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

[IdahoJamboree]

Hello everyone. I have been enjoying the posts and information in this thread. I still need some help on finding a replacement right exhaust manifold (as you sit in the vehicle) for my 1981 Dodge with a 440. I can find up to 1978 but I am having trouble after that. Again, thanks for your help in the past your ideas have saved me time and trouble.

[Trish_Davis]

Thank you.... all of you.
Leeann, I am overwhelmed. You rock.


Ok,about half these I have mailed /asked about.

The Ford I forget... is that a 460?


Spent yesterday driving like a freak --which is my job. I own my own "sedan service" and drive people to and from the universities and airports. Pays ok. I wanted to make my Olds pay for itself and the Merc, too, so this business "sort of just happened"


good on you,PW!


Fuel issue - fuel lines... BLOW THEM OUT!
Take off at the tank and blow them through with a 3/4 hp compressor.

Had the same thing happen with the Merc 2 years ago; the on and off running. Cause; a tiny bit of metal in the line. Easy fix but annoying as h*ll until it is fixed.


Hafta make my bank deposits, be back in a couple hours...Thanks for the links. Gonna look-see at those when I come back.

[Leeann]

Yay!!!!

Check the other electronic ignition components, too - ignition module, ballast resistor, voltage regulator - they're cheap and are weak links. And you don't want to over-charge your battery (ours was charging at 15.79 amps when we picked it up - but on a new voltage regulator and ballast resistor and all was well).

If she's idling too low and running a little rough, that can affect your power brakes too. It's amazing how much our brakes improved with plugs/wires/cap/rotor/coil. I mean night and day....it would stop, but barely. Even after repairing/replacing all the vacuum lines. And after the tune-up they made me a believer in seatbelts :E

:B

[79powerwagon]

SHE'S ALIVE!!!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!

Put the battery in her, a bit of go-juice, and she fired right up! Drove her around a little bit! Needs some tuning, but no more over-revving, no knocking (I guess she did "pass" the screws), idles too low, but stays running! A new cap, rotor, wires, plugs and coil are in order for the week-end, plus attaching the vacuum gauge to get her right!

Power steering doesn't work, and oddly enough, neither do the new power brakes! I've seen it before where the big vacuum tree comes out of the manifold gets full of crud, I'll investigate.

But at least I FINALLY drove her!!!!!

[mkpj1]

Hey MT

Welcome. Your chasis is exactly like mine...Sisters! I've just got a 22 foot Shasta coach on mine.

I'm with Eric on the head gaskets. Might just be the intake leaking down the back would be my guess. It would not get into the cylinders. When you get your torque wrench, I would get a good vacuum gauge and a good compression gauge. Search on how to use them and then post back with your numbers. I'm sure these MOPAR(mostly old paint and rust; most often passed at races :B) Fanatics can give you some baselines. Make sure you do a dry and wet compression test. I would tune her the best you can first, check your choke, make sure it's just not real rich.

Hmmm, got me thinking, maybe I could throw that 390 FE (Ford engine) big block in mine. That's the Ford (First On Race Day:C ) engine they used to spank the European's at Lemans by the way. Lunch Wagon, We could meet in the middle, say Ohio, and drag these bad boys! How about that for a You Tube exclusive!

A new one for Jeff Foxworthy even!

[whiteknight001]

madtiger wrote:
Hello all,

Let me start by saying I like reading this forum, good to see something outside of the IT community where forums are used properly.


My second question needs a little explanation first: In Denver there was a place called Cherokee RV salvage. They went out of business a few months ago (right after I bought the RV) and there doesn't seem to be any good RV salvage yards in a 150 mile radius. After they went under, the local RV shops seemed to react by jacking up their prices on almost everything. Is there a good site (or set of websites) with decent prices for larger items like fridges, A/C units, heaters, etc?

Last, but not least, I noticed that people seem to use Photobucket a great deal for posting their pics. I am one of those Computer nerds by trade, and I just accepted a job with Photobucket, so ya'll let me know if you need any help or have any problems. It will probably be my job to fix it anyway, but I might as well throw it out there that I have something to contribute to the forum even though I have limited mechanical expertise.

If you want to see all of my "before" pics, you can look here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/1tiger1/MotorHome

Thanks in advance for any help ya'll can lend me.

Madtiger

Welcome to our thread! We're glad you're here with us. You are part of a growing community of RV'ers that have needs to be addressed. We have been bypassed before in favor of those who purchase and prefer new. We are a community who, for whatever reason
each may hold, appreciate new stuff, but prefer "paid for". If the
words "practical" and "pleasure"ever hooked up, it'd be here in this thread. Again, welcome! Read through the posts, ask plenty of questions and don't be afraid to. For most of us this is the first RV
we've owned, but we have many seasoned vets in our ranks too!

Google Colaw RV Salvage- they're in southwest Missouri, not far from us folks here in NE Oklahoma. I've had my best luck with them, and what you get there is good. My range and sink came from them. Your
rig and mine look eerily a lot alike- except my dash is black instead of tan. Sounds like you've already got a game plan on for it, soon as you have after photos, put them up too!

And- any experience is welcomed here! We have a great diversity of skills here in the forum- folks that have keen insight into engines, driveline and mechanical, and others who can help with the "carline"-
the plumbing and tanks, power/inverter/generator and wiring, and some
who do a bangup job on the interior- with practical tips for flooring, cabinets, etc. Browse and ask. And above all, feel at home here. You're among likehearted folk. I'll probably be bugging you about Photobucket- my niece said one day I'll make it into the twentieth century hee hee- far as computers go- I usually just whine and beg and she take all the pic's and laughs at me.

