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

[Leeann]

Welcome to the club, OhioWanderer and ontheroad again!

Check your carb - the idle might be too rich, the floats might be too high...all the adjustments on our ThermoQuad were about as wrong as they could possibly be when we got it. We spewed black smoke out the tailpipes and got about 4-5 mpg for a long time . It's taken quite a while to get ours a little on the lean side; now we can adjust it back a little.

[ontheroad_again]

I have a '78 Dodge Reassance 21ft. 440 engine. A1 shape that I bought for $1500 last year. After some TLC it has taken a few trips. So now that there is just me and the dogs I have added an extended bumper with generator. Now if someone will tell me what to do to get 8mpg like it did when new. I am getting 4mpg. Thanks, ontheroad again

[Griff_in_Fairba]

ALnCORY wrote:
Hey, anyone know where you can get replacements for those cheesy plastic drawers that are in my old Brougham. I haven't found anyplace yet that has them and the ones in my rig are pretty beat up after 30+ years. I suppose I should just build some new drawers to attach to my drawer fronts which are fine. But what with recovering cushions, replacing some paneling etc, etc I was just looking for a short cut on the drawers. Just curious if any of you have found a outlet to replace them. thanks, Al

I remember seeing those some time within the last five years ... try Rockler, Woodcraft, or Woodworker's Supply. (I've ordered from Rockler.)

If that doesn't work, try googling for 'cabinet drawers', 'cabinet supply', 'cabinetry supply', 'cabinetmaker supply', or variations on this theme.

[ALnCORY]

Hey, anyone know where you can get replacements for those cheesy plastic drawers that are in my old Brougham. I haven't found anyplace yet that has them and the ones in my rig are pretty beat up after 30+ years. I suppose I should just build some new drawers to attach to my drawer fronts which are fine. But what with recovering cushions, replacing some paneling etc, etc I was just looking for a short cut on the drawers. Just curious if any of you have found a outlet to replace them. thanks, Al

[ALnCORY]

Welcome Ohiowanderer,
I have had great success with the dodge products I have owned over the years. Just picked up a 74 Dodge chassis motorhome myself a couple weeks back, 20' with the 360. I hope it is as good as my other dodges have been.. good luck, Al

[75Americanclipp]

welcome from 1975 American Clipper owner

jc from ceres, ca

OhioWanderer wrote:
Hello! I'm a Dodge man at heart and have been racing Dodges for many years. I recently traded a Mopar Drag truck for a 1978 Dodge Coachmen 22ft. 360. My first RV. Runs great and we have updated the paint, upholstery and changed the counters etc to a much more neutral color scheme. Have all the original manuals and have been working my way thru the myriad of new things. Changed some simple mechanical things on the motor and will be changing the carb out shortly. It's awesome to find other Mopar owners in this realm of RV's. Would love to meet other owners in the Ohio area. We are taking our first trip this upcoming weekend here in Granville. Anybody wanna join?

[OhioWanderer]

Hello! I'm a Dodge man at heart and have been racing Dodges for many years. I recently traded a Mopar Drag truck for a 1978 Dodge Coachmen 22ft. 360. My first RV. Runs great and we have updated the paint, upholstery and changed the counters etc to a much more neutral color scheme. Have all the original manuals and have been working my way thru the myriad of new things. Changed some simple mechanical things on the motor and will be changing the carb out shortly. It's awesome to find other Mopar owners in this realm of RV's. Would love to meet other owners in the Ohio area. We are taking our first trip this upcoming weekend here in Granville. Anybody wanna join?

[glw]

mopar-vw-dieselman wrote:
I am in process of negotiating for a ’73 or ’74 Establishment on a Dodge B300 chassis.

Welcome aboard mopar! Knowing this vehicle should be a BIG help in the "how this rig has been taken care of" part of ownership! Also... for making those needed repairs....:)

I recently (July) purchased a "Chinook 18+" on this same chassis.(see profile for pic) I knew nothing about it, except taking the word of the PO. Be prepaid to be bombarded (that is meant in a good sense) with idea's and knowledge from this forum.

I never owned or even drove a vehicle of this sort before and have received every stitch of info needed to "prepare" myself and the RV" for many years of Safe-enjoyable use. From start to finish, these folks have helped me "Get er Done".

