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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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

[4Eddielee]

OldTrucker, you might consider using a small portion of the rear window sometime to mount a backup camera on the inside, looking out. Paint the window with that in mind. Those cameras are great for making sure your tow'd is still attached or has a flat. Just a thought - with the walls still open, you can still do anything you want. Putting your bath in the rear is just like putting the kitchen back there - the bounce effect is greatest at the rear of the coach. Make sure everything back there can be well secured when you go down the road. Most rigs have the bath and kitchen over or in front of the rear tires for a reason.

[TyroneandGladys]

Trucker and Lady Trucker I swear we iz kin. Gladys thinks of somethin I draw it up she tells me what she likes and dislikes I redraw she again tells me if in needs any changes. I then go over the project in my head trying to thunk everything out as far as how I am going to do it and only when I have in my mind what I will do on each step do I start.

[tenbear]

Gene in NE wrote:

tenbear wrote:
What part do the roof vents play in taking the moisture out of the MH? We keep the roof vents open, with Max Air covers, and have no problem with moisture. Houses don't have these vents.

Maybe you do not have roof vents in your part of the country. Here in the midwest where humidity and condensation can be a problem, we have ridge vents, turtle vents, turbo vents, powered vents all as a choice on our houses. Ours has a whole house fan, about 8 turtle vents and 2 turbo vents.;)

As was said earlier, the house roof is a sealed membrane, the ceiling is not. The ridge vents allow the moisture to escape from below the sealed membrane. The same is true of the roof vents in the MH when the ceiling/roof is sealed. A Fantastic Fan, and to a lesser extent, the bathroom fan, do the same as a whole house fan.

Here in Vermont we also have ridge vents, etc.

[Gene_in_NE]

tenbear wrote:
What part do the roof vents play in taking the moisture out of the MH? We keep the roof vents open, with Max Air covers, and have no problem with moisture. Houses don't have these vents.

Maybe you do not have roof vents in your part of the country. Here in the midwest where humidity and condensation can be a problem, we have ridge vents, turtle vents, turbo vents, powered vents all as a choice on our houses. Ours has a whole house fan, about 8 turtle vents and 2 turbo vents.;)

[chinook440]

Lady Trucker wrote:
One thing I don't want is the bathroom up front where it was. So if it means partially closing off the back window then so be it. I'm happy with the results so far.
Happy Holidays everyone...peace and love ❤️

That right there is all that matters ....cause i,m sure we all know what happens when mama aint happy 😉

p.s. .... I love those construction jokes O.T.:B

[tenbear]

What part do the roof vents play in taking the moisture out of the MH? We keep the roof vents open, with Max Air covers, and have no problem with moisture. Houses don't have these vents.

[tboss]

drawings and blue prints are good for one thing and the outhouse comes to my mind when I hear the word,,I worked with drawings and blue prints all my life and never did I complete a project with out 20 or 30 revisions ,,most things are built from just plain old common sense and know how,,so I say go for it driver ,,you and your lovely wife have a vision and when its is completed it will be just what you expected it to be,,its your motorhome,,your material,,your labor so build like you want to,,,hope to see you on da big road someday my friend,,,,

[oldtrucker63]

imon32red wrote:
I like to do things myself, to a certain extent. Tackling a rebuild of a motorhome is beyond my comfort zone, so I would never attempt it. I login and follow your rebuild here about once a month.

The one thing that keeps coming to my mind over and over again is the fact that this will be better built than one that comes from the factory. You can also layout your motorhome any way that you want. I am kicking over some ideas to change the layout on my '86 Eldorado to be more functional for me.

Keep up the good work, and I really love each and every picture that you post.

Thank you....When you start on your layout I wish ya the best of luck with it, Its not as hard as some would think and if you run into anything that you are not sure of there is a bunch of people on this RV.net that has the know how so you would not be in the dark with something like that, You would not believe the help and ideals that I have had from all of the people on here its just a great place with great people.

[oldtrucker63]

lzasitko wrote:

oldtrucker63 wrote:

John H wrote:
Is the drawing above to scale ?

I'm not sure what you mean Is it Scale... The drawing itself is about 1/4 scale,...LOL But still not sure what the question is.:h

I think what he means is... is the walls in the correct positions relative to one another. When I draw house plans on paper for prelim I use paper that has a thin grid of lines every 1/4" and use that to lay out the floorplan, one grid may equal 1 square foot or 2 grid lines might equal 1 square foot. On the computer in my cadd program everything is drawn in real life scale ie 1:1 so you draw a rectangle for example 24x30 (or waterver the actual tub is) to represent your tub. On the computer you then print it to scale so when you measure it with a ruler on paper it is correct.

No there not, Sorry I'm not much on drawing with the Paint brush that is in this computer, That was just a rough drawing just to show how the window in the bath will be worked.

