Project BigB... a 1977 Dodge Van 6x4!

[Keyblazer]

Well after a few weeks delay, I am gonna bring it home...
I got the Tags done, and have a moving permit while I wait for the new plates.
The brakes have given me a bunch of problems, and wouldn't bleed properly.
I think I got it now tho.
I have my RV towing card in hand just in case tho!
Lets ROLL!

 

[Keyblazer]

She is home!
After a 7 year slumber, I drove BigB for the first time today... about 80 miles.
I pumped 18 gallons of fresh gas in, to complete the fluid changes, and set off home.

The brakes worked ok, the engine seemed fine, with punch when i asked for it, and no signs of overheating.
Only problem I had was it spluttering and dieing at the top of a long freeway climb. I sat for a few mins and then it restarted. It felt like fuel starvation... I will replace all the fuel lines and check the electric pump in the back.

Overview of BigB after my first drive:
1/ Front suspension is noisy (Creaking and groaning over bumps). A common issue with the Pathfinder conversions... Spring pads need replacing.
2/ I felt there was some driveline vibration.. a little worse under load.
3/ Brakes feel soft but seem to stop ok... I want to do more work to be sure.
4/ Drivers seat is way too high for me, and also feels loose on the swivel... I am 6' 4" and with the console that is built close to the windshield, its not good!
5/ Rear end seems too low.. I think the rear springs maybe sagging or maybe a lift is needed..:drool:
6/ Fuel and temp gauges not reading...

My Grinning girlfriend followed me and took a few pics as I left the PO's place, and on route...
Also, I got 3 horn blasts and thumbs up on route which made me feel great... and at both Toll Booths the girls were shocked when they spotted the tandum rear axles... One said.. "Wow, I was not expecting that.. very COOL!"
Here is the pics...
Enjoy...

And tucked up next to my Classic Airstream 345...

 

[Root Moose]

Awesome, awesome, awesome.

 

[xped]

Glad to see that thing finally move. What ended up being the brake problem?

 

[Keyblazer]

Root Moose:
Thanks, and I will give you an extra point if you can name the chase vehicle!
Too easy for ya I bet!
Funny name... and cool website btw.
Here is my dog....
Her name is..... Moose!

Xped:
I bled them and bled them and they still didnt feel right, but I felt that the extra grip caused by the rust and crap on the front rotors was fooling me into thinking only the fronts were working. As I couldnt drive it on the street and really get it scuffed off, I decided it was time to get the tags etc and try.
The brakes feel kinda odd... there is a gentle lead in, with braking felt, but not strongly, to the last say 1/4 of the travel when the things really start to grip. I had the 6 old wheels/tires onboard, strapped down admittedly, but I didnt want to really test them too hard.
I feel the rears are not doing enough, but who is to say it was not always like that... I am gonna get them working right...

Oh, one last shot of my GF making fun of me..

 

[wanderer-rrorc]

ok...now Im REALLY in love!!..

of the van...

and your girlfriend...(more pix please!) :elkgrin:

looks like an older cherokee is your chaser...


you need to build a pressure bleeder for your brakes
http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/campingart/jettatech/bleeder/index.htm

I have one that hooks up to my compressor...get a couple big jugs (of fluid ya dirty minded boy...maybe its the pictures above causin me to think that)...anyway...and just bleed and bleed them till its all fresh fluid..

I did that to mine...but eventally it didnt help..so $40 worth of calipers on the front and it was like NEW...sometimes they just FLAT WEAR OUT!!...

did I mention im in LOVE?:smiley_drive:

 

[Root Moose]

Hey, you stumped my wife (the vet) as to what kind of dog Moosey is. What is she? Some kind of Pit/Terrier/Mastiff cross? Good looking animal.

Your GF sounds like a keeper. If she can tolerate and even embrace through making fun a vehicle like that she must be alright.

 

[Keyblazer]

Wanderer... more pics are coming.... :Wow1:

Root Moose...
She is 2 1/2... and a rescue, so here is what they told us..
Great Dane/American Staffordshire/Lab mix....
She is the most PERFECT dog.. a fetcher, super smart, and super obedieant.
Oh, and a rocket dog... so freakin fast it not funny!
here are some more pics of her...
Flying Moose...at the Beach...

Statuesque Moose...

And Moose and our new Puppy... Cole... well this is 8 months ago.. when he was rescued from a Pitt fighting ring where he was used as bait... then dumped at a rescue center with his back torn open and multiple broken ribs.
A Black Lab/Pitt Mix... thats what they told us...

 

[Keyblazer]

He was 9lb and about 6 weeks when we got him....
And now, at about 9 months...
He is 63lb(Moose is about 68lb)

 

[Root Moose]

Ah, little bit of Dane - that explains the stripes.

Good looking animals. Crosses are some of the best animals out there. They aren't psychotic due to in-breeding.

 

[Keyblazer]

We dont know what she is really, but forget the pure breeds...
EVERYWHERE we go people stop and ask what type of dog she is... I always reply... Oh, she's a MOOSE!
Oh, she got her name from my GF's daughter who rescued her and named her because the swirls of color she has on her face reminded her of Moose tracks icecream!:elkgrin:

Ok, so I have BigB close to work on now...
Gotta sit down and figure out my priorities!
First is gut the interior, and with that figure out a few issues.
Need to drop the genset lower in the rear. That will give me a flat floor from front to rear, and allow me to get the rear dinnette how I want it.
Downside is it will lower my departure angle.. Unless I lift the rear suspension..
Then I gotta pull out the refridgerator, which I can't get to work, nor can I find a manual for it to troubleshoot. I read that absorbtion units go bad, and are expensive to fix..
With that out the way I gotta figure out what to do with the hole in the bodyside where the cooling vents for it are. I gotta do some measuring up and see where my bathroom plan fits into that. Maybe cut some metal from a Junkyard van and weld it up, or maybe a window will work... I like the idea of one of those deep van windows there... with a tint and a curtain!
You can see the 2 vents in this pic.

 

[Root Moose]

Appears to me that the beast is sagging a few inches in the rear?

 

[Keyblazer]

Yes, I thought so too.
So... I gotta lift it!:victory:
Here is a pic of the center leafspring thingy...

 

[wrcsixeight]

You might be able to find a manual for your fridge here:
http://bryantrv.com/docs.html

If there is any ammonia smell around your fridge, the cooling unit needs to be replaced. This is usually about 2/3 the price of a new fridge.

Some people have reported that turning he fridge upside down for a while 'burps' them and allows them to work. Another guy has claimed to achieve the same thing by putting a vibrating sander (without sandpaper)on the coils.

Some of them, when running on propane, still need 12 volts to run the circuit board.

Absorption fridges can be damaged by running unlevel. They also consume huge amounts of electricity when on AC or DC, about 4 times as much as a compressor fridge. Technically they are not allowed to be operating on propane when refueling or passing through tunnels.

If you get a compressor fridge, you do not need the dedicated external ventilation, and can get rid of those vents. But compressor fridges make noise and vibration, the amount dependent on make/model, and need a bigger battery bank if you are not going to run the genny for more than a few days.

 

[Keyblazer]

Awesome Dude... They had it!
Domestic RM310 owners and install manual!
Perfect.
Yes, I know that the cooling units are steep. I will try it again and see if it works.
Its a 12v/120v/gas unit so I wanna save it if poss.