Gary Webb
Phoenix, AZ

[mopar-vw-diesel]

timmac, thank you. Oh yes..... I have a long list already started. Nothing needed except some minor damage to the coach, near the driver's door. The wood work and metal work I can do. The stove, water heater, plumbing, fridge, shower, and head all work. I do want to upgrade them all. In time, they will all get done. I've been "borrowing" this motor home on and off for over 10 years. Our "arrangement" to borrow it has been that I do some sort of repair or upgrade in return for the use of the motor home. The current owner is looking for a trailer. When he (I should say his wife) finds the right trailer, we'll negotiate for the motor home. We used to have a '74 Dodge power wagon with a 6-Pac camper.

[timmac]

Hello mopar-vw,, good luck in your purchase of the Dodge RV,, just wanted to let you know that the purchase price on these old rv's are just the down payment,, the upgrades alone will sometimes exceed the purchase price, mine did by about 3 fold....

[mopar-vw-diesel]

Hello all. I just joined the forum. I am in process of negotiating for a ’73 or ’74 (don’t remember the year) Establishment on a Dodge B300 chassis. Bumper to bumper just under 18 feet long. Very, very strong 360. Door at the rear, like a Pickup Camper. It is great to see devotees of the Dodge “C” Motor homes.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

MasterBoondocker wrote:
Some here are suggesting a spray-gasket(on both sides of the gasket)?? FINE-if you never want to take it apart. But if you ever have to ... it will be a mess. You will be scraping gasket material until the cows-come-home.

Yes, it is very hard to remove by scraping alone ... that's what the Permatex Gasket Remover is for, as well as loosening pieces of gaskets that are stuck on due to age, heat, etc. Remove as much of the gasket as you can easily, spray on Gasket Remover, and the rest of the gasket can be wiped off with a rag. (Okay, you may need a second application of Gasket Remover and/or a little bit of elbow grease ... but not as much as scraping alone.)

Unfortunately, Gasket Remover doesn't work as well on RTV.

MasterBoondocker wrote:
IMO .. you want to do ONE-side of a gasket and then OIL the other side ... that works great. You do NOT have to buy new gaskets each time something comes apart

Yes, a lot of people use this approach also, especially racers who have to pull their engines apart to check things after racing. Also, people who have to adjust the tappets regularly due to using solid lifters.

MasterBoondocker wrote:
REMEMBER .... the rocker-covers ONLY require INCH-pounds of torque. Do NOT overtighten. It will SQUISH the gasket and will WARP the stamped-steel rocker/valve cover.

Very good point ... the same with oil pan gaskets. These are two areas where I always use my inch-pound torque wrench -- so everything's tightened just right and evenly.

[MasterBoondocke]

Some here are suggesting a spray-gasket(on both sides of the gasket)?? FINE-if you never want to take it apart. But if you ever have to ... it will be a mess. You will be scraping gasket material until the cows-come-home.

IMO .. you want to do ONE-side of a gasket and then OIL the other side ... that works great. You do NOT have to buy new gaskets each time something comes apart

REMEMBER .... the rocker-covers ONLY require INCH-pounds of torque. Do NOT overtighten. It will SQUISH the gasket and will WARP the stamped-steel rocker/valve cover.

[Leeann]

79powerwagon wrote:
In one of the other forums here, it is recommended to you bags of ice tossed through the toilet, then drive around for a while until the ice is melted. What happens is the ice is hard enough to act as a scraper in the tank, then melts to water for draining. Whoever thought of it originally was a genius! 😉

Exactly right. We put one bag of Sam's Club ice in (20 lbs for $2.40) and drove to the dump station. All was melted when we got there and the tank emptied in no time. Then we sent a couple (okay, more like 4) buckets of water through (already emptied the fresh water tank) to rinse it.

That person is a total genius 'cause the tank is completely clean...as in as a whistle...after it had sat for years with solids in it, no less (yep, I'm gagging at the thought).


:C

[79powerwagon]

In one of the other forums here, it is recommended to you bags of ice tossed through the toilet, then drive around for a while until the ice is melted. What happens is the ice is hard enough to act as a scraper in the tank, then melts to water for draining. Whoever thought of it originally was a genius! 😉