30 yr old truck question

[Karalyn]

I know this is not a fiberglass question, but I am hoping someone can point me to a forum on old trucks. My son is looking at a 1978 old camper truck and I am trying to help him find answers to if the inside parts under the hood would still be good, or are they all ready to crumble.
A 30 yr old Scamp would probably be fine, but a 30 yr old camper attached to a truck chasis ? Camper part most likely good, but truck? It has 41000 miles on it.
Anyone here know where I can look for answers?
Thanks in advance.

[John Perry]

I know this is not a fiberglass question, but I am hoping someone can point me to a forum on old trucks. My son is looking at a 1978 old camper truck and I am trying to help him

Hi Karalyn,

What make truck is it and what is the make of the camper?

John

[Roger H]

Karalyn, having had and driven a number of trucks from the '70s from all of the "Big Three", I can say without reservation that most of them were junk when they were built, and they haven't improved with time.

I had a '77 F250 supercab longbed Ford in 1988. It got a new 400 cu.in. engine in 1991 with only 80k miles on it. The 400s and 460s are prone to running hot which causes all manner of problems with valves and heads. It was an inland SoCal truck, so it didn't have rust in it, but it was probably the only one left in the country by 1991 that wasn't rusted through. I drove lots of Navy Dodges and Chevy's through '79 before I got out. There wasn't a '70s vintage Chevy on the road that had a straight hood (they bent at the hinges), and the Dodges rode like a buck board and you could watch them rust as you drove them down the street. The '70s, and especially the late '70s were not the domestic auto industry's finest days. I'd be a LOT more tempted by a '50s or '60s vintage truck than a '70s or '80s.

A 30 year old truck with only 41k miles on it is going to be all set for every seal in it to be replaced from lack of use.

Unless he's looking for a long-term rebuild project rather than a daily driver, were I him, I'd look for something newer.

Roger

[Karalyn]

John, it is a 1978 Itasca Suncruiser. It is some kind of a motorhome, about 28 or 30 feet. They sell for about $5000 or more. I am wondering if it would be $5000 worth of camper on a falling apart chasis. I am wondering if the tranny, motor ect might be ready to fall apart from age even if not used much