Mopar home or no home! What to look for?
Newbie here, looking for my first RV. For my wife and I and two kids 11 and 9. Mostly weekend trips but want to travel cross country at some point. Must be a dodge! I know the small blocks well. Even ...
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If not strongly committed to a type C, you might look at classic Winnebagos 1969-1980 or so. The Brave models in 19-23 foot range had more room inside than C models of similar overall length and many had bunkhouse solutions for sleeping 4-6 people in the shortest model, using in some cases pull-down bunks. Smaller models used the 360, larger ones the 440 big-block.
If you prefer a C, their first C (MinnieWinnie) showed up in the early 1970s. Most of these will be 360s.
Equivalent Itasca models from that era won't work for you, that was when Winnebago created the Itasca brand to build on GM chassis, a way to get around an exclusive provider contract with Chrysler.
From 1969, Winnebago was building with laminated panel wall construction, at first with steel tubing in the walls, later with aluminum. Most other manufacturers not using molded shells were stick-building the house well into the 1980s. This is one of the reasons you can find a lot more old Winnebagos than some other brands, they lasted longer. Same for American Clipper, Midas, you find more of them pre-1980 because they were build well enough to survive.
Folks in this part of the country are finding great deals (a few hundred to couple thousand dollars) on Braves, particularly, but also the larger Chieftain, that have been sitting unused, often stored under cover. Usually good running gear (except tires and rubber tubing), solid house, appliances and furnishings sometimes needing repair or rebuilding. This is kind of regional, as Midwest farmers and ranchers have lots of storage buildings, take care of things mechanically, and have a hard time throwing anything away that is still usable, leaving it all for their heirs to sell for whatever they can get.
Restorations are not such a bargain, folks think they have a classic to sell and might be asking $5000 to $15,000 for something more than 40 years old.
Other brands, most of what you find prior to mid 1970s in type C or small A motorhomes will be on Dodge chassis, as GM and Ford were later entries into this business. In larger RVs, independent chassis builders were using Ford and GM drivetrains, or at least engines and transmissions, but the manufacturers themselves were ignoring the RV market, although they had bare chassis to sell into other markets.
If you prefer a C, their first C (MinnieWinnie) showed up in the early 1970s. Most of these will be 360s.
Equivalent Itasca models from that era won't work for you, that was when Winnebago created the Itasca brand to build on GM chassis, a way to get around an exclusive provider contract with Chrysler.
From 1969, Winnebago was building with laminated panel wall construction, at first with steel tubing in the walls, later with aluminum. Most other manufacturers not using molded shells were stick-building the house well into the 1980s. This is one of the reasons you can find a lot more old Winnebagos than some other brands, they lasted longer. Same for American Clipper, Midas, you find more of them pre-1980 because they were build well enough to survive.
Folks in this part of the country are finding great deals (a few hundred to couple thousand dollars) on Braves, particularly, but also the larger Chieftain, that have been sitting unused, often stored under cover. Usually good running gear (except tires and rubber tubing), solid house, appliances and furnishings sometimes needing repair or rebuilding. This is kind of regional, as Midwest farmers and ranchers have lots of storage buildings, take care of things mechanically, and have a hard time throwing anything away that is still usable, leaving it all for their heirs to sell for whatever they can get.
Restorations are not such a bargain, folks think they have a classic to sell and might be asking $5000 to $15,000 for something more than 40 years old.
Other brands, most of what you find prior to mid 1970s in type C or small A motorhomes will be on Dodge chassis, as GM and Ford were later entries into this business. In larger RVs, independent chassis builders were using Ford and GM drivetrains, or at least engines and transmissions, but the manufacturers themselves were ignoring the RV market, although they had bare chassis to sell into other markets.
