Getting Started With a 1998 Itasca Spirit Class C

[Drdhai2]

Hi I bought myself a 1998 Itasca Spirit. I am embarrassed to say that I bought her with out an inspection. I think she is in good shape but I have come to realize that the previous owners were kind of ignorant to rv life and maintenance.

My plan is to be out on the road boondocking for 6-8 months of the year. I will spend the summer getting her all fixed up, because it is apparent she has not had general attention to basic maintenance. I will also spend the summer camping closer to home figuring out all the things I don’t know yet.

My first task is to inspect and perhaps reseal the roof, definitely reseal all seams and exterior windows and lights.

I am going excited and hopeful. Hopeful that this wasn’t a big mistake.

Thanks for having me!

Dhai
PNW

 

[Eagle5]

Greetings Dhai,
Here is the brochure for your 1998 Itasca Spirit:

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Images/Winnebago/brochures/1998/98-Spirit-bro.pdf

What floorplan do you have?
Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

 

[Drdhai2]

Hi. Thanks for that brochure. Neat to have and taught me something’s. I have the 24. I thought it was 24R but the brochure says 24WD. I have the original Dune upholstery. I would really like to change that. I would also like to remove the valences. Not all the shades could back up. I have not looked into replacing them. I’m not sure if I start changing things how much resale value I would loose.

I do have a question for the hive mind. The cabinets have that vinyl veneer paper on them. The only place that is concerning is the corners where it is lifted some. I could use glue to tack it back down OR has anyone removed all of that and repainted? Where should I post this question since this thread is introductions?

 

[Morich]

New adventures are better if we can get good directions! So perhaps some links to sites to get more info:
winnebago home site as a place to start:

Home - Winnebago

www.winnebago.com

And a site for a very good place to get some more on how to sort out a lot of questions. The brocure is for the good points but under the "owners" tab on the home site , ther are listing for " owners manuals". First one is what I call a sales booklet with the good points, the second owners manual is where we can find how to deal with the things we may not like as well but help us fix things!
We hope it all goes well , but just in case, it's nice to have bit more info!
And that comes around to knowing some vital points on what you have. There are often times when RV are bult on what is called a "stripped chassis". Like a truck without building the top on it? That mauy be a specific year and then the RV part on top is the next later year! that leaves us needing to know for sure, which year we need parts for if we need something that would be on a nrmal truck. If you need brake or motor parts, it may be a 1998 or it might be a 1997 for the truck part and 98 for the house on top!
So check the owners manual for how to read the info on a label that should be near the driver's left side. A sticker that has a whole bunch of info to know exactly what you have when looking for parts?

Welcome to the group and I always like to tell new owners to watch the two groups of battery that RV have. One is the battery which starts and runs the truck chassis part and then the second battery which powers the house/coach portion.
those tow and how they work together are often a problem to get in mind how they get charged and what each does.
Lots of small tricky things that can run the batteries down if we don't watch carefully for the first year or so!
Always a good idea to come round and ask questions if needed as that is what keeps a forum going!

 

[Drdhai2]

Hi. I really appreciate this reply.

I do have the original owners manual. Being 100% new to RV life I read it cover to cover. I am now in the process of doing an inspection top to bottom. Tomorrow I am crawling onto the roof. I made a big mistake in buying without getting an inspection first. I was naive and impulsive.

My plan is to learn how to do all the general and routine maintenance on it. I may be starting with doing my own roof replacement. I’m a little nervous that I pulled the trigger on this rig without really thinking this all through. I trusted the people I brought it from. In hindsight they were naive also.

I have brand new batteries. Besides the roof resurfacing I know I need new rear tires. I am just hoping that all the other old things don’t end up failing at once. I spent too much on the rig and then dropped another 8k for a new front end. FORD took advantage of me and I am still sick to my stomach at that situation. Made me loose faith and now I distrust FORD 100%.

I am still looking forward to my new adventures this summer and plan to live down south in the LTRV sites for the winter making new friends.

I would love to hear how people have added solar to their existing electrical systems. Also was it not a stock item to include generators on these rigs?

 

[klook]

Generators were an option most likely. As to removing the plastic coating and painting, it is low grade dense cardboard underneath. It will not look nice without lots of attention. I never recommend paint on this material. If you are heading to AZ, maybe we will see you out there! Pay attention to the drive train to ensure serene travels. That is an old van. Find someone that has spent years working on those vans to spiff it up.

 

[Drdhai2]

Generators were an option most likely. As to removing the plastic coating and painting, it is low grade dense cardboard underneath. It will not look nice without lots of attention. I never recommend paint on this material. If you are heading to AZ, maybe we will see you out there! Pay attention to the drive train to ensure serene travels. That is an old van. Find someone that has spent years working on those vans to spiff it up.

I’m stuck with the fake wood? Oh MY! Any suggestions how to find someone? It seems that it’s rare to find something this old that people are renovating. I don’t want to replace all the cabinets! Overall it looks fine. The corners are lifting slightly.

I feel that I won’t do anything until after I spend the winter in the desert. Getting ideas from others and even see if I want to spend the winters on the road. Every thing is in decent shape in original condition.

See you in the desert. I’m really looking forward to it.

 

[klook]

There are dozens of posts about painting the plastic coating with pictures that look awesome. But I have been in some of these creations and I find the owners have a different sense of quality then I do. I also worked in the cabinet world and frequently got request to paint cabinets of much higher quality then what is in a camper. Oak in particular does not paint well. Preparation is the key. The edges of your cabinets were never sealed against absorbing water. Even with paint, any water on the floor will wick up and swell the mdf. Careful prep and using a sealer before painting may work out ok if you remove the plastic coating. It will be time consuming.

 

[Morich]

Different people all have different ideas of what looks good! That is one of the big ideas of RV as we all get to choose what suits and what we are willing to pay to change!
So pass experience is one place to start on the small changes that make an RV what WE want.
I started our camping with a bunch of rowdy roughnecks that I worked with, That set my bar for what works and looks "good enough" quite low and I have been adapting my view ever since! Being in really cold country, we soon found anty hard side was better than tents, so banged up cabinets made of leftover lumber was a nice thing!
It was not uncommon to have chunks out of them, so a bucket of filler and paint was "classy" way beyond our norm! If you have two hunting dogs under the table, how high class do we go? Do we complain about mildew in the shower if we have a dog on our lap while eating?
You get to study the issues and decide!!

 

[skybar]

Hi I bought myself a 1998 Itasca Spirit. I am embarrassed to say that I bought her with out an inspection. I think she is in good shape but I have come to realize that the previous owners were kind of ignorant to rv life and maintenance.

My plan is to be out on the road boondocking for 6-8 months of the year. I will spend the summer getting her all fixed up, because it is apparent she has not had general attention to basic maintenance. I will also spend the summer camping closer to home figuring out all the things I don’t know yet.

My first task is to inspect and perhaps reseal the roof, definitely reseal all seams and exterior windows and lights.

I am going excited and hopeful. Hopeful that this wasn’t a big mistake.

Thanks for having me!

Dhai
PNW

Heck yeah!!! I have a 1998 as well and it has been a learning experience but it has proven to me what a quality rig Winnebago makes. I love mine. I’ve driven it across the country and back and it never lets me down! Have fun!