A couple of things I will add. The rear main can be replaced without pulling the engine. It takes some persuasion, but basically you pull the pins on the engine mounts and jack the engine upwards until the trans housing is tight against the floor. Then you jack a little more, because everything is just a very tight fit. One of the engine mounts capture the pan, so it will need to be unbolted from the engine. Then unbolt the pan and drop it down as far as it will go. Then reach over the top of the pan and remove the oil pump. Once the oil pump is removed, then you can wiggle the pan backwards off the engine. When I pulled my pan, I wiggled it out one side, but when I put the pan back in, I jacked a little more on the engine and was able to slip the pan directly in from the rear. Once the pan is pulled, you can pull the rear cap and replace the rear main seal. Its not pretty, but it is something you can do in as a weekend project, and much better than pulling the whole engine.
I would hold some caution about stripping and polishing the aluminum. While it can look cool, those who have done it, state that it is a pain to maintain. From factory, the aluminum is painted with zinc chromite for corrosion protection. (yellow primer) If that is removed, it will be difficult to prevent corrosion. I had a section of my coach which had some over spray that ate through the original paint. I used Sherwin Williams house exterior aluminum siding paint and sprayed it on. It tool a lot of sanding to get it smooth, but I did it about 12 years ago, and it still looks good. The only difference I notice between that and automotive paint is that it is more porous, so it tends to collect dirt quicker in that area. About 2 years ago, I coated the whole coach with ZEP high gloss floor polish. That has added a very significant layer of protection to all the paint, and makes it tons easier to wash as the floor polish is very hard. I drive the coach in the winter, so it sees salt every year. I typically only wash it about once a year, and it generally looks good. (meaning I'm not embarrassed if I attend a rally)
_________________ 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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