RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Al, first try a new set of gaskets, it's cheap insurance. If the manifold is warped, pop it off (no easy task) and have a local machine shop straighten it out. It won't be much money.
Your lights, I'd bet you a hunnert bux it's a ground issue. MAYBE the turnsignal switch, but most likely grounds.
RE: Is 108k too many miles??
Strangely enough, nobody asked the question- do you know, for a fact, the maintenance history of the truck? Miles mean nothing IF it's been well cared for.
For me, I'll take a 1/4 million mile daily driver OVER a low miled older vehicle ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!!!!
Example, my rig (1973) has 80,000 miles on it. I NEVER would have considered it if it had been sitting most of the last 35 years, but the P.O. actually used it 4-6 times a year for short-ish trips. Yes, it has issues, yes it needs work (including a new cam and timing chain kit), but for the $600.00 I paid for it, I'm happy! There is no rust in the fuel tank, all the systems work, etc. It's a good value for me.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Just a quick question. What octane gasoline do you guy's and gal's use in your Dodge 440's. After mine has be run for awhile and up to operating temp then shut-off it is very hard to restart. I have been using 89 octane, should I go higher.
Only two things are PROBABLY wrong-
A) today's reformulated ethanol based fuels don't like our old engines
B) you may be too accustom to EFI and need to "re-learn" how to start older engines.
I see this question a lot from people who've grown up driving cars from the late 80's onward.
No biggy, just practice! :B
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Eye, I don't know why you are having difficulty finding suitable materials for your shower area. You're not that far from where I live, and every store has these panels available...
BUT
as an alternative, have you considered leaving what you have in there, then applying a couple of coats of truck bed liner (colored) over everything? Now THAT is a surface that won't ever fail!
Just an idea... I might even try it on my roof! :B
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Did you take out the dining table leg mount base connected to the floor or just remove the carpet around it? I am a little hesitant removing this thinking it may not go back on solid.
Thanks,
Sorry man, my table uses a folding leg thingy, so that was no issue at all.
You could simply make a cardboard template from the bench to the wall to the other bench with a portion of the circle where your leg mounts so you can replace it where it was. The idea of rotating it slightly to create new holes is a sound one. If the "depth" of the table changes due to going from carpet to tiles, simply use the base as another template and shim it up as needed. This is all a really operation, certainly no more difficult than laying the self-stick tiles int eh first place!
Have fun!
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Yup, I did last summer. All I did was clean and wash the subfloor as it existed (no rot or soft spots), primed it with tile surface primer, and applied self-sticking tiles. It turned out great, and hasn't been any trouble at all, and the whole project (save for drying time) took only a couple of hours.
RE: Advice, please!
14 year old RV, the concern I have is the roof. A rubber roof life span is typical at 15 - 20 years before needing replacement, Less if not cared for proper.
New roof (depending on length etc.) is $ 4,000.00 - $ 6,000.00
For an RV roof????? I just paid $5500.00 to strip and replace the roof on my house!!!
And can someone please tell the world where this mythical place is that one can buy a used RV that DOESN'T have some kind of water damage, at least in some point during it's life?
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Fiberglass laminated plywood. Call a local case company (one that builds ATA type shipping cases, there are 1000's of them out there) and buy a remnant.
That's what I used!
RE: Gas Mileage
Your paper air filter is probably shot too, as they collect moisture from the air during non-use and "swell up" some.
Where-as RV's are meant to be used occasionally, the truck that they are built on is designed to be used daily.
RE: First-timer looking at an 72' Dodge 20ft C-class
Hey US! That particular rig might not be the ticket for you and your bride, but keep looking (for a Dodge! :B ). I bought mine locally on Craigslist for less than $600.00, all systems work (but I haven't messed with the disconnected water heater yet), it needs tires, and is generally ugly, but functional!
Keep looking! You should be able to find all kinds of them out there now, especially this time of year and with these gas prices.
BTW, I bought mine for the same reason- not really to camp in, but rather as a portable motel for over-night events. I truly doubt I'll drive the thing more than 5 hours in any direction at once.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
I have a black tank and a drain hose for the grey, au-naturale! I suppose I need to be a pail-toter... you may be as well.
Look under your rig, you'll see your black tank, your grey tank (if you have one), and your gas tank. If you only see two under there, you don't have a grey tank.
BTW, my fresh water is under a bench in the dinette...
RE: 1977 Dodge steering linkage worn`
It'll be a bit heavier duty (B300 vs 100/200) but should all be available still.
Did you look at the monster post "Who here owns a vintage Dodge RV?" That info might just be buried in those 280 pages somewhere! :B Certainly Trish and/or Leeann will service manuals they can "steer" you in the right direction!
Welcome aboard!
RE: Fixing water damage on the old Dodge (pics)
We built an attached garage with an awfully flat roof onto my brother-in-laws house up here in WI (never really a good idea, but no choice in this application), and we used a seamless rubber roof. It installed quite easily, and we took the rubber over the sides about 4", gluing the whole way, then installed an aluminum strip to tack the edges down. We took great care to assure a nice transition, nice folded corners, etc., almost like we were upholstering something. It turned out great, and hasn't had a problem yet in the 10 years since it was built!
You may want to try that on your rig. Be sure to build-in a screwing cleat a few inches below your roof deck for the aluminum trim. Don't stretch the material while installing it. You also can get colored rubber (as opposed to black), so it won't look so hokey.
Keep up the great work!
Eric
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Almost every old RV has water damage of some kind. It's the nature of the poorly thought out beast. I paid less than $600.00 for mine, so I'm not too concerned about it, as long as the house doesn't fall off while driving! :B
The main use for my rig is to go to Mopar events that are too far away to drive to, enjoy the event, then drive home in one day. It's my portable motel room. So, this being said, I'm not worried about long term stays or anything else, just a dry, reliable unit to spend a night in. (I have the roof fixed now, and it's drier than the Sahara in there).
Did you do well by passing on the truck? maybe...maybe not. Brakes and tires are the single most expensive wear item on these, and you can spend alot of money just on those! Would you be satisfied with your purchase? Only you can answer that.
Good luck on your search, and have fun doing it!
RE: Dodge Trans Van
I've always been a fan of these- 1/2 custom street van, 1/2 camper. I've never actually been inside of one, but I've heard that they don't quite have stand-up head room in them. Otherwise, they are like any older Dodge RV, THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :B
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
I guess I stand corrected! But I've never seen a speedo cable having anything to do with cruise control before. Electronic/vacuum signals, yes, but speedo cable?
Oh well, learn something new everyday! :B
