On what may have one of happiest days of my life, the Starcraft motor home left our driveway in a shower of sparks and cloud of debris for it’s new home in Climax. (Yes, Climax, MI, the town.). Fitting, since I was so glad to see it go. I did manage to salvage engine and trans, traded for a set of beautiful Dayto knock off wire wheels, the complete stainless exhaust system which can be altered easily to fit under the GMC, and a couple hundred feet of automotive wiring.
It was not a profitable venture.
Once that was gone, and cash in my pocket, I moved the Riviera into the shop, after a day of cleaning. Initial trials look like the engine will fit after notching the crossmember, modifying both exhaust manifolds, moving the AC compressor without swapping the Vortec intake for an LS. Which saves a bunch of work and cash. The oil pan needs to be sectioned (or replaced) for ground clearance, but either way that’s easy.
What wasn’t easy was removing the cars front fenders. I have new respect for the guys on the assembly line who hung these things on moving cars. What a job. After the passenger side, the drivers came off easily. Happily all of the fasteners came out easily, thanks to its former life spent Oklahoma.
Now that the sheet metal is off I can get the motor and trans mounts made, the steering modified and connected, and the crossmember notch boxed in. Then it can lie dormant while work on the T’Bird.
It’ll be busy winter!
Cool McCool's Garage 
Hey Brian,
I have followed several of your builds, would the motorhome chassis with the 19.5 wheels have been a good chassis to have dropped say a 404 Diamond T or something like a mid-late 40’s KB-6 or KB7 International cab on? I am planning on doing this and dropping a 6BT 12 valve with a KB-6 cab I have. Just wondering what your thoughts on this would be….
Yup. In fact, it would have worked SO well I went to Muskegon early this summer and looked at a pair of Diamond T COE cabs, thinking of plunking one down in the chassis, with a sleeper cab in back of that, and building a car hauler. Trouble is, I don’t NEED a car hauler, I don’t have any place to park and store a 33 foot long truck, and all my hot rodder pals agreed with my wife and said it was a bad idea. For ME, not for you! The guy who bought the chassis is going to build a COE with it, so my plan is coming together, just in someone else’s shop!