nwgs motorhome addiction and therapy thread

It actually runs great. I haven't tried any of the plumbing yet so that could end up being a nightmare, but supposedly everything worked last time it was winterized. It should be making a 120 mile trip up to my NH property sometime in the next month. I have a half assed driveway cut out and not sure it will make some corners, I plan to bring a chainsaw with me to take out any trees it won't get around.

Damn - craigslist? I never see stuff like this about. Most of the time stuff in NH and Mass appears to be way way over priced. Especially bikes.

Actually a dealership believe it or not. Although the guys that owns the dealership is freinds with my father, I was looking for a POS trailer or rv to put on my land in NH for cheap money. He had this hidden out back and told me that if I could get it running I could have it for 500 bucks. He just wanted it gone. He didn't want this ole eyesore sitting next to those million dollar motorhomes. I'm thinking when I'm done with it I might put ad over in the flea market for a trade.

I am so pleased with myself that I must share. I have been battling the generator on my 98 Trek since I got it two years ago. The setup is bad enough, the fuel hose is dry when the tank is half full so it has to be topped of to run at all. It has always had trouble priming though. I usually have to start it from the outside and manually operate the choke. That is about the only consistent. Sometimes it works when it is hot, sometimes cold. Sometimes after we have driven for a while and sometimes while it has been sitting but half the time I can't get it to draw gas at all. It has definately gotten worse since I owned it and there have been so many times that I have been desperate to run the air conditioning and wear myself out in the heat trying to start the generator.

Digging around determined to solve the problem I saw indications that the p.o. had worked on the fuel line so he must have had problems too. I figured out how to run the fuel pump without running the starter which is nice. Last week it primed right up, this week nothing. I finally decided there must be a break in the 30' of fuel line so I figured out a way to test it and finally isolated the problem to a 6' section over the transmission. I couldn't telll by looking at it but when I pulled the section out and started working it, I could see tiny cracks in the line.

And that was it, tiny cracks that sometimes suck air and sometimes are sealed. I put it all back together and added an inlie filter to connect the two ends. It primes right away and even starts from the switch inside the camper. My back is very sore though from spending 3 beers under the camper testing the line. When I get a chance I will buy some more fuel line and replace the whole section.

Glad to hear it. Anyone who's owned a motorhome for a few years knows how many things could go wrong. Good job, and only three beer's.

Yay!!! the bluebird has turn signals again

What trailer connector am I supposed to have?

When I got my Trek it had a standard 4 wire flat connector for lights and turn signals but the brake light is on a separate flat connector. My trailer lights are just the regular 4 wire flat so I had to add a wire and a bulb in order to have brake lights. The wire is just for the brake light, there is no trailer brake controller or the like.

It works fine like that but I want to wire the jeep for towing and I want to make it right with the correct connector for this type. Then get the correct adapter to use with the trailer lights that will somehow mix the brake and turn signal in one bulb. I use the trailers with my jeep and pickup so they need to stay with the 4 wire.


I think I need this type of 7 pin


and this adapter

Anyone know what it would entail to convert this bad boy to 4X4? It has a 454 in it and I assume a turbo 400 trans but not positive. It can't be as easy as finding a junkyard 4x4 transfer case and front axle can it? I assume it's pretty involved, but I'm still interested

I'd think finding the front end with matching gearing, plus the steering linkage and tranny tailpiece wouldn't be too easy. Besides, even if you did you are just asking to get it stuck 20 feet further than you would have. Our underbuilt class As are not Unimogs underneath. Get AAA RVplus for $100 and have them pull you out of anything you get stuck in with rear wheel drive.

There is a beach on Cape Cod that I could take this out on, but they require you have 4wd to get a beach sticker. I wouldn't be taking it to Moab or anything.
I didn't think about the steering linkage.

there are 4 wheels on the back, so you have "4 wheel drive"

Unless it's some kind of chassis that was available with four wheel drive already (hint: it isn't), you aren't likely to make it happen.

And even WITH four wheel drive, you are *not* taking that thing in the sand. Forget about it.


--Donnie, who has spent a lot of time getting people unstuck in the sand who said "but I put it in four wheel drive and it still got stuck"

I think you need bolt on snow tracks like they use on the vans on Mt. Washington.

It's actually pretty impressive to see the huge motorhomes they have out on the beach, just as big as mine. Some people spend a good portion of the summer out there. There is a whole "community" of these ridiculously large, old, POS looking motorhomes out on the beach. Contrary to popular ADV believe, you don't need an adventure bike to drive through sand.

Damn you.

There is a guy swapping a cummins into a winnebago chieftain on RCC now. (http://ramchargercentral.com/diesel-talk/classic-winnebago-diesel/) Another site I was on said that a dana 60 would bolt up to the front leaf springs too. It would be pretty badass to boondock around in a 4wd cummins powered old winnie brave with my XRR hanging off the back.

Like I said....Damn you.

If only that could be set up to haul a lifted cj7 jeep

The diesel swap, I can see. Although 4wd would be a nice option, I wouldn't use it for anything more that slippery surfaces. I don't think RV bodies are meant to take too much twisting. I can see going up some two track somewhere, going over a rock or rough patch, and torquing the body so that the door jams shut.

If you're going to put that much time and trouble into it, just get a Mitsubishi Canter 4x4 commercial truck chassis, and drop a travel trailer body onto the back.

Like this.

That's a great idea, minus the 12" wheels

This is clearly the only rational solution to the 4x4 camper problem:



Fortunately for those interested, this particular unit is for sale for $185,000. Before you scoff at the price, this is a second owner used price and apparently this rig was over $600,000 to build!

I want it, but I think it would be a LITTLE bit of overkill for what I do with a camper.


--Donnie