I have a 1979 that was all original with only 29k miles. Nice condition. Everything worked at time of purchase. I still have put about 9k into repairs. Lots of stuff will break once you begin to use the RV after it has sat.. Also the tire size is special order only. We upgraded to a 4 barrel as well. The expired tags alone was $900. Exhaust was $1400, tires, another $1400. Brakes in the rear and bearings 1k , All new batteries, I could go on and on...etc etc etc. Parts are often by order only so no immediate repairs.Things for people to consider. This is a labor of love, not a frugality thing. That said our girl just made it across the USA and we are very proud of that.
Lots of good points. Just like buying an old car. The purchase price is often the cheapest part of ownership. It's maintenance and repairs that add up.
Hi Im from the UK I bought a 79 dodge sportsman b300. Was abandoned for 10 years on a farm and iv been bringing her back to life. I'd love to show you before and afters but iv no clue how to lol good luck with yours and I love yours
I bought a 1976 Dodge Tioga with 56,000 miles on it. The roof had leaked but I tore the ceiling down and repaired it. Surprisingly all the appliances work including the roof AC. New tires and some brake work. I love it and use it as often as possible. Good luck!
I live full-time in a 1977 Dodge RV cool video you should look into getting diesel parking heater I run one super efficient and heats it up amazing and you don't have to worry about carbon monoxide at all
I just got gifted a 77 Dodge Sportsman. Do they drive around decent, or will I be avoiding hills and whatnot? Do they have inverters built in? I've seen forum posts talking about them, but have also read guides saying people add them usually.
I definitely got lucky with mine, got it for $200 less than you did and it was definitely in better shape. Plus, it's an American Clipper with an all fiberglass shell, so roof leaks were minimal and easy to fix. Still, you got an awesome deal on this and I'm glad to see another one of these classics being saved :)
I also have an American Clipper with a 440. Mine is a 1978. Started painting the interior a 2 tone grey. Put Summit fuel injection on it, will rebuild the trans just because I can, actually not a difficult trans to do if you are fairly mechanical. Will rebuild the font suspension including new front coil springs. Will be rebuilding all of the brakes. I'm a guy that wants a reliable vehicle that I don't have to work on or worry about it when we travel. I would recommend adding shoulder harnesses to any of these old motorhomes that don't already have them.
I understand the labor of love thing. I am in the process of reconditioning our 1978 American Clipper. It definitely gets expensive fast. I do recommend installing shoulder harnesses and lap belts for the "precious cargo" to help keep everyone safe. Instead of having to chock the wheels maybe you could make a chain set-up to lock the shifter. Good luck, it's good to see other people taking on projects like this.
My rig is a 94 Coleman ultra with a Chevy 30 van and yours is in much much better condition than mine was when I got it and still now. I was working on it full steady until Corona hit then I lost my job my income to pay for my repairs and my helper. So all year I've been in a stall pattern with wonderful ideas running around in my head and no way to make them happen. Wow that baby poop yellow is really ugly. 😂😂😂 I know it is going to look amazing when you are done. Grands are absolutely life's best reward.
What? I paid over 104,000 for mine on market place 1973 Dodge Sportsman....it had no papers, the engine was broken, was rusted through, was molded with raccoon and rat poo!!!!
oh my, that looks pretty bad!! Just to make it functional is going to be a LOT of work. Seems for another $1000 you could have got a lot better one. :)
Probably could have but I have time on my hands and don't mind doing the work. It has pretty good bones and solid drivetrain. When I do my next update video it will look alot better.
I have a 1979 that was all original with only 29k miles. Nice condition. Everything worked at time of purchase. I still have put about 9k into repairs. Lots of stuff will break once you begin to use the RV after it has sat.. Also the tire size is special order only. We upgraded to a 4 barrel as well. The expired tags alone was $900. Exhaust was $1400, tires, another $1400. Brakes in the rear and bearings 1k , All new batteries, I could go on and on...etc etc etc. Parts are often by order only so no immediate repairs.Things for people to consider. This is a labor of love, not a frugality thing. That said our girl just made it across the USA and we are very proud of that.
Lots of good points. Just like buying an old car. The purchase price is often the cheapest part of ownership. It's maintenance and repairs that add up.
Hi Im from the UK I bought a 79 dodge sportsman b300. Was abandoned for 10 years on a farm and iv been bringing her back to life. I'd love to show you before and afters but iv no clue how to lol good luck with yours and I love yours
I bought a 1976 Dodge Tioga with 56,000 miles on it. The roof had leaked but I tore the ceiling down and repaired it. Surprisingly all the appliances work including the roof AC. New tires and some brake work. I love it and use it as often as possible. Good luck!
