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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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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
sundancer268 wrote:
Be careful you do not get to aggressive a fan that will require more horse power than the motor can deliver. The more air you move the more HP required. You would be best off getting the direct factory replacement. After all it lasted this long with out any prior problems.
OK That sounds right to me also, The fan that I looked at online looks to be the same fan and it also has the ring around the outer edge too, I never thought about the ring moving water when I cut it off of the old busted fan, I bet this is what made it come apart again.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
TreeSeeker wrote:
As someone pointed out you really need a special fan with a ring around the outside edges of the blades. This flings the condensed water from the tray up onto the cooling fins which helps cool it. This may be why your other fan wasn't keeping it cool enough.
That is right, And the old fan that I used super glue to put back together without the ring, I think the blades hit the water is what busted it into pieces.....LOL Although it did not break where the glue was applied it did bust into many pieces, I will get a fan with the ring.....Thanks for the info.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

sundancer268
Explorer
Explorer
Be careful you do not get to aggressive a fan that will require more horse power than the motor can deliver. The more air you move the more HP required. You would be best off getting the direct factory replacement. After all it lasted this long with out any prior problems.
U. S. Navy (RETIRED) 1993
1995 Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser 34' Diesel Pusher Cummins B5.9 12 Valve Engine, Allison MD-3060 6 Speed Transmission.
TOAD: 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Elite
Road Master Sterling All-Terrain, Airforce One

TreeSeeker
Explorer
Explorer
As someone pointed out you really need a special fan with a ring around the outside edges of the blades. This flings the condensed water from the tray up onto the cooling fins which helps cool it. This may be why your other fan wasn't keeping it cool enough.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
I got more wood today but by the time I got back home it was raining, Maybe get some work done this weekend,...We ordered Pizza and kinda camped in the back yard and had a blast, lots of fun, I did a "temp" fix for the overhead AC unit, I found a 12 inch Aluminum fan and drilled the center hole out to fit and then had to cut the blades down a bit so it would turn without hitting, I still need a fan but this works until I can order one, The old fan was not moving the air and would cause the unit to get hot and kick out, I will order a 10 inch fan and get one that will move the most CFM that I can find, This will fix the AC.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
The roof AC quit again, I'm not fooling with it, I will just buy a new roof unit so this will be next on the list, I can't work inside this thing without Air, Its way to hot.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
wareagle11949 wrote:
Time to get back to work trucker. ๐Ÿ™‚
Yes It sure is, But I have been picked to help out a good friend, So right now Been hauling coal on nights and have not had any time, But at least I'm finding some extra money to get back to work on, It should not be to much longer now, The old dodge that we have now Named Jolene is just about ready to go.:B
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

wareagle11949
Explorer
Explorer
Time to get back to work trucker. ๐Ÿ™‚

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
The cold start on my Marquis 5500, After cleaning out the spark Arrestor.

Watch.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Here is the Onan Maintinance PDF It has a lot of good info in it.

Onan PDF
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
I thought the Onan Marquis 5500 was running good:h I found a link on how to do the Maintenance, online for these onan generators and was reading about the Spark Arrestor and how it should be cleaned out, I did the clean out and now WOW I can not believe the difference this made, It now runs just as good as a new unit,:S........So one thing for sure follow the maintenance and do everything you should and these generators will run Top Notch. It ran good before but seemed to have a small miss in it, Like it had a vibration in it, Well after I took the plug out of the spark arrestor and let it run for 15 mins, It now runs perfect, No vibration now, Its perfect now...... Everyone probably already knows But the Spark Arrestor is a Plug that is screwed into the inside muffler under the units you just take this plug out and let it run for 15 minutes then put the plug back in, This one I have, A Marquis 5500 It has only one plug some units has two plugs, But this thing really needs to be cleaned out every so often.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks Dan, I will keep it going and like you said Keep doing the little things one at a time until it all comes together, We are shooting for the end of July, It might be after that, But that is ok as long as we get everything done right and all that we want.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

Dan86300zxt
Explorer
Explorer
oldtrucker63 wrote:
I believe the small things to do is more than the total job of the rebuild.


DING DING DING!!!!!!!!

Yup..Correct!

*The small details list always ends up being a few pages long when restoring such a vehicle and the funniest part about the list, is that it ALWAYS gets a whole bunch of more items added to it as you go along. The hardest part about the small details is if you skip over too many of them, they will come back to get you later on.

^^My advise is simple:
Make a game plan that works with your Budget so that you are basically able to keep working and completing tasks until you are able to afford the other things needed to make the job complete.
(By doing this, I basically have been able to work almost non-stop and get alot...I mean ALOT... done in a very short time on a very small budget)
-Try to avoid getting side tracked with upgrading or changing beyond what is realistic for your scenario. We all have "ideas" of what would be great to have, but is the idea realistic for you and affordable with everything else you have going on.....


**I very much can relate to the "small details list" because I have basically done exactly what you have...with-out removing all of the frame work. My structure was savable and not a lost cause. There are sooo many little things that get their own attention and gobble up money...I know.

***Whatever you do, don't stop and keep moving forward day by day with small tasks and keep the Motorhome restoration fund going.

Dan;)

wareagle11949
Explorer
Explorer
You have certainly come a long way and done a lot of work. It will be a source of pride forever when you get through.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Just looking back, This was not long ago, I have been working on this 1 1/2 years so far.





Without Trucks,....America Stop's