The Clark Cortez motorhome was a unique, front-wheel-drive motorhome built by the Clark fork lift company. This unique vehicle was purpose-built from a steel unitized body and featured a lot of innovation.
(first posted 5/30/2012) The early sixties was the most fertile era for so many things, including motorhomes. In 1960, the Big Three unleashed their new compacts, including the rugged slant […]
CLARK CORTEZ Motorhome Parts & Tech CD Manual ------- EXPLODED DIAGRAMS, SPECIAL TOOLS, PART NUMBER LISTS, LIMITED SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS and MUCH MORE CORTEZ MOTORHOMES HAVE RISEN DRAMATICALLY IN VALUE IN PAST YEARS, AND HAVE BECOME VERY COLLECTABLE ! THIS CD MANUAL COLLECTION PROVIDES DETAILED EXPLODED DIAGRAMS YOU'LL NEED TO HELP REPAIR & MAINTAIN YOUR CORTEZ RV CORRECTLY. EVERYTHING FROM INTERIOR PLUMBING AND 12V AND 110 ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS to INTERIOR COMPONENTS and ENGINE COMPONENTS....covers most late 1960s models. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WE SHIP TO EUROPE, CANADA, ASIA, SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA and MANY OTHER COUNTRIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE CORTEZ MOTORHOME CD MANUAL: 1. GENERAL INFO AND SERVICE TOOLS 2. FRAME & BODY 3. STEERING (Components & Pump) 4. FRONT & REAR SUSPENSION (VERY Detailed) 5. BRAKES (Front and rear; Parking Brake; Linkage etc.) 6. ENGINE (Complete Breakdown of all Engine Components and Valve Train) 7. STARTER AND IGNITION (Complete Break Down; Armatures, Rotors, Wiring Etc. 8. TRANSMISSIONS, CLUTCH & FLYWHEEL 9. FUEL SYSTEM (Tank, Fuel Lines, Pumps, Filters etc.) 10. HEATER & AIR CONDITIONING (Ducting, Compressor, Blower, Wiring etc.) 11. EXHAUST (Pipes, Mufflers, Hangers etc.) 12. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, GAUGES, LIGHTING, KEYS, LOCKS AND ACCESSORIES (12V AND 110V) 13. LPG PROPANE SYSTEMS, REFRIGERATORS (Dometic etc.), TOILETS & APPLIANCES 14. TIRES AND WHEELS 15. FANS & PULLEYS (Belts etc.) 16. EMISSION CONTROLS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 265 Pages of CORTEZ MOTORHOME Information all on one easy to use CD. Works on virtually any computer PC or Mac...old or new ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FREE! - ADOBE ACROBAT READER (INCLUDED!) SEE THE TOP OF THE AD FOR EXAMPLES FROM THE CORTEZ RV CD MANUAL: ......................................... THIS MANUAL COLLECTION CAN HELP YOU RESTORE YOUR RVTO PRIME WORKING CONDITION. THIS INFORMATION IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ANYWHERE...UNTIL NOW! GREAT FOR ANTIQUE RESTORATION, MECHANICS, COLLECTORS AND REPAIR SHOP OWNERS... RESTORE THAT CORTEZ ! SHIPPING IS: $5.00 ANYWHERE IN THE U.S. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING OUTSIDE THE U.S.:$10.00 U.S.D. (ALMOST ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD) ADOBE ACROBAT READER INCLUDED FREE
This next feature comes to us from tipper JAS who writes: Dear DT, As a follow-up to your articles on the GMC and Vixen motorhomes, this note is about the Cortez motorhome. Preceding the GMC by a full decade, the Cortez was unibody construction with front wheel drive powertrain and 4 wheel independent suspension – […]
This next feature comes to us from tipper JAS who writes: Dear DT, As a follow-up to your articles on the GMC and Vixen motorhomes, this note is about the Cortez motorhome. Preceding the GMC by a full decade, the Cortez was unibody construction with front wheel drive powertrain and 4 wheel independent suspension – […]
This next feature comes to us from tipper JAS who writes: Dear DT, As a follow-up to your articles on the GMC and Vixen motorhomes, this note is about the Cortez motorhome. Preceding the GMC by a full decade, the Cortez was unibody construction with front wheel drive powertrain and 4 wheel independent suspension – […]
This next feature comes to us from tipper JAS who writes: Dear DT, As a follow-up to your articles on the GMC and Vixen motorhomes, this note is about the Cortez motorhome. Preceding the GMC by a full decade, the Cortez was unibody construction with front wheel drive powertrain and 4 wheel independent suspension – […]
This 1968 Clark Cortez is one of a relatively small batch of motorhomes made by none other than a forklift company, featuring Chrysler-derived powerplants and clever packaging to make them one of the more desirable vintage coaches on the road today. In a sea of 1960s and 1970s-era motorhomes that aren't particularly valuable today despite...
