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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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

[skimask]

falconbrother wrote:
Just make sure you get one with sufficient fuel flow capacity.

You would think that would be a problem. I certainly would. I picked up the cheapest electric pump I could find, initially thinking it would be a temporary testing type thing until I could find a high capacity pump. But... I put the pump in the front of the chassis, up by the seats, the tanks are in back. The pump had to pull thru the selector valve, all that plumbing, suck from the tanks and push up to the carb thru dual filters.
I went out looking for the biggest, longest hill I could find here in North Dakota (not known for it's hills ya know eh!! 🙂 ), and basically tried to empty out the float bowl going up the hill, full throttle, low speed, etc...really beating on the engine trying to suck as much gas as I could. I didn't lose power.
Maybe I got a pump on the high end of the tolerance, maybe you had a restriction somewhere or had a seriously cheap pump. Who knows. Good thoughts to think about at any rate...

[skimask]

TreeSeeker wrote:
I assume that the oil pressure switch is to cut off the fuel in case of an accident (instead of an inertia switch)? I am also guessing that you need a manual override to get the engine started since there is no oil pressure before the engine starts? So you turn on the manual override until the engine is started, then turn it off? If so, that does seem prone to accidentally leaving it on.

Inquiring minds want to know...

Yes and no...
Unless the fuel in the carb has evaporated or something, there's usually enough fuel in the float bowl in the carb to fire the engine and let it run long enough until the fuel pump kinda tops it off real quick after firing.
I've got my "override" switch mounted right next to the key with it placed so I flip it downwards to turn the pump on. That way when I turn the key, I can kinda flip my pinkie finger out and flip the switch off when I release the key from the start position. I kinda make it a habit now. I can see a day when I accidentally leave the pump running on the switch and kill the battery after leaving it on overnight, but the pump itself makes a little bit of noise that can be heard with the engine off.
But, yes, overall, the oil pressure switch is also a simple cutoff switch for when the engine dies. A friend of mine who is a local firefighter was telling me awhile back that in a lot of accidents with older vehicles, the engine is still running when they arrive on the scene, sometimes transmission still in gear, wheels still spinning...

[sundancer268]

Best thing to do is totally bypass the old mechanical fuel pump. What I did on my Scout II was to mount the electric fuel pump near the gas tank and send power to it from a three position toggle switch. One position was spring loaded and I used it for priming the engine. The center position was off and being unlabeled, a thief could only drive as far as a carb full of gas would allow. He would then have to know that there was an electric fuel pump and then find the switch among all of the others in the cab. The third position was run and ran through an oil pressure switch in case of an accident. It worked an when an idiot thought he knew how to drive in snow with his 4 wheel drive hit the lady in front of him and spun out in to my lane. He forgot that 4 wheel brakes were invented long before he was born. Anyway, the accident broke the oil filter off and dumped my oil; the engine quit and would not restart. My wife who was in the passenger seat said I was bound and determined to start the truck and pull off the highway. I do not remember anything for 14 hours of that day. Anyway when I got to look at the wrecked explorer and my scout I drove the Scout into the barn after fixing the oil filter. The explored was never going to move under its own power again.

[14yuTrk]

About fuel pump, I would first get a new mechanical pump as a leak internally could flood the crankcase and do much damage. I have electric pumps on each tank in addition to mechanical one, My grandson playing radio had ignition on and also turned on rear elec. pump which filled the crankcase so when I tried to start it it sounded like maybe the timing chain had slipped. I would start and run for a few seconds then stop. I messed with timing, changed distributors and in the process broke three starter cases at which point I pulled the timing chain and although it wasn't warn I replaced it. Also found the front seal around the V. damper was cracked open, the rubber part, That led me to believe the problem was old but the ecectric pumps, I only use before starting or climbing steep long hills which might cause vapor lock, the overfilled oil wasn't obvious but did rupture the front seal that allowed eccess to leak out until the time my grandson had it filled and thinned with fuel so it didn't run.
After new timing chain, front seal and replaced mechanical, I still use elec. pump the same way but no more problems.
Mickey

[falconbrother]

Just make sure you get one with sufficient fuel flow capacity. I put one on a 1981 Toyota Landcruizer. I ran fine till you revved the engine too high under load. Then it would run the float bowl dry and starve for fuel. You would have to coast for a few seconds till the pump and float bowl caught up. The engine never shut down it just wouldn't do anything but basically stumble and idle till the pump caught up. It may be important to note that a 1981 FJ-60 landcruizer is a gas hog. The pump I bought was probably more intended for a Volkswagen or something.

