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PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 8:24 am 
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This did the trick. Now, I don´t even have to switch on the 2 additional electric fans anymore.

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Old and new radiators placed next to each other.

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Additional Transmission Fluid Cooler RH R. Forum.jpg
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There is another small transmission fluid cooler under the bumper. The former owner said that these were all his helpless attempts to reduce the engine´s working temperature.

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1979 Revcon Camelot 30ft. 403 L80 Oldsmobile Toronado FWD UPP


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 8:40 am 
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We sealed the mounting oft the self-adjusting satellite dish. There was a leak beneath and so water dripped directly into the wardrobe.

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The roof marker lights. I didn´t want to drill holes into the roof so my mechanic placed the lights on the top of the motorbike carrier.

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We had to change the seal between carburator and airfilter.

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Carburator 403 Oldsmobile Toronado L80 V8 Engine.jpg
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 6:35 am 
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It seems to me that I'm the only active user in this forum...
For those of you who don' t know anything about Revcons - here are some informations and if you see one for sale...buy it! 8-)

After driving many of the typical motor homes built on truck chassis, John Hall knew that this was not the best way to build a motor home. In fact, it was a terrible way to build motor homes. The truck chassis rode too harshly over bumps and the center of gravity was too high to handle corners well. The harsh ride often jarred cabinets, light fixtures and even the walls loose. The high center of gravity turned twisting roads and passing trucks into white-knuckled events. The wooden roof and walls often leaked, creating a world of rot and mildew that no coach owner wanted.

But John Hall had an idea: an all new motor home, all new from the ground up. John knew that his motor home would have to be front wheel drive to get the low center of gravity needed for the superb handling he wanted. He also knew a wooden roof and walls weren't what he wanted, so this new motor home would be made out of aluminum like an aircraft. This was an all new idea, a totally new concept, a REVolutionary CONcept: a REVCON!

The Airstream Connection

It's no secret that Revcon construction bears a striking resemblance to Airstream trailers. It's also no coincidence. John Hall was the stepson of Airstream founder Wally Byam. John knew that the all aluminum construction was far superior to anything else being built at the time. The entire shell was aluminum framing, with aluminum sheets riveted to the inside and outside. The walls and roof were built this way, with no seams in the roof to leak. It was also much more rigid than the typical wooden studs with thin aluminum siding stapled to the outside and cheap plywood paneling stapled to the inside.

The GM Connection

In 1966 GM's Oldsmobile division rocked the auto industry with the introduction of the Toronado. The Toronado was all new, nothing like it had ever been seen before. With swooping curves, hidden headlights, big-block power and front wheel drive, it was as luxurious as it was innovative. Powered by a 385 horsepower 425 cubic inch V8, GM's revolutionary Turbo-Hydramatic 425 transmission propelled the front wheels, an American first in 30 years. John Hall knew at once this was the drivetrain he needed for his Revcon. The front wheel drive would eliminate the need for a driveshaft from the front of the coach to the rear, and would permit the low profile and low center of gravity he envisioned.

The Amazing Result

In 1968, the first Revcons were built. They included aircraft aluminum monocoque body construction, and a custom built chassis with Oldsmobile Toronado front wheel drive. The lightweight, low profile and front wheel drive made the Revcon handle as well as any American car of the day, quite a feat for a 12,000 pound motor home. It certainly helped the fuel economy, consistently 2 to 4 MPG higher than the competition. The innovation didn't end with the drivetrain and body, Revcon took it to the interior as well. Lightweight materials were used throughout. Cabinets were constructed of aluminum honeycomb core sandwiched between 2 thin layers of formica. Not only did this save weight, it was much more durable than the plastic or pressboard cabinets that were typical of the era, and are still the industry standard today. Everything was then trimmed with genuine teak accents. Some coaches were built with the optional solid teak galley, to give the look of high-end custom cabinets, which in fact they were. The interior walls were aluminum sheets, with high quality vinyl wall covering. The wall paper inside my Revcon is over 40 years old and looks as good as it did when new. Quality didn't stop where you couldn't see it either. John Hall's new coaches were fitted with copper tubing for the fresh water system, rather than the industry standard plastic. At a time when most motor homes were built with so called "wet baths", where the entire bathroom doubled as the shower stall, all Revcons had "dry baths" with separate shower stalls, just like a smaller version of your bathroom at home. Regular production started in 1971, with Revcon leading the industry in innovation and luxury. By this time, Oldsmobile had increased the size of the Toronado engine to 455 cubic inches, even more suited for motor home use. Early models, affectionately called Flat-Noses, were built until 1977 and could be had in 4 models, the 220, 250, 260 and 290, with several floorplans built in each model.

