Do you still own the right to build it?

I would like to contact you regarding the tooling and rights to the GMC Motorhome. Can you update your contact details on your KZfaq profile?

I'd bet there's a lot of people who would just love to see these Chassis remanufactured using a variety of modern choices for the Driveline motor transmission etc. Hmmm

Hope you start making them again and with Allison transmission.

Are you producing new coaches?

absolutely true

🤣🤣🤣 that is so right

Lol, that's one of the best expressions I've ever heard

Such a shame that they're scaling down.

*Buick Wildcat

Did someone in your family have a funny looking watch?

I got to ride in one years ago. This was a fantastic machine.

Ben 10: wait that's gramps camper

@@VampireQueenAmy It started when an alien device did what it did

Awesome story that made me laugh but realize you were so lucky!

I guess we all would like to see what an updated one looks like!

Hey from Mississuaga Ontario Nice story about your RV.

Do RV parks allow it in despite its age? I almost bought a 1975 with a bad 455. Might still buy one, someday.

@@mikeceli Yes there are actually a few older motorhomes that come to the park as long as there not run down wrecks there is no issue. The 455ci. The newer paint is Arctic white with dark blue nose stripe and a lighter blue full length body stripe. Interior has been reappolstered with a dark grey microsuede and all the wood trim is now white, has fake marble grey countertops, new fridge and stove from a later model motorhome that was scraped after an engine fire, only thing that's really stayed original is the bathroom besides being painted.

@@clemmahabir We are in Fort Erie right on the Buffalo NY boarder.

John Reichert : Where did you work in the Plant.Who was your Supervisor.I worked there to!

Anyone know what these sold for in the 70s?

109000 was a base price

@Brian's Place could use drive train from Dodge promaster fwd van. I would use the diesel.

Brian's Place you could get away with bypassing intellectual property infringement laws having a different name, and a few tweaks, very doable. However, with modern safety regulations, design codes, etc. this vehicle could never come off the line and be street legal in the US today. That’s a big reason why contemporary cars rarely capture the aesthetic merit of the now antiquated, dangerous, but beautiful designs. Thank goodness the old ones are grandfathered in and allowed to stay on the roads :)

"Razzle-Dazzle!"

Stripes!

Mack Boland¹ beat them to it! ¹Don Pendleton's pulp fiction hero in the "Executioner" series.

The EM-50!

That's a fact Jack!!!

The 460 was never meant to be a truck motor.... It was a 429 car engine. Ford installs what they have, resulting in poor efficiency. The only real drivers were to meet emissions.

454 had more power and torque

Saw an article a number of years ago where they swapped a mild build 472 Cadillac mill into the motor home. Had pictures of it roasting the tires!

5 miles per gallon!

Kathy Florcruz love the 67 Camaro!

I'm from England. Great looking cars back then in the US. 73 Grand Prix.

Kathy Florcruz THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!

And *this* American is still buying GM vehicles! Since 1966. Most of 'em have this bowtie thing on the grill! ;)

Kathy Florcruz that’s cool! There’s a guy here in San Diego who parks his by my apartment often. It’s a eye catching vehicle these days. It’s in excellent condition as well. Your dad , cheers to him🍻

we were going into another gas crunch and Carter was President and inflation was high all played against this

actually GMC has yet to produce a great anything

@@noneyabiz2197 in your humble opinion

The fiero as well! The first gm mid rear....

@@foxmulder4308 If they brought it back, it would most likely only be a slightly-altered version of the current Malibu.

The only small turbo diesels around at that time were the Detroit 2 strokes.

And a transmission with a few more gears and overdrive...

STRIPES...great movie.

MPG vs FIREPOWER!

I thought it looked familiar! But seriously, it *was* decades ahead of it's time.

That's a Fact, Jack!

Stephen E HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Thank you for this interesting comment.

lol I thought it was one from the thumbnail. Looks just like my Barbie camper I had.

Do you have a cousin named Ben?

@@VampireQueenAmy LOL!! I came here to say that when I saw the thumbnail. I saw it it was my Malibu Barbie camper.

I agree. I find the Winnebago of the time hideous to look at. The only RVs I've seen of this decade that look this good were the FMC 2900R Motorcoach (produced between 1973 and 1976) and the Dodge Travco 270.

I remember the Dodge Travco but not the FMC and they were nice, but the GMC Motor Home was the one that made the impression on me. I remember most were a version of greenish , vanilla or even a light tan colored yellow with differing colors of trim strips running down them to probably keep the solar heat gain as low as possible. I don't remember any white colored ones, but I'm sure they were out there.

