Who built this body?

[Shadrach]

I found a Class A motorhome at a friends farm today. It has a Dodge RM400 chassis and was built in 1973 at the Warren truck # 1plant. I have been able to break down the VIN and find out some details: 14k GVWR, 159" wheel base, aprox OAL 25', 440-3 engine & 727 auto Dana 70 4.56 gears. The body is all aluminum. It needs some TLC and ERT ( engine replacement therapy) and I need my head examined

Does anyone recognize it? There is no name plate on the outside of the body. I will be back there next week and will check it out further.

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[Deleted member 995608]

Atlas they were nice enough to park it in front of that ugly Ferd in the background.

 

[jhenderson]

I have no proof, but it sure looks like a Grumman bread truck.

 

[Wayne M.]

Yea, hide that 6.oh no.

That thing is way off the cool meter! You could restore it but I would restify it and put a 4 or 6B in it!

 

[SnoKing]

I have no proof, but it sure looks like a Grumman bread truck.

Grumman of the time frame looked different. And had an Grumman emblem on the side. Not a Barth either. I think maybe it was a FAN Motorhome. Snoking

 

[GCroyle]

No clue, but if it don't leak that does have a cool factor.

 

[SnoKing]

Closer to how a Barth was made back then, however I can not match it to one of their models. Maybe someone left Barth and did a start up. No windshield wipers is weird! Trying to find someone on RV.net that knows what it is.

SNOKING

 

[BIGNASTY]

Take a look at Barth they not only used Dodge Frames and drive lines they used Chevy frames and the Big block of that time.

If I remember correctly you were commenting on the MPG of the ISL motorhome we have

wait until that BAD BOY makes a trip, with either option the 440 0r 454 CID Motor you should be able to pass EVERYTHING ON THE HWY EXECPT A GAS STATION :-laf

https://www.google.com/search?q=bar...X&ved=0ahUKEwiGkLW_m4DPAhVNImMKHRL9Dp4QsAQIGw


another link

http://barthmobile.com/

Could be fun Nostalgia wise

 

[Shadrach]

"If " I buy it it will get a Cummins B in it as my friend wants to keep the 440 and 727. I will go see it again this weekend and do some more snooping for a data tag.

 

[SnoKing]

"If " I buy it it will get a Cummins B in it as my friend wants to keep the 440 and 727. I will go see it again this weekend and do some more snooping for a data tag.

Well? Snoking

 

[Shadrach]

I got busy on the weekend and it was raining so I'm going to go see it tomorrow.
David

 

[Shadrach]

There is no ID tag on it at all. The VIN says it's a 1973 Dodge RM400 but other than that I'm still searching. The old guy who bought it new died a while back so no help there. My friend got it from his estate. It is a Canadian unit as I have the "build sheet". For now the plan is to remove the engine for my friend and then haul it to my buddies acreage where it will sit for the winter while I gather info and ideas and do a thorough inspection and measure things up.

I think some one kidnapped my wife and replaced her with an imposter because she didn't object to me getting it she just made a comment about it being a "future project".

 

[Wayne M.]

A future project with funds "earmarked" at a later date.

 

[SnoKing]

If Canadian it may be a 1974 Dodge Fargo Desoto Motorhome. Google that! It says that you have to sign up for an account to download the PDF. SNOKING

 

[Shadrach]

Maybe I'll put "Fargo Cummins" on it For you younger crowd - Desoto quit in 1961 and Fargo quit in 1972.
David

 

[Shadrach]

BTW the VIN starts with R59... That's a sign it was meant to have a 5.9 right? Check out this site http://www.allpar.com/trucks/campers.html Some real classy units on there
David

 

[Shadrach]

We pulled the 440 and 727 out on Sunday. We took it out the front with the help of a fork lift and it went real good. We then loaded the MH onto a tilt-able flat deck trailer that had a winch and I hauled it to my buddies place 110 kms (65 miles or so) away. I am trading some Cummins part for the motorhome so it isn't costing me a pile of cash. Since my friends truck was already hooked to his trailer and the trailer has a pintle hitch and his truck is a dually I used it to haul the MH. I weighed the whole thing and it came to just over 13k Kgs which is over 28,500 pounds. While I would have liked to use my truck to see how it handled the power I think the tongue weight would have been too much for my SRW 3500. His truck is an 06 dually with the auto and CTD.

My plans for now is to get my wife to see the unit and "make sure" she is still OK with this adventure. Then it is a lot of thinking , planning and asking questions to see if this is still a good idea. BTW I don't think I mentioned that it is completely empty inside, as in never been built into a complete MH, so it is a blank canvass. That's one of the things that makes it so interesting to me. That and the classic styling. It has never been registered either.

David

 

[JR]

Very cool! 28,500 lbs with no motor/trans or interior is a tank! That poor 440! That's gotta be pushing it even for a 5.9. What trans are you thinking of?
The more gears the better at that weight!

 

[SnoKing]

Very cool! 28,500 lbs with no motor/trans or interior is a tank! That poor 440! That's gotta be pushing it even for a 5.9. What trans are you thinking of?
The more gears the better at that weight!

I think that was the combine weight Truck, Trailer and Motorhome!

Details put as a homemade rig!

SNOKING

 

[Shadrach]

I believe it was built by a local, now defunct Canadian company, which would explain why most people on the web don't recognize it. The bare motorhome as it sits without engine or trans weighs about 6300 lbs, which seems about right. My 08 with the 75 gal box tank full and me in it weight about 8400.