Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > iRV2.com COMMUNITY FORUMS > Vintage RV's
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-12-2011, 05:07 PM   #519
Senior Member
 
clarkgriswold's Avatar
 
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Dublin, VA
Posts: 391
Quote:
Originally Posted by TitanicPilot View Post
Thanks for the link! What is the "rubber eraser on the drill"?
You can buy it at many auto paint stores and some auto stores. I think it's made by 3M and called an eraser wheel. It's basically an overgrown rubber 'eraser' that can be used with a handheld drill. The one caution is make sure you don't 'burn' the RV. I found it to be useful at times but the most of the decals I removed consisted of WD-40 prep and plastic blade and/or utility knife (used cautiously). Hope that helps.
__________________
Mike & Cindy, (of course with Lucy the Miniature Schnauzer & Eddie the Yorkie) Dublin, VA / Fun Finder TT / X215WSK
clarkgriswold is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 08-12-2011, 11:27 PM   #520
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by Senior Chief
My gosh, gummibear and winnebeater- gorgeous rigs!

And yes, the Fourth Law of Vintage RV ownership states every repair takes 3x as long and cost twice what you've budgeted.

And if a repair or renovation actually costs less or goes faster, something ELSE will break to compensate.
Thanks, Sr. Chief! Very reassuring to know that I am indeed abiding by the Fourth Law of Vintage RV Ownership not to mention
Gummibear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2011, 12:13 AM   #521
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winnebeater

Looks like we own the same motorhome as you. We were curious if you had redone the decals on the exterior and would like to see some interior photos if you have any.
No we havent redone anything. The "chieftain" decals show their age, thats for sure. But as far as the "W" & the stripe, they seem to be in decent shape. Pretty sure the red stripe is O.G. as some cracking is visible in the paint when viewed up-close.

Dont have any pics of interior yet. She,s in the shop getting a massive tune up. The interior is all vintage, complete with unevenly faded crimson carpeting. And the apolstery patterns are horrific; the dinette seating reminds me of sweaters worn on Family Ties or The Cosby Show!

I am really impressed with your revamping. The floors and seating are particularly amazing... great job sir.

At present we have no plans to rehab the interior. We're going to hit the road asap & hope to find a great place to land ourselves for the winter. (Hopefully write this novel Ive had seeping in my brain for the past 4 years).

Ideally I would like to change out the carpeting (except in the bathroom... no need for a bath mat & in the winter you dont have to worry about freezing your feet!) But we have to more pressing concerns:
1. Enhancing mpg economy as much as possible, however possible. (No idea how...)
2. Im going to get solar panel system to all but eliminate dependance on the gas generator. Again i dont know the hows or whens ... not to mention the Iffs & the Butts...

(As we plan on fulltiming, I view these fuel economy & solar as paramount to both independence & sucessful budgeting)

Again, great job fixing your unit up! Looks AMAZING
Gummibear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2011, 12:57 AM   #522
Senior Member
 
Winnebeater's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Olivehurst, CA
Posts: 498
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gummibear View Post
No we havent redone anything. The "chieftain" decals show their age, thats for sure. But as far as the "W" & the stripe, they seem to be in decent shape. Pretty sure the red stripe is O.G. as some cracking is visible in the paint when viewed up-close.

Dont have any pics of interior yet. She,s in the shop getting a massive tune up. The interior is all vintage, complete with unevenly faded crimson carpeting. And the apolstery patterns are horrific; the dinette seating reminds me of sweaters worn on Family Ties or The Cosby Show!

I am really impressed with your revamping. The floors and seating are particularly amazing... great job sir.

At present we have no plans to rehab the interior. We're going to hit the road asap & hope to find a great place to land ourselves for the winter. (Hopefully write this novel Ive had seeping in my brain for the past 4 years).

Ideally I would like to change out the carpeting (except in the bathroom... no need for a bath mat & in the winter you dont have to worry about freezing your feet!) But we have to more pressing concerns:
1. Enhancing mpg economy as much as possible, however possible. (No idea how...)
2. Im going to get solar panel system to all but eliminate dependance on the gas generator. Again i dont know the hows or whens ... not to mention the Iffs & the Butts...

