Hello all,
Let me start by saying I like reading this forum, good to see something outside of the IT community where forums are used properly.
That being said, I have a few questions and something (minor) to contribute...
I recently purchased a 1976 Dodge Sportsman with the Jamboree shell on the back side. It is 20 feet long, and most of the interior needed some aesthetic work. I have already torn out the back three ceiling studs (which were 1X1) and replaced them (with 2X2 and one length of angle-iron). The Fridge was old and rusted, and the heater (below the fridge) was so rusted that when I was turning one of the knobs it broke off. I have replaced all of the cold-water pipes with 1/2 inch PVC, and have stripped out the carpet and linoleum down to the bare wood. I have also replaced the stair under the side door and reinforced the wood that is holding the stair up.
The shell on the interior is in decent shape (I knew this was a project, so I just looked for a solid frame), but the engine is in question. It is a 360, and it looks like the head gaskets are both blown (it sat for a while, so they probably dried out). I pulled the plugs and every one is burning oil. I'm thinking this is from the head gaskets, but I think the rings might be shot too. Is there a reliable way of testing this short of pulling the engine out? If I can get away with replacing head gaskets (and the other gaskets that come along with that hassle) I would rather do that than a complete rebuild, but I want to make sure that would be all I need.
My second question needs a little explanation first: In Denver there was a place called Cherokee RV salvage. They went out of business a few months ago (right after I bought the RV) and there doesn't seem to be any good RV salvage yards in a 150 mile radius. After they went under, the local RV shops seemed to react by jacking up their prices on almost everything. Is there a good site (or set of websites) with decent prices for larger items like fridges, A/C units, heaters, etc?
Last, but not least, I noticed that people seem to use Photobucket a great deal for posting their pics. I am one of those Computer nerds by trade, and I just accepted a job with Photobucket, so ya'll let me know if you need any help or have any problems. It will probably be my job to fix it anyway, but I might as well throw it out there that I have something to contribute to the forum even though I have limited mechanical expertise.
If you want to see all of my "before" pics, you can look here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/1tiger1/MotorHomeThanks in advance for any help ya'll can lend me.
