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

[markit63]

I purchased a 78/79 Dodge Grand Slam 22' and to my amazment everything works but required a little minor repaire to get some of the stuff up and running. The MH has 61k miles and the drive train
is in exelent running order, I had to replace the header gaskes on both ends and do a oil (Mobil 1 Syn)change. Next will be a gear oil change on the rear end and seal check (as suggested by mechanic). The refrig will have to be replaced, i have removed the old one and
have a sorce on a good used one. I'm happy so far, I payed 2k and for the most part lucked out on everything working even the Kohler
4.5 Gen but it needs some repair to the starting circut as my mechanic has set up a manual start button and you have to manualy ignite the feild (this wouldnt be fun in the rain.LOL)

[eric_blair]

Poi Dog wrote:

eric_blair wrote:

The previous owner said the vibration goes away at 70 mph,

I have a 79 class C Beaver. It vibrated when I got it. Told the mechanic to replace the carrier bearing. He said it didn't need replacing. After crawling under the home (with him) I grabed it & proceeded to move it all around. Then said "Please replace it"...
No more vibration!

.......b

I'm starting with lubing up the drivetrain. I doubt it has been done in decades. I will probably try rotating the drive shaft 180 degrees as well. Supposedly the transmission was rebuilt and possibly it was reinstalled wrong. Along with whomever rewired the firing order.

I noticed there is about 6 inches of exposed spline in the driveshaft where the rear connects to the front. That doesn't seem right to me. Should at least have a cover on it.

Take care,

Eric

[Poi_Dog]

eric_blair wrote:

Who said they were slow? The previous owner said the vibration goes away at 70 mph, but I found 55 pretty comfortable too.


And it is a blast to drive. Sort of like a one car parade....

Take Care,

Eric

I have a 79 class C Beaver. It vibrated when I got it. Told the mechanic to replace the carrier bearing. He said it didn't need replacing. After crawling under the home (with him) I grabed it & proceeded to move it all around. Then said "Please replace it"...
No more vibration!

.......b

[eric_blair]

Well, you can add us now too. I just never liked trailers because it is so nice to have the convenience of the space and amenities right there while you are driving.

We just picked up a beaten up Dodge Fireball - 1977, MB400 360 engine.

Who said they were slow? The previous owner said the vibration goes away at 70 mph, but I found 55 pretty comfortable too.

After close examination of the engine (and much cleaning of the engine), I am amazed that it works at all. Most of the vaccuum lines are disconnected, pluged or connected wrong. The electrical looks like a puzzle that was solved wrong.

There also appears to be some water damage all the way out to the fram on the rear left 1/4 over the sink/stove area.

But the drivetrain is very powerful. I figure no matter the cost of renovating or replacing the living quarters, we have a good deal.

And it is a blast to drive. Sort of like a one car parade....

Take Care,

Eric

[hwguru]

Well, here I am, another one of the silent majority it seems. I have a 1979 Fleetwood Flair 19' built on what i believe is a 1978 MB300 chassis with a Dodge 360 2bbl. I had previously owned a Sportsman 200 van with the same engine, and had no problems with it at all, ran like a top. In fact, that experience was the largest factor in me buying this MH. I got arround 13MPG on the freeway, and about 8 arround town, but I also got about 11MPG while towing. With this unit, I am having all types of overheating problems. I replaced the thermostat with a 160 (it had a 180 in it when i pulled it) and i dropped the radiator cap down to a 7# from the 16. this seemed tio help SOME but it STILL runs considerably hotter than i like when pulling a hill or in warmer than 65 degree's. in hot weather, I'm lucky if on the freeway it stays at about 1/3 of the way on the guage, and when pulling a hill in that type of weather, I'm lucky if it doesn't overheat, and get vapor lock!

Since owning this unit, I have not given it a complete tunup, but I have pulled the plugs cleaned and inspected them. I think I'll do a complete tuneup with points, condensor, rotor and cap then adjust the timing.

anyone know what the timing SHOULD be on this vintage engine?

