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: eyeteeth on 11/05/10 08:05pm

^^^^ Nope... finding someone to give is advice is almost never a problem.

.... finding advice you actually want may be a different story. [emoticon]

Posted By: TreeSeeker on 11/05/10 08:28pm

Mortland,

Something you need to consider right away, is either winterizing your plumbing and not using it, or figuring out how to keep it from freezing. Search the forum for "winterizing" and "winter camping." One night in below freezing temps, can damage your plumbing.

Even if your battery is new it may not be charged. You really need a multimeter to check things out. Maybe you can borrow one. This will allow you to check roughly how much charge you have in your battery. Or, you can take the battery to many auto-parts stores and they will charge it and do a load test to see if it is still good. If it is good, and charged, then a multimeter will allow you to trace the wiring to find where the problem is.

But, as I mentioned in a previous message, if you are hooked up to shore power all the time you don't need a battery. I would save my money and effort for things you will need. One concern though is that you don't want to let your battery freeze if it is not fully charged. A run down battery can freeze and crack.

Posted By: Mortland on 11/05/10 08:43pm

Leeann wrote:

f44cf8v719172

F4= MB400
4 = Conventional cab with sweptline box; Compact Hi Line Wagon (Royal Sportsman), MB3 Hi-Line
C= GVWR 10,001 to 14,000 LBS
F = 360 2bbl
8 = 1978
V= Warren Truck Compact
Rest = sequence number

Leanne thank you! You just did in a few mins what i have been trying to get for 2 weeks and not even dodge's customer service could help me! Thank you,
One question what is 2bbl?
Also is there a way to tell what liters this has or what the engine specs are for when i goto autozone and try to order brakes? so far i found these
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Duralast-Brake-Pads-Front/1978-Dodge-B300-1-ton-Van/_/N-imysbZ8ko29?counter=0&itemIdentifier=353615_0_6961_

do any one know if these will fit and be safe with the 2 ton rig i got?

Posted By: eyeteeth on 11/05/10 08:58pm

Mortland wrote:

Leeann wrote:

That would be 360 Cubic inches, (5.9 liter?) and 2bbl is for a 2 barrel carburetor.

I'm pretty sure those brakes won't work, (without even looking) B300 is more of a cargo/passenger van NOT RV or truck chassis. The B300 often works hunting down Engine or drivers compartment/cab parts, but not for chassis parts.

Posted By: skimask on 11/05/10 09:02pm

2bbl = 2 barrel carb. Can't remember off the top of my head what type was used on those rigs.
A 360 engine is a 5.9L engine (1L = ~61 cubic inches). Hence, 5.9 * 61 = 359.9. The math doesn't always come out perfectly, but it's almost always within one or two as far as the conversion goes.
Also, if the Dodge dealership couldn't decode that VIN for you, I'm thinking it's time to go somewhere else...somewhere with somebody behind the counter with half a brain.
Same with the brakes. If that auto parts store couldn't figure out what you needed, at least based on your VIN, time to try another store, or maybe get the old guy from behind the counter that doesn't rely completely on the computer. At least that guy will know how to look stuff up in the book. Stay away from the punk kids behind the counter. Most of the time, if they can't type it, they can't find it, and it must not exist.

Posted By: Mortland on 11/05/10 09:07pm

also here is a picture of the power stuff that is under the stove in a little cabnite. Still havent figured out what kind of brakes or where to get or how to switch to battery power. Anywho again thanks for all your help you guys have really helped me.
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/2635/img20101105201419.jpg

Posted By: Mortland on 11/05/10 09:13pm

i will check into the winterizing thing. I think i have a multimeter i just dont know how to use it. Its a yellow box with a digital display and a black wired and red wired wired prong that come out of it. One of the things i didnt mention is that i would like to attempt to get out of this city if not the state and head somewhere else looking for work. Unemployment ends next month and with a kid and one on the way and a wife we cant afford to stay here much longer. Just waiting for taxes to get in so we can figure out where we want to go.

So does anyone know of where and what kind of brakes to get? cause from the sounds of it no one around town knows for sure. And i can just drive it to anywhere they a re grinding really bad and not to mention we are super low on money and gas

Posted By: eyeteeth on 11/05/10 09:27pm

If they're already grinding... you're probably not going to be able to save the rotors and need to replace them anyway. That's why the make brakes squeak. Kind of a wear indicator. When you 're about out of pad, there's a different compound that squeaks. Grinding is metal to metal, the pad is gone, and is now wearing a deep groove into the rotor.

That being said... you're not going to ruin them much MORE then they already are, but... it's more of a safety thing at this point. You can get the rig somewhere, but I wouldn't be planning any real get aways until they are repaired.

Also... be warned, the front calipers on these chassis are prone to freezing/locking up. You may need to replace the caliper as well as the pads and rotors.

Posted By: eyeteeth on 11/05/10 09:31pm

Opps... forgot. If you're looking for service, look to truck shops. Places that work on busses... bread trucks... box trucks.... same type of chassis. I wouldn't take it to a Dodge dealer. Anything older than 10, maybe 15 years, and 75% of the mechanics won't have any idea what to do with it.

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 11/05/10 10:53pm

If a place like Midas tells you they can do your motohome's brakes, make sure they really know how to do it. Most of these older Dodge motohomes have frame mounted brake booster(s), which require bleed procedures that are different than most cars & light trucks. (I think the exact procedures are listed elsewhere in this thread ... if I recall correctly, Trish was in on that discussion.)

Shortly after I bought my first motorhome, the local Midas shop did the brakes, claiming they knew how to do it, I found later they didn't and they left an air bubble in the line between the master cylinder and the slave cylinders on the boosters ... meaning I had to pump the brakes to get them to work.

Most Dodge truck/industrial small block (273, 318, and 360 cu. in.) engines, commonly called -3 engines, had two barrel carburetors, most often Carter BBD carburetors. They're not hard to rebuild, with the most common problem being the seals being eaten up by the ethanol in modern gas and/or gasline antifreeze such as Heet.

(Yes, I left the 340 off that list because it was primarily a high performance engine meant for cars & smaller light trucks. To the best of my knowledge, Mother Mopar never made a heavy-duty (-3) version of the 340.)

It's true, looking up parts for a B300 will help find engine, drivetrain, and cab parts but won't do any good when it comes to finding chassis, brake, and suspension parts. For either parts or service, you need to find shops that deal primarily in medium- and heavy-duty trucks. With rare exceptions, places like Midas, NAPA, CSK. etc., know (newer) cars and light trucks and know little, if anything, about heavy or older trucks.

One option for finding parts is to get the original Dodge parts catalog for your chassis. Some places, if they know what they're doing, can cross-reference the OEM part numbers. (I have the parts catalog for late-60s & early-70s motorhome chassis and, I think, Leeann has the catalog for mid- to late-70s chassis.)

Another option is to find the make & part number on the actual part, which is often what is needed to find parts for medium trucks. (Many of the parts on Dodge medium-duty trucks were made by companies other than Dodge and tend to be the same across a range of makes and models.)

Third option is to take the actual part into the truck parts store. They may not have a listing but may recognize the part and have it on the shelf. (This is how I found spring bushings for my '69 M300 chassis.)

A final option is the Fairbanks CarQuest store at (907) 452-1627. A buddy just went to work for them and he's fairly good at finding less common parts. He says he found parts for '50, '60s, and '70s vehicles and also says he's managed to find chassis parts for a late-60s Dodge motorhome. (He's lost several bets to me so he knows to be careful about what he says around me.) If you call them, ask for Allen Hughes.

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

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