Total Rebuild of a 1979 Dodge Class C

[oldtrucker63]

I would say some of you have seen the start of this build that my brother bgriffey had posted, Well I have now bought the RV from him and plan to post the pixs of the build I have found a lot of rot in this RV I have torn out everything on the inside and have the rear opened up and the skin off the lower driver side, I will be buying a camera for my wife for christmas and im sure she will take the pixs if I can learn HOW to post them on here, Please remember its winter here in Kentucky so it will be slow but we will keep the pixs coming, Like I said this will be a total build from floor to walls and roof and custom inside build so I would appreciate all the help I can get this will be my first build and I will be learning as I go so any info will help. THANKS......Tony Griffey.

A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model. If you are retired and use your RV to travel then why not save the money for your travels rather than on spending a large chunk of money on a brand new travelling vacation home. When you decide to have an RV remodel done you can have your old model completely gutted and rebuilt to look just like a newer RV and when the work is done you will not even recognize your old mobile home. Going about having a new RV to travel in this way can save you thousands of dollars and you will not have to worry about the payments on a brand new RV home. Many retired people are travelling this way nowadays so they can travel the country and be comfortable while doing it, and there are many others that own these vehicles that they will take on summer family camping trips. The RV’s that are made today are unbelievable and have all of the luxuries of home at a fraction of the size, these make it great fir families and retired folks to travel comfortably, and having an RV remodel done you can make your old RV look just like a brand new one.

Statistics show that the amount of registered RV homes on the road is growing steadily every year, and much of this is due to the baby boomer generation retiring and wanting to travel the country in comfort and style. Having an RV remodel can make your RV brand new. Some things you may want to consider is having all new beds and appliances put in. Since RV appliances are smaller than your normal home kitchen appliances they are much cheaper, and a complete RV remodel will probably cost you anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000, depending on how many changes are being done. The latter price could even be a little more if you are having your RV completely gutted and redesigned. It will still save you a lot of money over purchasing a new RV home. Another thing to consider during your RV remodel is if you plan on just remodeling the inside or if you want to have the exterior redone as well, and if this is the case the project will cost more money but will still be cheaper than buying a new RV. Most of these vacationing and traveling vehicles have a type of siding on them, and the more modern ones are sometimes made of more durable fibreglasses and plastics, these materials are very nice since you do not ever have to worry about rusting.

If you plan on getting a loan out for this remodeling job then you will first want to get various estimates, much like a home remodeling project. Once you get all the estimates you want you can then apply for the amount of money through your financial institution or credit union. The amount of money you need should not be hard for you to get approved for, especially if you have good credit. If you are a retired individual you most likely can take the money out of your pension or 401 funds, and this would be your best bet due to interest rates. Usually the place where you originally bought the RV can do the remodel for you as well, and if they cannot they can usually refer you to someone who can do the job for you. With the popularity of these vehicles constantly growing there are also many new dealerships and shops that specialize in these vacation vehicles. Having a comfortable vehicle to travel year round in or to just vacation in yearly is a great asset and can also be a great stress reliever. It is also a very popular vehicle for families to use on family camping trips, and the nice thing is that if the kids want to rough it while camping they can just sent their tents up right outside the RV.

[oldtrucker63]

I have ordered all of the outer doors like the water tank fill the RV City water inlet, Electical cable hatch and the Recessed lighted assist bar W/Switch for the outside door and the range hood vent, Should be here sometime this week.

[oldtrucker63]

Thanks tboss, Yea I said the back but was meaning the camper part but now I know to use the same paint on the van also, Yes I have a lot of sanding to get done, Thanks again man.

[tboss]

hey Driver dats a hard question to answer without seeing the surface but I wld think a good polyurthane with a good primer base for alum wld do just fine ,,its a little pricy but its very user frindly and dries very fast then a good clear coat ovet the whole unit wld make th paint job last for years,,Im assuming here that the back is covered with alumn like the rest of the unit...this question is a little confusing as it sort of states you are gonna paint the back with a different paint from the rest of the unit poly will do fine for the whole unit just make sure you use a good primer made for alumn...aand remember preping is the most important part of the paint job ,,it goes like this 20 hours of prep and abt 1 hour of painting,,,any kind of dust or ruff will ruin the paint job..from lookin at the unit it looks abt a week of machine and hand sanding to get it rite you need a good D?A sander it runs on air from the compresser or you might get an electric D/A from Lowes..

[oldtrucker63]

I really need to get the ball rolling and get this roof rubber put on before winter sets in and get the RV Painted too, Running out of time here, Got to hurry. Anyone know the best paint to use on the back part of the RV.??:h

[oldtrucker63]

Back side of the 5.5 HP Honda, Maybe later a new exhaust just to quite it down as much as possible.

[oldtrucker63]

Here is the old frame I will only be using the valves and the top mounting plate on this, The rest is junk.

[oldtrucker63]

Found the reason why the compressor would only build up to about 60 psi The head gasket was blown right in between the two pistons, Easy Fix, The head and pistons and the rings are in good shape.

[oldtrucker63]

Tore down the Air Compressor and cleaned up the Lil Honda a bit.

[oldtrucker63]

We Did not Take a before pixs, Its was piled up really bad. It Looks better now at least you can walk around inside without falling over stuff....LOL

[oldtrucker63]

We also cleaned house a little today, Here cleaning with Air.

[oldtrucker63]

[oldtrucker63]

Anyway they look Ok.

[oldtrucker63]

As you can see here the steps had to be built off square by 1 inch because the steel framing of the RV is welded out of square, Its sure hard to build this way but its the only way to match everything up.

[oldtrucker63]

Just finishing up on the steps.

[oldtrucker63]

Thanks a bunch there, She just loves to help out and she sure has a lot of fun doing it for sure.:B