Continuous Improvement

Revcon realized that it's flat-nose design left a lot to be desired in the aerodynamics department, so in 1978 they introduced the second generation Revcon, commonly called the Slant-Nose. This new design was much more aerodynamic than previous models, brought a more modern look to a motor home that already had the most modern drivetrain. Ironically, while Revcon was improving the exterior of the coaches, Oldsmobile was downsizing the Toronado. The new 350 cubic inch engine and smaller Turbo-Hydramatic 325 transmission wasn't suited for motor home use, so Revcon was left with no choice but to design their own drivetrain. In 1979, they introduced the first Revcon powered by a 454 cubic inch Chevrolet engine and heavy duty Turbo-Hydramatic 475 transmission, with a transfer case mounted to the rear of the transmission and a driveshaft headed up to the heavy duty Dana front differential. The whole system looked similar to a four wheel drive truck, without the rear driveshaft and differential. The interior could be customized in almost any way a customer could imagine. Real ceramic tile countertops, genuine hardwood trim, including cherry, oak, and the Revcon tradition, teak. Customized coaches were the norm for Revcon, not just for RV customers, but for commercial customers as well. Several commercial units were built, used as mobile emergency response units for police and fire departments, local broadcast units for TV and radio stations, and even "bookmobiles" for libraries. Revcons were not just getting better, they were getting bigger too. The new Slant-Nose could be had in even longer lengths than the Flat-nose models, all the way up to 34 feet. Revcon remained the industry leader in quality, innovation and luxury up until the last Slant-Nose was built in 1989.

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1979 Revcon Camelot 30ft. 403 L80 Oldsmobile Toronado FWD UPP


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 12:28 pm 
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Location: IL
Austro-Revconeer wrote:
It seems to me that I'm the only active user in this forum...
Except your thread has over 12,000 views. That 4 times the number of Revcons built. As we age, we become more consumers than those who add content. When Revcon_Curious group was started on Yahoo, it just took off and went crazy. That was pretty much the second generation of buyers. It was a resurgence based on the generation of those who bought them new, getting old and selling off their coaches to new buyers. That new generation knew very little about what they were buying, so there was a lot of excitement to find other owners, especially those who could help. Now that generation has aged. Their coaches are getting less use. Everything that needed to be said, was mostly known. In time, those coaches will get sold off to a 3rd generation of buyers who will have the same excitement as before, albeit less in number. You are just caught in the middle, as one of the early 3rd generation of buyers. They will be discovered again.

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Dave

The Flying Fortress
'83 Revcon Prince 31' FWD
502 w/Howell/GM 16197427 ECM/Edelbrock MPFI,Thorley's & Magnaflows,
4L85E 4 speed, KoniFSD,
Yes it is SOLD

FMCA F298817


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:58 am 
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O.K. :? Caught in the middle..huh? Sounds like the story of my life... :lol: No problem, I will keep on writing, I (we) love our Revcon and it´s a very important topic at the moment. Let´s blaze the way for the 3rd generation of buyers…

In July 2021 we removed the rear window. Water was coming through the frame which was very annoying.

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I was not able to get the correct window seals - I have done a lot of research - so we used normal window adhesive to get the job done.

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Rear Window Cleaning R. Forum.jpg
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The window leak in the bedroom on the passenger side was very hard to identify, later we found out that the water had come directly from the top under the air conditioning unit.

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Side Window Repair R. Forum.jpg
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1979 Revcon Camelot 30ft. 403 L80 Oldsmobile Toronado FWD UPP


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 9:09 am 
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A nice view of the insulation (fiberglass) and the honeycomb lightweight structure.

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How many Revcons were built altogether? How many Flat-Noses/Slant-Noses each? I haven´t found the correct output figures yet...

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 11:29 pm 
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I think the number is supposed to be around 4000, but Marty Moore always claimed it was about half that. No one really knows for sure.

I had water leaking from my Window frames - it was the marker lights. The plastic in the marker lights had turned to powder. I replaced them with LEDs.

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Dave

The Flying Fortress
'83 Revcon Prince 31' FWD
502 w/Howell/GM 16197427 ECM/Edelbrock MPFI,Thorley's & Magnaflows,
4L85E 4 speed, KoniFSD,
Yes it is SOLD

FMCA F298817


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 4:33 pm 
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I have also read somewhere that the production number was about 2.000.

RIP Marty.

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https://www.braunco.com/marty-moores-rv ... quidation/

The original marker lights on the roof of my Revcon have disappeared somehow...I think they were not street legal in Germany in those days...It´s still a problem today.

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1979 Revcon Camelot 30ft. 403 L80 Oldsmobile Toronado FWD UPP


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 5:02 pm 
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Attachment:
Night Vision R. Forum.jpg
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On a hot day in the summer of 2021 we started to clean the roof in order to prepare the repainting of our coach.

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July 2021 Roof Cleaning R. Forum.png
July 2021 Roof Cleaning R. Forum.png [ 177.91 KiB | Viewed 7062 times ]

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 5:13 pm 
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It was hard work to get rid of the foil. My fingernails!!! Amazingly it came off after 42 years almost without any debris. :shock:

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We removed the mouldings and started to sand off the sides of the Revcon.

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Prep. R. Forum.jpg
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