Vintage RV upgrades

[Ashton1012]

Hey everyone! I’m back with more questions. Recently purchased a 1977 dodge Sportsman RV. 43k original miles, in excellent shape for its age. All appliances in working condition. Picked it up for $750. Interior lighting already upgraded to LEDs.

I’m looking for tips and advice on the best upgrades you’ve all done to your old class C RVs. Really any kind of upgrades, but specifically looking into suspension. Are there any anti sway bars that would be a direct fit, what about steering stabilizers? Anything in the interior I should upgrade or double check before I drive her 5 hours home?

I already have 7 brand new tires waiting at my friends house where the RV is, so I won’t have to stress about old tires blowing out. Also plan on replacing; plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor. If it’s doable in just an hour or two I may replace the serpentine belt, or at least pick up a spare. Oil and coolant will be changed. Will also flush, sanitize, and fill the water tank, flush and sanitize the black water tank.

Anyone ever upgrade from exhaust manifolds to headers on one of these old rigs, are there are direct bolt in fits for headers or would I have to get something custom made?

I appreciate any and all tips. My wife and I are really looking forward to fixing up the rig and finally bringing it home where we can start doing cosmetic upgrades.

Thank you!!

[Ashton1012]

Border collie- I do very much agree, but unfortunately there really was no other option! This was not a traditional campsite, rather just a spot way up in the mountains we called camp for a few nights. Closest dump site would have been at least an hour drive, so I was kind of out of options otherwise I wouldn’t have. Good to know about the portable tanks, I’ll have to get some for next time.

[Bordercollie]

Sanitation of campsites. There are alternatives to dumping dishwater and shower water in and around campsites. There are plastic holding tanks for excess "gray water" and "black" (sewage) water that you can dump at a camp dump site. If you ever notice a strange smell at your newly rented campsite, it may be that the previous users dumped gray water, "bummer". If needed you can pull your rig over to the dump site half way through your stay and dump black and gray water tanks. Try to leave campsites cleaner than you found them including pet leavings.

[Bordercollie]

Another basic info item, the converter/charger does not charge the engine starting battery on most rigs. This means that when you park the rig for a month in your driveway, the starting battery self-discharges. A brand new starting battery may start the engine after a month or more but an older one may not be able to turn the engine over. Batteries that are kept fully charged keep their capacity longer than ones that are run down, left discharged, and later recharged. Frequent checks of electrolyte levels, adding distilled water as needed to cover the plates and timely recharging of batteries is a necessity with RV's. You can use a 12 volt "smart" trickle charger to keep your starting battery up if you have 110vac available. I have an add-on Trik-L-Start device installed which keeps my starting battery up while parked for months. It is connected to the house batteries and shares charging current with them . Make sure that battery connections are kept clean of corrosion and are making good contact.

[Bordercollie]

Another basic info item, the converter/charger does not charge the engine starting battery on most rigs. This means that when you park the rig for a month in your driveway, the starting battery self-discharges. A brand new starting battery may start the engine after a month or more but an older one may not be able to turn the engine over. Batteries that are kept fully charged keep their capacity longer than ones that are run down, left discharged, and later recharged. Frequent checks of electrolyte levels, adding distilled water as needed to cover the plates and timely recharging of batteries is a necessity with RV's. You can use a 12 volt "smart" trickle charger to keep your starting battery up if you have 110vac available. I have an add-on Trik-L-Start device installed which keeps my starting battery up while parked for months. It is connected to the house batteries and shares charging current with them . Make sure that battery connections are kept clean of corrosion and are making good contact.

[Ashton1012]

I was curious about the heater fan and how much power it would draw. I did not need to use it this trip but one night I was wondering how long I could run the fan, given that it was manufactured in the 70s and likely very inefficient.
Anyone successfully rig up a more efficient blower fan on an old heater like this?

[Ashton1012]

I did not know that, it’s good info to have. A little generator will definitely make its way on the rig eventually.
I was actually surprised by how long the battery and propane lasted. While I have very little to power, what I do have was easily managed by a 95AH battery.
What I wasn’t impressed with, was water storage and disposal. The potable water tank is reasonably sized, but not enough to maintain our needs for more than a few days. We weren’t even drinking the water just using it for hand washing and dishes, we brought other water to drink. The grey water tank must be tiny, it fills very quickly. Fortunately we use biodegradable eco friendly soaps, so I just dumped the grey water at the camp site, which was the middle of the mountains lol.. might be frowned upon, but had to do what we had to do. The septic tank is equally as small. Even with me peeing in the woods, the tank fills up pretty quick between my wife and I using it. Going to be some learning curves when we decide to go out for a couple weeks at a time!

[Capt_Steve]

Bordercollie, thank you for posting this basic information. Just what I needed to troubleshoot my electrical stuff on my old '78.