(first posted 5/30/2012) The early sixties was the most fertile era for so many things, including motorhomes. In 1960, the Big Three unleashed their new compacts, including the rugged slant […]
Imagine you want to go into the motor home business. What formula will you use for your vehicle? How will it be constructed? Will you use a donor chassis? What powertrain will you employ? These are all things to consider and they can make or break the resulting camper. Probably for that reason, most RVs are conventional rear-wheel-drive and are often built on an existing truck or bus chassis with a gas or diesel engine powerful enough to propel the big vehicle up a grade with several people and their gear on board. Now imagine that it's 1963 and you're the Clark Equipment Company. You make forklifts. You want to make a foray into the growing RV market. Where do you start? Well, forklifts are made of steel and have front-wheel drive. The Clark motorhome was designed with an all-steel body from the ground up, and front-wheel drive to maximize interior space with a low, flat floor free of a transmission and driveline hump. Early models were powered by a heavy-duty Dodge slant six hooked up to a manual transmission. The RVs eschewed a truck's ladder frame in favor of unit-body construction and employed four-wheel independent suspension for a smoother ride. What was this new vehicle called? Why, Clark named it after one of the greatest mass murderers, I mean explorers, in history, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. The Cortez motorhome received a powertrain upgrade in 1969 which gained a Ford 302 V8 and an automatic transmission. In 1970 Clark apparently decided to get out of the RV business and sold the project to Kent Industries, who facelifted the Cortez and made it larger and more powerful. The '71 Cortez now packed a 455 Oldsmobile Toronado engine and automatic transaxle. This formula lasted until 1975 when the company folded and was absorbed by a band of Cortez owners who kept the dream alive until their venture, too, dissolved. The last Cortez coaches were completed in 1979. This Cortez hails from the Kent era, so it has the big Toronado engine and the big crossbar grille that makes it look like a GMC product circa 1972. Sadly, the fiberglass front grille isn't nearly as tough as it once looked. The body on this coach is doing what steel does when not taken care of over time. Still, I imagine it's less prone to body flex than a comparably sized fiberglass bodied rig, even one decades newer than this. This Cortez appears to be mostly original, even including the original spare tire cover. The graffiti on the side is added, though. I suspect it's a side effect of being parked in the same place every day for years. Cortezes are pretty rare with only 3211 ever made, so being able to find and photograph one was a treat. I like creative approaches to the motorhome formula, and this suited my criteria to become the second camper featured on California Streets.
Did you know that the Clark Forklift Co. built motorhomes in the 1960s? They got out of business in the 1970s and others carried to torch through the end of the decade. The Cortez was popular, perhaps because it was smaller than some of the land yachts out there. The seller found this 1965 Cortez...
Imagine you want to go into the motor home business. What formula will you use for your vehicle? How will it be constructed? Will you use a donor chassis? What powertrain will you employ? These are all things to consider and they can make or break the resulting camper. Probably for that reason, most RVs are conventional rear-wheel-drive and are often built on an existing truck or bus chassis with a gas or diesel engine powerful enough to propel the big vehicle up a grade with several people and their gear on board. Now imagine that it's 1963 and you're the Clark Equipment Company. You make forklifts. You want to make a foray into the growing RV market. Where do you start? Well, forklifts are made of steel and have front-wheel drive. The Clark motorhome was designed with an all-steel body from the ground up, and front-wheel drive to maximize interior space with a low, flat floor free of a transmission and driveline hump. Early models were powered by a heavy-duty Dodge slant six hooked up to a manual transmission. The RVs eschewed a truck's ladder frame in favor of unit-body construction and employed four-wheel independent suspension for a smoother ride. What was this new vehicle called? Why, Clark named it after one of the greatest mass murderers, I mean explorers, in history, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. The Cortez motorhome received a powertrain upgrade in 1969 which gained a Ford 302 V8 and an automatic transmission. In 1970 Clark apparently decided to get out of the RV business and sold the project to Kent Industries, who facelifted the Cortez and made it larger and more powerful. The '71 Cortez now packed a 455 Oldsmobile Toronado engine and automatic transaxle. This formula lasted until 1975 when the company folded and was absorbed by a band of Cortez owners who kept the dream alive until their venture, too, dissolved. The last Cortez coaches were completed in 1979. This Cortez hails from the Kent era, so it has the big Toronado engine and the big crossbar grille that makes it look like a GMC product circa 1972. Sadly, the fiberglass front grille isn't nearly as tough as it once looked. The body on this coach is doing what steel does when not taken care of over time. Still, I imagine it's less prone to body flex than a comparably sized fiberglass bodied rig, even one decades newer than this. This Cortez appears to be mostly original, even including the original spare tire cover. The graffiti on the side is added, though. I suspect it's a side effect of being parked in the same place every day for years. Cortezes are pretty rare with only 3211 ever made, so being able to find and photograph one was a treat. I like creative approaches to the motorhome formula, and this suited my criteria to become the second camper featured on California Streets.