Thanks in advance,

Phil

[TravellinTs]

Thanks for your suggestion, HiTech.

The furnace fan doesn't work, but there is a small fan in the back vent. I presume that would probably just suck the hot air out in a hurry though...

Most of our camping will be at forestry reserve campgrounds with no hookups, and our MH doesn't have a generator yet. (Not sure if I'll buy one down the road or not.) If we get chilly, I do have a small catalytic heater, or can always turn on the stove and boil some water - that seems to warm it up in a hurry.

Terry (a 'she', not a 'he')
and daughter Tiana

** The Travellin' T's **

[HiTech]

Welcome. A plug in electric heater powered by the genset or shore power if plugged in can kick out a fair amount of heat. The the fan for the furnace still works, it can help distribute the heat.

Jim

[TravellinTs]

Just brought home our brand-spanking-new 1975 class C and thought I'd say HELLO. (Okay, so it's not 'brand-new' but sure feels like it to my daughter and me, having just moved up from a 1971 13' Boler trailer.) 🙂

It's a Dodge Sportsman with a Bendix Corsair 22' 'house' on the back. Compared to the Boler, we now feel like we're living in the lap of luxury! It's spacious and airy, with all the amenities we need (bathroom with shower, hot water tank, oven, stove, etc.) The furnace is broken, but we live in a fairly mild climate here on Vancouver Island, so I'm not too worried about it, though I'll probably get a new one down the road. (The previous owner said he was told no parts were available for the Coleman furnace that's in it.)

Anyhow, just wanted to say hi to all -- am looking forward to making some memories in our new 'little house.'

Terry (a 'she', not a 'he')
and daughter Tiana

** The Travellin' T's **

[munkalido]

Poi Dog wrote:

According to the guy I spoke to at Edelbrock, they do not have a direct replacement for the Thermoquad. He was not very forth coming with info... kinda had'ta drag it outta him! His total answer was "take it to a shop, they should be able to make it work!"
Not the answer I was looking for......

Well, they used to market the 1905 as a direct replacement. Perhaps they stopped due to problems... same problems I'm experiencing now. I wish I would have just went to Napa and bought a refurb. Thermoquad and been done with it.

[new_v_er]

Unionguy wrote: was thinking of possibly installing a forced air heating vent into the sidewall rather than a roof vent. This way when I go winter camping I would be able to close the vent to prevent heat loss.

Glad I could help the first time, but I don't have a thought on your plan. My idea of winter camping is RV'n in the Keys:C.

I'll try to send you some photo of the moldings I put on.
Bill:)

[unionguy1019]

Thanks new v'er, the edge molding is the front to back. Being a 73 the local rv place (very small, other than everyday items everything special order) could not find any type of molding in any of their books. Hopefully over the weekend I can get to a large dealer about 80 miles away and check. Your suggestion will be highly considered.

As far as the fridge vent, I was able to scam a temp controlled 12v fan at work. was thinking of possibly installing a forced air heating vent into the sidewall rather than a roof vent. This way when I go winter camping I would be able to close the vent to prevent heat loss. Can you foresee any problems I may have with this set up?

[Poi_Dog]

munkalido wrote:

Scruffy5 wrote:

Poi Dog wrote:

Scruffy5 wrote:
Well I thought maybe this thread passed on!Edelbrock Carbs are super.Anyone interested,Edelbrock #1411 750 cfm ,#1932 spread bore to square and lastly #1481 chry throttle adapter. grand total $333.10 shipped to my door,had it in 4 days,online from Performance Parts Express.Straight forward installation! Of course I took mine apart to check float level etc,but i just wasted my time.they say there preset at the factory and there not lying,Took me longer to change the spark plugs then to do the carb install.Anybody still using the old thermoquad this conversion I highly recommend!

{Edited to remove for sale item}

Have a great day!:B

Well, I just installed this combo. Runs ok. If I slow the RPM's via the idle screws it gets rough. After calling the Edelbrock HELP line I found out this is not a direct replacment for the Carter ThermoQuad. I know, it was never said it was. I also found out this is not an emissions legal carb due to its lack of vacuum ports.

