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

[79powerwagon]

There could be many reasons for the light trouble, but usually it's moisture causing a poor contact, and a poor ground.

If you take the trouble to clean each one, apply some dielectric grease to bolb base and that will solve many of your problems.

[goreds2]

Does anyone ever have issues with some of the clearance lights going out on occasion? I usually only have to open the shell cover and jiggle the bulb then it turns back on.

Is there any trick to keep the bulb stable in these old Dodges?

[Leeann]

eyeteeth wrote:
Leeann

ohhh... good tip. Thanks for the warning. Is that something I can get through NAPA?

Yep. Shouldn't be a problem.

eyeteeth wrote:
Also. I found a fridge/freezer last weekend for $75. The PO said he swapped it because it wasn't getting cold anymore. After he gave me the description of how it stopped working I had him plug it in for the night and call me in the morning. Making a long story short, The hood on his RV became clogged, and the unit wasn't getting adequate circulation. He had already replaced it with one of those little Dorm style electrics, so I he still sold it to me for $75. I modified my fridge opening, and installed it. I've had to turn it down twice because it keeps freezing my food. 🙂 It's nice to not be living out of coolers anymore, and it's great to have the extra fridge space!

Awesome! Nice pickup 😉

[Trish_Davis]

Mark........
http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/rvs/1284092969.html
Purty.

[eyeteeth]

clockwork oranjaboom

I love Clippers. Nice rig!

[eyeteeth]

Leeann

ohhh... good tip. Thanks for the warning. Is that something I can get through NAPA? Summit?

As a teaser, I had some spare time yesterday, so I scrounged up a bunch of coins, and had enough to pick up a box of Allure flooring from Home Depot. I simply got sick and tired of looking at the particle board section in the back from the previous work I had done with the bath/bunk area. I was hoping to redo one of the front walls, then put the new floor in, but that's delayed now. i think I did it in a way that I can simply continue on with what is now in place. I ran it under the carpet, and covered the sticky parts so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It looks AWESOME! I'll have pics early next week.

Also. I found a fridge/freezer last weekend for $75. The PO said he swapped it because it wasn't getting cold anymore. After he gave me the description of how it stopped working I had him plug it in for the night and call me in the morning. Making a long story short, The hood on his RV became clogged, and the unit wasn't getting adequate circulation. He had already replaced it with one of those little Dorm style electrics, so I he still sold it to me for $75. I modified my fridge opening, and installed it. I've had to turn it down twice because it keeps freezing my food. 🙂 It's nice to not be living out of coolers anymore, and it's great to have the extra fridge space!

[Leeann]

The ThermoQuad rebuild kit is a Hygrade 657C (I just picked it up). When rebuilding, be VERY careful to tighten to specs. Overtightening can warp and crack the phenolic body and they're harder to find.

[whiteknight001]

carhound82 wrote:
i just bought a b-300 class c dodge and took her on a 4000 mile trip to yellowstone. it has a 360 and i would liketo put a 440 in her. anybody out there done this swap?

Carhound,

If you can find another van with the 440 to rob parts from,
that helps a lot. It is some work but it can be done.

Mark

[whiteknight001]

clockwork oranjaboom wrote:


Hi Mark;

Here's a link to some Picasa low rez shots ot the Clip:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amantiado/Clip#

Hey Clockwork

That's a great looking Clipper! I always liked their lines.
Hope to see some more pix of her soon! Thanks for the link
to them!!


Mark

[carhound82]

i just bought a b-300 class c dodge and took her on a 4000 mile trip to yellowstone. it has a 360 and i would liketo put a 440 in her. anybody out there done this swap?

[clockwork_oranj]

whiteknight001 wrote:

clockwork oranjaboom wrote:

Leeann wrote:
^

I'd love to see some pix of your Clipper. Got any to put up here?

Mark

Hi Mark;

Here's a link to some Picasa low rez shots of the Clip:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amantiado/Clip#

[79powerwagon]

Contact member MasterBoondocker. He is a TQ expert, and let him rebuild your carb. That IS a spread-bore 4V, PERFECT for this application!

Exhaust manifolds should be very easy to find. So many street enthusiasts throw them away for headers, so look at Mopar sites (www.moparts.com is a GREAT one) and find a pair. Craigslist, too!

Go to www.summitracing.com and buy your engine parts from them. Use their "Summit" brand cam, timing chain set vs any other. The quality is VERY good and pricing is VERY affordable. Buy only Clevite 77 (sp?) bearings, Fel Pro gaskets, all from Summit.

And 9mpg is nothing to sneeze at in the world of RV's! :B

[Trish_Davis]

eyeteeth wrote:
I don't think I've gotten over 9 mpg with it as it was. I'd like to get into double digits. 🙂 Thanks for the ideas.

Eye, You aren't going to get good mileage out of a big block when towing, it's a fact of life.

Eric is right about the low-end, pay attention to that first thing.

Leeann is right about the carb. Rebuild it or get a new one.
A 2-bbl on a 440 doesn't seem practical.
And get after the water jackets, they get all kinds of crud.


I have a .60 over '67 Buick 340 w/ Edelbrock 4160 and 2-spd rr end in the Merc.
Completely stock frt & rr suspension and Ford sideshaft 3-spd.
The Merc weighs a bit for a car --3,800 and it actually does get double-digit mileage in Hi.

What the Merc does not have are extras. No A/C, no belt working to turn the pulley even if it's not on.
No power steering or brakes.
One belt on the whole engine means the Buick doesn't have to power anything except the drivetrain.


If you don't need your cab A/C, lose it. Lose the compressor, the pulley, all of it.

[Leeann]

Lemme guess: it's the passenger side that's split? That's the split one on mine...and poorly welded back up to boot.

Now that it's quiet in the back, it's definitely quieter and cooler back there while riding. Even when the AC isn't running (better breeze back there).

On the TQ: go to your local parts place and get a rebuild kit for a ThermoQuad (it's a general kit, I think) and follow the instructions carefully. The bf just bought a replacement 6518s on eBay since ours has seized adjustment screws so I just ordered another rebuild kit. I'll have it tomorrow, so I'll put the part number up then. When we rebuilt the one on our rig, everything that could be adjusted was about as far out of spec as possible (and one thing wasn't put back together properly).

Oh, and here's a link to a bunch of manifolds on eBay:
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/__?_from=R40&_trksid=p3841.m39.l1313&_nkw=440+manifold&_sacat=

[eyeteeth]

The engine appears pretty much stock with the exception of some clothespins on the fuel line...

One of the manifolds is cracked/split... hence the need to replace. I've looked on Ebay for the manifolds, but haven't seen anything recently for the 440. How often to people stare at your exhaust manifolds? 😉 The majority of the noise on my rig has been in the cab due to the poorly repaired manifold. It's pretty quiet (and cooler) in the house. Times I wished I could simply ride back there.

The carb is the original thermoquad. I haven't done anything with it yet, and I can pretty much guarantee the PO did nothing either. The original owner may have.