B190 Enthusiasts

Hello all!

I am purchasing a camping lot soon that comes with a 1991 b190. I don't have a ton of information on it yet as I have not had much access to it. I know it has 64,500 miles. It has been on the site for a couple years and has not been started in two years. Taking a fresh battery, gas, sea foam to closing. Hoping after fluid check it fires right up. I do know it had a leak around the AC Unit, which I'm told it was fixed. The carpet will need replaced and some water marks on the ceiling. I'm hoping that is all that is wrong with it.

My question is what would you value this unit at as is and how much if we get it running and replace the carpet and get it cleaned up?

Also what is under the carpet in these things? Is there plywood or? I'm hoping the floor is not rotting where the leak was, but will know more after we close on the lot.

Any interested buyers out there? Located in Illinois.

I'm considering listing it on eBay to access more potential buyers.

Need a bit more information to value. Do generator, fridge, water heater, AC/Heater unit work? How's the upholstery and curtains? Tires, shocks, any rear sway bar. Paint? Pics would be nice.


Cliff

Thanks for the reply. I don't have all those details yet. I'm acquiring the unit on Sunday so I will know more then. I'll post that info when I have it. Thank you

Ooh, that's a tough one. I might be interested in one that's a restoration project if we can get it at a good price.

It is plywood under the carpet.

Nice little bonus a b190. If at all possible change the oil before you start it. Also pull the coil wire spin it over about ten times to build oil pressure so the hydraulic lifters fill with fluid even if they are good after two years the oil will leak out causing a hell of a rattling sound if it fires up right away. Which could result in damage to the lifters or pushrods or rocker arms or valves themselves.
Looking forward to seeing pictures good luck.

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Will do thank you for the info. What is the difference between the 190 and the b190?

Nothing (b) is the class of RV. B being a conversation van.
190 is what airstream named it for length 19 feet just added a 0 to it.

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Hahaha conversion

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Hello.

I was able to get out there today with a fresh battery. We determined that it needs a starter. Hope will get that installed this week. Hopefully it fired right up. The roof AC still needs resealed. So the carpet will need cleaned or replaced.

Here is the vin off the title 1FDHS34G1MHA73709.

I have pics but don't see a way to attach them from my phone. So maybe I'll update a craigslist listing and attach that later.

Still trying to determine the value of the unit. Any help appreciated.

I wonder what those extra lights are on the two rear doors? My guess is just illumination, maybe backup lights, to make it easier to park at night.

As for value - I'm a little conflicted because I kind of want to buy one to restore. Just getting the conflict of interest out there ahead of time. However, I was thinking around $2500; my wife said $3000. That's assuming it runs (which it sounds like you're closing in on) and you have the title.

Good points: The body appears to be in good condition. The interior, aside from the floor, as you stated, appears to be in very good condition. Our '91's interior fabrics were in much worse shape - I had no idea what the pattern on the captain's chairs actually was until I saw your picture. Low miles; it's not due for a transmission for quite some time. It has the 460 based on the VIN and your picture, so that's good.

Bad points: Obviously the leak and damage to the carpet. Unfortunately the carpet goes under all of the furniture, so replacing it is going to be more work than you'd at first think. Additionally, the plywood underneath may also need to be replaced. Hopefully the metal floor of the van isn't severely rusted if the plywood was damp. If I were going to that kind of work, I'd also replumb the thing with Pex (I'd probably have to anyway - removing everything probably would involve cutting lines, and you can't replace polybutelene any more). Concerns about windows and the Fantastic Fan leaking, too, obviously.

Other things likely required/need to check:

• Age/condition of tires - sitting is NOT good for tires; they dry out.
• The deep cycle battery probably needs to be replaced.
• The power converters were junk from the factory, so I would replace it (okay, someone who is careful wouldn't need to replace it...but I'd want a 3-stage charger).
• Was it winterized? You'd think this wouldn't matter based on what I said before, except for the water heater - if that was damaged from freezing, that's a $400 replacement, or something like that.

In general, I'm sort of assuming that the appliances basically work. The biggies are the rooftop air conditioner (do check that before you replace the gasket) and the fridge.

Does it have a generator? I'm guessing not, since it doesn't seem to have the starter switch and run timer next to the sink like ours did (the generator would be installed in the compartment behind the driver's door). If the buyer wanted one they'd have to install the generator and the transfer switch.

Edit (actually, this is about my 5th edit to this post): Gotta admit, I like it.

It was winterized and the tires are in great shape. Replaced 3 years ago. Tons of tread and no signs of dry rot.

I would be interested in other opinions. $3000 seems drastically low from other listings I've seen.

It looks like its in decent shape but like skater said sitting isn't good for all of it even the transmission that can cause problems as well. But looks like a good project to start with. Good luck.

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If it winds up only being the floor that needs replacing and the engine/transmission and the ac/heater works and doesn't leak I'd say everything else looks like it's in pretty good shape. Still don't know about refrigerator, water heater, stove, water pump, toilet and whether or not there's a generator so tough to value.


Cliff

lido14co wrote:If it winds up only being the floor that needs replacing and the engine/transmission and the ac/heater works and doesn't leak I'd say everything else looks like it's in pretty good shape. Still don't know about refrigerator, water heater, stove, water pump, toilet and whether or not there's a generator so tough to value.

Yeah, that's a good summary. For me, the unknowns lower the value. If everything is known to be working perfectly, then maybe it is worth more. But that wet floor concerns me - if the underlayment is soft, it'll need to be replaced (best case, in a small area between the furniture).

drstew - A classic trick on the trailers to tell if the floor is bad is to use an icepick; if you can easily push it through, the wood underlayment is shot. I wouldn't push very hard, you don't want to puncture the metal floor (and the gas tank underneath!). Keep in mind it won't go very far before you hit the metal floor.

Thinking a bit more about the metal floor, it's probably fine. It should have been painted by Ford, so even if it did get wet, there shouldn't be any place for rust to take hold.

Who knows, maybe it was just a few drops of water and my concerns about the underlayment are overblown. I spilled plenty of water on the carpet in mine, on multiple occasions, but when I removed the carpet, the underlayment looked brand new. If the previous owners kept after it, then maybe the water isn't a problem at all, but you did say the carpet needed to be cleaned or replaced.

My opinion on it is definitely "worst case" - it may be far better in reality. Just hard to know without seeing it.