I generally try to keep books onboard the vehicles I wrench on,except my Motorcycles where space is at a premium.Its nice to know the napa part number for the alternator when you are 600 miles from home.I have a 69 chevy cst truck that I brought back to life but with out my notes I can't remember some of the modifications I have made.
I am very excited about this Dodge because the coach is in good to excellent condition and the chassis and motor are close to being tip top.This rig has 36k and I'm the 3rd owner.I think with some tlc my family and I can have a lot of really good times.My first goal is to make it reliable mechanically...then some coach modifications to bring it to the 21st century.I have been amazed and surprised with way some of the things in this vehicle have been constructed.Everything appears very solid.
Again I appreciate the info that you guys have shared,I enjoy wrenching and modifying things to improve them but like anyone else I don't like to fix the same things over and over,especially if its due to poor design.
Looks to cover light and medium duty Dodges. For $35, worth it.
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
Leeann wrote: Anytime
An MB400 is classified as a medium-duty (Class 4 I believe) truck, which means most parts stores won't have any listings for it, either in books or on the computer. (Most of the parts store chains limit their service to cars and light-duty trucks.) c
Most of the catalogs I've 'saved' from work are for medium-duty trucks, such as yours.
Something that will help is to try to get a copy of the original Dodge parts catalog for your chassis. In many cases, I've found parts by running the OEM part number through the parts interchange. Likewise, casting and tag numbers help a lot in tracking down obscure parts.
BTW - the main difference between 'industrial' and 'standard' Dodge engines is a forged steel crankshaft instead of the standard cast steel crank ... which is why motorhome engines are so popular with racers.
Wow! it's been a while since I was welcomed here on RV.net I turned out not to be so much into writing as I am into reading. I chose a name for my motor-home and thought I'd seek some feedback.
The letters were hand drawn trying to resemble horns, I transferred my work to a poster and then cut out the letters, I then traced with pencil to the siding. I used masking tape starting with 1/4" and masked the area. Painted it with 24karat Gold paint and then used a felt tip paint marker (not permanent marker). I will try to spray a satin clear coat over area if I decide to keep it.
I had a busy year stripped all the siding and replaced the quarter inch OSB and insulation. I used the old siding and used rustoleum antique white paint with some acetone for a thinner to achieve an acceptable finish.
* This post was
edited 02/26/12 09:19pm by WestBangorMI *
Nice job ... looks professional. (Both the name and the paint behind it.)
1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis ... no engine or tranny (yet)
Hi, I am so glad to have found this topic, and would like to thank everyone who has participated for all the useful information I have already found within.
I recently acquired a quite well used/abused/modified 1976 Dodge Tioga Class C Motorhome. At least, this is what I think I have, and I am hoping to find out more about this machine here. The carriage is only mostly present as the rear half or so of the siding had been removed to work on the frame and was never replaced. The chassis,engine, and electrical systems also show signs of heavy tinkering. The person from whom I purchased the machine knew very little as far as specifics on what has/hasn't been done to the RV.
When I went to pick up the machine, I hopped in turned the key and it started right up with minimal engine noise, but as I rolled it out of the parking lot... it died, then it would start but would die immediately after drive was engaged... then it wouldn't start at all for awhile. eventually I figured out that if jiggled the throttle for the first little bit after getting rolling it would run just fine. So I was able to make the 50 mile trip back home by carefully jiggling the throttle whenever it seemed like it was going to die.
I have some plans for this beast and would appreciate any information or help that anyone has to offer concerning how to successfully complete my dream on a limited budget.
1. First I plan to dismantle the carriage and scrap most of it, I know that some components are likely to have some resale value and I plan to sell those off to add to my budget for fixing up the RV how I want. I would love any information about what I can expect to find when I start taking this thing apart, and which pieces I should be careful to preserve. I plan to rebuild the carriage entirely out of wood and with little to no electrical, gas or otherwise powered appliances. So there is no chance of me requiring any of the current appliances.
2. Second I plan to rebuild the chassis to the point where it is reasonably reliable and able to make long distance trips. Here I would also love any information on where to start, which books i need, which engine I have even !!! any advice would be much appreciated. I am not sure if the engine that is in there now is the original one at all.
I included some pictures in this post that I hope will be helpful in determining where I should start. I originally included each of my images using IMG codes but they weren't showing up for me. So here is a link to the photobucket album containing all the images:
You have a small block engine, probably a 318 or 360 cu. in.
It probably has a two-barrel Carter BBD carburetor. Try adding one or two pints of Seafoam SF16 to a full gas tank and see if that decreases the stumbling problems. If not, rebuild the carburetor. (You may want to rebuild it anyhow but the Seafoam will also clean out the fuel lines.)
I had similar problems with my '77 B200 van, with a 318 engine and a Carter BBD. It turned out the Heet I was adding to the gas was eating up the carburetor seals. (the yellow Heet ... the red Iso-Heet doesn't seem to have the same effect.) The alcohol (ethanol) they've started adding to gasoline has the same effect. Seafoam serves the same purpose (fuel antifreeze) with the added benefit of keeping the fuel system clean(er).
Swatmo,
Congrats on the new to you rig. My 360 is finicky when going from cold to warm somethimes and I have found that it works best when I allow it to warm up before starting out. However after that it runs very smooth, so Griff's suggestion my be the way to go. Have fun with your upgrade, many people on this forum have done some major remods on these old rigs with great results.
I don't think anyones dying statement ever contained the words "I wish I had spent more time in the office", so lets go somewhere!
Thanks for the reply AlnCory and Griff, I just have to get this thing on the road one day. Have only driven it less than one hundred miles since I bought it.
Good advice to Swatmo, When I first got my Dodge the carb had a large deposit of what looked like lime dust in the bowl of the carb. Probably oxidized aluminum. After diss assembly and some thorough cleaning, and choke adjustment my 360 roars at cold start and settles to a nice purr after warming up, of course I have to to pat the pedal to release the high idle.
I'll third (or fourth?) the advice to put some fuel system cleaner in - I like Seafoam and Techron. If this doesn't help, get a rebuild kit and clean the sucker out. Ours wasn't so much dirty as it was misadjusted - if there was an adjustment to be made, it had been done incorrectly.
I replaced every vacuum line, the plugs/wires/cap/rotor/coil, ignition module and ballast resistor. Made a huge difference - went from 5 on the vacuum gauge to 20. Just something to look at.
'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo
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