[Bordercollie]

If you don't already know this, TYPICAL Class C electrical power is fed into the RV's "housebox" electrical system via cable plugged into 120vac camp power which feeds a "converter/charger"device which charges one or two deep cycle "house batteries" which in turn power the 12 volt DC interior lights and 12 volt appliance controls, the fresh water pump and the furnace blower. When the RV generator is running, it takes the place of the camp cable 110 vac hookup supplying 110vac power to the electrical system. When the RV's engine is running, it's alternator charges the house batteries while underway. Most RV water heaters and refrigerators run on propane. Refrigerators and microwave ovens also run on 110 vac when RV is on camp power or RV generator power. Furnace blowers draw considerable 12 volt house battery current and may run house batteries down in one night's use. Otherwise, house battery power may run interior lights for two to three nights if in good condition. Two day camping and a few hundred miles driving usually keeps house batteries charged and interior lights working.

[Ashton1012]

Not a bad idea! Now you added another accessory to my list of must haves... once she’s sealed up and I double check she’s solid mechanically, I get to start playing with accessories. So many ideas.... solar panels, more battery storage, AC, better exterior lighting, good sound system... someday I’d also like to ad a way to run a shower outside the trailer. Not that there is anything wrong with the shower inside, just super cramped and not an enjoyable shower space. Would be great to be able to rinse down outside in the woods. None of these things will come quickly, but I don’t intend on getting rid of the trailer so I got nothing but time.

[Hank85713]

If you decide to need a generator since you have no AC at all, rig one up on rear bumper and run a power cord to your power port. Run the house ac off the generator. On craigs list locally there are 'new' AC units pretty cheap, so you could add one fairly easy. Had one on the slide in camper we used to have again would need to wire it in but its not that difficult. We were at a rest area in the south when a guy pulled in with his TT, had the gen running so they could go into a COOL trailer when they stopped. Rigged one up on the TT we had but never had to use. Just food for thought.

[Ashton1012]

Thanks Bordercollie! Fortunately, and unfortunately for me, this is a really basic RV with no AC in the front or rear. On one hand, that is one less thing to fix haha. On the other, it gets hot! Especially with the exhaust leak, the floor in the cab gets pretty toasty. I plan on putting down some heat/sound deadener on the floor and in the dog house after I fix the leak. There is also no generator, makes maintaining the generator easier!
The electrical system seems solid so far, haven’t discovered any issues there. Only bummer is a realized on 12V battery power, my outlets don’t work. A friend explained that is normal, and that the outlets are only powered when plugged into a shoreline. Seems a bit odd though that I’d have like 4 or 5 standard electrical outlets, but no way to use them unless I’m plugged in. Perhaps there is a way to wire in an inverter that powers the outlets when on battery? More for me to read into.

Some good news in regards to my oil leak- prior to returning home I tightened up a couple of oil pan bolts just to see if it would help. 130 mile trip home, checked the oil and none leaked out so that seemed to do the trick. At least until I have more time to replace the oil pan gasket. I also discovered a pin hole leak in the radiator! Fortunately it’s right on top, and it’s super tiny so will be an easy fix, won’t even have to take the radiator out.

[Bordercollie]

Have radiator and transmission cooling radiator tested and change out water pump as preventive maintenance. Have dash AC system tested/serviced including belt and idler pulley. Replace front brake flex lines, a pain if they rupture internally, can cause loss of control. Have entire brake system serviced. Make sure tires are of proper type and less than 3 years old, not old stock. RV tires are safety critical items that need to be changed out when 5 or 6 years old regardless of mileage. Make sure that RV generator, roof AC system, convertor charger, and house batteries are good and able to work together properly to power the RV when not connected to camp power. Make sure propane system is working properly to power fridge, water heater and stove. Verify that fresh water pump , water pump switches, and plumbing are in good shape. Make sure interior and exterior lighting system work properly including turn signals, clearance lights, headlights and running lights. Verify that awning deploys and retracts properly and that fabric is in good condition. Make sure water heater and fridge are working properly. Drain water heater and clean out sediment. Verify that holding tanks and their dump valves are not leaking and toilet is flushing properly. There's more, but these are basics for safety and comfort.

[Ashton1012]

Well about 700+ miles later and everything is ok! Oddly enough, the fridge started working again and has been running on propane for the last week with no issues. Not sure why it died the first weekend but glad it’s not a recurrent issue.

I may try a gasket to fix the exhaust but ultimately I think I’ll end up fabricating new exhaust. I discovered the old muffler has holes drilled in it so there was obviously an issue at some point. It’s a very straight forward exhaust system that I think I could complete myself, if not it should be a cheap job.. I’ll do dual 2.5” exhaust , hopefully that will open the engine Up a bit so she can climb hills easier.
On the second trip we took she sprung a bit of an oil leak. Looks like oil pan gasket for sure but also possibly the rear main seal, so I’ll do both. Also think I’ll throw in a melling high performance oil pump while im in there!

Happy I got her home but I have my work cut out for me. It’s been years since I’ve had an old rig to work on so I’m glad to have it. Next spring will be a complete overhaul of the suspension and bushings, hopefully I can find all the parts. Completely reseal all the seams, and then start the interior remodels.

[whizbang]

Ammonia drip fridges have to be dead level to work properly. If you run them out of level, you will kill them.

There are you Tube videos of burner cleaning, flue cleaning, etc. It might just need some maintenance. However, given it's age, it wouldn't be surprising if it's dead.

A new frig costs about.... $750.

Good luck.