Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?

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

Posted By: stabbin cabin on 01/19/08 08:03pm

mo pix

Posted By: Kendas on 01/19/08 08:19pm

Not too bad... Looks in at least as good a condition that I got mine in.

You ended up double posting the pictures, so you might want to edit one set and delete them... Just put in a one liner that says "Double post, sorry, I'm new here"

Ken

1978 21ft Tioga Dodge 440 Motor,
4.5kw Generac and 80 watts Solar
1984 Goldwing Interstate (Daily driver)
Misc Things I've done to my RV pictures

USAF Retired
To Err is human... To Forgive is not SAC Policy.

Posted By: stabbin cabin on 01/19/08 08:21pm

Posted By: stabbin cabin on 01/19/08 08:27pm

Kendas wrote:

Not too bad... Looks in at least as good a condition that I got mine in.

really?!?! wow....thats encouraging.....as yers looks fab now! what you got into it? time, money...ect....major stuff....im probably going to gut it and start over with a plan of my own....but right now im livin in her belly....summer comes we will see....

Quote:

You ended up double posting the pictures, so you might want to edit one set and delete them... Just put in a one liner that says "Double post, sorry, I'm new here"

Ken

yeah....it would not upload all 5-6 pix so i had to portion them out....but i corrected the dupes. [emoticon]

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 01/19/08 08:28pm

Kendas wrote:

Okay "Gurus" Feel free to comment:

I make as a MB300 Highline (B300 Van parts will work for most of it), 6-10,000 lbs GVW, 440-?, 1977 Model year

The question mark on the motor is due to discrepancies found on this board and the lack of any answers from Chrysler... -1 (interceptor motor) or the -3 (truck motor) may be installed. You need to check the forward right block just under the head for the correct number to determine the correct engine.

Should have a 4 bore QuadraJet carb on it... Don't let anybody get you to change that carb, unless it's not working correctly! A properly set up QJ is a sweet thing to behold. The problem is that unless you've worked on one a lot, finding someone who actually knows how to work on one is almost impossible.

Now Gurus... I know I'm not close to perfect but that's the info I've been able to glean. [emoticon]

Ken

Good answer. As far as I can tell, the MB300 was the 'motorhome' version of the B300 van ... aka the Tradesman or Sportsman vans.

Probably a 9,000 GVW, depending upon the suspension ordered by the coach manufacturer when they bought the chassis from Dodge. (Mother Mopar originated the "have it your way" concept ... unlke vanilla GM's and FoMoCo's with cast-in-stone option packages.)

You need to find the manufacturer's plate ... should have chassis details on it. See stabbin cabin's pictures - he (she?) has a plate picture in there. There's a picture of mine located here.

And, yes, the only way to know for sure what engine you have is to scrape the gunk off the engine and read what's stamped on the block. That's how I found out for sure that I had an 'industrial' 318-3. (BTW - the '-3' designation wasn't consistant across all the engines ... )

Quadrajet is good but, as you pointed out, finding know-how and parts can be tough. Carter AFB's are plentiful, simple, and parts are still being made. (Edelbrock's Performer is basically a Carter AFB.) Personally, I think most Holley four-barrels are best suited for race cars. (Holley two-barrels are great while Carter BBD can be a royal pain.) If you do have to change carburetors, be careful not to overcarburete ... anything over 700 cfm is excessive and probably a waste.

And - in the case of these old beasts - a 'guru' is simply someone who's had more experience than you. If anything, the 'guru' around here is an aggregate of a dozen or so people who hang around here.

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 with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A

Posted By: stabbin cabin on 01/19/08 08:45pm

Quote:

And - in the case of these old beasts - a 'guru' is simply someone who's had more experience than you. If anything, the 'guru' around here is an aggregate of a dozen or so people who hang around here.

looks like im in good company!

sc

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 01/19/08 08:49pm

stabbin cabin wrote:

Kendas wrote:

Of course posting the first 6 digits of the VIN will help too. The VIN will allow us to help determine which chassis/motor combination you have.

thanks for the reply kendas....here is the first 6 of the vin

F34bd7

F30 model, Coons mfg, 9000gvw, "Diamond" is the RV model? (from the large sticker on the back of the RV.

If I recall correctly, there was a discussion about F30 chassis a ways back in this thread.

Unfortunately, in the sixties and seventies, just about anyone with a garage set themselves up with as an RV manufacturer so finding info on a particular coach make and model can be like finding info on a pre-WWI (that's one, not two) car.

The back end of yours looks a lot like the back panel on Junior (my 1973 M375). I suspect there were some RV parts manufacturers who were making coach parts and selling them to the various coach manufacturers ... so, you may find parts on other makes and models that'll fit yours. Or, you can do like most of us and adapt/modify to make things work. (I'm the extreme case ... most other take a less drastic approach than me.)

Just ask questions and we'll help you do like the rest of us have done -- muddle through somehow.

Oh, yeah ... nice looking rig.

Posted By: Kendas on 01/19/08 09:11pm

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Good answer. As far as I can tell, the MB300 was the 'motorhome' version of the B300 van ... aka the Tradesman or Sportsman vans.

Yep I agree Griff... Mine is the MB400 which I believe is an "uprated" version of the B300 chassis as the GVW on the data plate (VIN Plate) shows 10,500 but otherwise looks exactly like the MB300 cut-a-way chassis. I just don't know if the brakes are the same. Disks are huge on the front and big drums on the rear. Looks like they were replaced shortly before I got the motorhome from my best friend. They say they didn't replace them and since they only put 1700 miles on it I believe them.

Ken

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 01/20/08 02:36am

Kendas wrote:

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Good answer. As far as I can tell, the MB300 was the 'motorhome' version of the B300 van ... aka the Tradesman or Sportsman vans.

In the old days, a 100 (A100 or D100) was a 1/2 ton, a 200 (D200, P200. W200) was a 3/4 ton, and a 300 (D300, M300, P300, W300, etc.) was a one ton -- all of which were classified as light trucks. (Even though some of the 300's had medium duty parts.)

Anything above that was a medium duty truck. The M375 was really a derated/consumerized M400. And, M300's and M375's were really just P300's and P400's but the average consumer in those days couldn't believe their expensive motorhome was built on a delivery truck chassis, same as used by the local dairy or dry cleaner. (Hint, hint: look for P300 parts if you can't find M300 ... and make sure they're not selling you 300M - automobile - parts.)

In the early- to mid-seventies, when they started derating/'economizing' their chassis, they dropped the 375 class 'cause the 400's had dropped to being equal to the old 375's

Bottom line: Your MB400 (and my M375) is a 1-1/2 ton chassis ... most significant difference, as you suspected, is beefier brakes to handle the extra weight capacity. Heavier springs, better shocks, different wheels/tires may be part of the package but brakes is the biggest difference.

BTW -- big by the way -- the 300 series motorhomes are not suitable for pulling large trailers ... the brakes are not adequate for stopping the motorhome plus a heavy trailer. (Yes, Leadfoot Leeann pulls a big trailer with that Class A hotrod of hers but she - and her BF - know what they're doing.)

That includes toads ... if you need to pull a load, use a chase vehicle or get a motorhome with a heavier rated chassis.

Posted By: Trish Davis on 01/20/08 06:40am

Cool!
And all of your interior is there. You did good....

Plus I love fringed lampshades, they're so "ho-house Victorian."

Get those marker lights replaced right away, you have NO idea how much they leak.

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