Dodge RV 2wd to 4wd conversion...doable? Worth it?

[Michael Slade]

Here is the vehicle in question:

1976 Winnebago Brave

I believe it has the standard Dodge drivetrain, and I was wondering about the feasibility of converting it to 4wd.

Also, about putting a slightly larger motor in it. I like the idea of the 440, but I don't know if it will fit.

Any thoughts about my crazy plan?

 

[Terrainist]

Just off the top of my head, I'd say it's too crazy. You'd almost have to keep it forever, resale doesn't look like it would be that great. And if it's a wood frame would rattle apart. It's pretty crazy to me. Not to bad the way it is though.

Oh, dig the bigfoot blog.

 

[Ford Prefect]

I think that the biggest reason why I would say NOT to do it is the age, and condition of the vehicle. These things simply were not made for going off the paved roads. Yes they realized that people would, but not most people. It will rattle apart in my opinion no matter what it is made up. The stresses of the lift and 4x4 will also be very great.

Is it do-able? Well, yes, sure, anything can happen for a price. I bet you could bring it in for around $5-6K, maybe less if you are really good, and if you find some good prices on used parts. Finding a T-case to mate up might be interesting for you depending on the tranny you have in there.

Lastly This is my opinion, and I reserve the right to be wrong!

Good luck!

 

[77blazerchalet]

Better yet, find one that already has had this conversion. On random occasions, my google searches for "4x4 motorhomes" dredge up such things, but I tend to ignore them. A quick search just now turns up a 3 year old ad for a '73 4x4 Winnebago with a 440, scroll down a bit at this page: http://www.mbba.net/classifieds.htm

 

[Dale]

I've found a good set of tires gets me to most places, add chains (Z-cables) if you get stuck or it gets really nasty. We took my brother's ginormous motorhome up to Michigan several times with four snowmobiles in tow and got around just fine.

 

[Lichen]

That's a pretty funky looking RV. I'd be tempted to buy it and keep it stock.

 

[kerry]

Those Dodge drivetrains have been converted to 4wd. William Shatner did it with a Travco. A 440 or a 413 should fit. However, I would not do it on that Winnebago. Those things are built out of wood 2x2's. I'd choose a Travco or Executive which have steel framed bodies. Preferably a Travco.

 

[Sportsman Matt]

Can be done, but for what it would cost, you could buy a 4x4 jeep to pull along as a tow vehicle and use for offroading from base camp.

Biggest thing is mating a transfer case and matching the front axle gear ratio to the rear axle gear ratio. Any mismatch in the axles would result in lockup of the drivetrain in 4wd.