How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?

[whiteknight001]

I'm new here, and curious.

How many of us in Class C own Dodge B300 incomplete
cab/chassis based RV's? I know two others- Steve aka
Ripsaw, with a 1977 Brougham, and Leroy aka 1978_Dodge
_Delta who owns a 440V8 powered sharp looking 1978
Delta RV. I would like to ask, and offer, help, idea
swapping and comparing notes on our particular RV's
which are based on the Dodge B300 van chassis.

Yeah, I know. These are low tech, podgy old RV's that
would be considered "entry level" for folks like me,
but I have a deep and abiding respect for the quality
of these old "monsters of the open road". And anyone
wanting to pick brains, joke about, share notes or just
brag about our old A- Dodge-io's are certainly welcome
to PM or email me. Between all of us we can form a real
good support group, and help each other with problems
we know we'll encounter with an older vehicle.

Sure. I'd love a new RV. But I'd rather have an older
one already paid for, and a lotta great memories. Call
me frugal, an old hippie, or whatever you will. I'm proud
of my old land yacht.

Mopar Madness Manifest in the flesh,

Mark aka White Knight

P.S. Mine's a '72. Is there an older one out there someone's
motorvating in? Maybe even a Travco? W/K

[DUD]

I have a 1972 Dodge B300 Chassis with a 20' Tioga Body on it. I bought it in January, used it twice this year. I will spend this winter doing some remodeling. It has some Iowa rust in Drivers door, but found replacement for $50.00. Probably going to swap seats out of the van the door came off also. It cranks from the seat, and it's mine. Bill

[whiteknight001]

Hey Mick

Mine were the 8.00 X 16.5 too, went to 9.75 X
16.5 with no problems. Check on both sizes
through large chains, mine were Cooper brand.
Not bad for a heavy truck tire. While you're
at it check out your wheels for rust/corrosion
and trueness. I opted for a pulloff set of
stock steel wheels from a Dodge dealer when a
buyer wanted mags on his new Dually. If they are
OK, then a good cleaning and some paint will make
them look new. Stick with us, it'll come together.

your fellow old RV nut

Mark

[Chicknnhead]

Well i bought a 1976 dodge brougham(sp?) 21 foot yesterday
pretty nice, now i need help getting some parts, it needs tires bad
looks like they are 8X16.5, can i get any bigger, what is the best brand?
i have a ton of question so i can take this in another thread if better or exchange emails with someone, mick@roseint.com
thanks and i look forward to the fun we are going to have
Mick

[whiteknight001]

Hello Nannycmc and welcome!

Stick around and keep asking questions- we'll help all we can!
Seems the first order of business is to get the roof leak fixed.
Can you get to the inside of it and remove as much rotted material and wood as you can? Then it's not so hard to fix. And with all the
old stuff out of the way you can use a garden hose and watch to see where it's coming in at. Work for sure but not hard. Just "labor intensive". Besides, you may decide to change a few things while
you do the repair. There is a fella named Ripsaw in our posts that
is redoing the whole interior of his rig, custom cabinets and all.
I'll PM him and ask his help. And anyone else here- if you've had to do repairs like this, chime in and help; I thank you in advance.

The rest is pretty straightforward. Make sure to check your engine
and drivetrain, change fluids, belts and hoses as the situation demands, have your plumbing and appliances checked for possible
leaks. Just go through and make sure that things are working like
they should. If you can get help from the former owners this is very
good too. They might be able to give you a lot of insight on how they
used the vehicle too. Sounds like you have something really good.

Once again, welcome to our little corner of Cyberspace. Stick around.
This can be a lot of fun.

Mark

[EdgarTheBear]

The Dodge Van-based MH's called "Class C" are the Subject of our attention to Engines V-8 (273/318/360/400/413/440), and Mostly Dual-Wheel Rear Axle chassis, with a A-727 "Loadflite" Version of the "Torkflite" Chrysler Automatic Transmission. Of course, there is a Heavier Frame that is suitable for the "Class A" Dodge-based MH's. Many of the components of the Drivetrain, including Brakes, Engine,and Electrical Systems are shared between the various Models.
I have been studying the possible Upgrades for much of the Standard Equipment applicable to Dodge MH's. For example, I have developed a Cooling System for the front Disc Brake Rotors, when the benefits of air-cooling are compromised by operating in Slow Traffic. I have also developed a Super Heavy-Duty Back-Up Lighting System, for those situations After Dark.

[Nannycmc]

Glad to find this post. I just was given a 1977 Dodge 22' Motor Home three days ago. I do not know a whole lot. It looks perfect inside no wear anywhere. Sat in a barn for years has 50K miles and has faded due to sun while it was outside its last 4 years. I have drove it and find nothing wrong except leak around roof vent. Its rooted wood holding up the vent. Very little rust underneath. Ordered a new owners and shop manuals yesterday. I know nothing about RV'ng. Im a single Christain female who hopes to be on the road the day after Christmas for the rest of the winter. I have it all to learn from scratch so any advise on what to buy, learn from, do, not do, consider as a must, will help. $$$ budget is a major ???? How much, for what, and what to pack ect. ect. I have to find someone who knows how to get it ready to go, then how to hook up, and how to unhook. Thanks, NAnnycmc

[whiteknight001]

Hey Unionguy

No way we'd sanction you- Munkalido has a Class A too.
What we have seen here is mostly class C but what it
all boils down to is this- We own older motorhomes that
are mostly out of the '70's, built by various manufacturers,
some of which are no longer in business. And nearly all of
our RV's are built on the very durable and dependable Dodge
MB van or M series truck chassis. So please, feel welcome
among us- we all own and maintain classic RV's whether they
happen to be A or C class. This makes us a unique group.
While we like the new stuff we prefer to RV on our own terms.

