Chevy 350 V8 Big Enough engine?

Ok, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you shouldn’t plan to travel at 70 mph in any motorhome, especially one which is 15 years old. Your family is inside that rig!!! Plan for 60-65 mph. That’s what we do, and our average highway travelling speed works out to be about 50 mph. And while I believe that travelling in a motorhome can be safer than travelling in your average family sedan, understand that if your ARE in a severe accident, the box part doesn’t hold up that well. So, I would not, and NEVER DO plan to travel at 70 mph. There are times going down hill I might hit the low 70’s, but that’s only if there are clear roads ahead in good weather and in daylight.

That said, one advantage of the motorhome is when you hit traffic or construction, everyone can take their potty breaks and grab lunch and a drink. (Have sandwiches ready made in the refridgerator.) Then when the traffic clears, while everyone else on the road is heading for the next rest stop, you just cruise on by.

As was mentioned, that rig might not have seatbelts installed at all seating positions. So, you’ll have to add them in. If any of your children are in car seats, that also adds a slight twist to available seating positions.

I can’t speak specifics about the rig you’re looking at. I suspect it would make it, but whatever rig you end up getting, drive it responsibly. They don’t handle like your daily driver.

Good Luck,

~Rick

Just my $.02

Hold out for more motor...

Too much load on a 350 as you plan on using it. If you wrote "2 of us and a dog cruising at 55-65" I would say it would work but you are pushing a lot of air in a box carrying lots of weight, that engine will hate you after the first ride and the 5mpg you get is the way it will tell you.

Back in 1995, I bought a new 22' Four Winds Class C, with a 5.7L engine. That engine was barely adequate for that small MH, and I always got horrible gas mileage. I kept that MH for almost ten years and used it as my daily driver.
After I sold that MH, I bought a 2004 F250 with the 5.4L engine. I put a slide in camper on that truck. With the camper on the truck it was just about the same weight as the MH. That truck would run circles around that MH, got better gas mileage and was much better at pulling a boat.

"Better gas mileage" I find it amusing that gas mileage even comes up as a concern. Class C motorhomes get between 7 to 9 mpg. I have used every conceivable idea to squeeze extra miles out of my C and it all works out to 8.5 MPG for the last 30K miles or so. If paying 150 dollars to fill up your motorhome frightens you , you may need to find another way to enjoy yourself. Every fill up to me represents another night I am not in a cheesy room with questionable material on the linens. And the food is fantastic AND exactly what I prefer to eat.

Whether it is big enough depends on your performance expectations and engine tune.

1995-2008 Chevrolet used the L31 option 5.7 V8 in the Express (branded Vortec 5700), tuned to 255 HP at 4600 RPM, 330 lb-ft at 2800 RPM. It should be geared for an RV to be cruising in the 2600-3200 RPM range, shifting down a gear when more power is needed. This should be adequate for cruising at the speed limit in most states, but it might not find a sweet spot for maintaining 80 MPH into headwinds on the high speed Interstates on the Great Plains.

The usual engine upgrade option for the Express 3500 in 2001-2002 was the L18 Vortec 8100 (502 CID), which replaced the 454 in 2001. In the Express van this was usually tuned to about 340 HP, 455 lb-ft, reaching these ratings at somewhat lower RPM. This won't ever be breathing hard pulling a small to medium size C, but you are not likely to find it. More usually applications were medium-duty trucks in the 16,000 to 24,000 pound gross weight range, although the 454/502 was somewhat popular for heavy towing with pickups and Suburbans, until the 6.6 Duramax diesel replaced the somewhat pedestrian 6.5 Detroit in Chevy and GMC pickups.

The 6.5 Detroit Diesel was offered in the Express until 2002, tuned to about 155-160 HP, but you are unlikely to find that one in a Class C RV. The diesel option was most popular in chassis for emergency vehicles, where the engine was kept running above idle as a power source for emergency equipment. After 2003 the Express got the Duramax as its diesel option, and a few more of these found their way into RVs, as the Duramax could match or beat street performance of the gas engines.

winnietrey wrote:
Well OP, I am not super experienced like some folks. but I do have some 60k, experience driving a MH all over the US and Canada and Alaska.

In my opinion.
1) in a MH you are not, getting anywhere very fast. So Chill out pretend you are on a train enjoy the ride.
2)This is, I think important, match semi truck speed, in the outside lane, stay with them.
3) you will not care, about cars passing you in the fast lane they matter not, trucks passing you, not so good. The whole vortex thing
4) is a 350 enough? Yeah flat cruising its just fine, uphill not so good
5) better gas mileage, I doubt it, you will be working the heck out of that small block, gonna burn some fuel

# 1 and #2 are the most important things I would say

AND this, what essentially you are doing is driving a large bread box down the road, it does not do well, with cross winds, trucks passing, frost heaves and curves, it does not stop very well, nor does it corner very well. It is a long way, from your average SUV. Unless you are pulling the mountains, that 350 is fine. In other words your concern about being under powered is way down the list of challenges you will encounter. Would I buy a 350 or a cruise America, rig with a V-8 , no. but that is because, we do a large amount of mountain driving. I want the power. You it sounds like OP don't need that

Very nice write up! Well said.
Brian

Well OP, I am not super experienced like some folks. but I do have some 60k, experience driving a MH all over the US and Canada and Alaska.

In my opinion.
1) in a MH you are not, getting anywhere very fast. So Chill out pretend you are on a train enjoy the ride.
2)This is, I think important, match semi truck speed, in the outside lane, stay with them.
3) you will not care, about cars passing you in the fast lane they matter not, trucks passing you, not so good. The whole vortex thing
4) is a 350 enough? Yeah flat cruising its just fine, uphill not so good
5) better gas mileage, I doubt it, you will be working the heck out of that small block, gonna burn some fuel

# 1 and #2 are the most important things I would say

AND this, what essentially you are doing is driving a large bread box down the road, it does not do well, with cross winds, trucks passing, frost heaves and curves, it does not stop very well, nor does it corner very well. It is a long way, from your average SUV. Unless you are pulling the mountains, that 350 is fine. In other words your concern about being under powered is way down the list of challenges you will encounter. Would I buy a 350 or a cruise America, rig with a V-8 , no. but that is because, we do a large amount of mountain driving. I want the power. You it sounds like OP don't need that

checking the vin can only tell you what it came with... the 305 and the 350 engine look the same from the outside, only way to tell them apart is from the casting number on the top back driver side corner of the engine block, as i have switched 305's for 350's and vice versa.. The 350's will pull quite well, the big thing is the rear end ratio, speed verse torque..

I'M with BruceMc,this may very well be a 6.0. The only to be certain is to check the VIN# HERE IS ONE WAY

The 8th character of the VIN sequence will tell the engine size.

You're dangerously overloaded with "7 of us traveling in this unit with luggage" and probably don't have legal safe seating for seven, especially kids!!! Check the sticker on the driver's door jam. It will tell you what's safe/legal.