Recently bought the rare gtc . I also own a 1977 Chinook in very good condition ,but, pales in craftsmanship and well thoughtout design,amazing use of space and function. I've made 2 trips from Florida to Seattle in my Chinook, so , I know what type of layout floor plan , accessories, that you need to not feel like a cave dweller!!!! Firstly, having a back bedroom was ingenious to be in a 21 ft rv. The multi functional dining seats are very comfortable and uses are unlimited with the fast store of the table. The bumper/ rack is clever.just on and on with the design of this rv marvel. Mine came with 4k Onan genset, newer dometic 120/gas fridge, roof mount duo therm ac/meat locker, and nice headers on the 360. Do not like the 16.5 wheels , I will change to 16s as soon as posibile. Is the section of painted exterior areas textured from the factory ????????? So, we flew from ft Lauderdale fl to Las Vegas and drove rental car to pahrump nv and bought. It with out really looking it over.its been on this site for awhile under the owner Carl. Thanks Joe

Joe,

Welcome to the family. For others reading this, this is the rig you bought.

http://www.hallgtc.com/hall_006.htm

Yes, the colored sections are textured paint from the factory. I know Carl was trying to sell it for a long time. Glad to hear it's on the road again. They are an amazing layout. I've never even been camping in mine but I've moved to a new place where I'll actually have room to work on it.

Let me know if you want me to update the gallery page for your rig with new pictures and information.

Nick.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

Great to have that one back on the road again! About the texturing..... About the only possible explanation for doing this is that there were issues with the molds that made the body appear unfair on the side. Overspraying with spattered gelcoat is one way to conceal imperfections without spending more money on fixing the basic problem. The tooling for the GTC would have been extremely costly to begin with, and then came the oil embargo.

I replaced my wheels with 16" Budds from a Chevy truck: Deep dish duals in back and shallow dish in front. The 16.5 Super Singles in the rear are hugely expensive and I didn't want to have to carry two spares. Note: 16.5" wheels have a dangerously shallow bead that can lead to shedding a tire in the case of a flat. 16" wheels have a much better bead design.

Are you using the wheels I gave you? Those are from Dodge and Ford trucks.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

Deep dish in the rears and shallow dish fronts ????? Very confused , I put 16 in same size rims all the way around on my dodge
78 Chinook. Will the stock rear rims fit front hub ???? How does the rear bumper Slide out work ( 2 top bolts ) ???? Fiberglass roof for screwing down solar panels ????? My first GTC trip plan is pahrump nv , Reno nv, Seattle and back to southwest Florida Sarasota area.

How do you post pics ????

To post pictures you have to use the Post Reply button and not the quick reply box.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

It's hard for me to see from Carl's pictures if he had the single rear wheels or not. The "Super Single" rear wheels are like 10" wide. You got one spare tire that fit on the front or rear but was the size of the front wheel. Even if you had dual rear wheels you would have the one single wheel spare. It would still work on the rear if you took both rear wheels off.

Later motorhome chassis like your Chinook would have the dually wheels front and rear. Early Dodge chassis used standard wheels in the front.

If you have the single rear wheels now and wanted to convert to dually wheels, you would just need four of them. They do take different lug nuts than the single wheels and need to be torqued a lot more. You would need to carry a spare set of standard lug nuts in order to use the spare tire in that set up.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

Here's the wheel discussion thread from the Technical forum:

http://www.hallgtc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5

And some information on fitting different wheels on mine.

http://www.hallgtc.com/hall_001_wheels.htm

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

I have duallys in the rear . So you call the rear rims deep dish ???? The rear rims do look a heavier thick design over the front rims. Just curious why they didn't go same type rim front and back ???? How would you work spare tire ??? The spare could only be for the front if needed and take off one of the dually tires if needed and run 3 tires on the rear axle til you got to a tire shop ???? Mine has 2 spares one for rear and one for the front. As you can see by the pics ,previous owner not Carl, had added an additional spare tire mount . He must of been thinking a head of this issue.so, I'm wondering , the rims on 8 lugs hole rim , they should be 6 1/2 inch on center lug hole across to lug hole and fit over the hub center hole ???? How does the rear bumper Slide out ( 2 bolts ) ???? I need to put a refrigerator access panel to gas valve , shut off valve and 120 receptacle box. Is there room between the medal ribs bonded in the fiberglass mold ?????

I guess you could call the rear wheels "deep dish" but they're generally just called dually wheels.

