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: overdrive75 on 10/14/08 05:57am

Ok, some questions for you fellow Dodge owners.

A little history, I picked up a 22 foot 1978 Bendix Citation with new furnace 2 way fridge and awning for a really good price, newer tires on the ground and a brand new spare. Two brand new batteries as well. Everything works on it even the roof air. It has the Sportsman cutaway with a 360 V-8 for the chassis.

Now the questions

1) Roof has some water dammage, it needs two of the rafters replaced as well as the ceiling inside. Is this a huge job?

2) The 360 seems underpowered in this thing. The unit will barely go 65mph down the highway. Am I nuts in thinking the MH should be able to do this?

3) Cruise control works, but not verywell. What should I look at on that.

4) Wife doesn't like it and would rather see it gone, but she says if I want to keep it I can keep it. Is $2995 to much to ask knowing it has all the new big money items in it and only 53,000 miles on the clock?

Thanks for the help.

Posted By: Leeann on 10/14/08 06:54am

1. Depends what kind of roof - can you just pull off the aluminum and replace the rotted wood?

2. Yep, 65+ is too much to ask from 3-spd auto, high gear ratio rear end and a motor built for torque, not speed. These rigs are MUCH happier between 55-60 mph.

3. Usually vacuum issues. Follow the vacuum lines - I'd just replace them as they're probably dry-rotted.

4. Depends on how much work you have to do to the roof.

'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo

Posted By: overdrive75 on 10/14/08 07:38am

Thanks for the quick reply.

1) Roof could be fixed that way however I don't know the know how, I am mechanical with engines and all, just not good with carpentry stuff.

2)55 mph is the min speed in MI on the freeways and you are just plain crazy driving that speed the way everyone else drives so that is why I need to run 65 and that is to feel safe.

3) I will look at the vacuum lines. Thanks

4) amount of roof work isn't huge, just more than I want to undertake.

The wife really does not like this motorhome for some reason

Thanks again

Posted By: overdrive75 on 10/14/08 07:44am

Ok, one more question, if I don't sell this motorhome. Is it to much to ask it to pull a 4X4 Jeep Cherokee as a TOAD? Thanks

Posted By: Leeann on 10/14/08 07:52am

You'll have to look at your GVW plate, but I would assume that the Cherokee puts you either at or over without having anything loaded in the rig, forget water & propane.

However, without how much your rig actually weighs and how much the chassis can handle, it's just a WAG on my part.

Posted By: overdrive75 on 10/14/08 08:08am

I did find the GVW plate and that state 10,500 lbs, however I cannot find anything about GCVW of the MH. I would have to think that GCVW would be at least 15,000 but I am probably wrong.

Posted By: eyeteeth on 10/14/08 08:25am

I was laid off last week. (No worry yet... I started working again this week.) So it gave me a little time to work on the MH. I fixed a number of cabinetes and latches. I "reattached" the electrical converter/fuse box. i finally finished the counter top in the bathroom with formica. and got about 80% of the shower surround done.

ALnCORY - I finially found a local house with the plastic panels. thank-you. None of the big three had any clue, nor were they willing to try and get the stuff. I found one small supply place in town that had some... and even then... there was only ONE person in the whole place who knew what I was talking about, or where it was. For future reference for anyone also looking at this product, the Tub and Shower Liquid nails works just fine if used according t othe directions... you need to apply it, then trowel it. 1/8 inch grooves. the problem is it dries quickly like this, and it's VERY difficult to get a large area covered and troweled in time as the adhesive starts to harden quickly and is very thick. Were I to go through the process again, I'd try and find an alternative adhesive.

Still, I'm happy with the result.

We spend the weekend up in the Leelanau penninsula. We got all the way up there, and the battery crapped out. Wouldn't hold a charge. The unit ran fine once started, just the battery... was NOT getting the job done. [emoticon]

Other than that... BEAUTIFUL weekend.

Posted By: Leeann on 10/14/08 08:31am

I'm glad you're back at work, but ooof on the laid off part.

Oh, cool. I've been putting off replacing the one nasty wall in the bathroom/shower 'cause, well, I'm no carpenter type. One edge is straight but the other angles in, bottom is wider than the top. I'll have to find one of those panels and see if we can make that work. If it goes well, I might replace the other walls, too - the wallpaper is 70s hideous [emoticon]

Sounds like a great weekend, other than the battery [emoticon]

Posted By: ALnCORY on 10/14/08 09:42am

LeeAnn,
thats what I had was 70's era vinyl wallpaper, kind of a orange and brown stipped stuff. The panels Eyeteeth and I used are real easy to work with and cut. I just overlaid the old panels and sealed it all up with silicone caulk. Didn't take long and looks much, much better.

Eye: glad it worked out for you... its funny that your local homedepot didn't have the stuff as mine has a rack full all the time. I thought those places all had the same stuff... anyway glad it worked, your rig is looking real nice.

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!

Posted By: eyeteeth on 10/14/08 08:57pm

I took the battery back to the store today. I had purchased it mid August. The guy behind the counter was surprised at how good it looked... then that it was a NEW-NEW battery... mentioning that it is the top of the line for their batteries... and started going on about how the alternator could do strange things but he'd test it anyway. He just about dropped on the floor when it tested bad in about two minutes.

He handed me a new battery with receipt and apologized for any inconvenience.

Another problem solved. (Again)

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