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What do I need to start this?

LokiSukaido
Explorer
Explorer
Hello all,

I am brand new to the forums. And, I just purchased my first RV. It is a 1989 Ford E-350 Class C (I've been trying to learn as much as I can). She definitely needs a LOT of work. But, the asking price was way too good to pass up.

Anyway, I plan to do whatever I can to get her going, again. But, I have a few questions first. I haven't found anything that will answer these questions online, yet. The first question is; Is the chassis battery usually the same size as the house battery?

I am asking because the RV has a house battery that seems to be working fine. But, the chassis battery was removed prior to my purchase. I would like to be able to at least be able to move the vehicle, in the event that it is necessary while I am working on her.

Secondly, I have attached a few images of what I think are the worst of the necessary repairs. Can anyone tell me if these look worse than they appear? Or, have I really found things that are irreparable. Sorry for the large post. And, I appreciate all the constructive help. Mahalo in advance.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B23Xsy8PZX5sT1h6LWZYdVliTEdRdUd5WS0tMVN6Q2VNVGJj

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B23Xsy8PZX5sSEVqWnZnTW5HUzhXMzZGR3Z4akJZc3IzNThB

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=13b4a93c82&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r6730498401062910050&th=16d11af7a2e74b9b&view=att&disp=safe&realattid=16d11ae84dde8e97dc81

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=13b4a93c82&attid=0.2&permmsgid=msg-a:r6730498401062910050&th=16d11af7a2e74b9b&view=att&disp=safe&realattid=16d11aec7764857ace32
34 REPLIES 34

LokiSukaido
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you, for that. I'll keep that in mind. When I checked the oil dipstick, it did not look cloudy, or creamy. So, I guess that it's ok. When I head back, I'll see if your suggestion works.

ron_dittmer
Explorer
Explorer
LokiSukaido wrote:
So, I stopped by the RV, to see if I could get it moved. Turns out, the battery there was just about dead. So, I brought the battery home to check and charge. I also checked what fluids I could. The oil looked alright, but the coolant had a rainbow looking hue to it. And, I think she's out of gas. I'm expecting to need to flush the coolant. But, will it suffice to get her 40 miles home?
A little oil slick in the coolant is not a problem getting the rig home. But coolant in the oil is a catastrophic failure. The engine oil would look like a cream or tan colored substance.

Bring 5 gallons of fresh 87 octane gas, a charged battery and also jumper cables. With all fluids topped-off and jumper cables attached to your car while it's idling, with all accessories off in both vehicles, hope for the best when cranking-over. You may have to crank for quite some time before you get a response. But before you begin cranking like crazy, read next.

Your fuel pump is located inside the fuel tank. Before cranking, first turn the ignition to the last click before cranking, wait 10 seconds, then remove the key from the ignition and repeat 10 times. What you are doing is energizing the fuel pump which pumps fuel for less than 10 seconds then stops. You want to pump the gas from the rear fuel tank to the engine before cranking like crazy. Following the process significantly reduces the amount of cranking. If you have someone with you, have them do it so you can lay near the fuel tank and listen for the hummm or buzzz sound of the fuel pump. If you never hear such a sound, your fuel pump might be disabled, either from a blown fuse or locked-up fuel pump. If all fuses are good, then the pump might need a good jolt to get started. Bring a 2 foot long 2x4 for slapping the bottom of the fuel tank. Rest one end of the 2x4 on the bottom of the tank, then pivot/slap the tank, preferably while someone else is energizing the fuel pump. It sounds crazy but it works. It could take 20 or more slaps before the fuel pump jolts enough to wake up. Don't dent the fuel tank. A 1990 tank might be made of steel. Once you get the engine running, don't turn it off until you get home because you might be disabled again, requiring lots more slapping.

LokiSukaido
Explorer
Explorer
So, I stopped by the RV, to see if I could get it moved. Turns out, the battery there was just about dead. So, I brought the battery home to check and charge. I also checked what fluids I could. The oil looked alright, but the coolant had a rainbow looking hue to it. And, I think she's out of gas. I'm expecting to need to flush the coolant. But, will it suffice to get her 40 miles home?

ron_dittmer
Explorer
Explorer
Where the rig sits today, is there any way you can get the chassis working well enough to drive it the 40 miles to get home? Drive there in your car with tools, fix things good enough to drive it home, then drive the rig home. Get a ride from Uber later to get your car.

As far as not having a license plate, I buy vehicles all the time from private parties, most often across the USA. I carry the signed-over title and bill-of-sale. I have been pulled over by the police, never more than twice so far during any trip, give them the paperwork, they go into their squad car, come back, hand me my paperwork, and let me continue on my multi-state journey. With the title signed to you, and a bill of sale to include a statement concerning the situation as written by the seller, you should get home without a violation.