As for the spare, they only came with the single spare that matches the front wheels, but you can use that spare on the rear if you remove both wheels from that side. Or as you say, just take the rim with the flat tire off and run one wheel on that side. Using the actual spare tire would give more stability and support though. On the early ones they didn't have front hubs that would hold the dually type wheel. I don't know why they changed other than to make all the wheels the same on the vehicle.

I've seen a lot of people who add a second spare because they think they need it for the rear but it is unnecessary. Even when you have the Super Singles like on mine, you still use the spare tire on the rear. It's only supposed to be a temporary situation anyway.

Another thing to consider is that if you go with some other type of wheels to convert to 16" ones that you make sure your spare still fits the rear axle. Some 16" wheels that will fit the front hub, will not have a large enough center hole to fit the rear. What I plan to do is to just keep the 16.5" spare tire and change the rest to 16". I still don't know if I'm going to go with singles in he rear like I have now or just change to duals.

As for the fridge vent, you can see in this picture that my coach was changed to a gas fridge and they put an opening vent on the bottom and a roof vent. Some have had upper sidewall vents installed instead of the roof vent. A roof vent is going to be more efficient in drawing the heat but it does add to the height of the coach. There are no ribs in that area so you can install one.



And check out this one. Only one that I've seen that looks like it has a factory fridge vent in the roof that is molded in like the range vent. Didn't even see that on the 1982 GTC that turned up.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

I kept a 16.5 for my spare, just like you're thinking of doing. The front spindles are different on the later deep-dish wheels and converting to the later front axle setup seems like a pretty big undertaking. I decided on the original setup because I like having hubcaps. About that original fridge vent setup... Because of the required for the cool looking flush vent, the stack height is on the short side and I suspect that it doesn't function all that well on hot days. The setup on mine with the Elix'r fridge is definitely "factory", as I have now seen 2 others just like it with identical construction. I suspect that Hall Coach Company got a good deal on those fridges, plus they work really well with an absolute minimum of electronics involved. I keep waiting for mine to bite the dust, but so far, so good.

The reasons I converted to duals from the Super Singles are better stability in cornering and redundancy in case of a flat. This turned out to be a good idea as verified by the story about why old tires are a no-no. Even if the look fine, if the tires are over 7 years old the likelihood of sudden tire failure is high. You don't want a blowout, believe me.

"because of the required" was supposed to read: because of the required vertical space, as in a chimney. The taller a chimney, the better the draft. The better the draft, the better the heat dissipation from the coils.

This one looks to have the original electric only fridge with no external vents.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

You can see on mine that they at least saved the formica fronts and put them onto the new gas fridge when it was put in. They just put a strip between the two panels since I don't have the separate freezer door. I know mine still had the 2-door Norcold electric only fridge at least until 1980 due to for sale ads that came with the coach.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

It really makes you wonder... If indeed it was a Norcold you'd think that it still would need some way to get rid of the heat required for the unit to work, no? The furnace exhaust also appears to be way inboard and forward of where you'd expect.

Is that a Dometic in yours?

Sorry. That's clearly the correct spot for the range exhaust.

Maybe that's why they failed? Yes, mine is a Dometic. I should looks for a label showing a production date.

Here's another one that has no vents and maybe the original fridge - http://www.hallgtc.com/hall_018.htm

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

Yes, it's a dometic americana 110v/ gas . Fantastic unit . Huge space for a single door. In the door space for half gallon containers . Dometic is the best in rv refrigerators, leaves Norcold in the dust. I've been in fla 35 yrs in refrigeration and air conditioning , let know a little bit what I speak of. I also have own 1978 Chinook with a original dometic 12v/110v/gas . This model does not require 12v for operation in 110v or gas. So you could run this unit on gas with out any electric at all in definitely with gas alone .

Has anybody mount any accessories on the fiberglass roof .kii plan on installing 2 200w solar panels with 1/4 in ss lag screws and dicor sealant. Some concerns about screws pulling out with wind pressure ????

The best mod I've probably made to mine is the "Fantastic Fan" with a very aerodynamic low profile lid. Our rigs were designed more with COLD in mind that hot and have no provision let the heat out as built. The roof skin is about 1/4" to 3/8ths thick and all chop - no cloth. The inner liner is about 1/4" as well. I'm also thinking about installing a single 180 Watt module on mine and have come to the conclusion that a special 3M two-sided tape is the way to go, with a few screws as well. Be sure and undersize the pilot holes, but so much as to cause cracks in the glass. The other thing is the routing of the conductors........ I figured that going down the reefer vent is the best way. I bought a waterproof 2-conductor roof fitting for this purpose that I plan on mounting on the vertical vent stack under the lid. My plan is to make an air dam with stiff rubber screwed to the front edge of the module, which will prevent too much lift pressure from building up under the module, if you see what I mean.