Here's the story of how Amanda & Matt met, their unique adventure mobile and why they choose to travel even when it gets difficult to continue. A van at rest will stay at rest. But put a passionate crew of adventurers behind the wheel and get ‘er rolling down the hill, and that van—now in mo
Vintage motorhomes have a following all of their own, and the Clark Cortez is one of the more prolific models to emerge from the 1960s. With a face only a mother could love, it was certainly distinctive, but there's no denying the appeal of its compact packaging and convenience of its front-wheel-drive layout. The seller's...
(first posted 5/30/2012) The early sixties was the most fertile era for so many things, including motorhomes. In 1960, the Big Three unleashed their new compacts, including the rugged slant […]
(first posted 5/30/2012) The early sixties was the most fertile era for so many things, including motorhomes. In 1960, the Big Three unleashed their new compacts, including the rugged slant […]
CORTEZ Motorhome Operations & Tech CD Manual for Most late 1970 & 1971 Models ===================================================== DETAILED DIAGRAMS, SPECIAL TOOLS, PART LISTS, OPERATIONS & SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS and MUCH MORE ===================================================== RESTORE THAT CORTEZ ! CORTEZ MOTORHOMES HAVE RISEN DRAMATICALLY IN VALUE IN PAST YEARS, AND HAVE EVEN BECOME VERY COLLECTIBLE . THIS CD MANUAL COLLECTION PROVIDES DETAILED EXPLODED DIAGRAMS YOU'LL NEED TO RESTORE YOUR CORTEZ RV CORRECTLY. EVERYTHING FROM INTERIOR PLUMBING AND 12V AND 110 ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS to INTERIOR COMPONENTS and ENGINE COMPONENTS WE SHIP TO EUROPE, CANADA, ASIA, SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA and MANY OTHER COUNTRIES ====================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE 1970-1971 CORTEZ MOTORHOME CD MANUAL 1. GENERAL INFO AND SERVICE TOOLS 2. FRAME & BODY 3. STEERING (Components & Pump) 4. FRONT & REAR SUSPENSION (VERY Detailed) 5. BRAKES (Front and rear; Parking Brake; Linkage etc.) 6. ENGINE (OLDSMOBILE 455: TUNING & SERVICE) 7. STARTER AND IGNITION 8. TRANSMISSION, CLUTCH 9. FUEL SYSTEM 10. HEATER & AIR CONDITIONING 11. EXHAUST 12. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, GENERATOR, GAUGES, LIGHTING, KEYS, LOCKS AND ACCESSORIES (12V AND 110V) 13. MOTORHOME SYSTEMS & AMENITIES: LPG PROPANE SYSTEMS, REFRIGERATORS (Dometic etc.), MONOMATIC TOILETS & APPLIANCES 14. TIRES AND WHEELS, HITCH & LUGGAGE POD 15. FANS & PULLEYS (Belts etc.) 16. EMISSION CONTROLS 17. PRINTABLE MAINTENANCE CHECK LISTS -------------------------------------- 265 Pages of CORTEZ MOTORHOME Information all on one easy to use CD. Works on virtually any computer PC or Mac...old or new --------------------------------------- FREE - ADOBE ACROBAT READER (INCLUDED) SEEN ABOVE ARE SOME EXAMPLES FROM THE 70-71 CORTEZ RV CD MANUAL: =================================================================== THIS CD MANUAL COLLECTION CAN HELP YOU RESTORE YOUR CORTEZ TO PRIME WORKING CONDITION. THIS INFORMATION IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ANYWHERE...UNTIL NOW! GREAT FOR ANTIQUE RESTORATION, MECHANICS, COLLECTORS AND REPAIR SHOP OWNERS... RESTORE THAT CORTEZ ! SHIPPING IS: $5.00 ANYWHERE IN THE U.S. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING OUTSIDE THE U.S.:$10.00 U.S.D. (ALMOST ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD) ADOBE ACROBAT READER INCLUDED FREE
Alameda County Fairgrounds Pleasanton California
This 1968 Clark Cortez is one of a relatively small batch of motorhomes made by none other than a forklift company, featuring Chrysler-derived powerplants and clever packaging to make them one of the more desirable vintage coaches on the road today. In a sea of 1960s and 1970s-era motorhomes that aren't particularly valuable today despite...
424-Command Van 1967 Clark Cortez
Explore bolerific's 1930 photos on Flickr!
All images courtesy of the Recreational Vehicle/Motorhome Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana.
