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Total Rebuild of a 1979 Dodge Class C

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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 RVโ€™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.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's
3,483 REPLIES 3,483

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
John H wrote:
Yalp, Trucker this caused a question to come to mind. If within all of the automotive regulations out there, they can make a bucket seat slide back, and pass all of the crash regulations. Could a guy use this same seat slide mechanism & mounting, to mount SAFELY NOW, turned 90 degrees sideways to allow that driver seat to slide sideways enough to allow that driver seat to turn 180 degrees around. Also does those captain seats of yours recline, if they were made comfortable enough you would have a set of double purpose recliners, with just a little for thought a guy could create a collapse store able foot rest.
A seat mech. similar to the ones in front of your Dodge comes to mine, OR `````~~~~~years back and these would be hard to find, Chevrolet Monty Carlo had a bucket that slid back and pivoted out 90 degrees.
Yeah this would work, And mine will recline and when facing forward they recline way back almost laying completely down. I remember the old Monte carlo I would use them old seats too if I could fine a nice set of black one's That would be nice, I will see what I can come up with that will fix's this small problem.:h
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Spectramac wrote:
Wow, metal wheel wells! Mine were 3/4 plywood boxes!! :B
Yeah,....This one had 1/2 inch boxes built over the metal on the inside,....Here is taking the top lid off and found the yellow jackets nest. I will build the boxes back and fill them with spray in foam to help hold down any road noise.

Without Trucks,....America Stop's

John_H
Explorer
Explorer
Spectramac, any 1 year sheetmetal apprentist could fabricate a set of these. The top has a set length & width with ether a female snaplock, or pittsburg locking joint edge/s. With a givin radious roll design on the sides, they are cut to this with a single male edge along the length. The top would be placed into a set of rollers to match the curve of the sides, then the three snap together. A gutter seal (paste) to double insure the joint seal.
John H

John_H
Explorer
Explorer
Yalp, Trucker this caused a question to come to mind. If within all of the automotive regulations out there, they can make a bucket seat slide back, and pass all of the crash regulations. Could a guy use this same seat slide mechanism & mounting, to mount SAFELY NOW, turned 90 degrees sideways to allow that driver seat to slide sideways enough to allow that driver seat to turn 180 degrees around. Also does those captain seats of yours recline, if they were made comfortable enough you would have a set of double purpose recliners, with just a little for thought a guy could create a collapse store able foot rest.
A seat mech. similar to the ones in front of your Dodge comes to mine, OR `````~~~~~years back and these would be hard to find, Chevrolet Monty Carlo had a bucket that slid back and pivoted out 90 degrees.
John H

Spectramac
Explorer
Explorer
Wow, metal wheel wells! Mine were 3/4 plywood boxes!! :B
Malcolm

oldtrucker63
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Explorer
???
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Now this here is the front row seating, To watch a old man hard at work....LOL:B


Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Driver side will be ready for last piece of flooring,....After I find a fuel sending unit and get the gas tank put back in.

Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
The Old and New wood.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
You sure can tell the fender well that came off of the driver side Hu!..
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
The seats thats in this RV has arm rest on both sides (Right and Left Each seat) And the driver seat will not turn all the way around because the arm rest hits the drivers door and the back of the seat hits the steering wheel, The passenger seat turns a 180 to face the rear just fine
I think the seats should be a bit smaller anyway.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

lzasitko
Explorer
Explorer
coloradohoosier wrote:
oldtrucker63 wrote:
LOL Yeah I think so too, But you will take that back after you see them redone in black,.....:C


I'm not sure what it will cost to redo those, but I recently bought two leather captain chairs out of a late '90's conversion van at a pull it yourself junkyard. $25 each! They're really nice too, and updated my mid '80's Class C. You might want to check some junkyards before paying much at an upholstery shop ---- or even craigslist; lately a lot of people are taking all the rear seats out of conversion vans to use tham as work vans in the trades.


Yes it is amazing what you can find in a junk yard. I have bought cloth Recaro seats for I think $15 7-8 years ago. Recaro made seats for the Ford Mustang for a while (headrests were a solid ring with the center portion a kind of cord so it was see through). I bought a couple of the same ones but power for $25. Recaro also made seats that were used in Chrysler's, we bought a couple of nice grey cloth (full power w height and lumbar) and a year later we found two full power but grey leather.

When we bought our MH the first real drive was the run from Calgary to Regina or around 750 kms (460 Miles) in one go and found out in a hurry that the seats that were in it (original seats were out of a van) were really poor. Prior to that I had put Recaro's from a Mustang in out Aerostar and I had driven in one go from North Bay Ontario to Winnipeg and that was about a 14 hr drive with only a couple short stops. Since I changed the drivers seat with the same seats in the MH I can drive all day and still feel good at the end. I have another for the passenger seat but the wife needs something with arms (she is handicapped so needs the upper body support) so she still has the original seat that had arm rests. I had to make brackets for the seats as the original holes did not match the swivel bases in the MH but that was pretty easy to do.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Teacher's Pet wrote:
TreeSeeker wrote:
Fuels sending unit...

Have you tried RockAuto? They have a lot of parts for older vehicles.


I mentioned Rock Auto about three weeks ago for the fuel sender, with a possible link.
I looked just for the 1979 with no luck, they may have something else that I can use maybe a different year, I'm going to check a few junk yards first.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
coloradohoosier wrote:
oldtrucker63 wrote:
OK The rear flooring had to come back out to get the fender well in, The fender wells should be installed before the front floor also, Live and learn, A little more work but its installed now.


The floor was one of the things I might have been able to help with if I had seen your build early on. I read that the original floor was a double OSB panel with foam insulation sandwiched between ... also that it was a single sheet. I didn't read the section of your thread when the new floor went in, but maybe this will help for rebuilding it now.

On some post and beam type buildings with wide span rafters engineered panels made of OSB and styrafoam are used. They foam is cut to the same size as the OSB ply, but when they're glued together the plywood is set in about two inches from two sides of the styrafoam. The panels then fit together tongue and groove for strength, and to make it more water tight.

I think you mentioned something early about a black tar like substance painted on too. I built a flatbed for a PU years ago, using pressure treated lumber for the deck. I coated the bottom with Henry's roofing cement with a course brush and roller. It held up as long as I had the truck
I will check out the Henry's roofing cement that sounds real good.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
coloradohoosier wrote:
oldtrucker63 wrote:
LOL Yeah I think so too, But you will take that back after you see them redone in black,.....:C


I'm not sure what it will cost to redo those, but I recently bought two leather captain chairs out of a late '90's conversion van at a pull it yourself junkyard. $25 each! They're really nice too, and updated my mid '80's Class C. You might want to check some junkyards before paying much at an upholstery shop ---- or even craigslist; lately a lot of people are taking all the rear seats out of conversion vans to use tham as work vans in the trades.
Thanks I will look around and see what we can find, That sure would save a bunch there.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's