73 chinook 18+ newbie

kknowltn,

It seems like it has been well cared for by the two other owners so hopefully it wont have to many issues. I can fix most things but there is a limit to my knowledge and time. We got it at such a good price it leaves us some money to put into it and we can continue to look for something a little newer. My wife is looking at ways to change the interior while I am trying to find manuals for the appliances and tinkering with the mechanical stuff. I think it is going to be fun.

Bubba, for a minute I thought you had our old Chinook (we had the same year) but it's a different floorplan and already had a battery (with a special "box" at the bottom of the camper section). We bought ours when it was 8 years old and enjoyed it but it did get to the point where it was always in the shop. Hope you have better luck with yours (it does sound like you're pretty handy, which will help). Enjoy! They are a special breed, to be sure.

Dakzuki,

That is a great idea!!! I have not used the faucet yet so I will see how it works for now. I just picked it up today so I am in the process of looking up info on appliances. The first project is a good cleaning and then the house battery. We are already having a blast with it! Cant wait to take it on its maiden voyage. Thanks again for the great ideas and the link.

Bubba,

Here's an idea for a cheap solution to an outdoor shower I used on my 95 Chinook.

Get a short drinking water hose (like 6-10 foot). Get a faucet adapter so you can screw said hose to a faucet. Now buy a good quality garden sprayer....one of the ones that has the rotating head for different patterns. Put it all together and toss the hose outside and you have an outside shower. On our 95 you could reach in the kitchen window to adjust the temps. It worked great and was super cheap.

One thing you may want to do is replace the kitchen faucet. Most RV ones are crap. Go get a house one. You won't regret it.

You can study up on your Chinook history here: LINK

Thanks for the info. It does have a grey water tank, the floor plan is couch on both sides that turn into one big bed, over cab fold down for my 2 year old. The heater is a interesting one in that it is not a forced air furnace but a wall mounted heater hooked to a thermostat. THe bathroom does have the fold down toilet which I like because it gives more room for when you are showering. At some point I would really like to put a outdoor shower but that is way off in the future. Now we have to replace the cushions and fabric, rip out the carpet and put down some kind of flooring, take out the blinds and make curtains, and do a general deep clean. Really looking forward to making it ours. Thanks again.

Son of Norway wrote:
Welcome to the forums! One thing any new owner should do is inventory everything in the coach: make, model and ser#. Then do a search and download all the owner's and service manuals that you can find. I print them up and keep them in a binder that stays with the coach. My last coach was a '72 Winnie on a Dodge chassis. You would be surprised at all the information that is still available. Come back to the forums with any specific problems or questions. Enjoy your new-to-you coach!

Miles

Winnie is easy as they have great post sales support from the factory. The manual for my 95 Chinook was hopeless and they are now defunct anyway.

Do get manuals for all the appliances you can, however.

Since you are starting from ground zero on the house battery, you'd might as well do it the best way possible. When my battery charging circuit when TU on my Chinook I upgraded to a Yandina battery combiner LINK It is a voltage sensing relay that engages if EITHER battery is charging. This means when the engine is running the house battery charges AND if you are parked and plugged into shore power your chassis battery will also charge along with the house battery you are about to install. When the RV is unplugged from shore power and the engine is not running both batteries will be isolated to preserve the charge in the chassis battery.

Regarding your new house battery, get the biggest you can cram in there. Ours was under the left side about mid ship. If you can get a group 27 in there you should be in good shape.

I presume it does not have a gray tank (our 72 didn't) so you will have to get a portable one.

What's the floorplan? Ours was dinette on left (which became double bed), couch on right (became bunks) and fold down over-cab bed area. Bathroom had a nifty folding toilet.

Son of Norway wrote:
Welcome to the forums! One thing any new owner should do is inventory everything in the coach: make, model and ser#. Then do a search and download all the owner's and service manuals that you can find. I print them up and keep them in a binder that stays with the coach. My last coach was a '72 Winnie on a Dodge chassis. You would be surprised at all the information that is still available. Come back to the forums with any specific problems or questions. Enjoy your new-to-you coach!

Miles

I am picking it up tomorrow and that is what I was thinking I would do. There are so many things I want to do it is hard to know where to start. I am really hoping to hear from some people who have owned or do own a older chinook, not that you all wont be a wealth of information. Thanks for the welcome and I look forward to hearing from all of you.

There is so much storage space it wont be a problem finding a space for it. I am just looking for help with the easiest way to instal the wiring and battery. The motorhome is in great shape it just needs a little cleaning and tinkering.

Welcome to the forums! One thing any new owner should do is inventory everything in the coach: make, model and ser#. Then do a search and download all the owner's and service manuals that you can find. I print them up and keep them in a binder that stays with the coach. My last coach was a '72 Winnie on a Dodge chassis. You would be surprised at all the information that is still available. Come back to the forums with any specific problems or questions. Enjoy your new-to-you coach!

Miles

Beardedbubba wrote:
Hey guys. I am new to the sight and new to RV ownership. I have owned a class b van for a long time but the family has grown and we decided to move up to something a little bigger. We just purchased a 1973 Dodge Chinook 18+ and I am looking for some information. I need to put in a house battery as it does not have one also I want to clean and inspect the fridge,heater,water heater and such and was wondering how to do this and what to look for. Thanks in advance for any help. We are really excited to get out and hit the road.

Very cool. My Parents had a 72 18+ on a Chevy they bought new. It stayed with the family for 30 years.

My dad mounted a house battery under the RV with a framework of angle. It was screwed to the floor underneath. Not the best setup but it worked . One used a floor jack to lift it into place.

If you have the spare wheel in a compartment by the back door you can mount it to the exterior wall and gain some storage space.