How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?

[whiteknight001]

I'm new here, and curious.

How many of us in Class C own Dodge B300 incomplete
cab/chassis based RV's? I know two others- Steve aka
Ripsaw, with a 1977 Brougham, and Leroy aka 1978_Dodge
_Delta who owns a 440V8 powered sharp looking 1978
Delta RV. I would like to ask, and offer, help, idea
swapping and comparing notes on our particular RV's
which are based on the Dodge B300 van chassis.

Yeah, I know. These are low tech, podgy old RV's that
would be considered "entry level" for folks like me,
but I have a deep and abiding respect for the quality
of these old "monsters of the open road". And anyone
wanting to pick brains, joke about, share notes or just
brag about our old A- Dodge-io's are certainly welcome
to PM or email me. Between all of us we can form a real
good support group, and help each other with problems
we know we'll encounter with an older vehicle.

Sure. I'd love a new RV. But I'd rather have an older
one already paid for, and a lotta great memories. Call
me frugal, an old hippie, or whatever you will. I'm proud
of my old land yacht.

Mopar Madness Manifest in the flesh,

Mark aka White Knight

P.S. Mine's a '72. Is there an older one out there someone's
motorvating in? Maybe even a Travco? W/K

[unionguy1019]

Does any one have a suggestion on where to find some parts for repair. Was out this past weekend and had a gust of wind bring a 12 inch diameter oak down onto the motorhome. Having a hard time finding a new refridge roof vent and new corner edge seal. Damage wasn't to bad. Have to go in and replace a couple roof rafters and some side wall studding. Probably a total fix for less than $200. Thanks in advance for any info.

[Poi_Dog]

Scruffy5 wrote:
Well I thought maybe this thread passed on!Edelbrock Carbs are super.Anyone interested,Edelbrock #1411 750 cfm ,#1932 spread bore to square and lastly #1481 chry throttle adapter. grand total $333.10 shipped to my door,had it in 4 days,online from Performance Parts Express.Straight forward installation! Of course I took mine apart to check float level etc,but i just wasted my time.they say there preset at the factory and there not lying,Took me longer to change the spark plugs then to do the carb install.Anybody still using the old thermoquad this conversion I highly recommend!

{Edited to remove for sale item}

Have a great day!:B

Well, I just installed this combo. Runs ok. If I slow the RPM's via the idle screws it gets rough. After calling the Edelbrock HELP line I found out this is not a direct replacment for the Carter ThermoQuad. I know, it was never said it was. I also found out this is not an emissions legal carb due to its lack of vacuum ports.

It did go on quite nicely tho. Sure hope I can get this thru DEQ!

Just an FYI for y'all out there.

..........b

[dongizmo]

WooHoo!
I found my fuel tank! I spent a couple hours searching a old junk yard and came across a Dodge chassis! I pick up the tank on Monday!
Don:)

[Griff_in_Fairba]

ssvette wrote:
I own a 24' 1978 establishment Dodge 440, sat for 12 years with the pervious owner before we decided to take her on for 200.00. Well I replaced the Carb with the Edelbrock which was a great move replaced the cooling system-Fan-Radiator-water pump. Then went after the interior new carpets and covers which we did ourselves, new tires last. She passed smog here in California no problem and we have done two trips at 1000 miles each. Problems we me to fix steering still to loose and now have a surge under heavy loads any suggestions?

May I suggest posting your questions about steering and surging at www.mopartruckworld.com. A lot of experienced Mopar fans hang out there and the General Truck Help board is specifically for questions like this.

I'd put your question up myself but it'd be much better to cut out the middle man and go there yourself.

[ssvette]

I own a 24' 1978 establishment Dodge 440, sat for 12 years with the pervious owner before we decided to take her on for 200.00. Well I replaced the Carb with the Edelbrock which was a great move replaced the cooling system-Fan-Radiator-water pump. Then went after the interior new carpets and covers which we did ourselves, new tires last. She passed smog here in California no problem and we have done two trips at 1000 miles each. Problems we me to fix steering still to loose and now have a surge under heavy loads any suggestions?

[fourthclassC]

Hi, I gotta tell you, I have had the fever for Mopar based RV's for a long time. I used to have a 73 Gladding del Ray 20' I spent my honymoon in mostly crusing the outer banks of NC. Both were on MB300 chassis with 360cid 2bbl engines. I call the 73 the Alfa Romeo of motorhomes because it is so nimble. It has a solid state isolator and 100 amp alternator. It also has a grey water tank with common termination valve like modern motorhomes.(orginally it did not have a grey water tank, back in 73 draining grey water on the ground was not such a big deal) These motor homes are great and substantially higher quality then many new rigs. I have alot of background with these and would be glad to answer any questions.

{edited to coform to the Forum Rules -Jim}

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Koldei wrote:
G>The few junkyard rims I found would cost almost as much as I was G>quoted for new rims. (Within $5.00 each)

I'm looking at ~$100 per wheel new, I'd *assume* a chicaoland junkyard would have used ones for less, but i'm having a time trying to find what years/makes will swap out. basically what will fit on an 8 lug 6.5" circle

G>If you do replace your split rims, would you be interested in G>selling one of them?

i'm interested in selling them all actaully 7 split rims (mounted) and one single wheel (mounted)..unless i keep that one for *my* spare 😉

I'm turning on Email notifications in case your respond to this post.

