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

[Griff_in_Fairba]

The Boodles wrote:
Well its definitely the #3 cylinder. I just pulled the wire and it runs smooth again ( i'm a dumb a$$, I should have done that on the drive home, it would of went WAY smoother/quicker lol.)

The Boodles

Sounds like crossfire. Try replacing the distributor cap (and rotor) first. (There may be carbon tracks inside the cap that's causing #3 to fire on the intake stroke when a nearby cylinder fires.)

Second possibility is bad plug wires. Try watching the engine when it's dark ... you may see blue spark between plug wires. (If so, I'd recommend a complete new set of plug wires.)

[The_Boodles]

Well its definitely the #3 cylinder. I just pulled the wire and it runs smooth again ( i'm a dumb a$$, I should have done that on the drive home, it would of went WAY smoother/quicker lol.)

The Boodles

[The_Boodles]

Ok please help. Got the cooling system working fine now, only runs at about 175-180.
Drove it home fine, and around town a bit. On a cty road at 60 suddenly I began getting continuous backfires up through the carb. It struggles to turn over to start now, but will. I drove it at about 20 home (wasn't too far away) .At idle, slow speeds, anything it is one continuous backfire up the carb. I am about to at least try to figure out which cylinder it is... Since I just had the cam, timing, and lifters replaced, could it be a valve spring? I assume its not the plug wires since it is firing up through the carb. Also, would this be something that I should have the guy who fixed look at? Should it be on the house since it's only been less than 24 hours? Please help, my wife and I just finished cleaning and fixing some of the interior.We just wanna go 5 minutes to a local campground. 😞

The Boodles

[Trish_Davis]

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Jer&Ger wrote:
Does anyone have any hints on getting the old coatings off the screw heads so I can get them off.

Is the old coating black? (A lot of POs use roofing tar in an attempt to seal roof leaks.) If so, try kerosene ... it will usually dissolve roofing tar.

If the old coating is white (or some other color), it's probably paint or old sealant.

Once again listen to Griff.

Kerosene hint: Put some in a spray bottle and direct the spray ONLY to the screw head.

Kerosene will take off tar, grease, general dirt and road dirt, but will not affect gaskets.
Which is why it's so great for cleaning off engines.
Acetone is great for cleaning but 'eats' gaskets and roof seal.

[Trish_Davis]

79powerwagon wrote:
Oops! I better get rid of my sig pic... :B

Nah.
Red Wheel Dude & Lady Red Wheel are Version 2.0 is all.

RWD --go with the re-core instead of the replacement.
Cheaper for one thing and that copper rad (its guts anyhow) will outlast an aluminum radiator. So says my radiator-guru Bob who's been at this for 25+ years.


Once you get it re-cored, add a 1/4 cup of Barrs Leak to your new mix of distilled & green Zerex.

My dad used this in every car he owned.
When it was time to get his Merc (1941) out of mothballs, I counted on a re-core and took the radiator (big sob, too) to Bob (who is also a big sob ;0)) and after a power flush, the thing was perfect.
It had sat, same coolant, for 14 years.


Griff is right about condensation. But then, Griff is usually right.
Find a cheap-O (craigslist) dehumidfier, stash it in your rig and run it a couple times a week. Eliminates LOTS of grief.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

For everyone -

This is the time of year when people tend to keep their RVs 'buttoned up tight". As a result, you will experience a significant increase in interior humidity during use due to respiration and cooking. This may condense on the ceiling, leading you to believe you have a roof leak.

The increased humidity may also permeate the walls and ceiling, leading to saturated insulation and framing.

(Been there, had that happen ... many times.)

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Jer&Ger wrote:
I already need some help here. Does anyone have any hints on getting the old coatings off the screw heads so I can get them off. I spent all day yesterday and some time today and I still have a long way to go getting them all off. Any advise would really be appreceated. Thanks..Jerry

Is the old coating black? (A lot of POs use roofing tar in an attempt to seal roof leaks.) If so, try kerosene ... it will usually dissolve roofing tar.

