Soon2BNewbie wrote:
Thanks Griff, it's nice to know someone who knows his $#/÷. You're like a walking encyclopedia. Are you a mechanic, or do you "just play one on the internet", LOL?
You're welcome, that's what we're here for.
The best way to describe me is a "shade-tree" mechanic who doesn't even have a shade tree. My mechanic'ing started in grade school, when I successfully put together several lawn mower engines my dad had tried to fix. In each case, he gave up and threw all the parts in a box with his previous attempts at repair. (He was a very successful administrator, with natural leadership abilities, but couldn't put together a nut and bolt without cross-threading them ... his plumbing "fixes" were a wonder to behold.) For me, the box of parts were like a bunch of 3D jigsaw puzzles.
My experience has been gained over roughly five decades consisting of lots of mistakes, lessons learned the hard way, advice and help from older people, damaged tools, and blown up engines.
It helps that I grew up without TV, which caused me to develop an addiction to reading. That, combined with an almost limitless curiosity, lead to me being largely self-taught in a wide range of areas.
(Yes, I do have a fairly high IQ, although I was never allowed to see the result of the IQ tests I took. Eventually, I figured out that IQ scores are relatively meaningless and that people of average intelligence are often more productive than the "smart" ones.)
The avatar in my signature block is a fairly good reflection on my approach to life. It's even funnier when you find out that every time I pick up a welding torch everybody around me grabs a fire extinguisher. (I would say, "**** happens," but in the military one of my mottoes was, "I make **** happen," complete with a coffee cup.)
In real life, I'm a retired USAF Master Sergeant and a disabled veteran, married 38 years (give or take a few months) to a female Vietnam-Era USAF veteran.
Professionally, I'm a semi-retired systems analyst and software engineer, with roughly 48 years training and experience spread across the computer industry.
The best way sum up my life so far is to say, "****!! I had fun getting here."
(I also have fun screwing with this forum's nanny routines ... which is why you sometimes see censorship asterisks in my posts.
As for manuals, start with a Chiltons or Haynes that includes information on the 1976 Dodge B300 1-ton van. The motorhome you're considering is a Class C, based on the cut-away van chassis, which is sometimes called an incomplete chassis. The actual model is probably MB300, with an engine, drivetrain, suspension, cab, and so forth that is, for the most part, identical to the B300. (The CB300 is the commercial version of the MB300, used to by secondary manufacturers to build box vans.)
BTW - Leeann and I both have Class A motorhomes, built on bare bones chassis with everything, including the cab, built by the secondary manufacturer. (The older "eye-brow" Winnebagoes are the most familiar Class A motorhomes.) Class A motorhomes add a "whole 'nother" bit of "entertainment" when it comes to figuring out and working on them. (The fact that most of them were built on medium duty truck chassis makes it a lot harder to find parts and information.)
Chiltons and Haynes manuals are now owned and printed by the same company. As someone recently pointed out in this thread, recent versions of both manuals are almost worthless but are a reasonable starting point for you. What you really want is a decades-old used copy of either or both.
The best thing to have is a Motor manual but those tend to be expensive and hard to come by. (I snatch up any inexpensive used Motor manuals I run across just because I like collecting reference material, even when it doesn't apply to anything I own.) Most better municipal libraries have Motor manuals in their reference section so you can go there to look up more detailed information.
OEM manuals are very hard to find and carefully guarded by those who have them. (The parts manager at the local Dodge dealer is jealous of the condition of the OEM parts manual I have, compared to the copy he has.)
I'm kinda PO'ed at my daughter because what will eventually be her third ex-husband left a large stack of my reference material out in the rain, including a large collection of CarQuest catalogs I rescued from the dumpster, most of which applied to our motorhomes. (She just married him but my money's on her eventually getting rid of him too.)
In addition to manuals on the chassis, drivetrain, and cab, you'll need manuals on the refrigerator, furnace, range, hot water heater, and whatever other appliances and equipment you have. These are all separate manuals and Leeann is very good at helping you find this kind of information.
It's very unlikely, as you've already found out, that you will find much information on the Lindy coach itself. For the most part, you'll have ferret out information on your own or, more likely, rely on this group to help you stumble your way through things.
No, to the best of my knowledge, there is no single manual that covers everything on one particular motorhome. Finding all the bits and pieces of information is part of the frustration/adventure in owning an older motorhome. (Whether it's frustration or adventure depends on your attitude, approach, and emotions at any given moment.)
BTW - With the possible exception of very expensive models, even newer recreational vehicles do not have enough insulation for anything more than three season use. Just about the only way to get a recreation vehicle (including motorhomes, travel trailers, and pickup campers) with enough insulation for true four season use is to build it yourself, especially when it comes to northern climates. My current project will have walls with at least R15 insulation, which should allow me to use it down to -30 degrees without too much discomfort and heating fuel. (I have a few other wrinkles that will help it serve as comfortable subzero shelter.)