(As we plan on fulltiming, I view these fuel economy & solar as paramount to both independence & sucessful budgeting)

Again, great job fixing your unit up! Looks AMAZING
I will say one thing about ours and that is that the gas mileage is consistent..... consistently BAD. We get 5.5 MPG empty and get 5.5 MPG with holding tanks full and towing our car. I think we're domed. I have looked into a few things, upgrading to a overdrive transmission could get you 1-2 MPG better mileage. Don't seem like much but when you do the math that's 20% or better improvement. If you guys are full timing that may pay for itself fairly quick. The other thing I looked into was upgrading to fuel injection.
As for the interior I remember that well it wasn't long ago that ours looked the same. Fortunately the flooring was probably the least expensive upgrade in our renovation and definitely the most dramatic improvement. We just watched our local Home Depot till we found some Pergo that was returned and went on clearance. It was also one of the easiest things that we had done. If you've ever installed mini blinds at home before you might try that to update the look of the windows. And they are extremely inexpensive. We spent less than $100 to put mini blinds on every window. They also allow more control over the incoming light.
Sounds like your decals have the same problems that ours does, seems that your photo did a wonderful job of masking the imperfections.
Thank you for the reply to my comment and good luck to you on your future travels.
__________________
1984 Winnebago Cheiftain 27RU, P32 Chassis, 454, Banks Power Pack, TH400
Winnebeater is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2011, 02:57 PM   #523
Senior Member
 
Curtis in TX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Rhome, TX
Posts: 1,031
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winnebeater View Post
If you decide to tackle some interior renovations and have any questions please feel free to ask. I am nowhere near an expert, but have developed some skills in this area over the last 11 months on ours. Always happy to help. I'm curious what gas engine/ trans combo you had previously and what diesel engine/trans combo you went with. How did it help your mileage?
I appreciate the offer to help me though the interior problems I'll come up against. I'll probably start on it for my Winter Project.

The engine swap is a long story, so I hope ya'll don't mind if I go through it all as it was quite an undertaking to get it to where it is now.

For the repower we went from a EFI 460 Gas motor with a C-6 3 speed transmission that on a good day got 6 mpg. 5.5 mpg if we ran the generator! 10 years ago I installed a 5.9L Cummins bumped up to 350 horses and an Allison 542 4 speed automatic. This got the old girl into the 10 MPG range, but barely. The Allison is a non lock up torque converter with a 1:1 high gear. The rear end was geared to 4:88's and that was just too low for this engine.
So, I regeared the rear end to 3:56's with a limited slip and that got me into the 11.5 to 12's in mpg. It really needed 3:07's to work with the Old Allison but those gear ratios arn't being made anymore. It's better since I doubled my fuel mileage and I've been living with it. Recently I added a second small fuel tank so I can actually run WVO in it if I choose. WVO in the big tank and regular diesel in the small one for startups and shut downs.

My next step is to put in a manual Isuzu MLD6Q 6 speed transmission. This transmission works well in my application as it has a granny 1st (6.70:1) to take off uphill in the backwoods, and 5th is 1:1 with 6th gear at .76 overdrive. This should put me in the 13 to 14 mpg range if I can keep my foot out of the turbo. I should point out that the MLD6Q is a cable shift transmission so it will work well with the basement that's between the floor and transmission. No gear shift lever sticking up throught the floor. I can mount shifter on the dog house.

The radiator and intercooler are out of a Ford 7000 Series truck so it will never overheat or blow hot air in the intake. That will make more power all over.

That about covers it!
__________________
1990 Fleetwood Limited Edition, Converted to Diesel. Pulling my toy box, a 93 Isuzu Rodeo 4X4.
Life is for the Adventure not the problems!
Curtis in TX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2011, 07:39 PM   #524
Senior Member
 
GOLDWINGER2's Avatar
 
Vintage RV Owners Club
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: CA
Posts: 1,265
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curtis in TX View Post

For the repower we went from a EFI 460 Gas motor with a C-6 3 speed transmission that on a good day got 6 mpg. 5.5 mpg if we ran the generator! 10 years ago I installed a 5.9L Cummins bumped up to 350 horses and an Allison 542 4 speed automatic. This got the old girl into the 10 MPG range, but barely. The Allison is a non lock up torque converter with a 1:1 high gear. The rear end was geared to 4:88's and that was just too low for this engine.
How is the level of engine noise from the change over?
J
__________________
1988 PACE ARROW
P30, 454 ENG, TURBO 400 TRANS
TOWING '80 WING OR 2006 AVALON
GOLDWINGER2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2011, 06:52 AM   #525
Senior Member
 
Curtis in TX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Rhome, TX
Posts: 1,031
Quote:
Originally Posted by GOLDWINGER2 View Post
How is the level of engine noise from the change over?
J

Not bad! It helps if you're a little hard of hearing of course! JK!

