Gauges! More Gauges!

This is a photo showing my effort to create a dashboard panel to install in the Allegro. After much searching and screwing up the dashboard thinking I could just use a hole saw to install the gauges (silly me!) it turns out that the dash has a metal plate in it that already has holes. Those holes just mess up your location on the drilling so much you ruin that part of the dash. Instead of trying to get the hole exact I figure it's easier to drill a patch panel and install that over a larger hole. So, what to use for a panel?? It has to be strong enough to take the drilling and be attached to the dash with gauges in it. Finally settled on these "lavatory" signs you stick onto doors! The plastic is clear with a painted back with the letters. Using the Rust-oleum Accents paint (dark walnut satin) it etches the smooth plastic to create just the right texture on the surface. 

It took about 4 coats but the chemicals in the spray paint softened up the clear plastic and created a very fine pitted finish that was PERFECT! Not shiny and looks intentional! Next I will drill small screw holes in the corners or use 3M tape to secure the panel to the dash. I'm leaning more towards using screws as the main dash panel is built that way.

The gauges are for monitoring as much of the RV engine/drivetrain as I can. After the fiasco with the LH1 as noted in the previous posting I am installing as many gauges as I can.

The one bummer is the Ritchie in-dash compass. The unit is TOO sensitive to any metal near it and I just cannot install this in the dashboard without it shifting 30 degrees off the true heading. It's stupid! The thin metal sheet in the dash does this and I cannot pull the entire dash panel out to install this compass. Total waste of money!

So the LH2 will have extra gauges for tachometer, transmission oil temp, oil temp, and a new fuel/vacuum gauge to monitor the fuel efficiency.

More later!!

UPDATE: Here are the gauges set in the dash. Not too happy about the back panel but it works. I have the tach, transmission temp, oil temp, and the vacuum (gas flow) meter in the upper right corner to replace the crap compass that didn't work at all. I'm looking to replace the green digital clock with a weather center or GPS/ map screen.

Little Projects: RV Shakedown

These bits are amazingly cheap! Guess folks just don't bother but it makes a big difference when you swap out old worn out parts.

Managed to steal some time and do some Amazon shopping for the RV. Some of the projects involve fixing some of the small stuff that's just old and worn out. Cracked roof vents, plumbing vents, swap out energy hog bulbs for LED's. That sort of stuff.

The new, new replacement alternator. These are like transmissions for me.....

Well the new alternator the PO installed isn't working. No charging at all from it so it kills the battery after about 5-6 starts of the BIG 454. Tested it and verified the gauge does work on the dash. The YouTube is great for finding out how to figure this stuff out, as my Dad would say! So, $50 later and I have a new 95 amp alternator sitting on my desk waiting to go in.

I also started up and ran the Onan generator for a while this weekend and managed to bust the starter solenoid. Yea. Found one at Jack's Small Engine Parts site and ordered that and I should be good to go for that part. When running the Onan did provide charging and power for the RV. Really cool that it was still in the RV and in working shape!

The doohickey-thingamabob with all the wires is the starter solenoid. Yeah, crazy what they name things.

All in all, the LH2 is in pretty good shape. Richard spent yesterday stripping off the rest of the crispy vinyl trim inserts in preparation for the new orange striping I painted (see the video on my YouTube channel, lots of fun!).

We need more gauges. There is still some space on the dash.

As part of the "disaster prevention" approach and because of my aeronautical engineering past, I like lots of gauges. I've bought a tach gauge and transmission oil temp gauge (just a generic Bosch temp gauge) to install on the dash. I'd like to find a working turn-and-bank indicator to swap out for the existing bubble gauges.... thought that would be a cool touch. The original P30 panel has gauges for alternator, water temp, oil pressure, and fuel. With the bad experiences in LH1 (the Tioga) with the bad wiring/alternator I do not want a repeat of losing gauges, turn signals, brake lights and such like we did going to Staten Island!!!