I only saw one GMC Motorhome in person. It was parked in someone's driveway. I would've loved to have stopped and had a look at it, but I was on my way to work.

kurt2022 I still want a Winnie baagoo, gotta say it wrong, to be right

Try pulling a radiator out of a Travco! They built the MH around it!

any update? where are you located? thanks!

Lot of people like that. I'm currently watching a '49 Packard Coupe "rusting in peace"... just makes me sick 🤮 ...

I still see one or 2 once in a blue moon in Pennsylvania. Do you see any parked around? What did they retail for?

Good career! Congrats!

Robert Sample God bless ya and all retired autoworkers!

I like how you, and many others who worked at assembly lines and so on with special vehicles, comment on videos about them so long after the production stopped. It shows how much dedication and love you guys had for what you did and what you made. It's very inspiring, and gives the whole video and vehicle a human tuch!

Bass Trammel yes! trust me us that still do work on American production lines for iconic American car Co's are still extremely proud!

Me too......I loved it in stripes......& it looked so easy to drive..!!!!!

@@shwt121 they actually are very easy to drive, but you do need to be careful about spinning the front wheels on wet or soft roads, broken differential gears from spinning the tires or doing burnouts is the only mechanical failure i've heard about on these rigs. the visibility through the windshield and the side mirrors is better than any new class-a, and because most of the weight is close to the ground it actually can take corners as well or better than a prevost conversion. the only downside is the thirsty big-block oldsmobile v8 that makes it go, and the weak turbo-hydramatic 425 transaxle setup with it's weak final drive that was great in a toronado or eldorado that weighed a lot less than the motorhome...... and it would be very difficult to swap in any other front wheel drive system.

EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle and that's a fact Jack!

... Yes, the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle... 🤣

Ever work on Revcon's? They were the one's to use the Oldsmobile Toronado drivetrain first.

"We had a car waiting"

Urban Assault Vehicle

Where the fuck's my truck? I gotta pee.

Calm down Francis

@@josephgus5638 I believe it was "Lighten up Francis"

Me too!!! I was just thinking how close it looked to that. How funny.

Hope you painted it in cammo, lol.

Darr Whyask So what you’re saying is that GI Joe fit perfectly into Barbie. Poor Ken!

Go JOE!!!

I remember I found the Barbie one in a dumpster and gave it to my sister. I told her I bought it in a yard sale. She was happy with it lol

how much he wants for it

High Overlord Snarffie Beagle u Mek kandi racks I put in mi arme

Would love to see a video of it

Nothing that old is LIKE NEW!

I have a 1978 GMC. A few years back, returning to Canada, I had the shortest stop at the Canadian Customs. The agent asked two questions 1..How long where you gone? 2...Is your motorhome the same one in the movies Stripes? I answered both questions, he said cool and I was gone in 10 seconds

Ross Hallman .....LoL... you should have told him it was The One. And fully equipped with.50 cal machine guns and a rocket launcher.

+mercoid: He'd still be in detention!

+Ross: I hope you told him "That's the fact, Jack!"

I'm about 80% certain that the stolen command vehicle from the movie "Prodigal Planet" (1983) was built upon the chassis of a GMC motor home.

Ha ha ha ha same here. Brilliant design though.

I really like it, don’t know why but I see why it was popular

Me neither, I'm still not really lol :)

Absolutely class,they don't build em like this anymore!

Prevost Marathons have me interested,may sell my house and buy one.

First thing I thought of when I saw this was 'Stripes'.

The pbs network in South Carolina bought five and made mobile production units as well. They were excellent.

You worked on anchorman

I wonder if Charles Kuralt used these at any point. Supposedly he went through six RVs during the course of his 'On the Road' segments.

Fortunately, nowadays (since they've become classics and have a cult following) you can get all sorts of parts for them, as it's a niche industry. So people can still keep these motor-homes on the road now and who knows for how long into the future. It was at best a 3-season RV though, so none of the holding tanks were heated, just down there open to the freezing weather (and I'm guessing lots of plumbing was, too). But if people used it mainly in Summers, it was ideal. IIRC, being a FWD vehicle, it needed more weight on the front wheels than it had, so there were some traction issues. -- BR

Had to get a cv axle rebuilt cause nobody had a replacement

Jake Browne Jake , i believe the CV joints were from Citroen ! (The toronado / eldorado was)

Ever she the old HBO special like George Carlin or Robin Williams. HBO HAD one with a mobile studio setup. It was so cool looking inside. Coke-cola had one, too. I think it was a themed Coke-cola interior and a special Coke-cola exterior paint scheme.

