"No More Projects!", says I. And then...1972 Superior 2200. Couldn't pass it up.

[dwh]

So what the hell, might as well open up the other side as well...

Right side rear couch, forward hatch:



Center hatch:



Rear hatch:



We're looking at the top of the generator compartment (center and rear hatches) and some other storage compartment just forward of the generator compartment. Haven't seen inside that forward compartment yet. Most of the external hatches (except the fuel and battery hatches of course) have locks and I don't have the key. Fortunately, a couple are unlocked, so I'll be removing one of the locks and taking it to a locksmith to have keys made.


Ruh roh...damage to some of the aluminum channel. Will have to sort that out...






Meh, these are not the droids I'm looking for, move along...



Tried a different cushion arrangement. Looks better, but still seems not quite right...



Oooh, shiny!



The rear side window screeens. (The three windows in the back don't open, though the large center window is an emergency exit...one time use only.) Heavy aluminum in excellent shape. Standard design, easily rebuildable.


More to come...

 

[dwh]

So lemme see...what's next? OH! I know!

The toilet!




Yes, that's right; it's a MonoManiac!

I found some docs for the thing on some site somewhere. Apparently, this thing is an aviation-style recirculating thing-a-ma-bob made by a company that actually made toilets for DC-8s and 707s. Here's how it works...

It has its own dump valve (remove a trim piece lower front to get to the dump handle).
So you dump it and close the valve, then fill it with 4 gallons of water and some chemical (when I worked at the airport, we called that stuff "the blue juice").
Then it's "charged".
Supposedly good for up to 80 uses before the um...fluid...level reaches the bottom of the bowl.
Then you dump it and recharge it again.

The premium model could be plumbed in with a water feed to refill...um sorry...recharge it. And it could also be setup so the dump out the bottom goes into the RV's holding tank. This one is the premium model with the water fill, so for the moment I'm going to assume it dumps into the holding tank. Pretty sure, since it sits right above the holding tank...

That circular thing on the side houses (I think) the pump motor and some sort of macerating filtering mystery machinery.
Dunno for sure.

From the brief research I did, it seems that people either love, or hate, the MonoManiac toilet. Apparently Monogram Industries is still in business, and Sears of all places acts like they've got parts for the bloody thing (they don't really):

https://www.searspartsdirect.com/model-number/newmaticii/1652/0418020.html






I think I like it...




I might try to restore the thing and get it working. Just...well...because.

 

[dwh]

And now for something completely different...


Remember this pic of the missing cabinet?



Well if you zoom it, you can see there is a hole in the wall. Here's a close up:



For reference, that hole is about 4" x 6". The white thing in the foreground is a bit of Romex.

What you are seeing is the inner edge of a (galvanized!) steel rib, with some sort of rubber/asbestos(?) strip between the rib and the paneling, and also the urethane(?) spray foam the used to insulate this rig. The foam is actually still in excellent shape. Doesn't seem to be deteriorating at all. Can't quite push in a finger, it's too hard for that, but it's not rock hard.

Cold bridges? Oh sure, this thing has cold bridges out the wazoo. But what the hell...it's got about 10,000 square inches of glass (the brochure actually says that) and it's NOT double-pane glass.


But, it's also got what I think is the optional 30,000 BTU Suburban furnace (under the kitchen sink):






Geez, no wonder the propane lines are so big... I found a conversion formula, and 65# of propane is around 15g. So at 91,000 BTU per gallon, that friggin' furnace could potentially suck down a gallon every three hours. Holy moley. Still...45 hours on full blast 24/7 pumping out 30k BTU. Which it would probably never do. Just on/off/on/off/on/off every five minutes like the stupid 12k BTU Suburban furnace in my camper van...which I HATE with a burning passion. I foresee a couple of catalytic heaters, or possibly a Propex (or two), or both, in the not-too-distant future.

 

[dwh]

Speaking of sinks...