BTW I'm doing something similar to what the previous owner of
your rig did- it's called "hot water" or "hydronic" heating.
The Koby has two heaters- the regular cab unit and a second
floor unit located under the dinette. Some 12 pass. and school
bus B300s came with this option, I removed it from my parts van
and grafted it into the Koby's circulatory system. This gives us
backup heat while running the engine. Do a search under "hydronic
heating" and you'll find a page by a man named Jim Phyphers. He
describes a system I'd like to incorporate in the Koby instead of
a conventional propane-fired furnace. Should keep you nice and
toasty without the fumes. Tried using my Coleman PowerCat catalytic
heater, had some wicked headaches plus you have to crack a window somewhere too. Not good.

The system I'm cooking up will use a 6gal propane/electric water
heater with direct spark ignition and a small 12VDC circulator pump,
two truck heater cores arranged in "A" coil fashion, and a plenum chamber with a variable speed blower, and thermostat control. That
way I'll use the electric hotrod to heat the water when on shore
power, propane if I'm out in the sticks and don't want to fire up
the Onan. Your idea for outside wood heat will work. Just make sure you've got a good bed of coals for the night,though. Instead of the
water heater just substitute the wood heat unit. Much better especially if you're gonna be somewhere for a while!

This is why we need a forum. We're doing stuff that could not
be done without great expense to a new RV, and some of this stuff
is really quite ingenious. Has anyone else tried the idea of water
heating? If it works up in the cab, it might be good. Dive in folks.
Lets hear some opinions on this.

Mark

[unionguy1019]

Well I just realized that I am a Class A motorhomer with my purchase (first time owner). I hope you all don't sanction me because of that!!! This thread is great!! The first time I read through everything after being directed here by Google, I thought "wow just what I'm looking for". Even though I don't have a Class C. I hope you will all let me participate with the discussions, just for the simple fact that I am redoing an inexpensive purchase. Actually I thought the thread was missing an "I", ClassIc Dodge Motorhomes

Also if anyone may be interested, there is a Class C for sale in my area for $2000. I have not looked at it, but I would guess it is based on a Dodge Tradesman van type frame. Guessing it is about 16 to 18 foot. If anyone is interested I can do some digital photos for you.

Okay now for an opinion on my deranged inventive ideas!!! Someone prior to me piped in a heater core to the furnace from the engine radiator. I was thinking, if I disconnected the lines to the furnace heater core and put some quick disconnects, could I use an outside wood fired water heater to supply heat to the MH? I have in the past done winter camping in a tent in my area and I am planning to do the same in the "new" MH. As you can see by my location, we do set the Nation low for temps in the winter. I would also need to purchase another two Samoyed Huskys to make it a "three dog night"!!!!!!

Also to Edgarthe bear, you seem to have alot of info on chassis, if I relay the info could you hep me out on my chassis figuration?

Mopar = More Power!!!!!!!

[whiteknight001]

Hello Chicknnhead and Pollyfire!

And Welcome! I'm glad you're here! Grousehunter, those pix
of the Fireball look great! I know you must be proud. I hope
mine will look half as good- and the 1959/1958 boat/motor
pair was sharp too! And thanx for your offer to help Pollyfire
with the other Fireball. This is exactly what we are all about.
Most of us can't call a manufacturer or sales rep for our needs.
We have to share resources. So, scan the posts, and if you can
help someone, chime in! You'll definitely get a big Thank You!
from me! As far as a BBS/forum, I'm workin' on it. More later,
film at eleven.

Mark

[Cdog]

The subject of having a forum just for restoration of old motorhomes is intriging. The only problem I see would be keeping things active. It might be best to have a section on older motorhomes and travel trailers. Something like Restoration Projects, or RVing Projects.

[grousehunter_61]

Pollyfire, What are you looking for? I have some of the manuals that went with my 74. Where was your coach made? Most were made in Boise Idaho. PM me with any questions.

Rodger

[Pollyfire]

Hello Class C'ers. My husband and I own a 1971 Dodge Fireball that is 20 feet long. We have recently discovered that at one time it had a fire. It needs a lot of love and care(not to mention replacing things.)We would really appreciate all the tips and hints you all can give us. I have had no luck with finding an owners manual anywhere. Not much info on Fireballs at all. Please help.Thanks.

[Chicknnhead]

I'm looking at buying myself a 76 dodge 360v8 class C
i posted my questions the begining RV section, so i won't post them again here, but this site and especially this thread is great
hope to talk to you more as i actually purchase the RV
which hopefully will be this weekend
thanks
Mick

[grousehunter_61]

Hope this will get you to some photos of the Fireball, go to pictures , our is the 5th one down.

[Grand_Slam_79]

The speedo needle bouncing all over the place is probably caused by a dry and/or bad speedometer cable. I'd try lubing your existing cable first, with that dry, graphite powder stuff. You disconnect the cable from the speedo head, pull the inner cable out, coat it with the lube, and slide it back in. It's usually the upper cable, from the cruise control unit to the speedo head that gets sticky, but it could also be the cable from the trans to the cruise control. Does the cruise work? If it does, the lower cable is not the problem. See if that solves the problem, or at least makes it better. If it helps but doesn't fix the problem, you could try replacing the cable. I kinda save that as a last resort, 'cause getting the right replacement cable seems almost impossible.

If lubing the cables doesn't help at all, then the speedo head must be going south. Trying to find one of those for an old Dodge will be a real treat. I'd look in junkyards that specialize in old Mopar parts. (Maybe on the internet, if there's nothing locally.) Here in Chicago, the normal junkyards won't have anything that old. Obviously, the speedo for a Dodge class B or C MH will be the same as one for a van.