My step son was a car stereo installer when I did this swap and he helped me put some sound deadening around the engine area. (Dynamat)
You can hear it, but it's not obtrusive. Especially when it's moving.

I have the same engine in my pickup so I'm used to it!
Any FERD is going to be a little noisey when you have to sit in top of the engine.
__________________
1990 Fleetwood Limited Edition, Converted to Diesel. Pulling my toy box, a 93 Isuzu Rodeo 4X4.
Life is for the Adventure not the problems!
Curtis in TX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2011, 01:08 PM   #526
Senior Member
 
TitanicPilot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Southern Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 144
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curtis in TX View Post
....
The engine swap is a long story, so I hope ya'll don't mind if I go through it all as it was quite an undertaking to get it to where it is now....
Any pictures of the swap?
__________________
Dave & Marilyn - Southern Wisconsin
1985 33' Pace Arrow "Titanic", 454+.040", Thorley Tri-Y
Quadrajet, Torque Cam, TH475 w/Cooler, No Dash A/C
TitanicPilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2011, 07:09 AM   #527
Senior Member
 
Curtis in TX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Rhome, TX
Posts: 1,031
Quote:
Originally Posted by TitanicPilot View Post
Any pictures of the swap?
I haven't labeled every picture and many of the pictures are duplicates, but you are welcome to look through the Photo Albumn!
Motorhome Rebuild pictures by Curtis-J - Photobucket

I got so involved with the build I wasn't able to take pictures of every nut and bolt. You see I did this swap in 110 degree heat by myself. Other than the sound deadening where my camera died during that part when Joe was helping me.
But, you'll get the idea. It was like building a full sie ship in a bottle. Not something I'm anxious to repeat.
__________________
1990 Fleetwood Limited Edition, Converted to Diesel. Pulling my toy box, a 93 Isuzu Rodeo 4X4.
Life is for the Adventure not the problems!
Curtis in TX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2011, 08:54 AM   #528
Senior Member
 
Vintage RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 218
you stoled my heart. I luv these fortravels. as far as I am concerned, they are the best on the road. yours is nice. thanks for the pic's.

Outlaw
__________________
John & Colleen Weston & Cassie(our cat) -Olympia,WA
1978 GMC Midas Class A 30FT-454 Engine, 400 T
Outlaw45 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2011, 11:41 AM   #529
Junior Member
 
Vintage RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 11
Bought this earlier this summer, was a little under the influence, and love it more everytime i look at it! 74 Superior

Valders-20110816-00018.jpg picture by Rockyj79 - Photobucket


Valders-20110816-00019.jpg picture by Rockyj79 - Photobucket


Valders-20110816-00020.jpg picture by Rockyj79 - Photobucket

Needs some work but for the most part it's all original and everything works on it.
RockyJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2011, 11:50 AM   #530
Junior Member
 
Vintage RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 11




that seemed to work better
RockyJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2011, 11:51 AM   #531
Senior Member
 
Johnnyd111's Avatar
 
Vintage RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 128
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockyJ View Post
Bought this earlier this summer, was a little under the influence, and love it more everytime i look at it! 74 Superior

Valders-20110816-00018.jpg picture by Rockyj79 - Photobucket


Valders-20110816-00019.jpg picture by Rockyj79 - Photobucket


Valders-20110816-00020.jpg picture by Rockyj79 - Photobucket

Needs some work but for the most part it's all original and everything works on it.
Nice find! 440 dodge?
__________________
1972 Wayfarer in restoration
Johnnyd111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2011, 12:16 PM   #532
Junior Member
 
Vintage RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 11
yep has the dodge chassis and 440-3 engine. Has an exhaust leak but not sure if it's the very common manifold leak or not. I going to be asking for a lot of help on here so i'm gonna say thanks in advance lol.
RockyJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 2 (0 members and 2 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Restored 1948 Spartan Spartanette Bob&Pat Vintage RV's 29 09-10-2010 06:56 PM
adding photos to post moisheh Monaco Owner's Forum 13 06-14-2008 03:10 AM
Value on vintage MH grumman72 Vintage RV's 3 04-12-2006 05:54 AM
post photos sal avitabile Forum 101 | Announcements | Forum Concerns 3 02-03-2006 09:21 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:52 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.