I'll be posting how-to vid's of the install on the YouTube channel, time permitting. Have a garage addition to finish and other stuff in the house to do.

Thanks for reading!

The Class A Lurking in my yard

This is the interior picture of the LH2. There will be some modifications with additional gauges and other monitoring and GPS devices mounted up here to allow for better navigation and operational functions but this is the basic layout.

Interior layout of front control cabin with cushy seats and HUGE dashboard area you could sleep on! Good for the kitties!

The Allegro in the dark. I still cannot believe we have a Class A Motorcoach sitting in our yard.

\

Yep, we came back from our Thanksgiving trip and this was still in the yard. I look at this motorhome and still cannot belive that it's here and ours. I cannot wait to plan this next years set of trips around NYS and beyond once we know the LH2 is ready to go the distance.

Received a Tiffin Time Capsule: NOS Allegro Logos!

I'm starting to get things set up for the winter but we may just squeeze in one short trip for Thanksgiving in the LH2. Stay tuned while we figure this out and what we're going to to. In the mean time, I tried to get some new trim strips and this is what the manufacturer sent me...

On Top of the Allegro!!

The sun managed to come out today and allow me some time on top of the LH2. These Allegros are built really well. The entire roof is one sheet of aluminum! While the roof material was pretty much untouched for 30 years the other items such as the skylights, vents and other bits really are showing their age. Amazon is my friend and I've ordered 3 new venting skylights, 2 plumbing vent caps and the associated gasket kits. Along with the cans of Rustoleum sealing spray, this will definitely upgrade topside! Now, the only thing left is the crazy TV antenna system that's totally outdated. Stay tuned!

A Shot showing the roof from the back. Note the tape on the skylight! Time to upgrade.

Ugh. Old and dried out caulking around the rack system. Time to reseal.

Plumbing vent? What plumbing vent?

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.... Smarter? That's up for Debate..

After a lengthy search in both soul and body, this is the "Long Hauler 2". Thanks to Brian for being patient and allowing 4 test drives to make sure everything was working. I scoured the interwebs for months, just looking and not committing to anything until Rach and I agreed on IF we did put in an offer how much it would be and what would make us walk away.

While it's late in the season to do anything we may get her ready for a trip before the snow flies and do a short trip to see how it runs and works out.

Thanks for checking in and maybe we might just pull in your driveway someday soon! Hey, do you have a sewer grate by the curb in front of your place??

Allegro Tour

The Long Drive North

Well that was certainly an interesting two days in Daytona. In the end, the "Long Hauler" found a new home as a home for someone that needs to get their life back together and my hope is that it will become part of something positive for someone. This is the parting shot of the RV before I headed out of town and back north today.

 No scrapping -- no scrap yard will take RV's anymore with all the regulations. All the wood and insulation needs to be removed before anyone would even consider scrapping it. So, the old RV will become a new residence for someone.

After doing a first day of clean out and packing of the truck I recharged the battery and restarted the engine. I couple quarts of Lucas oil treatment and the engine kept pressure for the trip to it's new home! Hot and sticky outside and it was a reminder of the 5 days in the RV hoping that the shop would help out and fix the engine.


The 440 engine was sold for the reserve price to an owner of a Plymouth Fury yesterday evening and so that part of the project will be picked up next week.

So, that's the end of the "Long Hauler" being stored in purgatory for over a year. Not the way I anticipated but it's the way life is!

A Day in Paradise.

I managed to survive the first day after the "going to the airport" fiasco this morning. Got on the plane, made it to Florida, took a taxi to A-1 Rentals to pick up the rental truck that would bring home all our personal belongings from inside the RV. Great folks at A-1 Rentals! Got me on my way in under 10 minutes!

After that it was off to Bill's Carb shop to let him know I was in town and formulate a plan to get the RV either scrapped or sold off.....

