dodge class c rebuild advice

[mantree]

i have just become the owner of a dodge honey bee with extensive damage as result of a tornado about 6 years ago. this rv had belonged to my parents and was damaged by a tornado in Windsor Colorado. the siding was damaged by the winds and water has done a real number on it since. it has been sitting in the field behind the house and they are ready to have it gone. this will need a full gut and rebuild. my plan is to pick up a old diesel dodge truck and swap the running gear in to the rv. this way i can run 2 tanks and do a veggie oil conversion. my next thought was that i would like to rebuild it with a slide out because i want to do alot of travel with my girlfriend and she really likes to cook (her mother is a chef) so i need a kitchen with extra room. i also plan to extend the bed a bit to fit a queen mattress over the cab and replace the moldy cushions with memory foam. im just looking for advice on rebuilding the body

[klutchdust]

Cool project. Veggie oil is getting harder to come by. There was a time that used oil was given away and now it is sold. I installed living quarters in a

32ft. cargo trailer and it came out nice. All the amenities of an expensive toy hauler but twice the cargo weight capacity. Post some pictures, ask lots of

questions and the tech section of this website has a huge following of rv'ers with a wealth of knowledge just eager to share. I built my rig with the help

of these guys. Welcome and enjoy....

since I bought a "c" my trailer is for sale.

[path1]

Lots of rebuilds on line also. Google "rv rebuild" Some sites better than others buy handy info. Whatever time you think you will need, triple it. On the money side, from my experience what ever the RV place wanted, you can do it for about 75% less. Due to labor costs, but remember your putting in 3 times as long to do it. Take lot of pic's so you can put back right.

Etc... Changing to diesel, first off have you measured if it will fit? And you have to have the right transmission behind the motor to be successful. Not to mention added weight on steering. What about your state laws, are you still getting smog tested? Call up an injector place, ask them your thinking about burning veggie oil and what advice they might offer. I can tell you Seattle Injector loves those people, because they buy a lot. After and WHEN you get thru all those hurtles your going to have a RV that is so may years old and you will have a ton of money wrapped up into it.

IMO, get rv house part fixed up, keep stock and enjoy.

OK I'm joking here...Your going to have to put engine so far back for weight purposes that the 5.9 valve cover will make perfect arm rest.:B

You might enjoy looking at this site. http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/forum.php Lots of projects there.

Also take a look at the 4bt and be sure to look at horsepower (or lack of) and RV's aren't light. http://www.cumminsdieselspecs.com/4bt.html

[mantree]

our only losses were the rv, my truck and the tree that damaged the both. as for the rebuild it will be next summer before i can start, between school work and the weather not much will be happening this winter.

[gbopp]

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like quite a project you're taking on.
Keep us updated on your progress.
There is a lot of information available on the forum, don't hesitate to ask questions.
You're welcome here.....we're all RVers. 🙂

[Cousin_Eddie93]

There's a huge old dodge MH community here a few pages back. Those folks are just as insane as you you'd be more than welcome there. And apologies regarding the tornado.