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: Fanzaya on 08/19/14 12:01pm

I own a 1979 dodge cruise master, 318 under the hood, 19 foot long , but am wondering where to buy 16.5 tires

Posted By: Glenndolph on 08/19/14 12:09pm

Do your self a big favor. Upgrade to 16's, or 19.5's. 16.5 tires are very hard to find. I have a 77 Dodge Jamboree and I put 16's on it and I can get tires at Walmart if I have to... plus my pick up runs the same tire... Glenn

Posted By: whiteknight001 on 08/19/14 01:55pm

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

That's what we're here for ... to help each other.

I'll have some other part numbers, mostly for the front end, when I get a chance to dig them out. I just happened to run across the list I gave above yesterday.

Thank you, Griff! You are exactly why this thread continues to be what it be! And continues to be!

all my best,

Mark/whiteknight001

1972 Mobile Traveler 20' Dodge B300 Class C
"The Kobayashi Maru" Trans- Prarie Land Craft
"Requiescat in pace et in amore..."

Posted By: Tmmltn on 08/28/14 04:32pm

Hi, I am new to this forum, thread, and RVing. My family (2 handy adults, 3 kids 5 and under, under-foot...) just welcomed a 1976 Dodge Sportsman Tioga into our family. Bought knowing it had some issues to fix, digging in finding more (and less) than we expected. Like smog issues.

I have only read maybe 100 pages of this wonderful resource, and learned so much that I did and didn't need to know. I am impressed with the amount of people still dedicated to these vintage girls, and so very thankful.

Now, to figure out the picture thing... i havent been on a real forum for several years.

~Windy

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* This post was last edited 08/28/14 05:39pm by Tmmltn *

Posted By: Fanzaya on 08/28/14 06:06pm

I own a 1979 Dodge cruise master she is a real jewel.there are some issues but I would not trade for all the money in the world

Posted By: Leeann on 08/28/14 06:42pm

Welcome, both of you. I wouldn't trade my old RV for any one of those 'luxury' coaches people pay a house payment for.

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

Posted By: Phantom59 on 08/28/14 06:48pm

I believe I might trade my old dodge for this without the house payment

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Posted By: Fanzaya on 08/28/14 07:24pm

I bought my 79 dodge cruisemaster so I wouldn't be homeless, got sick , lost everything but enough to buy this r v which is my home now,sure there are issues with her but,nothing that cant be fixed,,, 318 under the hood she runs like a charm, Birdey is what I have named her, we go at our own pace down the road

Posted By: Tmmltn on 08/28/14 11:34pm

Fanzaya, similar here. We got our RV as a safety net so we would not end up homeless with 3 kids in tow. We plan to "roadschool"/homeschool our kids at this point. It seems better than staying in one town, forever. Once we get her legal, we are leaving Cen Cal, and exploring as much of the world as we can.

We attempted a smog today, and learned whe would fail no matter what. Idle is too high, and there is exhaust smoke (dh claims is white, prior owner failed smog test says blue, i say blueish white...). We had found a non CA carb on that we swapped for the old CA carb. Vacuum hoses were royally messed up (who breaks an emission control valve, caps it off, and re-routes it?) But I think I got it hooked up right. The diagrams from haynes manual and mopar do not match up identical to our setup... of course.

Based on paperwork we got with it it passed ca smog great in 2010, overheated in 2012 going through NV, got a rebuilt card installed there, and failed CA smog 4 days later as tampered and a gross polluter.

We know we have some idle adjustments to make, and we are starting with low price ways to fix the smoke issue, crossing our fingers it isn't a deeper head gasket, valve, or cylinder issue. We have no hard evidence of any of those at this point. Oil levels look fine, water/coolant levels seem ok thus far... time will tell... in the meantime, any suggestions on checks?

Sorry so long, kids are asleep and my thoughts can flood my brain lol. [emoticon]

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 08/29/14 01:04am

Tmmltn wrote:

We attempted a smog today, and learned whe would fail no matter what. Idle is too high, and there is exhaust smoke (dh claims is white, prior owner failed smog test says blue, i say blueish white...). We had found a non CA carb on that we swapped for the old CA carb. Vacuum hoses were royally messed up (who breaks an emission control valve, caps it off, and re-routes it?) But I think I got it hooked up right. The diagrams from haynes manual and mopar do not match up identical to our setup... of course.

Based on paperwork we got with it it passed ca smog great in 2010, overheated in 2012 going through NV, got a rebuilt card installed there, and failed CA smog 4 days later as tampered and a gross polluter.

We know we have some idle adjustments to make, and we are starting with low price ways to fix the smoke issue, crossing our fingers it isn't a deeper head gasket, valve, or cylinder issue. We have no hard evidence of any of those at this point. Oil levels look fine, water/coolant levels seem ok thus far... time will tell... in the meantime, any suggestions on checks?

Sorry so long, kids are asleep and my thoughts can flood my brain lol. [emoticon]

Yes, white smoke indicates a rich fuel mixture ... carb may not have been adjusted properly. High idle is sometimes used to keep an engine running rather than fixing other problems. My '77 B200 with 318 engine idled high ... a tune-up, with new plugs, cap, rotor, PCV valve, and correct timing allowed me to turn down the idle to about 600 RPMs.

Blue smoke indicates an oil leak, typically due to worn rings, valves, or valve stem seals. On most older, low-mileage vehicles, which applies to most motorhomes, the valve stem seals is the usual suspect. Dodge valve stem seals on older engines are notorious for breaking down, allowing oil to seep into the cylinders past the valve stems. The good news is these can be replaced without removing the heads, using compressed air to keep the valves in place. (Look up the exact procedure ... it's not difficult, just tricky.)

Most areas with smog tests have the ability to provide exact spec's and diagrams for your particular vehicle ... check with the government agency responsible for overseeing the tests. (The vacuum system on my '80 Bronco was a wonder to behold ... as in "I wonder what idiot did this" ... and the local government provide clear vacuum diagrams specific to the year, make, model, and engine.)

Which engine do you have? I haven't looked backwards (above) but I'm assuming it's a small block.

* This post was edited 08/29/14 01:11am by Griff in Fairbanks *

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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