Pulling into the storage yard, I was waiting for that key fob card to not work at all and having to deal with all that instead of just going in and checking out "The Long Hauler". Gotta say it weathered a year in Florida pretty well but despite that the faded lettering on the back of the RV really said it all.

I spent most of the afternoon clearing her out and sorting the garbage from the stuff going back home. That first step into the RV brought back some memories. Not only the bad ones but the kids and the camping on Cape Hatteras.

There she is in Florida. Maybe someone can take her on, swap out the crank and main bearings and have a really cool vintage RV..... We'll see how that works out this week. More later!

On my way, with a few diversions.....

Left the house at 3:30am to catch my flight out of Rochester only to have the Subaru freak out on me just as I got off the Thruway!! Got her off onto Route 96 at a Mobil station. Popped the hood, suspect that transmission so I went in at 4:15 in the am to buy automatic transmission fluid. Nope, they're out of it.... Joy. Called 2 tow truck companies only to find that they aren't 24 hour service. Got Ricci Towing to come by but only after I had to leave in an airport taxi to rush at 80 mph to the terminal to get my flight on time.

Crazy on top of all of it. Called Van Bortel Subaru to let them know my car should be sitting out in front of their service area. At least it was really close to where the car stopped working!

Hoping that is the only big glitch this trip. You'd think this whole mission to FL was cursed or something.....

I'll provide an update once I'm on the ground and have the rental truck. Oh, Penske called. They are still trying to find me the truck I reserved.....

I can't believe it's gone....

Tim has come by today and the engine is now on it's way to Florida! Thanks Tim! Here are some pictures of the transport.

As many things as I could get onto that pallet and zip tied each one!!

Tim's short bed just fit everything. We even tossed in a spare tire just in case.

Definitely needed the bigger engine hoist with all the extra weight and height of the truck!

Now I'm getting nervous! Mission Jitters!

Now that I've committed to flying down and Tim is stopping by next week to pick up the engine and all the other bits I can think of for the swap project, it's finally hitting me. I wake up at night and start thinking about all the potential issues that may come up to stop me from doing a successful swap. Simple things like missing bolts, hoses or parts that I just cannot get because they are likely NLA (no longer available).

The BIG coil springs came today for the front end. You know, the one that bounced all over the place before on our trip and so I figured while I'm swapping out an entire engine I could do the front shocks and springs. Well, it turns out the manufacturer is not sure if they will fit now. What?? They are springs for crying out loud! How hard can this be?

In the middle of September I'm flying down to Daytona, renting a car and hoping that between the parts that were put into the first repair job and the ones I have delivered to Bill's shop that I'll be close to what's needed to make this work. I've already surrendered to not having the A/C installed but we'll see about that.

I will be posting videos during the trip (that's why I'm back on Facebook but really didn't want to be. Surprise!! FB kept all my info...) and doing so via YouTube and FB.

440 V8 on the pallet awaiting delivery!

One of the exhaust headers in the garage. Many parts to add to the delivery.

Intake manifold and cooling fan....

Don't forget the starter!!! Can't do a swap without having that.

The bright yellow power steering pump. May just use the 360's pump but good to have the spare....

The new, REALLY BIG front coil springs! Hope that these fit despite the recent note that they may not. I can't drive back with the front of the "Long Hauler" bouncing like it did and with the larger engine that will really be an issue.

 

Good News ~ Transmission Update (Shared Video)

Wow! I guess Florida eats RV's!! As a bonus you get stuck for nearly two weeks while it gets fixed....

Seems like a pattern here. Check out Eric's videos on his "Nomatic Fanatic" YouTube Channel.  Stay tuned for the "Long Hauler" rescue mission in September!

Herding the Cats: Putting the Rescue Mission together....

I just booked my flight to Daytona and car rental for the middle of September. It's now or never at this point and the adrenaline is starting to build (could be the 3 cups of coffee, I guess). Tim, my contractor friend, is delivering the 440 V8 and other bits to Florida for the engine swap. Bill's Carburetor Shop will host the swap and let me plug in the RV to live in while I work on it.