What about the flexible panels that stick down and could follow the curve of the roof? I assume they're not as efficient but you could have more of them without standing out so much.

https://eezrvproduct.com/products/powerflex-flexible-roof-top-solar-panels-100w

https://youtu.be/4mRZbH-Tc14

BTW, mine has a CB antenna on the roof and they ran the cable down through the range vent.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

The only issue with peel and stick modules is that once they're down, that's where they stay. I used to be an instructor for the Unisolar peel and stick. They still hold the patent even though the company is kaput.

I should add that the cost alone should be enough to scare you off from the module you posted. Yikes! Standard crystaline modules go for a Buck a Watt these days, not FIVE! I can't imagine how they can sell many at that price.

I saw some that screw down around the perimeter instead of being peel and stick. I just don't know what a rigid panel is going to look like up there.

Are you still using remote panels for yours?

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

That I am, but not much power. My module as about 3' wide X 5' long, 180 WMP @ 36 VDC. Yeah. That means I have to buy an expensive Morningstar high voltage controller. The up side is that there will be o resistance and good low light performance. A single module 3' wide will be mostly invisible to the casual passers-by, especially since @ only 5' long it will reside pretty far back from the front.

OK, this is 4th 2 200w panel install. Last 3 were 2 mounted to roof rack , no drilling into the roof and one on a holiday rambler with a aluminum roof. Tomorrow I will be installing 2 100w panels to the gtc fiberglass roof. First I will pilot drill the holes. Then I will inject decor sealant with caulking gun into the previous drill holes. Then I will secure the panel legs down with 1/4 in lag screws and load up the entire bolt and panel bracket area with dicor sealant. That's simple enough, but I have a huge brake issue. Brakes are locking up. When I bought it 2 weeks ago the pads down to the rivets. Changet front pads, front hoses, front calipers, fabricated new front lines all the way to proportional valve. Got a reman master cylinder that couldn't bench bleed, probably on the shelf to long, geting another master cylinder tomorrow. I'm down to either a mastercylinder or proportional valve for why the brakes locked up . Proportional valve not available anywhere on my research may take it out disassemble it check spring and for debris. Maybe an after market proportional might work . Anybody out there with gtc issue before.brakes are pretty basic premise 1980

Yeah. Sitting is the worst thing for any vehicle, even more so for older ones. I have replaced the rear drums and shoes, front rotors, pads and cylinders and front rubber lines, I have also replaced the master cylinder twice, as well as the booster - also twice. Have you checked the rear shoes for wear? Sometimes they can jamb up if they have too much travel. I would try pumping the brakes a bunch, drive it around a little and repeat ad nauseum. When I replaced the master and booster this last time I used a new (non-NAPA) master and a functional rebuilt booster. I used NAPA parts for both last time and both failed miserably. If you get a new master cylinder be sure to follow the pre-installation bleeding instructions to the letter. Ask me how I know. Not sure about that proportional valve thing as I don't recall ever hearing of a failure.

Plz keep us posted on your PV installation. What kind of controller are you using? The best arrangement is hooking up your panels in series and using an MPPT controller. You'll get at least 20% better output than a conventional controller, especially in lower light situations.

On my 1979 Brougham I found that one of the adjusters in the rear was installed backward. Barely any shoe left back there. I hadn't driven it before redoing the brakes so didn't know what it was doing. It sat for many years before I got it and I was replacing everything anyway. It brakes very well.

My GTC needs a new master cylinder as I have to pump the brakes to drive it after it sits for a while. I'm sure I have a lot of brake work to do when I go to get it fully roadworthy.

Also, don't assume that if you replaced a part that it's actually good. I work in the automotive industry and a lot of rebuilt or new parts just suck.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

Man is that ever true. This is one reason why they limit their liability to the price of the part! The new NAPA master cylinder lost it's seal at the booster connection and the brake fluid kept mysteriously disappearing. Not only that, but it ran lean because of the vacuum leak from the improperly rebuilt booster - also from NAPA. I could never adjust out the excess pedal travel either. It finally works really well after a full brake job and the new master cyl and booster. Like I said though, be sure to bench bleed the cylinder exactly as described in the installation instructions! I did mine in a bench vise with two bleeder tubes. I replaced ALL the steering parts, including the gear, as the F'ing NAPA rebuilt gear leaked like a seive and had play that couldn't be adjust out. I went with a rebuilder in Washington state that is the only place out there that does it right. Not cheap, but worth it.