[Sawdust]

Hello everybody.
Hope i'm posting in the right place.
I recently aquired a 1979 30' concord motor home for the 440 motor & trans, and scrap the rest.
upon tearing it down, i noticed the truck is very solid, clean and mechanically sound. It only had 45,000 miles on it.
My qquestion is, would it make a good roll back car hauler?
I can get a beutiful Ford L8000 cab & nose for very little money, and any mechanical components from the same vehicle i need to complete the project.
It is the only way i will own one and i have the abilities. Any reasons for or against such a projec?
Looking for input both good and not so good.

Thank you
Sawdust

 

[dana44]

Well, that is actually an excellent idea to make use of some parts here and there. I know the frame, rear end and drivetrain/brakes, can handle the weight of a car on the frame, and even if you used a diamond plate bed and ramps, I could consider it a good choice. Not so sure about that Ford stuff, but hey, it's what's under the hood that counts, right?

 

[Sawdust]

Well, the engine would be the diesel engine the cab is wired for.
The 440 is for my duster project. It's really hard to pass on that cab for the money.

 

[MoparNorm]

What sized diesel and how much does it weight?
The 7.3 weighs in at 1800 lbs + and the larger diesels are over 2,000 lbs, so it's likely the frame and front suspension will need a LOT of modification to support it.

 

[Sawdust]

What sized diesel and how much does it weight?
The 7.3 weighs in at 1800 lbs + and the larger diesels are over 2,000 lbs, so it's likely the frame and front suspension will need a LOT of modification to support it.

I will have to get back to you on that. It did not look that big at first sight.
The parts are there if needed, but thats surely something to consider. Thanks.

 

[Trailmaster]

Motorhome chassis was usually the heavy duty stuff, ought to make a good roll back. I think before I tried to modify that Ford cab to it, I'd look and see if a period Dodge cab would bolt up. Might actually fit without any modification,or at the minimum pulling cab brackets off the same frame the cab came from.

 

[Cornupenuria]

IIRC the heaviest duty Dodge motorhome chassis were only the same as the class 4 trucks. Most were the M300 or M375 motorhome chassis but a few were a little heavier. Most had GVWs in the 11,000 to 12,000 pound range but IIRC there were a few in the 14,000 pound range.

 

[Cornupenuria]

After I wrote the above I found an ad for a shop manual for Dodge motorhome chassis that covered 1976 and 1977 models up through M-600. Since I had a '72 Winnebago Brave on a M-300 chassis at the same time I owned a '71 D300 pickup and did some of the maintenance myself I know that a lot of the chassis were the same. I had different transmissions and the pickup had a lower final gear ratio and limited slip. IIRC the pickup had a lighter-duty front axle and a heavier-duty rear axle than the motorhome. I would suspect that heavier-duty motorhome chassis would have a lot in common with farm truck and school bus chassis from the same years and weight classes. Most motorhomes had automatic transmissions while most farm trucks and school busses had manual transmissions.