I got so excited reading about this, I just burned my oatmeal!

From what I could tell, the water damage was caused by the installation of the skylights. I haven't seen any like that on other Barth rigs. The rooftop cargo boxes might also be contributing to the water flow.

In an emergency, the side windows look big enough to scramble through, if you are nimble enough. The manufacturer of the Barth windows from that era is Hehr, and they are still around. They will probably also make emergency windows in the same size as the conventional windows. When I did the work on my Barth, I installed 1 emergency window in the rear, and one on the side opposite the door. I found new ones on Ebay back in 2008 when the economy was crap.

What you have to do, don't view it as a "gigantic job". It is just a large collection of little jobs. If you have the stock Dometic Kwyatt generator, you will find that parts seem hard to find. You can find parts for everything else, especially the Chevrolet portion of the vehicle. The compartment latches are Southco. Plan on replacing the fuel tank sender, and all tubes and hoses on the rig. Most of the jobs to take on are easily manageable, and only a handful will rise to the level of an exasperating pain in the ass. And you won't have any concerns about those as you are rolling down the road someday, creating the best memories for you and the family.

Happy Motoring!
Matt

Sure hope you go forward with the project. I would start by first evaluating the condition of the engine. As to the interior obviously it needs to go. Incidentally, the interior can be done in steps, first being a dry open space. Enjoy a few outings while contemplating the design.

I hope our warped humor has inspired you - would like you to hang around. At least you'll get to know what your daughter's BF is made of.

As to Kevin, what was the name of those type post civil war? (He's a good guy.)

Might want to consider an exorcist

Before expending much energy I would check the condition of the steel frame to aluminum body interface for corrosion problems. Good luck

Falling thru the floor? Good advice TIM.

quote:

Originally posted by ccctimtation:
Before expending much energy I would check the condition of the steel frame to aluminum body interface for corrosion problems. Good luck

Hello Radmax,

25 years ago, a "good friend" gave me a "free" Chris Craft Sea Skiff Ranger(wooden) which was in excess to his collection. He said it needed some work but he was confident with my knowledge & equipment I could get it seaworthy in no time. Actually it was a nice looking boat & my young daughters were thrilled & immediately started to clean out the leaves & cobwebs & gave her a name. Did I mention it was "free"? Once at my shop with another old time woodworker, we gave it a good survey & found a myriad of problems both structural & mechanical. And my gut told me to send her back immediately, though I was confident I could fix all the problems.

Long story even longer, 10 years of spare-time hard work, scarfing planks, fairing a hull that had hogged, replacing corroded wiring, etc. & the boat was progressing, however those excited girls were now off to college or dating the star quarterback & not so interested anymore, but maybe more importantly, after attending many of the Clayton Boat Shows, we ascertained that in fact we didn't like the boats dimensions or accommodations, & that actually we wanted a Cabin Cruiser instead of a day boat. So I sold the 80% finished boat at a loss then searched for & bought the functional boat that we wanted. I promised myself from that day, I would never purchase another "toy"(or take one for free) that I couldn't use immediately in one form or another & that I'd researched enough that the specifications would satisfy our intended use(but that's just my experience).

I sincerely wish you the best of luck with your task ahead. We are Barth enthusiasts & enjoy successful outcomes.

Good Luck & Best Regards,

John

John, I think boats and all other toys may share my observation, the cheapest is the one you can use immediately.

quote:

Originally posted by ccctimtation:
John, I think boats and all other toys may share my observation, the cheapest is the one you can use immediately.

Would that be like this?

hi i have not read all the replies in detail but at first glance free appears too expensive for this Barth

we 1/2 hearted looked to buy a motorhome for 10 plus years.

as a comparison we purchased a 23 foot 1992 BARTH in perfect condition from a flipper for $15,000 apx 18 months ago . He purchased it for around $10,000 a few months before .

So for comparison purposes for $15,000 we got a super clean , always stored indoors , 75,000 mile , ready to drive to florida from michigan,with all new tires , BARTH .

I think there are others like this out there sitting indoors just as good , for this price .
if you spend 10 full days on the internet and 10 days driving around to see 5 of them you will find one for $15,000 just as good as ours .

i think if you start on this project in 20 days you may have have it cleaned out and the floor cut out and a tarp on roof and have spent a few thousand .

even though our BARTH was " perfect' we have spent the purchase price again on minor repairs over the the last 4000 miles .

i love the thing ,

new motorhomes cost $10,000 to $50,000 a year in depreciation , old ones ever in good repair cost thousand in repair and /or time too

I would be glad to talk to you call me if you want

Buy a new house or the perfect old house, a new _____ or an older "just what we were looking for" ____ and the transition to ownership doesn't make it imperfect, it only makes it yours. Owning for the future by definition implies investment(maintenance) or surviving on depreciation. Doing that on a fixed site is far more survivable than one at 60mph.
JMO, Tim