If the old coating is white (or some other color), it's probably paint or old sealant. Acetone, applied with cotton swabs (Q-Tips) should soften it enough to allow you to scrap it off. (If acetone doesn't work, try MEK ... but be careful, MEK is a much more aggressive solvent.)

Yes, it'll probably be a slow, tedious process but is least likely to damage surrounding areas.

[Jer_Ger]

I already need some help here. Does anyone have any hints on getting the old coatings off the screw heads so I can get them off. I spent all day yesterday and some time today and I still have a long way to go getting them all off. Any advise would really be appreceated. Thanks..Jerry

[The_Boodles]

Well talked to a guy at a radiator shop that said those old Dodge ones tend to just need to be re-soldered. I'm just going to take it to a shop, and if it is junk, I got one waiting at a junkyard in Beloit. Got the day off tomorrow so time to get my hands dirty for the first time on the babe!
Thanks for the heads ups there guys. I did figure out that pretty much any old 26 in core radiator will work. I'm going to just get her going now, but DO want to go with a better one maybe in the spring on that one. Good thing is the old one was just taken out for the cam replacement so I know I don't have to worry about rusty bolts or anything. Should be fixed/replaced by tomorrow afternoon.

The Boodles
Red Wheel Dude and his Red Hot Mama 😉

[ALnCORY]

Jerrry said: I've found some soft spots in the overhead bunk in the MH this last weekend during a rain storm we had. It looks like I'm going to have to pull the roof off and start from the top. I'll try to get some pics and post them as I go, maybe it might help someone else when they run into this...Jerry

Sorry to hear that Jerry, hopefully it won't be too bad... keep us posted. We were down in the Hagerman valley over the weekend and woke up to snow sunday morning!

[eyeteeth]

Cricket&Sam wrote:
... the refer isnt big enough to hold all the beer to last a full weekend at the races lol.

When my fridge stopped working, I was able to find a larger one that I could make fit with some alterations. Holds plenty now. I had to remove the cupboards that were above the original fridge, but that's why they were there... it all depended on the size of the fridge from the factory.

Cricket&Sam wrote:
I was a little intimitaded at first. Having never been around a camper or rv before. But things seem pretty simple and easy to figure out.

That's something else I like about the older rigs. Not that the newer ones are THAT much more confusing, but there's not a lot of automatic anything, no slide outs... I KNOW if the fridge is running on electric or propane... I KNOW if the water heater is on... etc. I get a kick out of the posts were people are having problems figuring out the fridge, as it automatically switches from one form of power to another, and it's draining batteries, or putting a load on something expectantly.

There's something to be said for simplicity.

[79powerwagon]

The Boodles wrote:
Hey, so it turns out the radiator does have a hole in it.

Odds are very good any rad from a Dodge van will work with maybe a bit of drilling. But for under $200.00, you can get a NEW aluminum radiator from Summit Racing or Jegs that will easily out perform any factory unit. Just be sure to cool the transmission, too (some after-market racing radiators don't have the provisions).

Also, can you just have yours rebuilt/recored?

[Leeann]

Sorry about the fridge, but good thing you're ready to go to the races 😉

[Cricket_Sam]

Well, no luck with the refer unit. Guess Ill have to stick with my coolers this trip. Not like I wouldnt have had them anyway, the refer isnt big enough to hold all the beer to last a full weekend at the races lol.

Got the water pump that I ordered today. Installed and running, only one small water leak, on the fresh water tank fill hose. I will replace that tomorrow. Then I can check the hot water heater and will be finished with checking and learning all the working systems.

I was a little intimitaded at first. Having never been around a camper or rv before. But things seem pretty simple and easy to figure out. This should make our race weekends alot more enjoyable. Just have to find a refer and a/c before the May race.

Thanks again for any and all help that eveyone has given.

[Jer_Ger]

I've found some soft spots in the overhead bunk in the MH this last weekend during a rain storm we had. It looks like I'm going to have to pull the roof off and start from the top. I'll try to get some pics and post them as I go, maybe it might help someone else when they run into this...Jerry