Probably less expensive than the modern 1 piece panoramic windshield

Windshields are still available. The last price I know of was between $250 and $280 for each half.

Not anymore

Wow

You look good for 48

Hey you doll

You have never seen my grandmom in her wheel chair.

Today that's a racist comment...

That's what I was thinking and the later ones with the weezer 403 probably had troubles climbing hills

'78 was the last year of the big Toronado drive train with the TH403 FWD transmission. The 403 with its Siamesed cylinders had overheating issues too.

Pickups and SUVs have also been huge sellers for the past 30 years. I don't think GM made a mistake at all by prioritizing pickups over RVs.

saintquinn007 Let's make vehicles more capable of surviving an accident by increasing the likelyhood they will cause one. Like almost every bad driver in America buying an SUV.

A common configuration was the 454 with a big sloppy 3 speed transmission. There was no economy to be had lol

I agree. And unlike much of today's Class A motorhomes, it doesn't look like a cargo container on wheels.

Almost "futuristic".... even today! What a shame!

@@badguy1481 I agree. It's a tragedy that it was never continued after 1978. It may have been rather expensive for some people, but for those who can afford it, they have an awesome RV to cruise around town in, or travel the country in.

Ah..ah.Take a look on the inside with the Cheesy dated Shag carpet! Modern? I really doubt it!

@@donraptor6156 I agree. If I bought one, I'd remove the shag carpeting and everything that came with the car and replace it with more contemporary features.

Maybe with a modern paint scheme... Those colors are so dated.

Agreed. So much better than anything produced since by anyone. I'd love one of these.

it will never gets old

They certainly do and they run like new even in 2018! I'd like mine in white with a cobalt blue stripe down the sides, subdued styling in side, sounds ace to me!

Its got that classic VW camper look I think.

Seventies? I have some doubt on "computers"? Maybe Dumb Terminals (which would looked like computers to the non-technical. But how would your hooked them up to the required time-share computers back in a bunker somewhere? Maybe mid-eighties?

Oh yea! You got that right! Or was it Matchbox? My brother had the Matchbox double decker Greyhound Bus. I loved it. ..those blue windows!

@James Tucker These things are like gold!

Mattel did a good job of scaling down the dimensions yet making the vehicle instantly recognizable as the GMC motorhome.

And a Hess Truck one Christmas 😃

Yes, the orange one. I think I sold mine on Ebay about 15 years ago. :(

Yes, wouldn't liberty be cool, again for taste..

There was some outfit that actually bought the rights from GM to produce these in the early 2000s. They had a website and were first going to produce a trailer version. Not sure whatever happened to them, but I am guessing that the costs of fabrication was just too much.

I'd love to get one then duramax swap it with a decked out interior and some newer rims just a few basic thing dont kill the retro appeal

how can you up grade their aerodynamics, cant make them any better, engines were very dependable many still running with over 170000 miles on them no problems, only improvement could be in the gas milage

Yep, put a EFI LS motor in it.

Don’t worry I wa thinking the same thing

yeah i kinda clicked hoping for that

I thought this video was somehow related to ben10

That's why it looked familiar

@notfiveo "What we got is one heavily armed recreational vehicle."

There is a fix for that door; it's actually the body bowing slightly from the weight of the A/C units on the roof. If I recall correctly, the fix involves pulling the sides inward with a jack or a come-along. It's not as bad or as difficult as it sounds. Mine hasn't sagged, so I haven't had to deal with it yet.

Sure, Chevy provided the chassis for the Sportscoach - arguably the most aerodynamic besides the GMC - but they were still high-centered pigs.... And when it comes to the 'mini' motorhomes, the best chassis was the Ford E-350 with the 460 under the hood. 10MPG with plenty of power...

Comment too long. I just wanted to read a comment, not a book.

I've only ever seen one in person, it's sitting in a driveway and hasn't moved in years

Justin Noker come to Sacramento...they're everywhere

it isn't a motor home proper, but the volkswagen california looks amazing as a camper van

@@penguinpie5056 While I can't see myself living in this full-time, I can see this being used for travel across the country.

@@cpufreak101 That can't be good. If you're going to have a vehicle like this, it needs to be driven, if not daily, certainly every other week.