G>P.S. I almost forgot to mention: In case you're considering it, I'd G>stay away from junkyard take-off's for tires.

yeah i want to go with all new rubber, but the cost of new rubber AND new wheels is 50%+ of what i paid for the whole RV 🙂

Six Roblees quoted me $79.00 each for new steel "Ford" solid rims that will fit my motorhome and take a LT235/85R16 tire. I think the price for "Dodge" rims (LT215/85R16) was the same.

In either case, you're going to have to change the speedo gear. If you decide to tackle that yourself, contact me and I'll walk your through it, with pictures. (It's not difficult, just involves crawling under the vehicle and getting greasy.)

If you're interested in pictures of my project, go here:

http://forum.eastwood.com/showthread.php?p=2954#post2954

[Koldei]

G>The few junkyard rims I found would cost almost as much as I was G>quoted for new rims. (Within $5.00 each)

I'm looking at ~$100 per wheel new, I'd *assume* a chicaoland junkyard would have used ones for less, but i'm having a time trying to find what years/makes will swap out. basically what will fit on an 8 lug 6.5" circle

G>If you do replace your split rims, would you be interested in G>selling one of them?

i'm interested in selling them all actaully 7 split rims (mounted) and one single wheel (mounted)..unless i keep that one for *my* spare 😉

I'm turning on Email notifications in case your respond to this post.

G>P.S. I almost forgot to mention: In case you're considering it, I'd G>stay away from junkyard take-off's for tires.

yeah i want to go with all new rubber, but the cost of new rubber AND new wheels is 50%+ of what i paid for the whole RV 🙂

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Koldei wrote:
WHEELS..

I'm wondering if anyone had advice as to what years/vehilces (one-piece) wheels would fit on a 1972 Dodge M300 that has splits.

*seems* older dodges
and many years of fords?

might anyone be able to narrow that down for me

lookign for "economy" replacements, hopefully take-offs froma junkyard

thanks
Robert

I basically answered your question in my previous reply. I've looked into replacing the split rims on my 1970 M300 and the only place that seemed to be able to help me was a trailer supply house here in Fairbanks, Alaska. i couldn't find a web site for them but I can get you their number is you want to talk to them.

The few junkyard rims I found would cost almost as much as I was quoted for new rims. (Within $5.00 each)

If you do replace your split rims, would you be interested in selling one of them? I may stay with my splits and would need a spare if I do.

I'm turning on Email notifications in case your respond to this post.

P.S. I almost forgot to mention: In case you're considering it, I'd stay away from junkyard take-off's for tires. They're hard to find and, even if they have enough tread, they're probably too old to reuse. If you still want to try them, I'd decode the manufacturing date and pass on any that are more than seven year old. (I just threw away what appears to be a perfectly good tire because it's twelve years old, even though it's obviously never been used.)

[Griff_in_Fairba]

artwin wrote:
Hello out there!
My wife and I just bought a 1976 Dodge based Class C Empire. I believe it is the B300 series on June 10th. 1 Ton chassis with Full floating rear axles. It has a 360, needs new exhaust, tires,brakes are not quite right, big cleaning, the roof a.c. does not work, nor does the cab a.c.
Just found out the fridge may not be working. Although we may be doing something wrong with setting the controls. We'll find out.
I have 1 question about tires:
It has 16.5 inch wheels, with 8.00X16.5 radials. After stopping by a few tire stores, it seems that while those tires are available, they are not as readily available as are the P metric or LT metric series with another rim size such as 16 inch. Has anyone changed over there old dodge to the 16 inch wheels or other size, and if so, what size tires did you go with? I'm concerned about the duals rubbing in the back if I go with something too wide. The 8 inch tires would translate into just under a 205 MM width metric tire.
Thanks in advance and let's all enjoy the summer RVing! We hope to here, we'll need to after working on it !
Art in N.C.

May I suggest you pose your question to Goodyear at www.goodyear.com. My 1970 Explorer class A (1969 Dodge M300 chassis) has H78-16LT tires on it. The tires also have "Replaces 7.00-16LT" on the sidewall. Goodyear said LT215/85R16 is an appropriate replacement.

I posed my question to several tire manufacturers plus the Tire Rack. All except Goodyear either didn't respond or responded with a glorified shoulder shrug.

Converting older system tire sizes is tricky and I'm verifying Goodyear's answer before buying new tires. (I may even buy new rims to get rid of the existing split rims and make sure everything fits.)

I will not make any recommendations as I am still digesting a lot of technical info on tire sizes. I do know that finding the right tire is more than simply finding a tire that will fit the rim.

Staying with tires that are the same diameter is important to maintaining speedometer readings. If you change tire diameters, you will need to change speedometer gears to keep your speedometer accurate. In my case, the old tires are 29.5" in diameter and are correct for the 36 tooth gear I have. The LT215/85R16 tires that Goodyear recommended are 30.5" in diameter and I'd have to change to a 35 tooth speedometer gear to maintain accuracy. (The formula to figure the correct number of teeth is not complex but does require that you know your rear axle ratio.)

