eliminating — or at least reducing — the many squeaks, bumps, rattles, and creaks from our Clark Cortez motorhome. Here, we replace our anti-roll bar (or sway bar) bushings.
Did you know vehicles have nipples? This is what I learned as Andy and I work to restore the mechanics of our 1965 Clark Cortez motorhome. Here, we use our Cortez’s grease nipples to lubricate the suspension bearings and bushings in an effort to reduce its many squeaks and squeals.
“Mine has room for whip-lash!” Andy tells me as he fastens his seatbelt before we take our very first test drive in our 1965 Clark Cortez motorhome! This is the moment we have been anxiously awaiting but — as always — there are some bump in the road…
Our Cortez’s air intake system was composted of a dilapidated hose, crumbling paper-style air filter, and no heat shield, which meant it was time for fabricating a serious upgrade!
Should we upgrade to discs and calipers — or should we stick to the original drums and restore them? This is the question L and I proposed to each other prior to getting our 1965 Clark Cortez motorhome’s braking system operational. Here’s what you need to know if you are considering the conversion.
Once more our Cortez refuses to fire up, leaving us on the hunt for a matching alternator, only to learn it would be our first Cortez part that did not have an exact match.
Sure we could be embarrassed about admitting that we forgot to use our 1965 Clark Cortez’s choke . . . but instead, we are simply happy it means we can ditch the starter fluid and get our motorhome running easily!
It took six days — six long days — to tackle our brakes. It started with our first horror-filled rides in the Cortez then continued to a blend of wrong parts, sawed off brake lines, and angle-grinded exhaust pipes. However, it ended with us finishing the job, which I can say now — There’s no better feeling of accomplishment!
“LET’S DRIVE IT AWAY!” I yelled over the roar of our beast’s engine, pointing straight ahead to an unseen spot in the future where we would be traveling down some backcountry dirt road, following the Milky Way. Andrew honked and honked and honked the horn because OUR CORTEZ STARTED!
It’s our first stop at the Cortez since it was delivered and we learn it has a dead starter and corroded engine wires.
But we expected issues like this — and we will continue to expect this as we work on our fifty-four-year-old motorhome. But hey, we chose this because we don’t want easy. We want different.