It did go on quite nicely tho. Sure hope I can get this thru DEQ!

Just an FYI for y'all out there.

..........b

The 795 cfm I beleive is the one for replacement but the money difference is a lot.sure glad I live where I do!

It is the replacement (#1905) which I bought ($509 @ Summit Racing). Now I have problems when it gets hot "loading up" and dying. This actually only happens when putting along in traffic or backing up to park, but it is nerve racking! I'm going to call Edelbrock to see if they got a solution.

According to the guy I spoke to at Edelbrock, they do not have a direct replacement for the Thermoquad. He was not very forth coming with info... kinda had'ta drag it outta him! His total answer was "take it to a shop, they should be able to make it work!"
Not the answer I was looking for.....

......b

[munkalido]

Scruffy5 wrote:

Poi Dog wrote:

Scruffy5 wrote:
Well I thought maybe this thread passed on!Edelbrock Carbs are super.Anyone interested,Edelbrock #1411 750 cfm ,#1932 spread bore to square and lastly #1481 chry throttle adapter. grand total $333.10 shipped to my door,had it in 4 days,online from Performance Parts Express.Straight forward installation! Of course I took mine apart to check float level etc,but i just wasted my time.they say there preset at the factory and there not lying,Took me longer to change the spark plugs then to do the carb install.Anybody still using the old thermoquad this conversion I highly recommend!

{Edited to remove for sale item}

Have a great day!:B

Well, I just installed this combo. Runs ok. If I slow the RPM's via the idle screws it gets rough. After calling the Edelbrock HELP line I found out this is not a direct replacment for the Carter ThermoQuad. I know, it was never said it was. I also found out this is not an emissions legal carb due to its lack of vacuum ports.

It did go on quite nicely tho. Sure hope I can get this thru DEQ!

Just an FYI for y'all out there.

..........b

The 795 cfm I beleive is the one for replacement but the money difference is a lot.sure glad I live where I do!

It is the replacement (#1905) which I bought ($509 @ Summit Racing). Now I have problems when it gets hot "loading up" and dying. This actually only happens when putting along in traffic or backing up to park, but it is nerve racking! I'm going to call Edelbrock to see if they got a solution.

[new_v_er]

Hi Unionguy,

I picked up my fridge vent at a Camping World Store. I see them in the catalog as well. The "Corner Edge" item? Is that for the side to front or side to back applications? If so the extrusions for my 1976 class c were out of production.

I picked up some 1X3 aluminum angle and formed it to the position with several relief cuts and then overlayed extruded flat molding that receives a vinyl screw cover. The angle was purchased at at a local metal supply and the other extrusion was purchases at a RV service/parts center. The extrusion was predrilled and easy to form over the angle aluminum. The two together look very similar to the original.

If the "Corner Edge" is the top/side extrusion that has a chanel for an awning, your rv parts/service store may have it in stock.

[Scruffy5]

Poi Dog wrote:

Scruffy5 wrote:
Well I thought maybe this thread passed on!Edelbrock Carbs are super.Anyone interested,Edelbrock #1411 750 cfm ,#1932 spread bore to square and lastly #1481 chry throttle adapter. grand total $333.10 shipped to my door,had it in 4 days,online from Performance Parts Express.Straight forward installation! Of course I took mine apart to check float level etc,but i just wasted my time.they say there preset at the factory and there not lying,Took me longer to change the spark plugs then to do the carb install.Anybody still using the old thermoquad this conversion I highly recommend!

{Edited to remove for sale item}

Have a great day!:B

Well, I just installed this combo. Runs ok. If I slow the RPM's via the idle screws it gets rough. After calling the Edelbrock HELP line I found out this is not a direct replacment for the Carter ThermoQuad. I know, it was never said it was. I also found out this is not an emissions legal carb due to its lack of vacuum ports.

It did go on quite nicely tho. Sure hope I can get this thru DEQ!

Just an FYI for y'all out there.

..........b

The 795 cfm I beleive is the one for replacement but the money difference is a lot.sure glad I live where I do!