In your case and mine, the fact that we have duals raises an additional concern. With dual tires, the tire's section width compared to the rim's setback becomes an issue. If the tire's section width is too big, the duals may rub against each other and tear themselves apart at the sidewall. Even if they don't rub, they may be close enough to allow road debris to become trapped between them.

I know this raises more concerns than helps but it's worth knowing ahead of time. Good luck.

[Koldei]

WHEELS..

I'm wondering if anyone had advice as to what years/vehilces (one-piece) wheels would fit on a 1972 Dodge M300 that has splits.

*seems* older dodges
and many years of fords?

might anyone be able to narrow that down for me

lookign for "economy" replacements, hopefully take-offs froma junkyard

thanks
Robert

[Shaggy-360-Dodg]

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Shaggy-360-Dodge-RV wrote:

FYI, 440's never came with a 2bbl only a 4bbl carb.

Are you sure? I've seen a couple of Mopar big blocks with two barrel carbs. Not very common but they did exist. I had a 383 with a two barrel on it.

Mopar probably made millions of 2bbl big blocks, but they didn't build 2bbl 440's for passenger cars and trucks. I have been told that 2bbl RB 383's and 440's were built for irrigation pumps and other industrial applications so one of those manifolds could have found it's way onto the 440 in this rv....

[artwin]

Hello out there!
My wife and I just bought a 1976 Dodge based Class C Empire. I believe it is the B300 series on June 10th. 1 Ton chassis with Full floating rear axles. It has a 360, needs new exhaust, tires,brakes are not quite right, big cleaning, the roof a.c. does not work, nor does the cab a.c.
Just found out the fridge may not be working. Although we may be doing something wrong with setting the controls. We'll find out.
I have 1 question about tires:
It has 16.5 inch wheels, with 8.00X16.5 radials. After stopping by a few tire stores, it seems that while those tires are available, they are not as readily available as are the P metric or LT metric series with another rim size such as 16 inch. Has anyone changed over there old dodge to the 16 inch wheels or other size, and if so, what size tires did you go with? I'm concerned about the duals rubbing in the back if I go with something too wide. The 8 inch tires would translate into just under a 205 MM width metric tire.
Thanks in advance and let's all enjoy the summer RVing! We hope to here, we'll need to after working on it !
Art in N.C.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

new v'er wrote:
Just got back from our first outing of the season. Things are running fine and just about everything is replaced or covered with a monogrammed one thing or another. I'm getting a faint but nagging propane smell. I've checked the connections with a match (just kidding)really I used the soapy water method and all of the connections appear leak free.

I have two suspicions. 1. There are a number of copper line/frame contact points without any hint of padding. 2. The outer surface of the original tank is very pitted.

Do these tanks begin to leak? How long will four burners stay lit after the main valve is shut tight with approximately 12 feet of 3/8 line?

Thanks in advance.

Most propane dealers won't fill a tank if there's any doubt about it. Plus, the tank walls are fairly thick so it's take deep rust to create a leak. The tank valves will sometimes develop a slight leak.

Take the tank to a reputable propane dealer and have them check it. I'm talking about a propane wholesaler or large dealer, not the places with a fill-em-up sideline.

BTW - if you pick up a used tank that has weird, usually blue-ish colored, corrosion around the valve, get rid of it...the corrosion might mean the tank was used by a meth lab to hold anhydous ammonia...which is very corrosive and has probably weakened the tank...most dealers have been alerted to keep an eye out for the tanks but not all pay as much attention as they should...(Oh, yeah, if it did hold anhydrous ammonia, the police would probably be interested in it...and where you got it.)

The same propane dealers can do a leak test on your propane system. My dealer did a test on my home system when they installed my big tank.

With those propane lines, your burners will keep going several minutes (5? 10?) after you turn off the main valve.

Does your stove (or other appliance) have a standing pilot light? Do you have to use a match to light the stove burners? If yes to both these questions, then you may have a partially plugged pilot light orifice...enough to keep the pilot light from staying lit but not enough to close off the gas.

Do-it-yourself leak test: Close main valve and wait at least six hours. Without opening the main valve, try lighting a stove burner. If the burner lights and initially burns as strong as when the main valve's open, you're probably okay. (I'd still get the system professionally checked at least every other year.) If the burner doesn't light or burns weakly, you've got a leak somewhere.

I know this is long...hope it helps.

[new_v_er]

Just got back from our first outing of the season. Things are running fine and just about everything is replaced or covered with a monogrammed one thing or another. I'm getting a faint but nagging propane smell. I've checked the connections with a match (just kidding)really I used the soapy water method and all of the connections appear leak free.

I have two suspicions. 1. There are a number of copper line/frame contact points without any hint of padding. 2. The outer surface of the original tank is very pitted.

Do these tanks begin to leak? How long will four burners stay lit after the main valve is shut tight with approximately 12 feet of 3/8 line?

Thanks in advance.