Hello All! New Member Here from Phoenix

[onebigtrip]

Howdy Clipper owners! My buddy is selling his Clipper for a killer deal, and im about to be a Clipper owner. I'm still doing my due diligence, but the rig looks awesome so far. It's a 1977 21', has 74k miles, and it's been very well cared for. Im meeting up either this weekend or next to test drive it and possibly take it to a mechanic to get it checked out. my question is, is there anyone in the Phoenix area that might be interested in checking it out with me? It would be great to have someone knowledgable about this vehicle give me some pointers. for the average vehicle with 74k miles, one would think that they're buying something with a lot of life in it. however, it still is a vehicle that is 30+ years old. how are the engines? what are the common problems with these RV's? Either way, I feel this Clipper is a great buy and im pretty excited about it, but I still have questions that need answering. Im gald I found this club!

[JerryT]

Welcome 1BT!
The Clippers are a good well built unit, with that said, they can suffer from neglect and deferred maintenance.
Dodge engines usually run a long time and start to burn oil before they wear out the bottom end ect. When I got my Clipper I bought the old newsletters from the club and read them for insight and ideas, a good first investment. I have updated and improved mine to make it more viable by todays standards which I could not have done had it not been a premium product when it was built. To replace mine today with a new premium fiberglass unit of similar size would cost $80,000.00+ So I treat it as such and enjoy the savings. Read old posts and ask questions as we have many knowledgeable members among us.
JerryT   

[John Eversoll]

!  1bt, Just ask Jerry he is the best that I have found..

   John

[prophetdaniel2]

1BT welcome!
    I am sure you noticed that lots of questiones have been answered here in the past, the search function was definitely my friend, but I have seriously read every historical post here. With the American Clipper My first concerns would be:
1 How good of a deal is Killer?
2 Will it drive away safely?
3 How fast?

     But seriously I figure $4000 for a good condition Clipper that I think I can camp soon is reasonable. Any more and I might get picky, any less and I would probably bring in a mechanic, Or pretend I was one
-D

p.s. seems like the biggest concerns a new clipper owner should really have is does it run reliably and are the tires in good condition. Blowouts on these rigs are much more than a nuisance, they can cause serious damage and be very dangerous. Oh and FYI the clipper was engineered to travel no faster than 55MPH.

[JerryT]

I agree with Daniel
I added an overdrive to mine so I could cruise modern highway speeds and keep the engine rpm's down, also modern radial tires allow higher sustained speeds than the old bias ply ones did. Also the brakes are not as large as you would find on todays rigs, I upgraded mine for some extra safety margin but drive with respect at higher speeds. Good tires are a must!!! How you use your coach should dictate on how you repair/modernize it. I use mine like I would a new one so I treat it as such.  I tell people, even if it is free don't take it home if you don't have the bucks to spend on it! All old motorhomes need more $$$ spent on them than their worth, BUT, what is the value, to you, of a coach that you can get in and drive coast to coast if you wanted?
JerryT

[John Eversoll]

Hey Jer, how would I go about getting bigger breaks on the rig I have... it's the 77
440 + now.   727 trans dual rear front disc.

John.   I rebuilt the rear breaks about five years ago, what a bear!!!!

Pull that axel out to do breaks.......... Ya don't want to know what I was talking about when I did them!!!!!!!!! :)John

[JerryT]

Hi John
I will do a brake update sometime soon.
JerryT

[John Eversoll]

Great!!! I will be waiting for the out come!!
When I did mine the last time I was in noway prepared
to remove the axel,But I did complete the job with no problems.

When you up grade do you have to get bigger axels?? Or is it just getting  the hardware.??   :)John

[John Eversoll]

Hi Jerry,  did ya ever do the brakes on your rig???  and if so di you do an upgrade??

and if so what is all involved..  I am very interested,as my brakes will need to be replaced

before I can drive her.

Thanks, John

[Hank Jourdin]

Hey there big trip, all I can say is if you like fixing things and redesigning parts and systems that are out dated and hard to find parts for then step right up to the plate and take a shot. I myself felt just like you sound full of dreams and ready to go. I might think twice unless you love automotive systems. I have about  a 45 year background in mechanics and I have spent the better part of the last 2 years totally rebuilding my 78 clipper from front to rear , it's almost done I think and then something else rears it's ugly head. there is just no end to the length and expence you can go to. But what would life be without a never ending project !!!  So I say check it real good take a deep breath write the check and have a ball by the way welcome to the club.  Best of luck Hank Jourdin

[John Eversoll]

Hey there Hank, How ya doin???  Havent sen a post from you in  a while.

I must agree with you on that checking out the Clipper!!

the mileage sounds good...  but I would check the plug wires and even yank out a plug or two

really to see if there is a lot of oil. check the bottom of the trns pan and the rear of the trans for leakage.

But for the price,  I might just ask if the guy would take 3,000 cash.!! he could use the other grand to buy new tires.

In short order GOOD CALL!!!!!  John