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!