Here's a couple shots of under the bathroom sink:



You can see the heat tape wrapped around the (copper!) plumbing, with the aluminum something or other duct tape wrapped around that.

Same under the kitchen sink:




I have no clue whatsoever how that stuff is wired or switched or what the hell. But it's certainly there, so it must work somehow...whack.

 

[dwh]

So, lemme see...how about some shots of the generator compartment?


Note the School Bus rain gutter. Seriously.




School Bus hinges too.




And, naturally, School Bus latches as well.





So here's the genny hole:




First of all, it's a large compartment. Haven't measured it yet, but I'm guessing it came with a 4k Onan. The compartment is on the right side all the way at the back under the couch. I'd say, oh...maybe 2' high x 2' deep x 2.5' long. Something like that. The gen was bolted toward the rear, and there is a place for the gen's very own battery (not the house battery, that was on the sliding mount on the other side of the truck).

I still haven't located the "converter / battery charger". Might have been in this same compartment for all I know at this point.

You can see the fuel line capped off and sticking up through the floor. Held in place from dropping down with a piece of towel tied around it. Pretty sure I can fit an Onan MicroQuiet 2800 in there with tons of room to spare for...I dunno. Something.

Not only is this box sprayed with urethane foam on the outside, it's fully lined with some sort of foam rubber sheeting. Kind of like a primitive form of DynaMat.



(Yes, I have considered leaving out the gen and filling that hole with like...a dozen 100ah Battle Born LiFePo4s. But...no. Just...no.)

 

[dwh]

Well, since I'm on the subject of electrons...

The Aux Fuse Box (in the cabinet over the range hood):




That's the front of the box. In the side of the box, over the sink is:



The optional premium display and command and control panel. The left gauge is an ammeter +/- 50a. The one on the right is an old school voltmeter/battery meter. Basically this:

But laid out vertically.

The top switch is labelled "Panel Light". No clue. The bottom switch is Water Pump. Those two are on/off switches. The other three, water tank, holding tank and battery condition are momentary switches. I suspect that pushing one of those three gets some sort of reaction from the analog meter. Dunno...there's a lot of black plastic there, so there might be some indicator lights behind the plastic that light up or something. Won't really know until I take the cover off the box where the fuse block is.

 

[dwh]

So, what else? How about the fridge?

First the outside:



It is apparently only 110v or propane. No 12v option. One neat trick, the way they laid it out, you literally cannot turn on the gas valve if the AC switch is in the on position, and vice versa. One strange thing I noticed...there doesn't seem to be any way to light the pilot light...






Yup. Made in Sweden, "Where they know all about Cold!"


The only damage I could see right off was a little crack in the plastic in the corner of the freezer:




Door seals are bloody good (but dirty). Hard to get the doors to let go and open:





Pic limit. More to come...

 

[dwh]

Okay, so that pilot light thing...




Okay...

So what you do is, in the middle is a "button" labeled "reset button". Which...for some Swedish reason...you pull. Yea. Don't ask me.
So you pull that...um...button, and then spin the red knob on the left labeled, "Flint". Counterclockwise.

If you do it, you see a flash of light in the "Viewing Window". Like this:



The second pic shows it lit up as the flint sparks. (Don't ask how many times I had to click the shutter to catch that momentary spark at just the right moment.)

Apparently, if you actually get the burner lit for real, that viewing window shows light all the time.


The thermostat for the electric (the right hand thermostat) I could get to turn. The one in the middle for the propane...wouldn't turn. Stuck. Ah well.


Auto-defrost, and there is a drip catcher tray below the main heat sink that I suppose has to be emptied once in a while. Overall the inside is in excellent condition. Just dirty. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking suspicion that I might never actually get the thing to work. But we'll see.

 

[dwh]

More pics! More or less random leftovers...


The rear vent has been replaced at some point. Couldn't tell if there is any wiring there without taking it apart.




An earlier pic showed the knife holes in the wall of the head from the outside. Here's the inside:




Roof A/C control panel. There is another label with specs, but you can't see it clearly without removing the inside cover from the unit. Later for that.





