GMC Motor Home, Travel with Teri and Dan

"Who is this Jim K"?

I had a comment asking who is Jim K. I should have put his last name up and explained that last night but I was just "pooped out", what can I say. Today, I will give him a little recognition for what he does, here on the blog. He deserves a whole lot more.
His website is:
http://www.appliedgmc.com
Jim's last name is Kanomata. He is one of the biggest parts suppliers for our GMC coaches. You see, the GMC coach is kinda like my old 65 Mustang, you can almost build one from scratch using the parts that are supplied from various places. Jim has a large selection of these parts and is housed in Fremont, Ca. If you look back in my blog, we have been to the shop twice and have worked for Jim on a couple of occassions. If Jim does not have what you are looking for, he can get it, that is a promise. As long as it relates to the GMC Motorhomes built from 73-78, he can get what you need. The GMC is not an "orphan" because of folks like Jim. Even though they have not been built since 1978 there is a very large following of them on the road. One big reason is because Jim, and others, supply us with these parts. We have a fella, Dave, who keeps records on all of these coaches for us. There were 12,000 made and he has records on almost 8,000, or so, of them. Most of those are on the road. Many, many upgrades have been developed for our coaches, like completely new airsystems and final drives. Jim is responsiblke for those two.
So, there is Jim K. in a very little nutshell. He keeps us all rolling. The donations that he makes to our national club are astonishing. If there ever was a "one stop" shopping for a GMC owner, this is the place. You will not see anything like this with the new coaches that are being "orphaned" as we speak due to the economy. These GMC coaches were built to last and they have long out lasted anyone's dream. GM built the frame for the body to sit on. No other has been built that way. Motorhome builders buy truck frames and build the bodies over them. They ride like trucks. A GMC rides like a car and operates like one too when properly set up. Jim K's boys are responsible for our coach driving better than it could have ever driven new. They know what to look for in taking out the least bit of "wiggle" from the steering.
So, if someone really wants a nice little motorhomme, for 2, they should really look into a GMC. There are many for sale in various states of repair. All parts are available. You will not lose your money to depreciation and you can have a very dependable, nice riding coach. Some have even stretched it from 23 and 26 foot to much longer. There are some of these for sale also. We love the 26 foot as it allows us to drive it anywhere. Some pickup trucks are now almost this long, but you can not live in them for months at a time.
Hey, let me tell you a funny story. Years back I had the GMC over in Doniphan, Mo. getting some break work done. We were sitting about 100 yards off the highway at this shop. Only the rear of the coach was visable from the highway. Here comes this truck flying up to us and skidding to a stop. A guy jumped out and hollared, what kind of ---- van is that? I laughed and told him it was a motorhome. He says, "does it have faclities in it?" Well, what do you mean? It has a bath and toilet, I told the guy. "Can I see"? Sure. I was busting a gut laughing. He could not believe it. Thought it was some new van just out as he had never seen anything like this. Guess he has been stuck in the Ozarks too long.
Here is one more. I was in Herrin, Il. A guy runs me down. Where can I get one of these new motorhomes, was his question. I told him none built since 78. He just could not believe it. Some say these coaches were very much ahead of their time. I guess with a new paint job folks truly can not tell that they were built back in the 70's.
As with any vehicle this old they need attention. Should you decide to pick one up, or if you have one already, make sure that you take a look at what Jim K. has available. We say, "He's da Man".
Dan

posted by Dan & Teri Gregg @ 11:16 AM