We did have a slight detour into a "Plan B": just junk the RV and get another one up here. Lather, rinse, repeat.... We saw it and test drove her. A 1983 Chevy Mallard. Couldn't get the thing past 55 mph and she needed work as well. Back to plan A: the devil you know sort of thing.

Right now I'm searching and ordering those hard-to-find parts for the project and also to fix the soft front end that may have been the cause of the problem when the oil pan hit the pavement and likely caused the oil to be lost out of the original engine.

Small prep projects happening before the delivery: palletizing the engine, collecting the other bits, bolts and hoses. Rebuilding the instrument panel (not happy about the loss of gauges on the trip!) and other stuff prior to the flight.

A month will go by quickly! Fly down, get the RV out of storage (should be a fun post in of itself, trying to restart her after a year and to see if there is any wildlife that has moved in since then) drive to the shop and get the repairs done. Hoping it will be 2-3 days of focused work to do it. Then drive carefully home over the next 2-3 days if all goes well.

It will be just over a year since this started. Will be very glad to be crossing the NY line with the "Long Hauler".

 

 

 

A picture sent in July of the RV in storage. 

The replacement engine awaiting pick up and delivery...

Will the Engine Work Ever End????

It seems.... no, it is a long time working on this engine but remember that the work that is done now will save time when the engine finally is installed on the "Long Hauler". This very HOT weekend (but low humidity so it wasn't that bad at all.) of 95F and just about 100F today was too hot for the paint to cure correctly and ironically the more heat the slower the paint hardens up. Go figure!

Anyways, here are a few pictures of the progress over the last few days. Videos of my raspy voice clumsily explaining what I'm doing are on YouTube for all to see. Just type in "The VintageRV'er" and my channel will show up. Please subscribe. There are no pop-ups or other sponsored content on my channel. Don't need it and don't know how that junk works so have fun without the ads popping up on you.

Here is the latest YouTube video link!: I've added the alternator swap. The camera ran out of memory!
https://youtu.be/Szm1QEc8Zvo

Starting to look like an engine! Richard says that it looks like one of those museum engines you see on display. Thanks!

This is the seldom-seen underside of the intake manifold. It's the thing that bolts onto the top of the engine and holds the carburetor... okay, it was crappy and we cleaned it up and it looks all blue and pretty now.

This awful mess is the thing that lets you steer your car with one had. The power steering pump. It was in the way and so why not remove it and paint it? Always good to have things fresh and clean to see any leaks.

Have Engine, Will Travel.... that's the card of a crazy man....

OK, I'm dating myself using that opening line but hey, this is all about working things out and fixing what has gone wrong.

I've been posting lots of information about the donor RV and the 440 V8 engine work going on here. With the "Long Hauler" stuck in Daytona Florida in outdoor storage (yeah, monthly storage fees!) until I can travel down and do the second swap this engine work is the focus of the project.

Visit my YouTube channel and subscribe to keep up with the shenanigans. Just type in "Vintage RV'er" and you'll get there. This is the latest video. The future ones will deal with swapping out the small 65 amp alternator and more.

Goodby old friend... we hardly knew you.

Trouts Auto Recycling has arrived to pick up what was left of the Dodge Coachmen RV chassis. The rear wheels locked up but Jimmy did a good job with the flatbed tow truck. Didn't even harm the daisies!

We'll find out how much that hulk was worth in scrap when I go to get the receipt.

Goodby heap, hello driveway!

I stripped all that might be useful for the RV retrieval / repair project and that was what was left to tow away.
Not much but boy it was still pretty heavy!

Next is clean up of the engine, re-gasketing, re-painting and putting on a pallet to get to FL! I'll post some videos of this on the YouTube Channel  this weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdgb2L7-3PdFa2TprgsaaVQ?view_as=public

Man, that's one big motor!

