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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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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
falconbrother wrote:
Man, you need to get some headers on that sucker and hit the road.
O-Reilly's should be calling me Monday, I talked to them Saturday and they are calling the factory Monday to find a set, After they talk to the factory then we can order, Looking for the Shorty type headers, I hope they call with good news, I really need these headers, I'm sitting here with Cash on hand ready to order.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
chinook440 wrote:
A/C & TV ready = sounds like it,s time to go on a little trip to me . Through some bean bags or pads down, pack a cooler and enjoy some time off . ,it,ll give ya some new found energy /enthusiasam to get the rest of the project done!

People who like to tinker and build things for them selves are never truly done so might as well enjoy it as much as possible along the way.

Just my opinion of course as i love to tinker and build things:B
That is just what I have in mind, Just as soon as I get the headers put on and mount the generator, The rear bumper is cut off now, I just have to extend it weld it up and mount the generator, Once the headers and exhaust is finished we are going If we have to sleep on the floor in sleeping bags, Yeah still great fun.



Without Trucks,....America Stop's

falconbrother
Explorer II
Explorer II
Man, you need to get some headers on that sucker and hit the road.

chinook440
Explorer
Explorer
A/C & TV ready = sounds like it,s time to go on a little trip to me . Through some bean bags or pads down, pack a cooler and enjoy some time off . ,it,ll give ya some new found energy /enthusiasam to get the rest of the project done!

People who like to tinker and build things for them selves are never truly done so might as well enjoy it as much as possible along the way.

Just my opinion of course as i love to tinker and build things:B

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
I let the generator run about 6 hours today with the roof AC lights and the TV playing, Everything seem fine. also been sanding a little.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
oldtrucker63 wrote:
What ever happen to real parts men, Someone with the info in there head, These day's if it's not on the computer screen it just will not work.:S

I got lucky in that department. The local NAPA has 2 older guys that know how to run the computer AND how to look up parts in books. And it seems like the local CarQuest almost trains the "kids" how to look up stuff in books before they go to the computer...except for the popular stuff anyways...stuff that they absolutely KNOW will be in the computer. After all, no sense in wasting time...
I've been keeping my eyes out for a set of headers to fit my rig also. The one's I've seen on eBay or at the Doug H (forget what it is) site seem to cost like $900. I'll stick with the stock manifolds now that I've got them welded up and properly supported...which I think is the key to keeping the cracks from starting in the first place. If I unbolt the exhaust from the manifolds, I have to also loosen up the front hangers that I had added to the exhaust pipes. If I don't loosen the hangers, the exhaust stays up against the manifold flanges nicely. In other words, the manifolds aren't supporting any of the weight of the exhaust pipes.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
I'm going to get some sanding done today, Because it is so hot I will be sanding inside the house until the evening time, I must finish this inside house painting, I'm using plaster on the drywall and then sanding it down to get the very smooth finish, Then when the Sun go's down I will go out and sand some on the RV and just maybe I can get some painting done on the RV, Been so busy and I have not been able to get any work done on the RV, All I need to order is a black water tank and A water heater, And three roof vent's with fan's All there is left to do is paint and build a cabinet for the sink and stove, And run some pluming for water and LP gas, build the dinette table and seats, So I would say this thing is about 85% finished, And it's not hard to complete, It is getting the time (When it's not so damm hot) to work on it, But its just about there, And we will get to camp some this fall for sure, OH YEAH....:S The Headers I still have to find a set to fit
It is hard to find any parts person that knows anything that is not on there damm computer screen, What ever happen to real parts men, Someone with the info in there head, These day's if it's not on the computer screen it just will not work.:S
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Dan86300zxt wrote:
oldtrucker63 wrote:
Thanks for all of the tip's, I will take the mechanical fuel pump off from the motor block and just get a pump cover plate to cover the opening, And I will be bolting the electric fuel pump at the tank or as close as I can get to it, I'm still thinking:h about how the hot wire will feed the pump but maybe from the key switch and a toggle switch or the oil pressure switch. :B


Scroll Down to the wiring section...
Carter A68301 Oil Pressure Switch for Universal Fuel Pumps

Carter A68301
The links are not working,.???:h
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
I do believe I will buy a plate and just take the old pump off and use the plate, As long as it is sealed it will never give any problem at all.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
14yuTrk wrote:
Leaving the old pump in place works and as long as you bypass it there is no danger of gas getting in oil but if you use the existing lines through the old pump then a internal leak could contaminate the oil.

Nope, bypass those lines completely. Just pretend the mechanical pump doesn't even exist. The guy that designed the routing of those fuel lines, back in the day, right between the block and the exhaust manifold, must have never lived where it gets hot or quite possibly never drove a heavy vehicle of any sort.
Just a plain ol' bad idea overall...

14yuTrk
Explorer
Explorer
oldtrucker63 wrote:
You have a good point there, It sounds like yours is wired like one should be, I could go the same rout, It is always good to stop problems before they start,....I like it.


Leaving the old pump in place works and as long as you bypass it there is no danger of gas getting in oil but if you use the existing lines through the old pump then a internal leak could contaminate the oil.
It is better to remain silent... and be thought a fool... than open one's mouth... and remove all doubt

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
You have a good point there, It sounds like yours is wired like one should be, I could go the same rout, It is always good to stop problems before they start,....I like it.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
oldtrucker63 wrote:
Thanks for all of the tip's, I will take the mechanical fuel pump off from the motor block and just get a pump cover plate to cover the opening, And I will be bolting the electric fuel pump at the tank or as close as I can get to it, I'm still thinking:h about how the hot wire will feed the pump but maybe from the key switch and a toggle switch or the oil pressure switch. :B

I just left the old mechanical pump in place. I figured since it ain't leaking oil now, it won't leak oil if I don't mess with it ๐Ÿ™‚
Those fuel pumps like to push better than they like to pull, so close to the tank is optimal, however, like I said, mine is mounted up front and doesn't have any problems even on empty-ish tanks.
Wiring - fused hot wire, split in two, one wire goes to switch then to pump, other wire goes thru oil pressure switch then to pump. I added an "aux" fuse block below the original fuse block just for stuff like this. The ground for my pump was the pump case itself, but I ran an extra wire from the pump's mounting bolt up to the engine block anyways. I didn't run my hot wire thru the key...because...well, key switches fail and that's just one more thing to hot-wire in case that does actually happen.

Dan86300zxt
Explorer
Explorer
oldtrucker63 wrote:
Thanks for all of the tip's, I will take the mechanical fuel pump off from the motor block and just get a pump cover plate to cover the opening, And I will be bolting the electric fuel pump at the tank or as close as I can get to it, I'm still thinking:h about how the hot wire will feed the pump but maybe from the key switch and a toggle switch or the oil pressure switch. :B


Scroll Down to the wiring section...
Carter A68301 Oil Pressure Switch for Universal Fuel Pumps

Carter A68301

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for all of the tip's, I will take the mechanical fuel pump off from the motor block and just get a pump cover plate to cover the opening, And I will be bolting the electric fuel pump at the tank or as close as I can get to it, I'm still thinking:h about how the hot wire will feed the pump but maybe from the key switch and a toggle switch or the oil pressure switch. :B
Without Trucks,....America Stop's