Stove, oven, range hood. No provision for a pilot light on the stove (there apparently is one for the oven). The 3-burner Wedgewood in my camper van has a pilot light for the stove burners. Fortunately, it also has a valve to shut off the gas to the pilot light, which I leave permanently off since I'm not clinically insane... Also no sparky ignitor. Wooden matches, baby! Old School!:

 

[dwh]

More fridge pics...




Under the fridge:




Galley counter and sink:




Light fixtures, main isle next to a/c and over sink:




Gen control panel. Over right side rear couch next to closet:

 

[dwh]

The dinette is the optional "flip and fold". Well, actually, the rear seat is permanently installed, the forward seat flips and folds. In the back of the rear seat, next to the entry is a cabinet of sorts...




I recall a mention in one of the brochures that the dinette table is supposed to store under the seats, so I guess one of the bottom compartments is for that. The rear table (between the couches) stores in the closet. There are two tables, both in the closet right now, that I haven't messed with. I assume one is for the dinette and the other for the bedroom/rumpus room.

I'm thinking that space under the dinette seat might just be about perfect for the two 120# 4D AGM batteries that are under the couch in my camper van.

 

[dwh]

And now for something completely different (again)...



No, I haven't washed it. Yes, that red stuff is from the "Gusher of Rust". Took me a while to find the bloody dipstick for the oil. Two, count 'em, TWO horns! (horns don't work...)



Booyah! VIN plate! So I was wrong, it's not a Dodge RM-400 chassis. Apparently, it's a Dodge M30 chassis. 11,000 GVW! BEASTLY!



Damn VIN plate actually says, "DeSOTO" on it. Talk about antique.

 

[dwh]

A few random shots from the outside...

There are two...or maybe three...of these. They are like 6" square storage compartments that run all the way from one side to the other. ****** are you supposed to put in there? I mean, I think there is a dedicated dump hose compartment, so they aren't for that... I'm totally ****** on this one. (Note the sheer unmitigated awesomeness of "School Bus Construction".)




Just about the worst of the body damage. Fender in front of right front tire is bent in.



(Yes, I know...split rims. I think I can get the service department at work to maybe find me a deal on aluminum wheels and new tires. The company buys a LOT of tires. Not high on the todo list though. And besides, the hub caps have genuine REFLECTORS in the centers. That's almost enough right there to justify keeping the split rims.)



I'm thinking maybe the automatic stairs might not actually be fully functional...or, for that matter...automatic. Whatever, it's bent.




Couple of labels (that second one is a California label, so again, I think this has always been a SoCal vehicle):





Well, that's about it for tonight. I'll leave you with this parting gift:

 

[dwh]

And I'm back for another round.

First off, the guy who had a '73 Superior 2200 on Craig's List reposted his ad.






Here's the text:

