[sopicki]

HoosierDaddy.....Love the name!!! The Carole Ann is a GREAT coach, although very neglected for many years she's got good bones and will be a great hobby for my wife and I hopefully long into our retirement. Being that I'm only 45 hopefully diesel won't be $10/gal by then. The Carole Ann has 2 heating systems, a Coleman forced air furnace and a coolant heater with front and rear cores. Neither worked when we bought the coach but both are working well now. I'm still looking for an operating manual for the Coleman (heck, Coleman doesn't even list the model as something that they built). I still have to re-seal the duct work on the furnace but we've already winterized her for the season. As for the generator, it's in the rear and originally had an Onan. Right now it has a Generac that runs but does not produce any electricity. I don't believe it is anything serious, maybe just a fried circuit board, but I've had higher priority items to fix. There is a separate 15 gallon gas tank for the generator since the coach has been converted to diesel. I have an Onan generator sitting in my garage which I was going to install this winter, however the more I think of it the more I'm leaning toward putting a diesel generator in and using the 15 gallon tank as a diesel reserve. We'll see, all depends on if I can find a decent affordable diesel generator. My highest priority right now is brakes. Newell was no help in trying to identify what type of brakes I have on the coach and now I've blown a rear wheel cylinder. There are 2 wheel cylinders per rear wheel and I'll need to pull the axles to get the drums off. The only thing I can do right now is take it to my brother-in-laws shop, pull the axles and take the parts to a brake shop and hope they can match them up. I'd like to replace all 6 of the wheel cylinders. Next thing that makes me nervous are the vacuum boosters. I'd love to find one or two to put on the shelf for when the inevitable happens, at least we wouldn't be grounded for months looking for parts. Other than that, Carole Ann was built with chauffeur's quarters and will need to have the chauffeur's bathroom rebuilt. I'll need a toilet, sink, faucets... I'd like to have items true to the '70's as we're trying to keep most things true to the period.......except for the microwave and flat screens! If you ever run across some Newell emblems I'd love those too, but we've had no luck as of yet. I may have some made, but that will be after generator, reuhpolstery, bathroom and repairing several compartment floors. Thanks for your interest!!!