Parking Brake Mishap

Do not drive with the parking brake on or you too can spend the night camping in a parking lot waiting for a specialty tow truck. The motor is so powerful now it took a few minutes to realize the brake was on! Big thanks to AAA Towing LTD. and AMA - Alberta Motor Association for their kind and prompt assistance, getting us safely home. If your Travco needs a tow get a landoll trailer.

But I am happy to report that Myrtle is back on the road! A big thanks to Fleet Brake http://www.fleetbrake.com for relining the shoes on the internal expanding transmission parking brake. The transmission seal we used was from NAPA part #15620.

Hot tip; dry fit the shoes into the drum with the shoe adjusting sleeve/nut/screw and the anchor shoe guide to ensure they fit. The thickness of the pad must be less than 0.156 einch as per the specs listed in the manual below.  Extra dry tip; when you remove the brake drum from the transmission tail shaft it will spill some transmission fluid (about 2 quarts). Drain some out before hand, or jack up the rear of the motorhome to reduce the spill.

Below are some helpful excerpts from our vintage shop manual that cover the parking brake. 

Engine Update

After two years of set backs, Covid, emergencies, parts issues and so on, Myrtle’s engine is nearing completion. We are taking her original 318 Poly to a 408 cubic inch stroked poly. We explored many options before this including Hellephant / Viper / Demon / Magnum crates, restoring a street Hemi and even just a simple rebuild of her current engine. 

Ultimately we decided to save her original, low mileage, strong engine that has served her well for over 50 years. The re-built motor will give more torque and horse power for those mountain roads and is totally bad ass. When the motor was stripped we discovered it was John Deere green! As you can see in the photos  her block has been painted red in line with 1964 poly engines and converted to a vintage 4 barrel Weiand intake manifold. The engine is still being finished - updates to come! 

Anyone can buy a new motorhome but I fell in love with this old girl Myrtle and I wanted to save her heart. We knew this would not be the cheapest and easiest route, but the best adventures are on the road less travelled. 💙