[oldtrucker63]

ALnCORY wrote:
Yeah trucker, that is a different problem than I have. Like others have stated, mine stays primed for a couple of days at least... Electric pump is probably the way to go.

Yes I do believe a electric fuel pump will solve my problem for sure and also take just a bit of work off of the cam shaft too.:h

[oldtrucker63]

TreeSeeker wrote:

Skimask wrote:
I added an oil pressure switch as well as a manual power switch to control power to it. Just a regular ol' 5-7psi $30 fuel pump.

I assume that the oil pressure switch is to cut off the fuel in case of an accident (instead of an inertia switch)? I am also guessing that you need a manual override to get the engine started since there is no oil pressure before the engine starts? So you turn on the manual override until the engine is started, then turn it off? If so, that does seem prone to accidentally leaving it on.

Inquiring minds want to know...

I will supply power to the fuel pump by the key switch, And a Toggle switch also, Just because I have some extra lighted toggle's and with one more lighted up will just look good.

[ALnCORY]

Yeah trucker, that is a different problem than I have. Like others have stated, mine stays primed for a couple of days at least... Electric pump is probably the way to go.

[TreeSeeker]

Skimask wrote:
I added an oil pressure switch as well as a manual power switch to control power to it. Just a regular ol' 5-7psi $30 fuel pump.

I assume that the oil pressure switch is to cut off the fuel in case of an accident (instead of an inertia switch)? I am also guessing that you need a manual override to get the engine started since there is no oil pressure before the engine starts? So you turn on the manual override until the engine is started, then turn it off? If so, that does seem prone to accidentally leaving it on.

Inquiring minds want to know...

[oldtrucker63]

lzasitko wrote:
Our MH came with an electric fuel pump, but was thinking that it got done when they first converted it to run on either propane or gas. Has worked good and you can hear it pretty good when you first turn the key and you can also here the tone of it change when pressure in the carb is up. Once started you don't even notice the pump any more. They mounted ours between the two tanks on the underside of the floor. They also had fuel 3 filters. One in the carb itself (a small metal mesh), there was also another aftermarket replaceable filter beside the engine. Last year coming back through the mountains I had some issues going up long steep grades, get part or most of the way up and it would start kicking and bucking a bit. If I slowed down it would smooth out so we limped back to Calgary that way. No problem when it was flat or downhill. Talked to a number of people and they all thought coil or ignition module so in the end I replaced them. Left Calgary to go to Red Deer and then back to Three Hills and just getting to Red Deer it jerked a couple of times. After that it was fine. Got to my cousin's place outside Three Hills and next day we got it into his shop. He has a farm and in one building has a pit that is about 30' long so we could get under it. He was sure that it was a fuel filter problem. Anyways we found another filter that was mounted up above the fuel filler necks for the dual tanks so very hard to get to and see. Changed it and no other problems getting home (another 450 miles or so)

That is one thing I like about the electric pumps, You can hear it until it build's up to operating pressure. Thanks again.

[oldtrucker63]

skimask wrote:
Your fuel pump thinking is almost dead on. A leak in the diaphragm will usually dump into the crankcase and wash out the oil. A rotten 'poppet valve' (or whatever they call that thing in mechanical pumps that kinda acts like a float needle) would allow fuel to be drawn back into the tank assuming the tank was fairly close. Next time it happens, I'd pop the air cleaner and have a look down the throttle bores and see if it looks wet.
(after-thought...I never smelled gas either but I think that's because after the fuel dumps into the intake, the smell kinda stays there because the throttle plates are closed)
I think the electric fuel pump option is the best idea. I mounted mine up near the front/rear tank selector knob, which is basically under the seats and ran the carb fuel line up the back of the tranny to the carb, totally bypassing those fuel lines that run between the block and the exhaust manifolds which seems to me like they'd soak up a LOT of heat while idling in traffic or driving slowly. I added an oil pressure switch as well as a manual power switch to control power to it. Just a regular ol' 5-7psi $30 fuel pump.
My thinking is that is almost TOTALLY eliminates the possibility of vapor lock and is one less mechanical thing to fail. I can hit the switch and make sure my carb is full before even hitting the key.

