Hi. My wife and I are the new owners of a 1983 Newell, that I refer to it as "the project". It has a Cummins VT903 rated at 320hp and a 5 spd transmission. The overall condition is fair for its age and will never be a museum piece, but thats ok. I am very much a hands on doer which means I may have a lot of questions making this site priceless. It already seems to be a challenge finding parts (clearance light gaskets, window felting/slider wipes/glazing, rebuild kit for the Conmet fuel water seperator..... just to name a few) but all part of the fun. I have seen a thread on here tracking the coach numbers. I have yet to find it but will post it when/if I do. A big Thank you to all who maintain and contribute to this site, I am sure to be here often.
Marcus
Former caretaker of 1983 Newell, Cummins VT903, Allison 654CR
RE window seals, I got mine from Newell. Not a perfect fit but really close. I never did find a good replacement for the plastic scrapers on the window seals but never noticed a problem with their absence.
I too could not find clearance light gaskets, I used silicone sealant but first sprayed the surfaces with silicone spray, applied a relatively thin layer of the sealant, let it cure until squishy (hi-tech termonology) and then gently assembled pulling the parts together just enough to start squeezing the sealant.
Welcome.
We have a 1984. In normal Newell fashion, it's very similar but also very different form other 1984 Newells . You never know where the build number might be. For us, we replaced a broken mirror on a cabinet door in the bedroom. After scraping off the old mirror and adhesive, there it was , written in pencil, abut 2" tall ... # 59 , telling the mirror installer that the door belongs to # 59 when he is done.
When we purchased our coach from Todd Flickema, he had extra clearance lights and gaskets on board. Perhaps Clarke or Todd will know where they came from.
Enjoy your Newell. The GURUS on this site are fantastic in the guidance they provide.
Guy & Sue
1984 Classic 40' #59
(This post was last modified: 01-04-2017, 09:11 PM by Guy.)
Welcome Marcus. Glad you joined us. There are several members here with coaches of a similar vintage to yours so ask away.
I would be interested in knowing the VIN for your coach (you are welcome to PM me if you would rather not post it). I only have valid VINs for about 1/3 of the 1983 Newells. I wish you the best of luck in your search for a Coach Number. Some of the original Newell floorplans had the coach number on them but not all and some of the coaches of your vintage had the number written on the inside of the engine bay side door(s). You are looking for a number less than 31. I have still not determined if the "new" numbering system was used for all the 1983 models or only those built after a certain date.
(01-05-2017, 06:23 PM)kyleb Wrote: Very nice looking coach you have. A friend has a 903 in his - a little slow off the line, but will easily excede 90 mph!