Testing the waters for my 73 Superior 2200 (22ft) class A motorhome. Has 103,xxx original miles on a 7.2L Dodge 440 Big Block V8. Runs excellent! This thing is a beast and a REAL HEAD TURNER! Built on Dodge RM400 medium duty truck chasis. They don't make them like they used to! All vital mechanicals have been gone thru to ensure reliability and longevity. Factory Holley Thermoquad Carburetor [Thermoquad is not a Holley carb - dwh] rebuilt approx 3 years ago. Purrrs like a big kitten. Original heavy duty RV 4 core copper radiator rebuilt with new panel at same time. Full tune up including all new ignition components 3 yrs ago minus the original Mopar electronic distributor. High flow heavy duty water pump and thermostat. A727 "torque flight" automatic transmission rebuilt with less than 1500 miles on it. Brand New Custom Low stall heavy duty torque converter and heavy duty planetary gear set (sun gears). Heavy duty B & M deep sump aluminum Trans oil pan (holds approximately 14 qts of ATF in system). Also has a Derale auxiliary transmission fluid cooler and a large capacity aux engine oil cooler (Engine holds 8 qts of oil) to keep engine oil from overheating, foaming and viscosity breakdown. Set of (4 outer wheels) forged aluminum 16" Alcoas. All 6 tires purchased brand new less than 1500 miles 3 years ago. Has two (2) 36 gallon fuel tanks. Everything has been gone thru and really a joy to drive. Brand new custom overhauled plumbing throughout rig. Has 2 Brand new custom setup grey water holding tanks and a larger waste tank (approx 55gal combined). Aquamagic porcelain toilet 3 years old with hardly any use. Original working Magic Chef stove top and oven. Original Dometic refrigerator works great on propane or 120v electric. Original working kitchen sink and faucet. Original Working bathroom sink and faucet. Refurbished original working shower pan with new custom built resin bathroom walls (wet bath). Laminate tile flooring and newer carpeting up front 3 years ago. Two custom captains chairs installed in place of convertible dinette. Sits 3 legally and comfortably and can sleep total strangers or friends in 3 separate bed areas. Can add seat belts to rear section of RV to seat more legally. Can sleep a family of 4-6 comfortably easily. Has the Dometic (R12) original roof top air conditioner which works great. Original working Suburban LPG front and rear as well as bathroom ducted furnace with wall thermostat works nice and toasty! Great working motor aid / LPG (manual light) 6gal water heater. 40 gal fresh water holding tank. Body was been primered white, then painted black satin about 3 years ago. Decent paint work but not near show or professional quality. Brand new LED clearance lights up front, all originals in rear minus one. Everything works great in this rig and is ready to hit the open road. Dual brake vacuum boosters! Replaced master cylinder 3 years ago. All new brake hoses (7/2017) and brake fluid flush and bleed! Stops on a dime!! Truck chasis runs great and is roadworthy and freeway worthy and sounds great doing it. Very quite inside (no creaks) and no excessive rattles as expected for a well maintained RV this clean and with low mileage. Has been to Gorman about 10 times since all work completed and Big Bear twice. CA SMOG EXEMPT! No smog check required EVER! (Pre 1976) Clean CA title in my name and in hand. Registration current thru December 2017. Current AAA Insurance. Testing the waters right now and seeing how much interest is generated. Didn't think I wold ever have the heart to offer her up for sale. This girl is my baby, and hurts to do it. I've owned this rig for 7 years. Thousands $$$$ invested with receipts for just about everything. Countless hours invested as well. One of a kind classic motor coach! One of the the better coaches back in its day for the cost. List price new was over $17,500 in 1973! (Do the inflation research!) All steel rib construction with galvanized sheet metal automobile style body work! This thing is a tank. High density foam insulation sprayed rotisserie style (when new) through out. Manufactured by Superior Coach corporation, manufacturer of school buses, limousines, ambulances, and hearse limousines in Lima, Ohio. You will NOT find another Superior Dodge RV in this condition that is ready to enjoy and hit the road for this price! Driver side windshield is cracked. Has never been an issue for me or the CHP. I replaced the original Onan 5.0CCK with a more modern and fuel efficient Onan Emerald 1 series 4.0 kilowatt that runs awesome. RV comes with a 15ft A & E fabric awning with aluminum cover in very good condition but does need a minor repair with parts available online (not installed on RV). SOLD AS IS where is. Text / call (562) 382-336nine. RV only needs very few minor interior finishing touches / details. Recently (8/2017) spent $1800 for front end overhaul complete NEW front king pins and bushings including re-arched leaf springs and NEW Bilstein HD shocks! Front end wheel alignment. NEW 3M film window tint all around! NEW Shur-flo house water pump (10/2017). A few good spare parts included with sale. $12,500 CASH SALE ONLY. Not interested in trades.

He posted I think 22 pics, which I snagged and am now going to post.




10 pic limit. More to come...

 

[dwh]

Huh...9 pics but it's telling me I hit the 10 pic limit. More to come...