Barth

01-14-2007, 08:22 PM

grouchyandugly

Barth

i am a new member. friday just traded a coachman for a 1975 Barth 23 ft. rear bed, middle shower (actually it is on the side of the motorhome, not in the middle). searched and found this website...great ! noticed that photos of other Barth's have 4 headlights, while mine has only 2. interior great, exterior very good or better. tires, ha ! will be looking for some L235X85R16's shortly. leery of the hot water propane heater, so installing an "instant hot water" electric one, next to the shower and located inside closet.
(the water heater, not the shower). chassis is dodge, and eng was orig a 440; but a nut was dropped down the carb and somehow came to rest on top of a piston, so when eng was started, instant damage.....i had nothing to do with that, thankfully (and no--i was not the nut!). now powered by a 318. chassis in great condition. already learned about the on-board water pump, and what valves to close for usage. drove it for 90miles or so before making the swap. just the right size for my wife and i to attend car shows and going camping/fishing with. not a full-time rv'r.
would greatly appreciate any info concerning what i have (concerning my Barth).
thanks

01-14-2007, 09:00 PM

Rusty

Congratulations on your "new" Barth! You're only about 40 miles from me...

Rusty

MilSpec AMG 6.5L TD 230HP; built-to-order by Peninsular Engines: Hi-pop injectors, gear-driven camshaft, non-waste-gated, high-output turbo, 18:1 pistons. Fuel economy increased by 15-20%, power, WOW!

"StaRV II"

'94 28' Breakaway: MilSpec AMG 6.5L TD 230HP

Nelson and Chester, not-spoiled Golden Retrievers

Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not.
In either case the idea is quite staggering. - Arthur C. Clarke

It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I've been searching thirty years to find her and thank her - W. C. Fields

01-14-2007, 11:36 PM

bill h

quote:
Originally posted by grouchyandugly:
i am a new member. friday just traded a coachman for a 1975 Barth 23 ft. rear bed, middle shower (actually it is on the side of the motorhome, not in the middle). searched and found this website...great ! noticed that photos of other Barth's have 4 headlights, while mine has only 2. interior great, exterior very good or better. tires, ha ! will be looking for some L235X85R16's shortly. leery of the hot water propane heater, so installing an "instant hot water" electric one, next to the shower and located inside closet.
(the water heater, not the shower). chassis is dodge, and eng was orig a 440; but a nut was dropped down the carb and somehow came to rest on top of a piston, so when eng was started, instant damage.....i had nothing to do with that, thankfully (and no--i was not the nut!). now powered by a 318. chassis in great condition. already learned about the on-board water pump, and what valves to close for usage. drove it for 90miles or so before making the swap. just the right size for my wife and i to attend car shows and going camping/fishing with. not a full-time rv'r.
would greatly appreciate any info concerning what i have (concerning my Barth).
thanks

Hi, and welcome aboard. It's been a while since I owned a Dodge RV, but I recall the brakes need good maintenance and high quality linings. With any acquired coach, the brake should be changed right away and every two years. Every year if you do mountains.

01-15-2007, 12:36 AM

scottydl

Welcome, hey let's see some photos of that '75!

01-19-2007, 11:28 AM

Rolland Smoke

greetings and welcome.... i too have just purchased a 77 Barth coach.....loven the barth and this site is a great source of information . the guys and gals here apear to be experts in their own right.a picture would be nice to see. Is your barth all aluminium or does it have paint ?

01-20-2007, 08:18 PM

grouchyandugly

hummmm.
tricky question.
yes, it is all aluminuminum but covered in paint....and that "instant hot water heater" i completed installing works great !
thanks
G&U

01-20-2007, 08:19 PM

grouchyandugly

question....
how do i post my (barth) photos on here ??
some areas i am more ignorant than others !
thanks
G&U

01-20-2007, 08:49 PM

grouchyandugly

need advice.
the refrigerator in my Barth was recently installed, it is a Domentick, AC/gas. i turned the switch to "elec", upped the thermostat (colder that is). the freezer above seems to get cold, but not enough to freeze; while the regular part of the fridge does not get cold; the metal unit utilized for the cooling is not even cool to the touch. does anybody have any help they can offer ?
M400 is the model.
BTW, my vin plate info: mfd by chrysler, 5-8-75, serial 75051664MC23B M40CA5S095640 orig tires: 8X17.5 but now all are L235X85R16 8Lug
wheels. considering placing 9.50X16 on front as i have some in good shape....any suggestions?
thanks
G&U

01-20-2007, 09:42 PM

Rusty

Can't help you on the tires, but one thing the Dometics are is sensitive to being level. Nothing seems to bother my Norcold, bt the Dometic in my old SOB had to be level or left-side-up to work properly. On the SOB, that was Nose-high for the motorhome.

Rusty

01-21-2007, 11:46 AM

olroy

The electrical unit in your fridge, whether 12V or AC, creates enough heat to keep the box cool, but not enough to cool it down. You need to cool it down on propane, then switch to AC to keep it cool. If the unit is properly leveled, and this doesn't work, it suggests the fridge is faulty.

01-21-2007, 11:58 AM

olroy

Re: tires - 9.50X16 sounds like it's not a radial, and furthermore, could be outdated. Combining radials & bias ply tires has always been a no-no, though I've never seen a specific explanation why.

I do know that radial sidewalls are more flexible which could make handling a problem with tires of different characteristics on opposite ends of the coach

01-21-2007, 01:59 PM

Danny Z

If you smell amonia in the fridge it means it is leaking and needs to be fixed or replaced. My Dometic 2 way gets real cold on either source, but it's only a couple years old.

01-21-2007, 09:57 PM

bill h

quote:
Originally posted by olroy:
Combining radials & bias ply tires has always been a no-no,

Heck, even mixing brands of the same size and type is not good. Time and again, with cars, pickups, vans and RVs, when I switched to matched tires, ride and handling improved. Especially up front.

Even one time on a boat trailer.