Thanks you for the info, I'm going to just go with an electric fuel pump, Your right it seem's to be the best way to go.

[lzasitko]

Our MH came with an electric fuel pump, but was thinking that it got done when they first converted it to run on either propane or gas. Has worked good and you can hear it pretty good when you first turn the key and you can also here the tone of it change when pressure in the carb is up. Once started you don't even notice the pump any more. They mounted ours between the two tanks on the underside of the floor. They also had fuel 3 filters. One in the carb itself (a small metal mesh), there was also another aftermarket replaceable filter beside the engine. Last year coming back through the mountains I had some issues going up long steep grades, get part or most of the way up and it would start kicking and bucking a bit. If I slowed down it would smooth out so we limped back to Calgary that way. No problem when it was flat or downhill. Talked to a number of people and they all thought coil or ignition module so in the end I replaced them. Left Calgary to go to Red Deer and then back to Three Hills and just getting to Red Deer it jerked a couple of times. After that it was fine. Got to my cousin's place outside Three Hills and next day we got it into his shop. He has a farm and in one building has a pit that is about 30' long so we could get under it. He was sure that it was a fuel filter problem. Anyways we found another filter that was mounted up above the fuel filler necks for the dual tanks so very hard to get to and see. Changed it and no other problems getting home (another 450 miles or so)

[skimask]

Your fuel pump thinking is almost dead on. A leak in the diaphragm will usually dump into the crankcase and wash out the oil. A rotten 'poppet valve' (or whatever they call that thing in mechanical pumps that kinda acts like a float needle) would allow fuel to be drawn back into the tank assuming the tank was fairly close. Next time it happens, I'd pop the air cleaner and have a look down the throttle bores and see if it looks wet.
(after-thought...I never smelled gas either but I think that's because after the fuel dumps into the intake, the smell kinda stays there because the throttle plates are closed)
I think the electric fuel pump option is the best idea. I mounted mine up near the front/rear tank selector knob, which is basically under the seats and ran the carb fuel line up the back of the tranny to the carb, totally bypassing those fuel lines that run between the block and the exhaust manifolds which seems to me like they'd soak up a LOT of heat while idling in traffic or driving slowly. I added an oil pressure switch as well as a manual power switch to control power to it. Just a regular ol' 5-7psi $30 fuel pump.
My thinking is that is almost TOTALLY eliminates the possibility of vapor lock and is one less mechanical thing to fail. I can hit the switch and make sure my carb is full before even hitting the key.

[oldtrucker63]

TreeSeeker wrote:
I have had both problems. I had to have the carb rebuilt twice due to the plastic part leaking. You could really smell the gas that leaked.

And it is very hard to get started after sitting for a week or so. After you get it started, then it will restart right away the next time or even a few days later.

Whatever the cause, it appears to be a design issue as we all seem to have it.

Mine has no leaks and I have never smelled gas, Even with the dog house pulled and still never any smell of gas.:h

[oldtrucker63]

ALnCORY wrote:
trucker,
my old 360 requires alot of pumping to get fuel up if it has sat more than a couple of days. It is still the old mechanical fuel pump. I didn't catch if yours drained out right away or is like mine... ok for a few days but then needs pumping.

Mine is ok for maybe an hour, After starting I can shut it off wait 5 mins and it will start before a half turn of the engine let it sit for a hour and it will fire at first because there is gas inside the pump that is in the carb, Just enough for one squirt of gas and then the bowl and gas line is empty and it will have to crank until the gas is pumped back up from the tank.