You Tube u

WIN

They should have at least temporarily shelved the project until things calmed down, then slowly re-introduced it in small batches. They would still have made a small profit. Better to make a small profit than to lose millions of dollars. That's why Southwest Airlines is still around even though EVERYONE copies their business model. Their accountants tell them the bottom line is: try to earn $1 million this year instead of losing $2 million. 10 years ago, they were making money but everyone else was outearning them big-time. However, fast forward and almost all of the copycat rivals had either gone bankrupt or been bought out by a much larger rival. And Southwest is still around and ticking along fine. By the way, I did NOT support the government bailout of GM. Their silly bean counters couldn't manage a buck without losing it so letting them go under would have taught them to hire better business people and to INNOVATE. Look at them now: their cars may be better and more reliable than ever but they're bland and boring.

I know people say that the recent 2008 recession was the worse since the Great Depression but what about that post watergate era ? it probably was pretty close with the 2008 recession. However gas in the 70s was in short supply back then and the vehicles didn’t get good gas mileage at all.

As a teenager around 1980, I remember 20% interest rates in Canada, then around 1987 my student loan went off at 10.5 % interest, with a 0.5% discount for being a student. But I did have a job a week before graduation. Then Black Monday hit...ever get a 0% raise? 1%? got 'em both. Well into the 90's. At least I was still working.

🤣😂

Awesome description.

Some things from the 70's are better left in the 70's ;-)

@Onix Navarro With rich simulated grain.

Did your dad work for Braniff Airlines?

Which ones?

@@conveyor2 all modern RV's

Having known a GM plant manager from those days, I recall his comment about GM in those days. "Management was distant, considered labor an adversary, and was actually not very good at much of anything. We had good engineers. We just didn't have good managers."

I blame the people in the Middle East for ruining the American auto industry with the Arab Oil crisis of the 1970s.

The GMC motorhome was the peak of GM's greatness.

Michael O'Keefe “arab oil crisis” seriously!!! How can someone build a small car or a taxi with 6l engine displacement?! It’s unnecessary and dumb , yes oil is still cheap today , but why waste it with useless thirsty heavy engines?!

Not only that, but typical bean counters seem way too eager to decide what's "profitable", vs. what's "popular" and what's best for the company. Had engineers gotten their way, I imagine the GMC Motorhome would've continued indefinitely, since they know how a truck is supposed to work.

Dave Saenz it would cost a fortune.

M

And the rent raise gimmick of 5%/year it will become the norm soon to live in our cars/trucks or RV's......

So someone that cant afford a house is going to buy a new rv?

vinniecorleone62 i drive only Chevys or Cadillacs for this reason to this day.

I Think this is the main reason it was canceled, complete re-engineering. Revcon by the way pioneered the FWD motor home and had to demonstrate to GM the concept was viable and safe before GM would contract to sell the drivetrains. Once they did, the GMC was developed concurrent with the Revcon. The Revcon proceeded with an Aluminum skin and the GMC with the Fiberglass. In 1978 when the drivetrain was downsized for the new smaller Toronado, the Revcon redesigned to a 454 chevy powering a transfer case with a driveshaft to the front axle. The FWD lived on with this new design with the Revcon but the GMC died and was pulled from production. It was too bad, imagine what these would have become. Revcon essentially went out of business in 84, although restarts sporadically produced a few more up through the 91 model year, the last of them being built with GMC body panels.

But the second generation front drive "E" bodies still had a longitudinal engine but the transmission was changed from the THM425 to the THM325. The design for the THM 425 was already built and was a derivative of the THM 400 which remained in production so it was feasible to continue production of the THM 425 transmission but maybe change the bell housing pattern to that of the Big Block Chevy 454 so they could still offer the larger engines or better yet change to the dual bell housing pattern they adopted so the transmission could be used on the big Chevy or the Olds engine or even the Olds diesel engine. I have heard the final drive ratio of the THM 425 was a little high for motor homes use maybe they didn't feel that the volume of motor home sales warranted developing a final drive housing big enough to house the larger ring gear needed for a steeper final drive ratio. We could question why GM didn't simply continue development of the RV chassis for both Motor homes and commercial trucks and simply sell chassis to other manufacturers to build motor homes and vans on, much like the w "P" series chassis they were selling to other manufacturers to make step vans, buses and class A motor homes. With the fuel crunch in the mid 70's and again in 1979-80 during the Iranian Crisis the market for a more fuel efficient motor home may of been there, and a front drive stepvan chassis may of been practical and allow the same interior room with a lower roof line and reduced drag. After all Chevrolet was already a supplier of bare chassis for RVs and Commercial vehicles. But remember GM sold off the commercial/RV chassis business in 1999 after already exiting the the heavy truck market by selling the big GMC and Chevrolet trucks off to Volvo/White. At one time GM, IHC, Ford, Chrysler John Deere and Freightliner were all producing RV/Bus chassis, all that is left now for a class A chassis is Ford and Freightliner.

