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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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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
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oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
When installing the Manifold Studs on the big block make sure to use some pipe tape or something to seal where the studs go into the water Ports.


Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Installing the Exhaust Manifold studs.

Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
skimask wrote:
oldtrucker63 wrote:
Do they make a wall thermostat that will handle that voltage.??? I will check it with my meter to see what kind of Voltage/amps go through it.

The thermostat wiring will be the full ~120VAC/high-current. But I was thinking more in terms of mounting one of the thermostats like the one in your A/C in a box and mounting THAT on the wall. It won't be calibrated just like it isn't cal'd now (i.e. won't be marked in degrees and such), but it should work.
If you're thinking more along the lines of like what your house has, that'll take a bit more work (i.e. standard thermostat, 24v power supply, a relay, etc.etc.etc) but I think it could be done without much problem. Just gotta round up the pieces/parts.
10/4 Thanks I will check and find out just what I will need, I would like to have it like the house thermostat or say like the one for the furnace that is on the wall.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
oldtrucker63 wrote:
Do they make a wall thermostat that will handle that voltage.??? I will check it with my meter to see what kind of Voltage/amps go through it.

The thermostat wiring will be the full ~120VAC/high-current. But I was thinking more in terms of mounting one of the thermostats like the one in your A/C in a box and mounting THAT on the wall. It won't be calibrated just like it isn't cal'd now (i.e. won't be marked in degrees and such), but it should work.
If you're thinking more along the lines of like what your house has, that'll take a bit more work (i.e. standard thermostat, 24v power supply, a relay, etc.etc.etc) but I think it could be done without much problem. Just gotta round up the pieces/parts.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
I'm taking the Exhaust Manifolds to the Muffler shop and let the guy look at them, If he says he can run Exhaust with them there staying.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Do they make a wall thermostat that will handle that voltage.??? I will check it with my meter to see what kind of Voltage/amps go through it.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
tboss wrote:
driver if there is a diff. in the wire size pls be careful.. they are two diff. beast.
one carries 110v and the other carries milivolts..one starts a fan motor and compreser and the other simply sets a relay...

That's what I was thinking. If it's like mine, and I'm almost positive it is, the thermostat in question actually carries the current that starts the motor, rather than just kicking a relay. Lots of volts and a few amps.
Might tend to launch a guy from one end of the rig to the other...

tboss
Explorer
Explorer
driver if there is a diff. in the wire size pls be careful.. they are two diff. beast.
one carries 110v and the other carries milivolts..one starts a fan motor and compreser and the other simply sets a relay...

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
LOL Cool, I think I will give the wall mounted thermostat a try, Heck we'll see what happens
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
I pretty sure a standard furnace type thermostat wouldn't work, but I don't see why mounting a replacement A/C type thermostat "over there" and running some extra wire to it wouldn't work.
But...
( / captain buzzkill on )

If yours is set up like mine, the thermostat at the A/C unit doesn't really measure output air, it's catching the air that's being recirculated back in to the unit and regulates temperature on that, not necessarily the air "over there" in the cabin. In a furnace, it doesn't really matter (well, it does, but that's beside the point). In A/C setups like ours, kinda centralized like they are, the air has a better chance of being recirculated (even though it's being ducted away from the A/C outlet). The air coming back in to the unit could be a lot colder than the air "over there", and at the same time have a better chance of freezing it up. Then you gotta wait for X hours for the thing to thaw out...while you cook eggs in the cab-over.

( / captain buzzkill off )

( / mister optimist on )

But, hey, why not give it a shot. Nothing to lose.

Maybe get all crafty and mount 2 thermostat's, one on the unit, one "over there" and a switch on the unit that changes between the two thermostats.

( / mister optimist off )

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
skimask wrote:
That's what I was thinking it was. It's a relatively common, standard, thermostat for A/C units.
dime-to-a-dollar says if you find an old broken house A/C unit laying around somewhere, or any other A/C unit for that matter, you'll find a switch just like it.
I'm thinking in terms that if the wire got hot enough to melt itself off, I'm wondering what kind of damage it may have done to the actual temperature sensing element inside the thermostat and whether or not it'll fail in the future.
I would think it would fail, I'm now looking for a replacement for this, And I had in mind of trying to run a wire to a wall mounted thermostat, I think this will work.??:h
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
That's what I was thinking it was. It's a relatively common, standard, thermostat for A/C units.
dime-to-a-dollar says if you find an old broken house A/C unit laying around somewhere, or any other A/C unit for that matter, you'll find a switch just like it.
I'm thinking in terms that if the wire got hot enough to melt itself off, I'm wondering what kind of damage it may have done to the actual temperature sensing element inside the thermostat and whether or not it'll fail in the future.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
If there is no rain tomorrow I will empty everything out of the RV and give the inside a good cleaning, It is just to hard to work with it full of everything in the world.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Here is the AC unit control box, The fan/AC on off switch and the Thermostat switch is housed in this box, You can see where one of the wires got hot on the Thermostat switch, I believe what caused this is back when the fan motor froze up and caused it to get hot, Over time the wire broke off, Should be a easy fix.





Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
The drain for the bathtub and the sink.





Without Trucks,....America Stop's