Page 11 - Spring 2018 GMC Vintage RVing

A GMC MotorhomeVendor ProfileBY BYRON SONGER | FULL-TIMER | PREVIOUS OWNER 1978 ROYALEDeo and Manuel TrovaoIn testimony to Manuel Trovao (and his wife, Deo), Ken Henderson had this to say a few years ago on the GMCnet:“It is practically impossible for anyone to do as good a rebuilding job as Manny Trovao does. He does not publicize the fact that he has essentially cornered the market on many essential parts – he simply bought all the remaining inventory when they went out of production. Of thatwhich became unavailable he has had them reproduced (no, not in China). For example, most, if not all, of the springs he replaces are newly manufactured – just for Manny. No overhaul kit I have seen includes any springs.“And that does not even touch on his unique modifications; few have the machining equipment, knowledge, or skills to do those. Some may be able to build a reliable 425, but no one else is going to build a “Manny Tranny”.“While visiting with him, I should have made a panoramic photo of the inventory shelves lining his shop; everyone would be astounded. Very few of us, including me, have realized just how very dedicated Manny is to the GMC Community, and how much he gives of himself – for far too little financial remuneration – by personal choice.”Though Manny’s website will be going offline as one step toward a transition in life, he will still be in business for some time and he will still be there to address concerns other owners may encounter. So, do not panic, Manny has not left the building.SPRING 2018 GMC MOTORHOMES INTERNATIONAL 11In the GMC Motorhome Community, Manny Trovao stands out as one of the “really good guys”. He does so for a number of reasons.First, he is committed to providing quality products at a truly competitive price while not cutting corners or making sacrifices.That, alone, puts him in a unique field of business owners. Second,his personal sense of morality and business ethics is a good match to the needs of GMC Motorhome owners who want to keep as many GMC chassis on the road and running well. Third, since 1999 he has been rebuilding the Turbo-Hydramatic 425 transmission GM used in mating to the Oldsmobile 455 and 403 engines and made them available. In fact, Manny has been known to catch a flight to a location to assist with problems. And, fourth, along the way he expanded the components he made available to the GMC Community to include a new steering box, one-ton front end conversion, and reaction disc brake system.Not only is Manny a GMC owner but he is also a GMC experimenter. Not to let progress get in his way, he created a slide-out for the GMC he owns, created a driver-side door, and swapped out the Olds engine for a diesel. In fact, it was Manny’s idea to start offering AM General’s 6.5 L (395 cu. in.) diesel engine for use in the TZE chassis. However,in-use testingand design modificationswere deemed too difficult to support well for field implementation.It was possible but not really practical.It was recently announced that his business website would be goingoff-line in June. This created a bit of a panic in the GMC Community and Manny started receiving orders from people for “just in case” utilization. In his view, this was not necessary because he planned to remain in business for some time and wanted inventory to go to those in critical need of a rebuilt unit. The ethical code by which he operates means that shipping product to a potential hoarder results in hurting the Community at large. That is something that also goes against Manny’s desire to keep products available at an appropriate price point. In fact, in a conversation for this article, Manny pointed out that he never priced things with his labor fee included. He did so because ofhis dedication to the owners of GMC Motorhomes. He confided that in doing so he became more successful in his endeavor than he really dreamed possible.