The 'first' post.. How it started..

Hi all.. So our family purchased an old '85 Lazy Daze motorhome (the Multi-plan model) from a local family in our area of Los Angeles after having looked at several in the greater LA area -- most were not in very good condition despite being newer models -- most of the 89-91 vintage. Most had issues with the passenger side step for getting into the cab -- they were detached and re-attached with angle iron.. Other issues included broken fridges (~1-2k replacement), filthy insides and broken stoves and various other issues that would lead most people to believe that they hadn't been well taken care of.

So, this older (older than I really wanted to get) '85 was a fresh find for us -- it was local, had been owned by the current owner for 10 years (she was the 3rd owner) and when things broke she had them fixed instead of allowing them to compound into a basket case. While this unit was taken care of, it was not free of issues. A few things I found when doing the initial & subsequent inspections were :

• exterior paint - chipping on both front and rear end-caps badly - with huge areas missing paint down to the aluminum sheeting.
• unknown condition of roof seams -- they didn't look that great but prior owner indicates no leaks.
• Oven not known if it still works -- prior owner only used once in 10 years.
• Evidence of termite damage in passenger side rear compartment -- the tell-tale salt-n-pepper left-overs.
• Bathroom sink missing -- a prior prior owner remove it in favor of a full-sized (full-time) bed. Plumbing is capped and hidden in a recessed compartment with a door.
• Bathroom van non-functional in roof vent
• A rear ceiling light not working (fluorescent bulb probably burned out)
• Squeaky belt issue in engine (fixed by tightening alternator belt)
• Left and right rear corners where vertical wall bends just above tail lights -- both sides have evidence of some sort of structural issue (dry-rot or termites) as the wood paneling is soft in both places -- will open up wall at some point to investigate..
• brakes - hydroboost system not working as designed -- brakes are very hard to press
  

Ok -- with that said, here are the good items to note:

• all appliances appear to work OK as far as I can tell -- fridge, plumbing, stove, roof AC, dash AC (frequently broken on these older rigs), swamp cooler, heater, etc.
• Escape hatch over front bunk area recently replaced
• Engine & Chassis well maintained and regularly taken care of.
• Interior was well taken care of -- almost immaculate!
• All paperwork -- dating back to ordering from the factory, manuals, etc..
  

I'll be posting some photos of the rig in its current state and some of the tasks I'm working on as time goes forward.. My kids & wife are looking forward to our first trip but a few things are needed prior to taking that first trip.