[VAC] Big Trouble in Motor City

[Tuna <rctowns@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's a copy of an email i've just posted to the ClassicRV group - thought
i'd pass it along to the Airstream and VAClists as well:

I sort of introduced myself a couple of weeks ago - i've been on the road
and my email sending capabilities are somewhat erratic. I'm the proud owner
of a '1981' Champion (1979 Dodge Sportsman Van, dually chassis) with about
50,000 + miles on it...

Contrary to my previous posting, i've remembered that i did NOT replace the
original 318 v8 engine with a 360... that WAS the plan, three years ago -
but with one thing and another, it didn't happen, and the dealership with
whom i'd left it for engine work did a ring/valve job instead, and called it
'good'. Well, i'd put about 3,000 - 4,000 miles on it since the rebuild when
my cat and i decided to go pick up my g/f and her dog, and her mustang car
and bring them from the motor city to the biggest little city... all went
well and we completed the roughly 5000 mile round trip (side trips along the
way)... however, i needed to get the rv 'smogged' and the registration
renewed before the second leg of our journey - back to detroit a second
time, and then home to reno, with another load of stuff in tow...

rv failed smog test - diagnosis: cracked carb body, fuel everywhere...
solution: new carb, oil change, tune-up; passed smog with flying colors - on
the road two days later... things were going well for the next day or so,
when suddenly, about somewhere in nebraska, the engine started to
overheat... pulled over a couple of times to let it cool down, replaced
coolant and continued on... about 30 miles beyond Grand Island, the engine
threw a rod through the oil pan and seized up...

Next 24 hours were made tolerable by Allstate's RV RoadHelp - a service to
which i'd subscribed hoping i'd never need it - they were unbelievably
good... rv flatbed hauler was on the spot within an hour, and we all (me,
g/f, cat, and dog) were in a hotel room and the busted rv was at a dodge
dealership within two hours...

The next day, i managed to get us a rental van to get us (and most of our
travelling 'stuff') to detroit...required a cab ride to Lincoln, NE airport
from Grand Island, but it was do-able... arrived in detroit on schedule, in
spite of the major breakdown...

Now, here's my dilemma: should i spend the $4,000 to have a re-manufactured
engine installed and continue on our merry way? I've done a LOT of work on
this beast (added a new 4kw Onan propane-fire genset, for one thing), 6 new
tires just before this summer's adventure (less than 7,000 miles on them),
brand new carb sitting on top of the now-blown engine...

Or, would one of you fine folks like to take it off my hands, and put your
own engine into it?

General suggestions/recommendations/opinions welcome - if they're of a
general nature and of possible interest to the group i suppose that they
could be posted to the list - if you have questions regarding buying it,
contact me off-list at rctowns@nvbell.net
 - i need to make a decision here in the next couple of days, so i'm kind of
under the gun - a buyer's market, i guess...

I do have a couple of exterior photos on my travelling laptop, but the rv
itself is back in Grand Island...

Robert 'Tuna' Townsend
(weighing the options in Detroit)