Thanks ol' grouch. All the tanks were removed and I will likely only re-install smaller fresh and grey tanks. Good advice on the height reminder! The roof AC unit was removed giving me a bit more height, etc. I had the front-end fully serviced and at the moment it only needs an alignment.

 

A couple of gallon jugs for wash water waste and a 5 gallon fresh water jug out to get you by if you're not rebuilding it as a self contained camper. Since I didn't use my black tank, if I got up in the middle of the night, an old windshield washer jug with a cap and a funnel was kept around. A grey water tank underneath will still require a stinky slinky. Do you plan to just have a big box in back? Mine had a shower that was 4 feet tall and I'm 6 foot. I never used it or the toilet so that space was wasted on mine. I did like the roof a/c unit. It kept it comfy in the hottest weather. The insulation was good enough I only used the furnace once and that was 5 degree weather. I usually used a small electric heater run off the shore line. Are you going with a 15 or 30 amp input line?

 

Your brake booster is sideways, the factory did that so you could have the space for 2 battery’s that’s probably where the second one was

nice job gutting it!! Before you do anything in the back, get the water leaks fixed. I had to end up having my entire roof linex bed liner sprayed then I could customize it and not worry about it getting ruined by water

generator is now easy to fix so get that running

is your VIN number on the drivers side dash or in the drivers side door jam, if it’s on the dash then it’s a factory 3/4 ton van chassis. If it’s in the door jam it’s a dodge motorhome chassis. It can make a difference when replaceing suspension parts

all the cab plastic, dash, glove box and a lot of trim panels and doghouse are all interchangeable up to 95 and some of 96

my doors came off of a 1996 conversion van and fit perfectly with the 1979 cab, now I got power windows,power mirrors, power door locks and the keyless entry system. Just figured out all the wireing

i started mine 5 years ago, a lot of time and a bit of money and it’s running great aside from some minor drivability problems which the guys here are great for answers I had to totally gut mine and rebuild it.

You can can check out mine on Facebook. Just look up “terminal defiance”. Lots of finished pics

hit me up if you have any questions, I’ll help ya out any way I can


viperdave

 

Try these sites for replacement weather strips, front window guides and Chanel’s

LMCtruck.com

carid .com

i got all my front door weatherstripping and window runs from LMC trucks They mostly deal with fords and chevys but have a good selection of dodge van stuff. 1990 stuff fit my 1979 windows and doors before I changed them out



viperdave

 

I got to thinking (and now my head hurts) about my old unit. I believe what you have was called a Coachmen Catalina. They used Ford, GM and Dodge chassis. I found an old photo of my unit. The top and window design is the same as yours. Yours might have been called something different as the company name was changed at some time. I always marveled at how much room that puppy had.

 

Thanks. I am considering a small cassette toilet closet, but haven't finalized that yet. I've got a small propane heater for the winter. As for for 15 vs. 30 input line, I'm not sure. I won't need to power a whole lot, as I'm trying to keep this build simple. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

Thanks, viperdave. I am also considering shooting the roof with bed-liner. I already used some up front on and around those bubble windows. etc. What I really need now are good door seals and weather stripping... did you replace yours? Any advice on sellers/brands?

Both of my VIN stickers (one factory and the other by the conversion company) are on the door jam. Would that only effect replacing suspension parts? I had all the brakes replaced last year and it seems to be stopping just fine, etc.

Another BIG issue I have is the windshield washer assembly. No matter how I try, the linkage bars with male ends (with those plastic gaskets) will not seat correctly... used grease, C-clamps, vise, etc. Now if a '95 has the same assembly... direct swap?

Saw all of your pictures on FB... nice! What year are the side-view mirrors?

.

 

The wipers snap into the little cups on the linkage, get a pair of channel locks and snap them into place, you should be able to get new little cups at any auto parts store
I have replaced probably 100 of them, just squeeze the channel locks till you hear or feel a pop, They are installed!
as for weather strips, try LMCtrucks.com. That where I got all of mine, they got fords chevys and dodges on there site

check out the gallery here on this site, I uploaded quite a few pics on how I manage 4 optima yellow tops in my rig

Side mirrors I got with the doors off a 1996. Conversion van, direct swap to 1979 body but now I got power windows , door locks , power mirrors and , keyless entry


pluss I loaded some pics in the members rides section


viperdave

 

What type of propane heater are you using? Is it vented? If your rig is sealed well you may suffocate yourself! I had a regular RV furnace on mine but used a milk house heater most of the time. As for 15 and 30 amp, the 15 can be a heavy duty house extension cord. 30 amp will be a larger plug and you can use it on a regular outlet but you'll need an adapter. Be sure to get carbon monoxide and explosive gas detectors along with a smoke detector.

 

You shouldn't need a 30-amp unless you have an AC unit or electric heat. The #1 addition will be a fantastic fan. It is a roof vent with a fan...but it also has a thermostat so it turns off when it gets to a certain temperature. That saves you from having to get out of bed at night and turning off the fan because you are freezing. I think some will even close if they detect rain?