Happy motoring!!

Mark a.k.a whiteknight

[madtiger]

The gaskets are visibly leaking in the back of the engine. (I'll post a picture tonight). I didn't even think about looking at the valve stem seals. (It has been 16 years since auto shop in high school)

I went out and got the shop manual at lunch- looks easy enough. all I am short is a torque wrench. 🙂

Thanks for the rapid response.

[79powerwagon]

Hey Madtiger, your rig is AWFULLY close to my Tioga! Even the same lovely color!!!!! :B

I would like to ask why you think you have a head gasket problem? Oil on the plugs only means you either have worn rings, or more likely that your rubber valve stem seals are crunchy. It's no trauma to pull the heads and have a look at either scenerio, you'll need new head gaskets either way then!

To pull the heads, drain the coolant, simply remove the valve covers, the intake manifold (leave the carb right on it), might have to remove the distributor (make a mark where it attaches to the engine AND where the rotor is pointing, and a mark how the shaft relates to the dizzy housing. this way, you can drop it right back in without any trouble.), unbolt the exhaust manifolds and just let them hang there on your pipes, remove the rocker assembly as an assembly, lift out the push rods (keep them in order), and unbolt the heads.

Now you can see if you actually have a head gasket issue or not. As long as they're off, run them over to your engine builder and have them freshened up (not much money) and put in new valve seals.

Drop them back on with new gaskets (left, right, doesn't matter), and reassemble your top end. Pretty easy, really.

But I still want to know why you think you have a gasket issue...

Eric

[madtiger]

Hello all,

Let me start by saying I like reading this forum, good to see something outside of the IT community where forums are used properly.

That being said, I have a few questions and something (minor) to contribute...

I recently purchased a 1976 Dodge Sportsman with the Jamboree shell on the back side. It is 20 feet long, and most of the interior needed some aesthetic work. I have already torn out the back three ceiling studs (which were 1X1) and replaced them (with 2X2 and one length of angle-iron). The Fridge was old and rusted, and the heater (below the fridge) was so rusted that when I was turning one of the knobs it broke off. I have replaced all of the cold-water pipes with 1/2 inch PVC, and have stripped out the carpet and linoleum down to the bare wood. I have also replaced the stair under the side door and reinforced the wood that is holding the stair up.

The shell on the interior is in decent shape (I knew this was a project, so I just looked for a solid frame), but the engine is in question. It is a 360, and it looks like the head gaskets are both blown (it sat for a while, so they probably dried out). I pulled the plugs and every one is burning oil. I'm thinking this is from the head gaskets, but I think the rings might be shot too. Is there a reliable way of testing this short of pulling the engine out? If I can get away with replacing head gaskets (and the other gaskets that come along with that hassle) I would rather do that than a complete rebuild, but I want to make sure that would be all I need.

My second question needs a little explanation first: In Denver there was a place called Cherokee RV salvage. They went out of business a few months ago (right after I bought the RV) and there doesn't seem to be any good RV salvage yards in a 150 mile radius. After they went under, the local RV shops seemed to react by jacking up their prices on almost everything. Is there a good site (or set of websites) with decent prices for larger items like fridges, A/C units, heaters, etc?

Last, but not least, I noticed that people seem to use Photobucket a great deal for posting their pics. I am one of those Computer nerds by trade, and I just accepted a job with Photobucket, so ya'll let me know if you need any help or have any problems. It will probably be my job to fix it anyway, but I might as well throw it out there that I have something to contribute to the forum even though I have limited mechanical expertise.

If you want to see all of my "before" pics, you can look here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/1tiger1/MotorHome

Thanks in advance for any help ya'll can lend me.

[75Americanclipp]

got that right, this place has help me too. but now I am back to the start I put the new pump on and it ran great for a while, like yesterday I drive to work and home, it was ok, then it stated again, so now I am looking at the back of the gas tank there is a few pmup there too, I clean the wires hope this helps.

jc

79powerwagon wrote:

Leeann wrote:
Trish - I'll keep looking around here. Just FYI: I live 20 mins from BWI airport. So if you find something over this way, you've got an easy way to get to it, a place to stay and a mechanic and helper on standby. Okay?

Now see folks? THIS is what being in a community like this is all about!

Kudos, Leeann!!!!!!

I guess I now owe you more beer...... :B

Eric

[Cenote]

The one I posted about, in Seattle is perfect for her!

It is exactly what she wants and only $3500! With airfare and gas back home she would still be way under budget!

I bet she could get a few hundred knocked off if they knew she was coming from so far...

[79powerwagon]

Trish is needing a motorhome, not necessarily a Dodge motorhome (although I'd prefer it be a Dodge if I have anything to say about it!) :B

There are about a dozen on e-bay right now, too (yes, they're all even Dodges) that meet your criteria...

[Cenote]

Does anyone have captains chairs that fold forward?

Shame on you PW for suggesting a Ford!

[79powerwagon]

Here's one close to me. Want me to look at it for you?

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/rvs/395352654.html

Too bad it's a Ford, but what the heck!

Eric

[Leeann]

Okey-dokey....how about this one?
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/rvs/392653241.html

This one's a little over the budget, but looks well maintained. And probably could be talked down...
http://roanoke.craigslist.org/rvs/383718612.html

This one's under budget - and looks good:
http://delaware.craigslist.org/rvs/382826238.html

This is a Chebby El Dorado, but recently PA inspected:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rvs/394413645.html

This one's a 440 😉 :
http://poconos.craigslist.org/rvs/393060304.html


A couple more to think about, anyway....