Actually, I read today in a book by GM, that the gas crunch of the 70s that drove up gas prices and pretty much wreaked havoc on the RV industry is what killed this thing. GMC actually shifted their sales strategy to sell more of these as mobile offices and ambulances, they also went after the highest end of the RV market where people still had money. However, none of that was enough and it was killed.

they sold like a bazillion square bodies in the early 80's so they were right

socalfive I looked at a '71 or '72 Revcon that was on CL awhile back. For as neglected as it was, the exterior and powertrain were still in really good condition. They are a solidly built rig. Sadly, this one had spent several years sitting and basically had become the perfect aquarium environment for mice to build an empire. Couldn't stand the stench of being inside of it long enough to look at it any closer.

Better off building your own, they are junk.

My 1978 KZ650 was $2,700 ,with tax, lic, prep it was just over $3k that makes my bike worth $12,600 in today's money, HUH,... My 1977 Trans Am was $15,000, that is $63,000 in today's money according to your calculation.

Yeah my dad paid like 35 k for a repo gmc. With deluxe accent group.

So my Dad spent the equivalent of $75,000 over a years time, I was 16-17 years old, I guess he was pretty cool looking at it with dollar values factored, either that or he was trying to kill me? just kidding, I brought my KZ 650 to the dealer for its 500 mile break in service with my Dad and on the wall was chromed pieces for the KZ's plus 4 into 1 headers , plus the extras, I didn't really consider any of that stuff, I was enthralled with the bike, well my Dad told them to put on the chrome engine covers and carb bowl & tops, he put four separate K & N air filters and a Scientific 4 into 1 chromed header, new seat that had an elevated rear seat and held me in my saddle, he put Magura dog leg levers, steel braided brake lines and Ferodo brake pads, he had them drill my 3 discs too! he put a halogen headlight that had a high beam fir for the Baja 1000, I see my bike and don't even recognize that as my bike! My Dad was pretty cool, cooler than I ever knew I guess.

A bargain at $161k. Checked current prices lately?

BLOOP BLOOPSON : my dad gave me a rock and a roll of caps.

Hey babe noticed you got a 77',mind if a fine gal like myself hooks a ride with you?

dew2667 I don’t recall those. What year would that have been? I used to work for an RV dealership around 00/01. There was a VW Rialta that was Front drive and very low. They were pretty unique. I don’t see many around anymore.

Bill Collins, creator of the Vixen, was inspired by the GMC Motorhome when he was chief engineer at Pontiac. The Vixen was Bill's take on improving the GMC concept. I've owned both. While the Vixen had amazing handling and fuel economy (28 MPG highway and this in the mountainous West), it was really short on camping ability (tiny, tiny restroom, below minimum kitchen, and very little storage). When I bought the Vixen, the plan was to sell the GMC. I ended up selling the Vixen and keeping the GMC; which I've had for over two decades and still have today.

That sounds great, similar in size but fits in a normal garage--engineering!

I heard of something like that with a BMW diesel. Does that sound right?

The Vixens were made somewhere over on Opdyke Rd.

Perfect!

The Mirth mobile!

With the Jetsons flying car hovering above.

I liked the Pacer: The Fish Bowl

Haha!! "Hey Everyone! My Motorhome just had a BAAABY!!!"

Right? Typical. They intro such a great idea to the public, and then as quickly as it was intro'd, they discontinue.

There was also a Hess Truck based on this motorhome in the late 70's, it was actually the first Hess Truck I ever received as a gift as a kid. I literally drove the tires off of the thing. I still have my original although it is in very rough shape and I recently purchased a few others on Ebay. I didn't realize that Barbie had one, I'll have to look it up online. I bet it was very cool.

I had the Hess one too when I was a kid! I recognized this immediately based on that!

brian5o I had the Hess toy version as well. I got it as a Christmas gift when I was a kid. I thought it was cool how detailed the interior was. Plus the headlights taillights and interior lit up.

One of my favorite hess trucks

kbeast98 it was one of my favorites, too. I literally drove the wheels off the thing as a kid. It looks rough now but I still have it. A few months ago, I purchased a few other Hess Training Vans on eBay that were in much better condition than my original one. I have been wanting a nicer one for years. It was this Hess Truck that originally got me into Hess Trucks. It was the start of a great collection, and a many a special Thanksgiving trip to Hess each year.

People put isuzu diesels in them for FANTASTIC FUEL MILEAGE!