CC For Sale: Anybody Willing To Save a Rusty But Upgraded Clark Cortez Motor Home From the Scrapyard?

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– Posted on July 16, 2020

an older picture before the roof rust set in

(Update: the Cortez was bought and one hour into its trip home burned to the ground on the freeway. A sad ending.

My CC on the revolutionary FWD Clark Cortez motor home has become the focal point for the Cortez community, as it’s small and getting smaller. This is why Jim reached out to me, with a plea for help: His son’s Cortez, seen here in better times, is now sitting in a parking lot with a badly rusted roof and body rust elsewhere. But it has lots of goodies, including a strong running professionally rebuilt engine and other upgrades, mechanically and to the interior (full details below).

But the poor Cortez has gotten an eviction notice, so unless it finds a new home by July 25/26, someone to adopt it or part it out, it’s going to the scrapyard. Any takers?

Here’s Jim’s description:

I’m seeking a little advice on how to save a classic.  I’m working to get my son’s Cortez adopted by someone before it gets hauled to a junkyard this month.  It’s a 1968 with a badly rusted roof and some relatively minor body rust (the bad), but, (the good) it has a fresh professionally 100% re-built (225 slant six) engine (16K miles) with RV cam, 4 bbl holly carb, Offenhauser intake manifold, split exhaust header, and 4” exhaust (it breathes really, really well), along with a new clutch.  It has all new u-joints , new in-the-box ball joints plus new aftermarket parts for the rear swing axle bushing.  There is a custom built-in 4KW Kohler genset, 1000 Watt (?) inverter, two new house batts and a newish starter battery, 100 Amp alternator, marine battery selector switch, a 110V rooftop A/C and built-in Cortez A/C, oversize truck tires/wheels, fully working propane stove/oven and forced air heater, toilet/sink/shower, 3-way refer with burned out low-voltage heater element, newish laminate flooring, new (90% finished) automatic air bag system with compressor/dash gauge/remote control, professionally rebuilt newish oak interior (same time engine was done), digital TV, 100 Watt stereo system, huge rooftop storage container with built-in ladder to the roof, etc.  Also included are a set of vehicle work books and full documentation of all the above, including receipts for the full rebuild 16K miles ago.  This Cortez was destined to be a superb rebuild, but fate intervened and now it has to go.

I’d like to see this go to (first choice) someone who will fix it’s badly rusted roof or (second choice) someone who will part it out — the alternative being a scrapyard on July 27. 

The Cortez is located in the rear parking lot at a business in Carson, CA and the landlord has given us until the end of the month of July to move the Cortez off the property or he will have it towed it to the closest scrapyard.  I’ll happily accept a best-offer cash sale on the weekend of Saturday/Sunday, July 25/26, with the condition that it’s removed same day (it is operable but not current on CA registration, so a free DMV move permit is required)  .  The motorhome can be seen anytime by appointment with me from now thru July 26. 

So, there is not a huge amount of time, but enough.  I’d love to hear back from you about where I should post notices regarding the availability of our old Cortez, lovingly called “Pug”, and save her from the scrap heap.