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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A new RV can be very expensive and if you already own an outdated RV then you should just consider a complete RV remodel which can be a significant amount of money cheaper than the cost of a brand new model.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
skimask wrote:
BTW - Damn nice looking motor!
How many hours did you spend in there with the toothbrush/toothpicks/dental-tools/various cleaning fluids and stuff anyways?
Just two cans of Oven cleaner and pure water, Its just about there.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
BTW - Damn nice looking motor!
How many hours did you spend in there with the toothbrush/toothpicks/dental-tools/various cleaning fluids and stuff anyways?

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Guy's the new one is for the passenger side and is smaller than the one that came off from that side, The old one here in the photo is for the driver side, I don't have a photo of the old one that came off the passenger side, I gave it to some kids that wanted to take it to the scrap yard so it is gone forever, Anyway the old passenger side was a Truck manifold and the new is for a car, All of this will work well It just takes a small adjustment to the crossover pipe where it bolts to the collector.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
chinook440 wrote:
I used to run those same manifolds on my 67 charger for a while.

You need to cut the flare off your exhaust pipe and then weld a flat flange to the exhaust pipe that matches the outlet on the manifold with a gasket in between the 2 .
If you have a local shop who does custom exhaust they should have the matching flanges and gaskets.
That is what I was thinking, Thanks man, I plan on using the old one on the drivers side so I just have to cut the passenger side flange and weld the flat one to the crossover pipe,....Thanks for the Info buddy.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
tboss wrote:
hey driver it looks like to me that there is more manifold above the hole pattern in the new one than in the old one ,,,will that make the vlv cover get to hot.. I cld be wrong ..

I was thinking the same thing, that and will the doghouse still fit in there without the manifold rubbing up against it...

tboss
Explorer
Explorer
hey driver it looks like to me that there is more manifold above the hole pattern in the new one than in the old one ,,,will that make the vlv cover get to hot.. I cld be wrong .. and Im sure they make an addaptor that will work if you shorten the exaust pipe a smidge...

chinook440
Explorer
Explorer
I used to run those same manifolds on my 67 charger for a while.

You need to cut the flare off your exhaust pipe and then weld a flat flange to the exhaust pipe that matches the outlet on the manifold with a gasket in between the 2 .
If you have a local shop who does custom exhaust they should have the matching flanges and gaskets.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Photo from the passenger side, That Transmission tube will get painted black also.

Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
Here is a Before and After of the Engine, I think the work has paid off great.






The plug wires is not routed like they will be at the ending.
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
OK I have a problem, Here is the new Exhaust Manifold and the old one
You can see the Doughnut like hump on the drivers side Old manifold and the New Manifold is smooth, OK How would this smooth part hook to a Exhaust pipe,.??? Anyone know or better than that Anyone have any Photos of one of the old Mid 1970 440 cars.??? I can Modify the Exhaust pipe to whatever it will take.



Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
OH Yeah This Exhaust Manifold is for the A body cars of the 70's
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
If I try it on the drivers side I will get a photo of it although I don't think the collector will go in there being it would be to the front of the motor when put to the driver side, and would need to exit to the rear, , The collectors on this type is not the same as the truck style, I will have to get the other piece that sits between the collector and the Exhaust, And the Exhause will have to be modified to fit, I don't know sounds like just as easy to just put the headers on, We'll see where this one go's.:h
Without Trucks,....America Stop's

chinook440
Explorer
Explorer
Lookin good trucker !

Your cat looks like quite a character :B

That manifold is like the ones they used on the passenger side of the musclecar era B body car chassis Magnum / commando engines .

I know you bought that manifold for the passenger side and it looks like it will fit good there, but I ,m curious how that manifold would fit on the drivers side of the engine in the van chassis ?

Reason i,m asking is because if you have to buy another new one for the driver side, the manifolds year one sells are repo s of the musclecar chassis manifolds and the drivers side is a totally different layout than the passenger side one you have there and i dont think the drivers side manifold made for the muscle car chassis will work on the Drivers side in the van chassis because the outlet on that side is angled out towards the side and swoops up kinda high and sticks out quite a bit to clear the steering box in the car chassis.

if by chance you try the one you have on the drivers side. i,d like to see a picture of it .

Those manifolds flow pretty good, next best thing to headers.

oldtrucker63
Explorer
Explorer
The Exhaust Manifold just came, Now all I need is to weld the drivers side or buy a new one for that side, Oh yeah and get the stud kit, I ordered it the same day but it did not come with the manifold, Maybe it will be here tomorrow.

Without Trucks,....America Stop's

skimask
Explorer
Explorer
Nice...very nice.
Now put some flames on it...


The valve covers and air cleaner...Not the cat! sheesh... ๐Ÿ™‚