Caliper Id?

RVbigBlock · July 24, 2011

We got the start issue sorted, turned out the nose was broken, and one of the bolts was metric. This allowed it to shift just enough to ruin any alignment we did.

Now we're on to the brakes. The pass front caliper locked up on the way home from the starter repair place. We assumed it would be easy enough to replace. That is, until we pulled the wheel off and got a good look at it. We anticipated a typical GM part, but this one looks "heavy duty". As well it should, it stops a very heavy RV. So my question is, what are we looking at here? Anyone know how to ID them so we can track down replacements?

redsled2007 · July 24, 2011

What type of chassis do you have? On motor homes, that's the first thing you need to know. Once you know the make and model number you can google it and find a lot of info on the net. Or you can go to "RV.net" and ask the same question there with those pics and you'll probably find your answers there. They have a lot of knowledgeable people there and have seen EVERYTHING!!

RVbigBlock · July 24, 2011

Man you avatar is scary! lol Beyond its "GM" we don't know. How do we find out?

frdfandc · July 24, 2011

Probably going to have to decode the VIN. By the looks of things, that is at least a 3500 series. Might be even a 4500 series.

RVbigBlock · July 25, 2011

I think I found it. Does this look right?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Dur...r=56645_0_2362_

redsled2007 · July 25, 2011

Is there a Manufacture's name of the RV? Are we talking about an RV or a Van. A picture of the vehicle would help clarify and maybe ID it.

The avatar was taken in my younger years when I was ALSO a pretty face!!

grampadirt · July 25, 2011

I think I found it. Does this look right?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Dur...r=56645_0_2362_

That link shows a rear caliper(didn't think they had them in '83) but your pics show a front.I see your RV is a GMC and is probably built on a P30 or P3500 van chassis,my '79 Pace Arrow(Chevy) is.Does it have a 454? If it does I'd think it's a P30(Chevy) or P3500(GMC) for sure.I always tell the parts people it's a P30 and get the correct parts.

Also,most calipers(from the parts stores)these days are remanufactured,so they'll want your old one for the core(so they can rebuild them).Check these out

O'Reilly Calipers

You don't by chance live in SoCal(Santa Clarita area) do you? I work at a place that has hundreds of reman calipers ready to go

redsled2007 · July 25, 2011

If it's a P30 chassis, here's a manual for it: P30 Manual

RVbigBlock · July 25, 2011

Thank you guys for the replies. Its an Allegro RV, GM 454 carborated engine. I don't know where to look on the tranny to figure out what it is, but it does have a duelly rear end. That's why the front rotors have the extensions. I believe I've found a place to do the brakes for us, since I feel like we bit off a bit more than we can chew. We plan to have the rotors turned, since they appear to have plenty of life left, just warped. I've been told its important to replace the rubber brake lines. This thing sat most of its life, and I'm told that if a vehicle is driven regularly, the lines last a long long time. If it sits allot, like many RVs do, then they get hard and stiff and cause problems.

We're down here in Florida, that's why those things are so darn rusty. The local RV place is used to old folks with deep pockets. That's why we're doing as much as we can ourselves. We aren't mechanics, but can do simple shade tree mechanic type stuff.

The next thing we plan to try ourselves, is to find a low flow fuel pump that only puts out about 1.5 psi for the generator. Every one we've found so far, is 3psi or higher. We're afraid it'd just flood the thing. We also can't seem to track down a regulator that goes that low. Which is weird, old air cooled VWs used a pump just like that(drove one in high school). So if you guys know of a parts place that had oddball stuff like that, please post a link.

Thanks again guys, I appreciate all the help.

grampadirt · July 26, 2011

Your RV will have a TH400,a very strong tranny.Good idea to replace the brake lines

I noticed the rust in the pics,probably a good idea to let a pro do the brakes.

As far as the fuel pump goes...no idea.You might try a RV supply house or go to the mfg's website.I'm guessing you have an Onan 4KW or 5KW.These gennys will run forever with good maintenance Is it green? if it is it's a good bet it's an Onan.

RVbigBlock · July 26, 2011

Your RV will have a TH400,a very strong tranny.Good idea to replace the brake lines

I noticed the rust in the pics,probably a good idea to let a pro do the brakes.

As far as the fuel pump goes...no idea.You might try a RV supply house or go to the mfg's website.I'm guessing you have an Onan 4KW or 5KW.These gennys will run forever with good maintenance Is it green? if it is it's a good bet it's an Onan.

Cool on the tranny, it feels pretty solid when driving, but we've never been over 50 mph with it so far. 10K lbs of RV is a scary thing when you aren't sure you can stop it! lol Yes, its a Onan 4K, should be plenty to run the AC, Frige and the stuff we plan to use it for. We race RC cars, and are converting it into a pit area. We have a 14ft trailer, but the wood frame is falling to pieces. This thing is the replacement. I really appreciate all the help, so if you guys can think of anything else, thank you!

grampadirt · July 27, 2011

You'll find that these RVs stop pretty good when the brakes are working properly,my old '79 does It cruises at 65 real nice & drives straight.My grandkids love riding in it mainly cuz they can use the bathroom when we're underway

It has a bad roof leak so I need to fix that some time this summer..before the rains come