Leeann wrote:
R50CA4J021235
R5= R500
0 = Motor Home Chassis
C = 10001 - 14000 lb GVW
A = 440-3 engine
4 = 1974
J = Windsor Truck
rest = sequence number
R50CA4J021235
R5= R500
0 = Motor Home Chassis
C = 10001 - 14000 lb GVW
A = 440-3 engine
4 = 1974
J = Windsor Truck
rest = sequence number
Nice, the R500 is a really strong chassis.
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
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
In all honesty, this thread is probably the best source of information on maintaining the coach, as well as the chassis and appliances.
In all honesty, this thread is probably the best source of information on maintaining the coach, as well as the chassis and appliances.
For those of you who are thinking, "Someone ought to compile and organize all the information in this thread into a book," there is/was an effort to do something like that a few years ago.
There was a wikipedia started as part of a site Leeann and I run. Unfortunately, "copious spare time" is the ultimate in sarcasm when applied to the two of us. There was a third person who was going to manage the wikipedia but he lost his job and wound up spending all his time trying to make sure his family had a roof over their heads and food on the table.
The wikipedia is still out there, waiting for a manager and for people to start organizing and contributing to it.
If you're interested in picking up the effort and carrying the ball, send a PM to me.
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
One more comment, before I get back to doing things I'm supposed to be doing ...
For those of you who are thinking, "Someone ought to compile and organize all the information in this thread into a book," there is/was an effort to do something like that a few years ago.
One more comment, before I get back to doing things I'm supposed to be doing ...
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
In all honesty, this thread is probably the best source of information on maintaining the coach, as well as the chassis and appliances.
In all honesty, this thread is probably the best source of information on maintaining the coach, as well as the chassis and appliances.
For those of you who are thinking, "Someone ought to compile and organize all the information in this thread into a book," there is/was an effort to do something like that a few years ago.
One of those people is me. I have no excuse. Really.
Fortunately, I am not the one doing the Wiki-thing. Oh, good God...
I (still) have all these sorted bits of info on my hard drive up to pg 78.
mea culpa.
Bikephreak wrote:
I just got one very similar, but in rough condition. I need to do some re-building of the drive train. We are going to re-model the whole thing to suit our funky taste.
I just got one very similar, but in rough condition. I need to do some re-building of the drive train. We are going to re-model the whole thing to suit our funky taste.
What's wrong with the drivetrain? I have a fair amount of experience with older motorhome drivetrains if you need help. (I've rebuilt the A727 transmission before.)
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
What's wrong with the drivetrain? I have a fair amount of experience with older motorhome drivetrains if you need help. (I've rebuilt the A727 transmission before.)
Bikephreak wrote:
I just got one very similar, but in rough condition. I need to do some re-building of the drive train. We are going to re-model the whole thing to suit our funky taste.
I just got one very similar, but in rough condition. I need to do some re-building of the drive train. We are going to re-model the whole thing to suit our funky taste.
What's wrong with the drivetrain? I have a fair amount of experience with older motorhome drivetrains if you need help. (I've rebuilt the A727 transmission before.)
And we just rebuilt ours, as well. Not to mention a lot of little things to the engine.
'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo
silver wheels!, silver wheels! found a set of 16"ers off a 93 Dodge truck, with nice tires, for free right in the area.
still have clearance light issues, and coach work still to do on the front, but quite happy with the rear and how it came out, really can't tell there have been repairs unless you really look inside the corner cabinets, where I hid all the reinforcement. I swear the rear of this was held on by no more than 10 screws from the factory.
question though, my chassis is a 1978, and today I noticed that I have a light on constantly, illuminating the headlight switch. At first i thought it just luminescent, but I'm convinced it is actually a bulb burning. Is this normal?
Thanks to all....Chris
rvrdrunner wrote:
bquestion though, my chassis is a 1978, and today I noticed that I have a light on constantly, illuminating the headlight switch. At first i thought it just luminescent, but I'm convinced it is actually a bulb burning. Is this normal?
bquestion though, my chassis is a 1978, and today I noticed that I have a light on constantly, illuminating the headlight switch. At first i thought it just luminescent, but I'm convinced it is actually a bulb burning. Is this normal?
Not normal but also not unheard of .... three possibilities:
1. (Most likely) A PO screwed up the wiring, connecting circuits to the HOT circuit that should have been on the IGN or ACC circuits.
2. A short is supplying juice to the bulb (and possibly other things).
3. A PO rewired the bulb to the HOT circuit in order to be able to find the switch in the dark.
The last (number 3) is okay if the illuminating light is an LED but not so good if it's an ordinary incandescent bulb. Even a small incandescent bulb will drain a battery in a few days. On the other hand, as an experiment, I've left a LED bulb connected to a 9 volt battery for over a year ... towards the end, the LED was very dim but still noticeably lit.
BTW - newer cars, with all their electronic memory circuits, will drain a battery in four to six weeks. The manufacturers assume people will be operating their vehicles at least every three to four weeks. So -- leave a newer car or truck sit idle without running it for a couple of months and you'll have a dead battery. (Tow truck drivers and taxi cabs are making a fortune providing jump starts.) And, leave it sit in freezing weather and you'll have a frozen, destroyed battery.
NEVER, EVER, try to jump start or charge a frozen battery ... it's very likely to explode, creating an ugly mess, if you're lucky, or worse.
On your clearance lights -- check your grounds.
Clearance lights were mostly a 'duh' moment on my part as well, they were wired daisy chain style, with the skin as the ground. Scuffed the metal around the screw holes, and used two self tappers to ground the skin to the frame, hidden behind the bumper. Now all lights equally bright, and legal.
Got the canopy functional today as well, the rear mount and the tube had been damaged by the PO in an incident with a tree limb. Took some coaxing to get the end cap/ tube assembly back together, since the tube had been smushed out of round, nothing a big pair of channellocks and a hose clamp couldn't straighten. A little blocking on the inside for the ripped out mount screws, again, coincidentally in the corner cabinet which already hides the corner blocking I had to put in. The canopy material itself could use replacing, but I'll give it a good bleach cleaning on the next dry warm day. Thankfully the spring mechanism works as it should, the arms need some adjustment, but I was able to deploy and stow it by myself.
Still have to mount the ladder on the rear, and modify the beefmaster bumper the PO threw in, along with the spring loaded spare mount.
Now I can turn it around and start on the front! But now at least if I had to use it, I can. Started right up after an overnight trickle charge, two kicks of the throttle, turned over twice and fired, on high idle as it should.
peace to all