[oldtrucker63]

lzasitko wrote:

coloradohoosier wrote:
I'm not sure if you want it all air tight. One thing I haven't seen mentioned when talking about insulation and vapor barrier in houses is that ceilings always use non-faced insulation. You want excess moisture and humidity to exit the structure (this is also partly why attics are vented at the soffits and up high). Your roof ia already a sealed membrane, so you might be best off if you end your vabor barrier six or eight inches from the top of the walls, intentionally allowing a place for vapor to exit. I can't say for certain, but suggest you do more research before sealing it all too tight. I'd hate to see you end up with unwanted water condensation inside after you're all done.

YOU WANT IT AIR TIGHT!

When building a house or a motorhome your worst enemy is air movement or air infiltration. If you can stop air from coming in or going out it is easier to heat or cool. The plastic is a vapour barrier same as in any house and is must be placed on the warm side of the wall as this is where moisture will condense. Insulation does let some air movement (batt insulation) which will help keep things dry. The Roof or exterior of most structures are not air tight. Houses these days are wrapped in a fabric (like Tyvek) which allows moisture to escape, but resists water penetration from outside. Even metal siding is not completely air tight (you still have joints or overlaps).

I think your right, And Like coloradohoosier has said there needs to be air movement to allow moister humidity to exit the structure, In a house the attic is vented to allow this air movement, In this old dodge RV the outer metal siding allows this air movement, Only I believe the air inside of a RV should not be allow to reach the outer walls, The metal skin will let the air move to dry any condensation on the metals inter side and this should be the only place that condensation will gather as long as the air inside the RV is limited to inside the RV wall, The air inside the RV, AC or Heating should not reach the outer skin because this is what causes condensation, I believe a RV is a bit different than a house,

[Lady_Trucker]

oldtrucker63 wrote:

Mike and Paula wrote:

oldtrucker63 wrote:
Best I can get right now, Anyway With Cabinets over the sink/Stove and over the table and fridge, A door at the bathroom and a curtain at the bunk door. As far as the measurements I can't get this Paint to type letters so right now I guess that is out....LOL:W

My question is how you going to finish in the bath/shower around that big rear window?

That rear window will be blacked out, Nothing seen from the outside looking in, And the only place to see out from the inside will be in the head of the bunk beds and maybe a small area in the bath area, This is still heads up, (In the making) What ever way it go's It will look good from the inside and out.:C LOL I guess from looking at the layout it is hard to see what I see in the end, But as we go along then it will start to show.

Love the rough draft honey. 🙂

[Lady_Trucker]

Think that drawing was to just give the readers an ideal of what it will look like. Trust me he has had several ideals and measurements of what he could do with this bathroom area. One thing I don't want is the bathroom up front where it was. So if it means partially closing off the back window then so be it. I'm happy with the results so far. One thing with Oldtrucker is that he knows to measure twice and cut once. LOL Whatever the results is and will be better than factory.
Happy Holidays everyone...peace and love ❤️

[imon32red]

I like to do things myself, to a certain extent. Tackling a rebuild of a motorhome is beyond my comfort zone, so I would never attempt it. I login and follow your rebuild here about once a month.

The one thing that keeps coming to my mind over and over again is the fact that this will be better built than one that comes from the factory. You can also layout your motorhome any way that you want. I am kicking over some ideas to change the layout on my '86 Eldorado to be more functional for me.

Keep up the good work, and I really love each and every picture that you post.

[lzasitko]

coloradohoosier wrote:
I'm not sure if you want it all air tight. One thing I haven't seen mentioned when talking about insulation and vapor barrier in houses is that ceilings always use non-faced insulation. You want excess moisture and humidity to exit the structure (this is also partly why attics are vented at the soffits and up high). Your roof ia already a sealed membrane, so you might be best off if you end your vabor barrier six or eight inches from the top of the walls, intentionally allowing a place for vapor to exit. I can't say for certain, but suggest you do more research before sealing it all too tight. I'd hate to see you end up with unwanted water condensation inside after you're all done.

YOU WANT IT AIR TIGHT!

When building a house or a motorhome your worst enemy is air movement or air infiltration. If you can stop air from coming in or going out it is easier to heat or cool. The plastic is a vapour barrier same as in any house and is must be placed on the warm side of the wall as this is where moisture will condense. Insulation does let some air movement (batt insulation) which will help keep things dry. The Roof or exterior of most structures are not air tight. Houses these days are wrapped in a fabric (like Tyvek) which allows moisture to escape, but resists water penetration from outside. Even metal siding is not completely air tight (you still have joints or overlaps).

[lzasitko]

oldtrucker63 wrote:

John H wrote:
Is the drawing above to scale ?

I'm not sure what you mean Is it Scale... The drawing itself is about 1/4 scale,...LOL But still not sure what the question is.:h

I think what he means is... is the walls in the correct positions relative to one another. When I draw house plans on paper for prelim I use paper that has a thin grid of lines every 1/4" and use that to lay out the floorplan, one grid may equal 1 square foot or 2 grid lines might equal 1 square foot. On the computer in my cadd program everything is drawn in real life scale ie 1:1 so you draw a rectangle for example 24x30 (or waterver the actual tub is) to represent your tub. On the computer you then print it to scale so when you measure it with a ruler on paper it is correct.