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]

toedtoes wrote:
If you have any percent signs in your post, rvnet will error out. Also the square brackets.

Yes, I often forget the differences between writing for publication and posting on discussion boards.

Going to take a break for now ... to bring my stress level down and get some things done that I need to do.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Ballenxj wrote:

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
Okay, whenever I try to upload a longer post, I get a "connection reset" message. Don't know if it's RV.NET or the inexperienced, untrained, wannabes running my ISP's network.

I've been getting a lot of that as well. Maybe the internet is about to implode? NSA? Russians? They must be horribly bored if so. 😞

No, I can make connections and upload to other sites so it's either RV.NET or my ISP.

My Internet Service Provider (ISP) has clearly either underfunded their infrastructure, has oversold their services, is failing to pay enough to attract trained and experienced system/network administrators, or all of the above.

When cable (their main competitor) finally reaches out where we are, I'll switch so fast your head will spin.

[Ballenxj]

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
Okay, whenever I try to upload a longer post, I get a "connection reset" message. Don't know if it's RV.NET or the inexperienced, untrained, wannabes running my ISP's network.

I've been getting a lot of that as well. Maybe the internet is about to implode? NSA? Russians? They must be horribly bored if so. 😞

[Griff_in_Fairba]

More to come later ... I'm getting too frustrated to continue right now. (Stress was the primary cause of my two heart attacks so it's not worth risking another when I'm simply trying to help people.)

[Ballenxj]

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

On the other hand, I still have the needle-nose pliers and continue to use them, as recently as yesterday. (Those needle-nose pliers are still my favorite ... I haven't found any others that serve as well for general all-around use.)

Griff, if you ever get the chance, try a set of needle nose pliers made by a company that bears the name Wiha. These are carried by Boker distributors, as in Boker Knives. Made in Germany, and fine precision tools. No, I don't work for them. I recently found their tools in an electronics supply store too.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Okay, the issue appears to be related to length and/or frequency ...

Axiom #4: Buy the best tool you can find.

If you can't afford the best, wait until you can or make sacrifices elsewhere in you life.

Waiting isn't always an option, so skip buying a couple-three-four six-packs or skip going to a movie or eating out. (There's been many times my wife has said, "Let's save the money for {such-and-such} tool you need/want instead.)

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Axiom #3: Higher prices does not necessarily equate to better tools.

I've encountered expensive, supposedly top-of-the-line tools that were actually inferior to less expensive versions.

Buying good quality, durable tools can be tricky. You need to understand the tool, what it's used for, and what makes the difference between quality and **** for that particular tool. For example, the jaws on most pliers should meet completely. However, depending on what the pliers are designed to do, there may be a gap in certain places along the jaws. (See picture of lineman's pliers in the Wikipedia link above.) Likewise, the cutters on some types of pliers, as well as some versions of any particular type, won't actually cut wires or do so in a ragged, unsuitable fashion.

(I dislike buying tools in plastic blister-packs because I can't get a feel for how well it works, how comfortable it feels, and so on.)

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Maybe they don't like external links? I had links to Wikipedia pages showing and describing the tools mentioned below. I also tried posting images, using Wikipedia images, with the same results.

I don't like assuming anything about a person's knowledge so I encourage you to look up the following three tools on Wikipedia. (Even if you're already familiar with them.)

Axiom #2: Brand name tools does not necessarily mean quality tools.

Around fifty years ago, I bought a no-name set of pliers consisting of diagonal cutters (commonly called "dikes"), needle-nose pliers, and lineman's pliers. The linesman's pliers disappeared roughly forty years ago, presumably "borrowed" by someone and never returned. I damaged the diagonal cutters by using them to remove studs from a set of tires 35 years ago. On the other hand, I still have the needle-nose pliers and continue to use them, as recently as yesterday. (Those needle-nose pliers are still my favorite ... I haven't found any others that serve as well for general all-around use.)

[toedtoes]

If you have any percent signs in your post, rvnet will error out. Also the square brackets.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Okay, whenever I try to upload a longer post, I get a "connection reset" message. Don't know if it's RV.NET or the inexperienced, untrained, wannabes running my ISP's network.

So ... I'll try (again!) by breaking it up into parts ...

I'm going to start my discussion of motor vehicle wiring by looking at tools.

Axiom #1: Never buy a tool until you actually need it.

I've bought tools that I thought I'd need and want to use someday. Many of those tools now sit in the back of my shed, having never been used. (This was more true in the past than recently ... I've learned my lesson.)

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Grrrrr! Trying to post first part of discussion on wiring but RV.NET is apparently refusing to accept longer posts.

Will try later.

[Ballenxj]

Hey Kody (Him), good to see you made it. 🙂

[Kodemore]

That's awesome! I will look into those vans you mentioned as well as reading up on the book I have on 1977 dodge vans. Breaks down all the parts, where they go and what they do. There is a section on electrical, but there were so many lines, I decided to wait for a day that I can dedicate study time to it.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

P.S. I completely rewired my 1949 International Metro step van back in 1973, designing and strapping the new wiring harness myself. Since then, I've continually improved on that ability and knowledge. In particular, I implemented a number of changes that differ from "standard" motor vehicle wiring.

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Kodemore wrote:
Hello! This is Kody (him). I bought a little 77 dodge sportsman travel mate last October. It needs some love, and a lot of work. I want to replace a lot of the electrical, including the fuse box, because it uses old tube fuses in the cab. There is a breaker box in the back for the "house" that looks fine, but I'll get it checked out just to be safe. The major changes won't be able to happen until later this year. I am just trying to establish some connections in case I run into trouble down the line.

I definitely can understand wanting to replace the fuse box ... the old glass fuses getting hard to find, with many places only stocking ATO/ATC fuses or newer types of fuses.

One option for components is Blue Sea Systems. While their apparent focus is marine systems, the also provide systems for law enforcement, ambulances, fire trucks, etc. They tend to be a bit pricey but quality is never cheap.

They also have a lot of good information and tools for determining proper wire size and related details.

If you go with Blue Sea Systems fuse panels, you'll have to find pigtails/adapters/sockets for the turn signal flashers.

As an alternative, you can search junk yards for a used fuse panel from a newer vehicle that uses ATO/ATC fuses. This will probably have flasher sockets. It'll be tricky finding a used panel that suits your vehicle and needs ... I'd look for a late model B1500/2500/3500 Dodge van.

The turn signal circuitry can be a bit tricky to understand ... in addition to the turn signal lever (switch), the stoplight (brake) switch feeds into the same circuitry.

Some vehicles use a single flasher for turn signals and emergency (four-way) signal. Others use one flasher for the turn signals and a separate flasher for the emergency signal.

One area where you'll have to be careful is to make sure you're using the right size wire and fuse for each circuit. A wire gauge would be a good tool to have, so you can measure the size of the existing wires.

I've been planning, when I get a little less busy, to post some information on wiring systems in general, versus my battery rants over the past umpteen months.

For you, as well as anyone else reading this thread, automotive wiring systems can seem complex but are actually rather simple ... especially if you break them down into subsystems and functions.

Finally, you may view your situation and efforts as unique and therefore not of any interest to others. In fact, the opposite is true and many people could benefit from detailing your efforts, experiences, and solutions.