77rollalong
Explorer
Explorer
Our 26 foot ford E350 is around 11,000 lbs, and will have to picked up by the front due to the over hang in the back, and the drive shaft disconnected at the rear axle.. if you have a 2 piece drive shaft the rear half can be removed from the front shaft, just tape up the U-joint caps so they dont fall off.... Some auto clubs also wont tow an un-plated car, so you may have to work around that somehow... I work for a towing Company here in Canada and CAA wont tow and un-Plated car.. but we dont really check to make sure the plate belongs to the car either lol

LokiSukaido
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you all for your help, so far. But, I'm in need of a few more answers. I've been searching online for either the actual vehicle weight, or a relatively affordable way to tow her. I don't have AAA, yet. I know, I know. It's on my list. Anyway, I'm just trying to get her home. She's currently about 40 miles away. And, the last guy I talked to that said he'd tow it quoted me $400 for the 40 mile trip. Any suggestions? I've already looked at uhaul.

77rollalong
Explorer
Explorer
blue prints I doubt you will find any sort of blue prints for your rv...
I ended up just taking measurements off the old wood and doing one section at a time and going on to the next.. once the interior panel and the framing is up is the it does not take much time.. Ours took from the end of September to mid may to complete.. with not too much done over the winter... then having to wait to get the siding for it at the beginning of the year, as it was a 12 hour round trip, I didnt want to try in a snow storm or freezing rain ..

LokiSukaido
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you, everyone. Now, I have another question. Is there anywhere I can get "blueprints" of the 'house', for my RV? I want to have something planned, in the event that a total gut/resto job is needed. Currently, I am not near the RV, so I can't take the measurements, myself. I was wondering if there was anywhere that would give me the needed info to draft up an idea on paper, or online...sort of like autoCAD or something.

77rollalong
Explorer
Explorer
It would be a big project, but if you have the time and the skill set and tools it can be done.. we bought our 1977 26 foot motorhome 3 years ago used id a couple of times and found major rot in the body and over the winter rebuilt it, replacing all the walls and the complete roof structure. We are now into the second year with the rebuilt body and have only had minor problems , like having to replace the 12V power supply, and a couple of u-joints on the drive shaft..
this is some of the work to the rear.
this is after the new filon siding
the replacement side with the new decals

Bordercollie
Explorer
Explorer
People on forums often don't want to discourage unrealistic DIY projects. If the poster's objective is to have a safe and fully working RV, at a reasonable cost, in a reasonable amount of time, and has the tools, various skills, workspace, health and help available, major renovation may be practical. Some of our members might have enough of the prerequisites to make major RV renovations practical.

LokiSukaido
Explorer
Explorer
T18skyguy wrote:
If the chassis is perfect, strip off the entire house, build a solid deck, weld on a rear cab wall, and sell the vehicle as a flat bed hauler.


Thats some good practical advice. You might actually make money on it when you sell it.


The irony is, I could actually use a flat bed hauler. lol :B

T18skyguy
Explorer
Explorer
If the chassis is perfect, strip off the entire house, build a solid deck, weld on a rear cab wall, and sell the vehicle as a flat bed hauler.


Thats some good practical advice. You might actually make money on it when you sell it.
Retired Anesthetist. LTP. Pilot with mechanic/inspection ratings. Between rigs right now.. Wife and daughter. Four cats which we must obey.

ron_dittmer
Explorer
Explorer
Loki,

I did not read through the other replies.

I was able to look at the first two pictures. I get the feeling that the house will end up being a chassis-up restoration.

Years ago, one guy on this forum bought something in similar condition. He posted his restoration for nearly a year. It was one continuous stream of surprises for him. At one point the walls were just studs (all replaced studs), the roof 100% brand new wood and tarp'd, and the wood sub floor was removed. He did a lot of welding to the framing supporting the floor and restoring/cleaning/painting of iron work, appliances and such. Then he started building things back up, rewiring inside the walls and such. Then we never heard from him again.

I always wondered what happened. He did have a long way to go. I assume he just gave up.

His posts were very entertaining with detailed descriptions and included many pictures. It appeared there was nothing that did not need restoration of some kind. The structure of the house itself seemed to be 100% new material.

Expect that if your plan is to make things right. If not, you may do a lot better by driving it over to your local junk yard for scrap value. If the chassis is perfect, strip off the entire house, build a solid deck, weld on a rear cab wall, and sell the vehicle as a flat bed hauler.

I wish my reply could have offered encouragement.

T18skyguy
Explorer
Explorer
If your able to remove those green faces from pic 3 and 4 we could probably open those links. Or just repost without those faces. I would agree that you might as well get as much enjoyment out of it as possible, there's a lot of time and money in the project, but if you've got it, I wouldn't discourage you.
Retired Anesthetist. LTP. Pilot with mechanic/inspection ratings. Between rigs right now.. Wife and daughter. Four cats which we must obey.