The deed of removing the Dodge 440 V8 has been accomplished!! I pulled the transmission as well since it was easier than trying to unbolt the transmission at this point. Had to use the Camry battlewagon to move the RV chassy, then use it to help pull the hoist one the engine was free from the mounts.

Wow. The next engine hoist I get will have better wheels!

The next step is to clean and replace gaskets on the engine and prep it for transport to FL. Whew!
Trout's recycling will be getting what's left of the RV and my driveway will somewhat return to normal. For now....

Body shell cut away fully and ready for the extraction, but first a little help from the Camry to move it.

It's late and the engine/transmission is out!

440 V8 with Tourqueflight Transmission out on the hoist.

RV Engine Removal Project

This is a video of the final steps in removing the 440 V8 from the donor RV! This will happen on Saturday and the engine will be palatalized and strapped down, ready for the trip to FL! 

Pulling the other RV shell apart....

It's been a while however Richard and I managed to start cutting up and pulling the Dodge RV shell apart for extraction of the 440. We figured it's easier to just start cutting the body apart and saving the bits we could use for the Tioga as we go along. Sawalls are really the best and fastest way to go about cutting up and getting down to where you need to be with this sort of operation.

Here are a few pics of the progress so far. I'll be posting video on YouTube as well. It does look like the A/C system was worked on in the past. One clamp was turned so much that it poked a hole in the radiator!! So much for saving the rad.... The a/c condensor is still good and the RV shell has a transmission cooler which we will definitely save for the Tioga.

The day was occasionally interrupted with bouts of 1/4" size popcorn hail from about 11am to 6 pm. Nothing like some crazy weather to keep interest going in the work!

Next weekend will be the official pulling of the 440 v8 engine. Stay tuned for movies of this work happening!

o

This RV shell really looks more aerodynamic!

Some of the body parts laid out on the back of the RV shell.

The front end with the bumper, shield panels and headlights stowed away.

Some of the RV booty! Good doors, mirrors (remember Watkins Glen!!) and a totally great shape grille!

Gotta say that this RV had some really cool graphics for the doors. The Harvest Gold and Red really lend a sense of adventure to any RV.

Why is Everything so Heavy??

The original Manchester RV propane tank removed from the frame. 4- 3/4" nuts and you NEED a flex coupling for the ratchet along with a minimum 10" extension bar to get this out. Oh, by the way, you also need a rolling car jack.

 With the wonderfully warm weekend I spent a bit of time pulling out the RV propane tank under the frame and the Onan Generator. Both are quite heavy and just moving them around is a major pain. If you don't have the right tools and equipment you are just asking for trouble. Some of the tools that I have found to be the most useful are the ratcheting cargo straps, hand trucks, a 2 ton car jack, folding table, all-terrain wagons (the updated version of our Red Ryder wagons) and an assortment of power tools such as Sawsall's and the like.

The Manchester Tank on the very-convenient plastic folding table. The table is very light and compact for storage and comes in handy to work on anything at counter height (no bending!).

RV Propane tank all sanded down, Naval Jelly treated for rust and first coat of etching primer added.

RV Tank repainted with Rustoleum Satin White and then Flexseal White

The RV propane tank came off pretty quickly but only because of the right tools. The Onan Generator came off even easier. Things to keep watch for on the gas-powered generator were the exhaust muffler and the sheer weight of the unit. The 4K generator portion was the majority of the unit weight! Hand truck time.

Onan Genset finally removed. Had to cut the top of the box off and you can see that the bottom frame was altered to allow the installation of this 4K unit. I plan on building a rear platform for the bikes and the generator unit.

It's interesting that the generator has a service sticker for Elkhart, Indiana. Wonder if the old unit failed and a new one was installed there.

Richard helped me with the cleaning and repainting with high-temp engine paint for the ONAN muffler unit and tailpipe. The pieces were in great shape for 30+ years.

