Hi,

I just bought a RoadTrek motorhome built on a 1998 Dodge B3500 frame with 120,000 miles. There is a major corrosion issue at the front of the vehicle. The rest of the vehicle is good including engine and tranny. My wife and I decided to keep it for our upcoming retirement trips, therefore I want to have it repaired.

A body shop quoted me an exaggerated $7,500 to $9,000 for the repair. When I went to check with other body shops I realized that they don't want this job because it involves removing a lot of the front end including the radiator, sway bar, steering box, etc... to have proper access to the frame. They prefer to take the simple fender-bender and paint jobs.

Here is a picture to give you an idea of the corrosion damage.


https://picasaweb.google.com/1011130...eat=directlink


I am not a mechanic, I am just a DIY person with some DIY experience in fixing tank, radiator, engine, steering, aesthetic body work, paint, welding and boat repairs including inboard engine and alpha drives.

I have decided to give it a shot myself even if it takes a few months to repair it. I will post all the steps involved in this project on this site. I will need all the help and/or comment from this forum specially for the frame.

For now I would appreciate help for the following (remember I need info for the van not the truck) :

1 - A picture of the bottom front of the van for a 1998 B3500 model.
2 - An exploded view of front of the frame with part numbers.
3 - Plans with dimensions for the front of the frame.
4 - Any other related info.

I have seen the frame for a 1994 and a 2001 B3500 van model. I am not sure what the 1998 would look like. I already have the the Haynes repair manual for the van, online access to the Chilton repair manual for the van, the 2001 Dodge Service PDF manual for the trucks and the 1998 parts manual for the trucks.

Thanks.

John

 

I will post more pictures on this link :

https://picasaweb.google.com/1011130...eat=directlink

 

Ouch! Your corrosion is actually worse than my 2001 B2500 12-passenger Ram Van.

If you are going to remove the radiator, a new one from RockAuto is about $200 shipped. (use code WELCOME) as a new user for free shipping on your first order.

Being that your van is about 15 year old, replacing the water-pump and hoses would be a good idea too.

AND while you are going to fix that cross-member beam, replace the two front brake hoses too to the front calipers.

My van came from up north. The Ram Vans down here are in near mint condition. Just can't find anyone selling a 12-passenger type 1998-2003 having a good body.

 

Thanks Steve. The radiator has a leak and it will be changed. I am also planning to change the tie rod ends and all ball joints.

 

If you are going to change the tie rod ends, check the idler arms and look for play in the center drag link as well. Also check the caster and camber bolts and soak them in some good penetrating oil. That way when and if you get the frame repair you can get a proper alignment done.

Jason

 

I bought my 1998 Roadtrek 190 Popular sight-unseen. I love the little Class-B and intend to put it in proper working order. Bought it at a good price and expected to spend some money. My frame horn - passenger side is just about gone. Critical because the sway bar mounts to the "Horn".

My plan is to disassemble it enough to access the defective area, have a "certified" mobile welder attach a donor part (parts) from a salvaged van, sand blast the remaining rust, treat it with a catylized frame rust repair spray, paint it with a high quality undercoat (or bedliner) put it back together and get another 100,000 miles out of it. Hell a new Roadtrek with the same floor-plan costs $90,000.00 Guess I can invest a few to make her whole.

I just put an entire new dash air system in ($900) complete exhaust with Flowmaster ($365) New front calipers, hoses and hardware ($450) and a new LG 8000 BTU interior AC ($200). Four new Cooper SRM II tires ($900) It's just like a BOAT. "Break out another thousand"

What I would like to know is how come the damn thing rusted so bad in the first place. ;O(

I will post some photos tomorrow...

Lets keep in touch,

David
dacro@comcast.net
Fort Myers, Florida

 

OMG - being a Floridian, I've never seen anything like that unless a battery exploded and dumped all of the SO2 on to the frame - and it sat after that event..

WOW good luck...

 

I bought another Class-B for my 2-month roadtrip to Arches NP, Zion NP , Bryce Canyon NP, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Las Vegas, Yosemite NP, Yellowstone NP and the Pacific Coast. This time I got a 1994 LER (American Cruiser) based on the same Dodge B350 frame with 90,000 miles. It was in an amazing condition without any rust, the frame was in excellent shape. Sometimes I drove at 80 MPH in the desert and it felt strong without any vibration. Gas consumption was 14 mpg driving at 80 MPH and up to 17 mpg driving at 65MPH.

I have not worked on the other rusted vehicle yet as I just got back from vacation.

David, please post your pictures. I would like to have a picture of the front "horn" and some dimensions. I have not been able to get the part from any junk jard. Where did you get yours? Thanks, John

 

I finally did it and the class-B Roadtrek passed inspection today. Now the vehicle drives like a champ. I will use it as a personal vehicle before we go on a road trip to Florida from January to March. I spent about a month on-and-off the project to make the vehicle roadworthy again. This is a list of what I replaced on the vehicle as I did the frame work :

1 - Lower ball joint passenger side
2 - Outer tie-rod end passenger side
3 - Idler arm driver side
4 - Steering center link arm
5 - Rear brake cylinders both sides
6 - Radiator
7 - Exhaust muffler u-bolt

This part of the project was straight forward and I got all the necessary info from my Haynes manual and some DIY write-up on various internet resources.

For the corrosion repair, it was a nightmare as most of the 2 horns and the front crossmember beam were completely eaten by corrosion. Nobody holds these parts in their inventory because the vehicle is 15 years old. I have not been able to find anything from autorecyclers that is still in decent condition. It was impossible to find exact drawings of these frame parts from the manufacturer. My only option was to fabricate the parts as I go.

Here are the main steps of the projects. I will add some pictures later.

1 - Remove the front-end accessories/brackets that are on the front panel (lights, grille, bumper, etc ...)
2 - Remove the stabiliser bar
3 - Grind and/or drill-out the factory spot welds holding the front crossmember beam to the horns.
4 - Remove the front crossmember beam (or what ever is left of it)
5 - Cut-out all the corroded parts of the horns (including the stabiliser bar bracket and the bumper mounting brackets)
6 - Cut-out the side section of the horns. (The horns have a Y-shape)
7 - Measure the dimensions of the section that remains.
8 - Draw plan and section views of the replacement material. These are mostly trapezoidal U-channels that need to be bent from 1/8 inch sheet metal.
9 - Find a few metal shops for a quote. I found somebody who fabricated the 9 pieces that I needed for $185. The highest quote that I got was $600.
10 - Cut and grind each part to make them fit with the existing structure one at a time.
11 - Tack weld the horn parts for test fitting
12 - Final weld the horn parts with 1-inch seams.
13 - Disassemble, grind, drill-out and cut the crossmember beam as much as possible to be able to "guess" their original dimension. The beam is a boxed design with a straight center but rounded sides that was formed and welded during assembly. The sheet metal is 1/16 inch thick.
14 - Draw the parts of the beam.
15 - Cut carton boxes to mimic the size and shape of the beam
16 - Cut the pieces from sheet metal and fold them accordingly
17 - Assemble the beams parts with tack welding
18 - Final weld the beam parts with 1-inch seams
19 - Mount the beam on the new horns, adjust, bolt and weld them together.
20 - Reassemble the front-end.

This was a lot of hard work with ups and downs and ... a lot of mistakes. It was also a personal challenge and a learning process with the help of the internet community.

Feel free to jump in with positive or negative comments. If you are doing a similar project and have any question, I will be pleased to share my experience.

 

Congratulations ! Did you do all this in your driveway?