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Old 02-05-2016, 10:59 PM   #1
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Posts: 27
New project 1978 28

I got it from my Grandpa. He added throttle body fuel injection to it. It needs some updating and repair but it's pretty solid.

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Old 02-06-2016, 05:37 AM   #2
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1974 20' Argosy 20
Richmond , Kentucky
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Chevyboy123 welcome to Airforums!

That's a nice looking Argosy you inherited, it appears to be a 77 or 78.

By all means post more pictures of your Argosy both inside and out. I for one would like to see pictures of the engine compartment as I'm in the process of adding TBI to my 74 Argosy.

Brad
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Old 02-06-2016, 05:42 AM   #3
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Go for it. Looks great.
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Old 02-06-2016, 06:34 AM   #4
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1975 20' Argosy 20
Chestfield , Kent
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Welcome on board Chevyboy123.

If you have a solid base, try to avoid the temptation to dive in and pull apart instead concentrate on getting it back in use and fix as you go. It's one thing to rebuild something that is already apart or gutted, but these are complicated beasts and many folks start with ideas of rebuilding/remodeling only to uncover a 'can of worms' that never get finished.

Get it back in use, enjoy, fix and update as needed, but best in that order.
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Old 02-06-2016, 11:52 AM   #5
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Thanks guys

I'll get some additional pics today.

My plan is just get it back in shape then start updating. The first thing is brakes on the way home the driver side caliper locked up and the passenger side hardly worked. The pedal sucked and I'm not sure the back worked at all. I'm looking at changing the rear to disc so I can service them without removing the hubs. It also needs a heater the heat exchanger cracked on the old one.
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Old 02-06-2016, 01:14 PM   #6
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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[URL=http://s47.photobucket.com/user/chevyboy123/media/D85396EC-406B-4773-9660-A5120DD2D242.jpg.html][/

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Old 02-06-2016, 01:17 PM   #7
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1978 28' Argosy 28
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Old 02-06-2016, 01:25 PM   #8
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1975 20' Argosy 20
Chestfield , Kent
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Think carefully before doing the disc conversion at the rear. If you look through my rebuild thread you will see the that my brakes sucked, then gave out all together. During the brake rebuild I asked the shop to do a disk upgrade and they advised against it, as disk brakes actually have a longer brake travel than well adjusted drums.

From my experience I now know that if the standard brakes are working as they should, they give a great pedal feel and at least stop my little 20 as good as a modern car/van. I took my low mileage Tacoma out today after driving Bella around last weekend and took a couple of 'stops' to realize I have to brake harder in the Tacoma than the Argosy to bring it to a halt.
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Old 02-06-2016, 01:39 PM   #9
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1982 27' Excella
1982 28' Airstream 280
Midlothian , Texas
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Broken Arrow! I have a friend up there I visit time to time! I also have a 82 Excella 280 that looks just like yours except it doesn't have paint! I've had it a year and just now getting started on it! Will be nice to see how you progress and compare! I was one of those guys that was going to tear everything out and quickly realized that was way more than I wanted to do! So now I'm focusing pulling carpet replacing with a hard floor and cleaning and repairing one thing at a time! Boomer in DFW area!
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Old 02-06-2016, 02:47 PM   #10
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bkahler View Post
Chevyboy123 welcome to Airforums!

That's a nice looking Argosy you inherited, it appears to be a 77 or 78.

By all means post more pictures of your Argosy both inside and out. I for one would like to see pictures of the engine compartment as I'm in the process of adding TBI to my 74 Argosy.

Brad
The TBI setup is pretty straight forward. This one has an aftermarket harness with an 88 BBC computer. It uses all GM parts. There are factory throttle body adapters from the early TBI pick ups that will bolt directly to the Q-Jet manifold and TB assembly. You will need the TBI era coil and distributer. I hope this helps.

Josh
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Old 02-06-2016, 05:14 PM   #11
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1974 20' Argosy 20
Richmond , Kentucky
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chevyboy123 View Post
The TBI setup is pretty straight forward. This one has an aftermarket harness with an 88 BBC computer. It uses all GM parts. There are factory throttle body adapters from the early TBI pick ups that will bolt directly to the Q-Jet manifold and TB assembly. You will need the TBI era coil and distributer. I hope this helps.