After Oil Change we Restart the 440 V8

Getting the hang of this video stuff! This is the restart of the engine that will be transplanted into the "Long Hauler" in May. I called Bill, the Carburetor Shop Guy, to let him know I've scored with the engine and am prepping to do the removal and shipping to his shop in FL.  Fresh oil change and filter and now this engine gets right up to 55# oil pressure! Yeah!

Dodge RV Grille Repaint

This is a quick video of me repainting the grille of the Dodge RV that will be used to swap engines with the "Long Hauler". Just some Aluminum Metallic paint from the auto store. The grille off of this one is soooo much better than the cracked and beat up one on the Tioga. This donor will be well-used since many parts will be donated -- doors, windshield, a/c compressor, hoses, instrument cluster, headlight switches, a great Osam Emerald I 4K watt generator and more.

Starting up the 440! Boom!

I've cleaned up the 440 and it wasn't much work as there was little in the way of oil leaks and grease (good sign!). I took the air intake off and cleaned up the carb. Here is a video of me starting her up and getting some backfire on the carb. Yes, flames do shoot out of a carb on a backfire.

I tried to download it on here but the limit is 100 mb for the video file. As I get better with this video thing I'll spend more time downloading videos on the YouTube channel.  

https://youtu.be/68lebeWvN84

Surprise!

This entire journey has taken so many interesting (read frustrating and upsetting) and surprising turns and not to disappoint anyone the universe keeps the hits coming.

Got a good look under the hood and guess what? Did you know that Dodge 360's look a lot like Dodge 440's? There are some minor differences like the location of the distributor and other stuff but it bolts up to the same A727 Torqueflight transmission.

Near the bottom of the label under the hood reads "440-1 Engine"

 
Yep, turns out the scrap RV van has a 440 in it with a 4 barrel carb on it. Okay then. Did not expect that. If it fits in this van body it will fit in the "Long Hauler". It appears that this will fit without too much of an issue. It's a bit newer than the 360 by a few months. Been researching it a bit last night and early today and while it doesn't have gobs of added horsepower it does have more torque.

Uh, that's not a 2 barrel carb on there.....

Pic of 440-1 engine with the cover off.

I think that 120 amp alternator I bought will actually fit on this engine! The 65 amp one that's on it is barely enough to keep stuff charged and running.

Now to figure out the best way to get this beast out of the van body... A Sawsall could come in handy, again.

Finally! The 'other' Dodge RV is here! We'll, most of it....

After my last post in January celebrating the finding of the same year Dodge RV for the engine swap we have managed to get it home! A HUGE THANKS to Tim Manley, a contractor friend of mine that selflessly offered to use his Tocoma and car trailer to get the RV chassy in Sherburne, NY. Another BIG THANKS to Joe for waiting so long to have me come and buy the Coachman. At some point I bet Joe thought we weren't real with all the delays and postponements. 

The Dodge Juuuuust fit on the trailer!

The Ill-Gotten RV Booty! Even a Potty!

Richard came along for the 6+ hour round trip. The purchase also included some of the old RV bits such as the Onan Propane-fueled Electric Generator (yeah! no more batteries and invertors dying 3 hours into the trip!), the RV potty (we may just install it where Hailey sits since she went enough times during our trip...) and the major score of the original door that matches the one Richard and I tried to fix but it never locked or fit right. The door also comes with a working latch/lock and keys.

Wow! Better Rear vision in this RV! Lots of air, too!

Shot of original ONAN Gen set! Yes, no more 12v Batteries!

The next step is to start disassembly with the front end (good grille and turn signals.) removal of the engine and transmission so I can palletize them after a tear down of the Dodge 360 V8 to make sure all the seals, bearings, oil and water pumps are working right and in good shape. Other smaller bits like the instrument cluster, headlight switches and other stuff the "Long Hauler" has had issues with will be harvested. Even the mirrors and doors will be put to good use. We even have a good set of tires on her along with spares.

Watch out soon for the Enginectomy!