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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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]

Today has been a lot of little stuff that needed done, And also had to frame the stove vent up and added some corner supports to the inside upper right Left and center at the top rear of the RV.
Here is the stove vent frame work.

[sundancer268]

oldtrucker63 wrote:
Here is the best way to splice your wiring back together, Just hold the two wires in an X shape and twist one to the right and the other to the left, This will be as strong of a splice that you can get and a lot better that any other wire Connectors you can buy, I then applied Liquid tape and will then tape over this with regular black tape.

That type of splice is called a Western Union Splice. Works even better with solid wire like romex or electric fence wire. Have not seen anyone using it in years. Our High School Shop Teacher showed us how and said it had been developed by the old Western Union Company when they were wiring up the country for the telegraph. You are right, it is one strong splice especially with solid wire. We held contests in shop class on who could do it the fastest. The first one done called time and everyone stopped and then the wire was put in a vice and a spring scale was hooked up and tension applied until the wire broke or the splice parted. The unfinished ones always failed. If I remember right, you had to have 6-8 wraps per side to be complete. Brought back old memories of the past.

[oldtrucker63]

And now its just 5:30 pm here so I'm finished eating so I'm going back out to see what else I can do, I'm sure I will find something Interesting to finish up the Day.:h

[skimask]

oldtrucker63 wrote:
Here is the best way to splice your wiring back together...

Going back to my earlier (like way back) talking about soldering, wiring, etc...
I can see you fingers...and your fingers are dirty. Combine the oils from your fingers (plus whatever else might be on them!!!) with the copper wires, and you'll surely have problems with those connections in the future, even if it's wayyy off in the future. It's especially true with low voltage wiring (something about the higher voltages having an ionizing effects on the oils or something, don't quite understand it myself), in other words, 12v wiring will have problems sooner than 120v wiring.
Anywhos...easy way to avoid the problem is to brush the wire off with some isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) after you're done handling it before you tape it up for good. Cheap insurance against future failure.
JDG

[oldtrucker63]

Here shows the Liquid tape, Top Left of Photo.

[oldtrucker63]

Here is the best way to splice your wiring back together, Just hold the two wires in an X shape and twist one to the right and the other to the left, This will be as strong of a splice that you can get and a lot better that any other wire Connectors you can buy, I then applied Liquid tape and will then tape over this with regular black tape.

[oldtrucker63]

Its been raining here for the last 3 days now so work is slow, I ran some of the wiring today.

[oldtrucker63]

I added some fiberglass to the tail light box to reinforce them, I still have to sand them down a bit.

[oldtrucker63]

Some of my new parts came today.

[oldtrucker63]

sundancer268 wrote:

oldtrucker63 wrote:

sundancer268 wrote:
Have you checked at a Marina, A lot of boats use a universal sending unit in which the float arm is two piece and you just set it to the length you need. Most sending units have pretty much the same mounting pattern, at least IHC, and Plymouth were interchangeable. Used a 73 Plymouth system in my 75 Scout II because the Plymouth had a low fuel warning light. In other words, you should not have to look at just Dodge for parts. You will just not be able to use a parts book. good luck and nice work.

Easy to find this type of sending units, But I don't really want to cut a 2ed hole in the tank.

You would not have to cut a new hole, just remount using the old mounting location. If it will not fit the old mounting location, move on to plan "B".

The old mounting location would have to be the old sending unit, Because the kind of sender this is ONLY tells how much gas is in a tank, They don't have the fuel line hook up to draw gas They just read the amount of liquid in a tank.:h

[sundancer268]

oldtrucker63 wrote:

sundancer268 wrote:
Have you checked at a Marina, A lot of boats use a universal sending unit in which the float arm is two piece and you just set it to the length you need. Most sending units have pretty much the same mounting pattern, at least IHC, and Plymouth were interchangeable. Used a 73 Plymouth system in my 75 Scout II because the Plymouth had a low fuel warning light. In other words, you should not have to look at just Dodge for parts. You will just not be able to use a parts book. good luck and nice work.

Easy to find this type of sending units, But I don't really want to cut a 2ed hole in the tank.

You would not have to cut a new hole, just remount using the old mounting location. If it will not fit the old mounting location, move on to plan "B".

[oldtrucker63]

Also took the valves apart and cleaned them, And prime Painted the compressor, Fresh out of flat Black paint right now so a nice black coat later.

[oldtrucker63]

The compressor is now ready.

[oldtrucker63]

I got some of the gasket paper from the auto parts store alone with a tube of High Temp Red RTV Silicone Type 650, I then took the upper head and scan it with my Kodak printer/scaner.....LOL And then cut out the gasket and traced it to the head gasket paper.

[oldtrucker63]

Its been raining here most all day so I worked on the air compressor because I finished it in the kitchen, Just replaced the head gasket and honed the head, Everything else checked out good, Rings/Pistons/Air Valves in the uper head just needed a good cleaning.