Josh
Josh, thanks for the pictures!

I'm going all GM as well. I'm basically sourcing all the parts that would be used on a 94 P30 with a 454. The PCM is from a 94 with the memcal for a P30/454/4L80e which is basically the configuration that I have.

You can read about the conversion here.

You've got a pretty decent looking coach. A lot of good advice has been posted which ought to keep you busy for a while

Brad
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Old 02-06-2016, 08:53 PM   #12
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1979 24' Airstream Excella 24
Tipp City , Ohio
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Welcome aboard Chevyboy! Looks like you grandfather really hooked you up with a gem. Do be careful with those brakes. The most important thing is that you can stop. You definitely don't want to get in an accident and damage that beauty. Good luck
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Old 02-06-2016, 11:03 PM   #13
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Quote:
Originally Posted by martin300662 View Post
Think carefully before doing the disc conversion at the rear. If you look through my rebuild thread you will see the that my brakes sucked, then gave out all together. During the brake rebuild I asked the shop to do a disk upgrade and they advised against it, as disk brakes actually have a longer brake travel than well adjusted drums.

From my experience I now know that if the standard brakes are working as they should, they give a great pedal feel and at least stop my little 20 as good as a modern car/van. I took my low mileage Tacoma out today after driving Bella around last weekend and took a couple of 'stops' to realize I have to brake harder in the Tacoma than the Argosy to bring it to a halt.
Yeah that's squarely in the maybe column. I know factory rear brakes will do great when working correctly. I just hate having to pull hubs to check a wheel cylinder. I think the max GVW is 12,500, so the brakes should stop it great once they are freshened up.
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Old 02-06-2016, 11:06 PM   #14
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boomer56 View Post
Broken Arrow! I have a friend up there I visit time to time! I also have a 82 Excella 280 that looks just like yours except it doesn't have paint! I've had it a year and just now getting started on it! Will be nice to see how you progress and compare! I was one of those guys that was going to tear everything out and quickly realized that was way more than I wanted to do! So now I'm focusing pulling carpet replacing with a hard floor and cleaning and repairing one thing at a time! Boomer in DFW area!
Sounds good to me!!
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Old 02-07-2016, 01:08 AM   #15
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1982 28' Airstream 280
Port Angeles , Washington
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chevyboy123 View Post
Yeah that's squarely in the maybe column. I know factory rear brakes will do great when working correctly. I just hate having to pull hubs to check a wheel cylinder. I think the max GVW is 12,500, so the brakes should stop it great once they are freshened up.
First of all Welcome Aboard. Be prepared for the insanity to set in.

In order to change your rig to disc brakes you would be best to change the entire rear end which is not really that big a deal. The real fun comes with the parking brake. The disc brake units require a drum brake mounted on the rear of the trans. That involves a new tail shaft housing, backing plate, drive yoke, drum shoes, and the cable and linkage to operate everything. Some parts like the drive yoke can be very hard to find.

When you go through your brakes put new cylinders, shoes and mounting hardware and with the number of miles usually put on these coaches you will be good for many years.
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Old 02-08-2016, 03:44 PM   #16
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Where would be the best place to get new seals for the sliding windows?
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Old 02-08-2016, 04:29 PM   #17
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1974 20' Argosy 20
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Where would be the best place to get new seals for the sliding windows?
This thread ought to get you started
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Old 07-09-2021, 11:39 PM   #18
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Well to say life got in the way of this would be an understatement! lol But we’re back on it now!
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Old 07-15-2021, 02:32 PM   #19
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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So someone removed the compressor from this thing would a 480C viair be a good replacement?
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Old 07-15-2021, 02:50 PM   #20
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1978 28' Argosy 28
Haskell , Oklahoma
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Also would it be worth while to add a second AC to the top? I know I would need to upsize the generator would 6.5kw be enough?
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