Just bought a 73’ Tiago. Gutted it and now remodeling it. Excited to get it done. Thanks for the run down of yours!
Do you have any issues with air conditioning and radio?
Brother you has done an excelente job with this vintage camper... keep on working in it and congratulación from Panamá.
I live full-time in a 1977 Dodge RV cool video you should look into getting diesel parking heater I run one super efficient and heats it up amazing and you don't have to worry about carbon monoxide at all
I just got gifted a 77 Dodge Sportsman. Do they drive around decent, or will I be avoiding hills and whatnot? Do they have inverters built in? I've seen forum posts talking about them, but have also read guides saying people add them usually.
I just bought a 76' was looking to gut the propane stuff possibly, thanks for that suggestion, might look into it
I definitely got lucky with mine, got it for $200 less than you did and it was definitely in better shape. Plus, it's an American Clipper with an all fiberglass shell, so roof leaks were minimal and easy to fix. Still, you got an awesome deal on this and I'm glad to see another one of these classics being saved :)
I also have an American Clipper with a 440. Mine is a 1978. Started painting the interior a 2 tone grey. Put Summit fuel injection on it, will rebuild the trans just because I can, actually not a difficult trans to do if you are fairly mechanical. Will rebuild the font suspension including new front coil springs. Will be rebuilding all of the brakes. I'm a guy that wants a reliable vehicle that I don't have to work on or worry about it when we travel. I would recommend adding shoulder harnesses to any of these old motorhomes that don't already have them.
This will be cool to fix up and travel in.. I am a little jealous of your find... Very very cool
I understand the labor of love thing. I am in the process of reconditioning our 1978 American Clipper. It definitely gets expensive fast. I do recommend installing shoulder harnesses and lap belts for the "precious cargo" to help keep everyone safe. Instead of having to chock the wheels maybe you could make a chain set-up to lock the shifter. Good luck, it's good to see other people taking on projects like this.
VERY COOL!!! Hope to see more videos of your progress! PEACE!
My rig is a 94 Coleman ultra with a Chevy 30 van and yours is in much much better condition than mine was when I got it and still now. I was working on it full steady until Corona hit then I lost my job my income to pay for my repairs and my helper. So all year I've been in a stall pattern with wonderful ideas running around in my head and no way to make them happen. Wow that baby poop yellow is really ugly. 😂😂😂 I know it is going to look amazing when you are done.
Grands are absolutely life's best reward.
It's beauty....alot of work
I just bought my 1973 dodge sportsman ‘coachman’……..
Any updates on this?
Looks good and a good deal
Good job 👍
We repainted our motorhome with a 1 gallon can of Walmart house paint . Works great but be sure the surface is clean before painting .
Still holding up after a year? I want to just use exterior paint instead of spending too much money
@@robsenz. Yup almost two years now still washes right up . Thinking about putting stripes back on it now .
@@handsonwithblg4949 Nice!, That's what I want to hear lol
Looks great!
What? I paid over 104,000 for mine on market place 1973 Dodge Sportsman....it had no papers, the engine was broken, was rusted through, was molded with raccoon and rat poo!!!!
👍👍👍👍👍
Awesone...
1:50 is the ignition module, but Im sure you figured that out by now.
@Elijah Garner I'm in the process of buying this same model RV, It runs good, Do you think its a good buy?
Could be..... Good luck have fun
@@elijahgardner How was your experience with this make and model RV?, Good, Bad, Ok, A headache? I need some dialog here.
where can you buy those little propane heaters like you have inside
I bought it at lowes
Great video, I just bought a 1975 dodge sportsman by Monaco and I can't find one that looks like it,do anyone know where I can find a manual for it.
I just bought a 76' a few weeks ago, got a few vids on my channel, I also haven't seen many like mine yet
ebay
I have a serious question
Hows the mpgs on it? Thanks for sharing
10-12 depending on road conditions and how I drive
You should just name it Zebra....What OS you using...Ubuntu?
oh my, that looks pretty bad!! Just to make it functional is going to be a LOT of work. Seems for another $1000 you could have got a lot better one. :)
Probably could have but I have time on my hands and don't mind doing the work. It has pretty good bones and solid drivetrain. When I do my next update video it will look alot better.
@@elijahgardner You did a great job given what you started with!
i found one for 500 with a hemi but my grandfather wouldnt let me buy it hes a pos
Get a cheap diesel heater
You still want to sell it I buy it from you
hey im local talk to me not trying to be sketchy