Travco at Henry's Diesel

I was up in Massachusetts and decided to take a side trip for a visit to see the Travco at Henry's Diesel, where they are doing the mechanical work.



Had the pleasure to meet Stephanie, who has been very helpful in coordinating the move to Henry's.



Also, had the pleasure to meet Henry. He was kind enough to explain what he has done and what he is going to do to the Travco. Henry said overall, considering its age, the Travco is in excellent shape. I wish I was more knowledgeable about mechanics, but unfortunately, I know next to nothing about engines, brakes, transmission.........etc.



Henry said the brakes needed new brake lines and new wheel cylinders. The brakes, he said, are as new.



The engine needs new push rods, the old ones were bent.



Henry showed me this, said it needed to be replaced, the seals were shot:



The water pump needs to be replaced. Henry said it was in a very difficult spot to work on. Since there is a small hole in the radiator, Henry is going to pull it and have it repaired making getting to the water pump that much easier. They took off the front enclosure.



The wheels are the infamous suicide rims/widowmakers. The tires, Henry said, are in good condition with no rot, the rims, no rust. I have to make a decision, whether to buy new aluminum rims and new tires or wait until later when I near the end of my renovation. Though I am not going to do a lot of travel I will need to drive the Travco around getting from shop to shop, having things repaired/renovated.



I was really pleased to see the Travco being well taking care of. I have complete confidence in Henry and his team to get the job done perfectly. I was quite lucky to find them. If you ever need your Travco, motorhome or truck serviced, I do not think you could be in better hands. Henry said, "When I am finished you will be safe to drive the Travco anywhere." I believe him.





Besides the above, here are a few other things Henry's Diesel will be taking care of:
-replacing all hoses and belts
- complete tune-up
- replace all fuel, gas and oil filters
- transmission- new fluid, filter & clean the screen
- probably much, much more that I can't think of, but will fill you in as time goes by

Travco On The Move

Well, yesterday was the big day! I had arranged for the Travco to be picked up by a tow company at Joe & Charlene's home, the previous owners. The Travco has been sitting idle the last 3 years and I did not want to chance hitting the road without a mechanic checking out the engine, transmission.......................

Joe did get the Travco's engine running and it was sure tempting but better safe then sorry. The tires, though looked like new, there was no way of telling how old they are and if there is rot. Like I said better safe then sorry.



Trying to figure out how to get the Travco to Long Island was my first challenge. At first I thought a local mechanic in Massachusetts might be my best option, getting it road worthy, then driving it to the New London-Orient Point ferry. The first mechanic I tried was unresponsive and I decided another route might be best. I checked with RV transport companies to get quotes and they came in between $1200-$1400. Still checking out other options I called Marty's USRV, a RV dealer in Berkley, MA. Spoke to their service department and asked if they could help. They said what I wanted was not what they do but were kind enough to recommend Henry's Diesel in Westport. Got in touch with Henry's and spoke with Stephanie, she was very helpful and we arranged for their towing company to bring the Travco there.



After spending 5 hours waiting in line at Motor Vehicles for the plates, I was off to give the Travco a wash down before the towing company came. I have to say she cleaned up very nicely. It was great giving her a scrub down, starting to sink in that she is mine and the exciting adventure ahead.







Please realize this is my first motorhome and there is so much I do not know, but I am willing to learn. I took some photos of the interior, but I have not started to clean the inside yet.

Here is a photo of the bedroom. You can see the original owner (I think he was the original owner), Dr. George Whiting, did some customization. It looks like there was a double bed at one time but it was turned into a funky single. Kind of U shaped. Not sure if I will return it to the double design or keep it as it is.



The fridge seems in good shape except for the door, it is warped and does not have a good seal. Not sure if it works or if I need to replace it, time will tell. It did come with a small funky, ice tray.





Here are photos towards the front and towards the back.





The driver's seat, where I hope to spend many hours.



It looked liked Dr Whiting took out the heater and put in an air condition unit. I will have to do a little more research on that, but if anyone can enlighten me please make a comment.



There is a water heater in the outside front, driver's side, storage. It says instant so hoping that works. I don't think it was original from what I read on other Travco restoration blogs.



As you can see this Travco was well taken care of, a real gem. I should hear back from the mechanic this week and will take it from there.

Travco brochure

Here is the original brochure for the Travco 210 swiped from myrtleandme (hope you don't mind & thank you)