Motorhome 440 engine

[fwi]

Is it worth buying a 78 motor home with a 440, runs good, under 60k miles on M/H. Not interested in the M/H, jsut the motor......seller is asking $500.

 

[dieseldazzle]

Pain in the *** to get rid of the carcass in California.

 

[fwi]

Pain in the *** to get rid of the carcass in California.

Doing anything in CA is a PITA now.

 

[68GTXNH]

Pita anywhere. Having just done it, i say absolutely not worth it. Junkyards and scrap yards dont take em because theres no weight. I just dismantled my 79 440 motorhome. Made 100 off the appliances Got 87 bucks from the aluminum siding and wiring. Still have a motorhome size pile of crap wood carpet cabinets insulation to get rid of. Renting a dumpster to rid of that... your talking 500 for the motorhome and another 300 to get rid of it. After a week of hard labor. Tgen you have a truck chassis maybe you can offset the dumpster $ with. Ya the motor has a the connecting rods from a 6 pack but its a low compression dog that you have a ton of work to do to have fun with. Unless you want a badass looking b body that moves like c body....

If you want a cheap 440 you have to rework anyways, Do yourself a favor and spend probably only 200 on one from a junkyard power wagon or better yet and higher compression early 70s one from a c body.

 

[747mopar]

I'd buy it but where I live I'd strip it in a day, make money off of all the metal and burn all the wood. I'd probably make all the money back too, man it must suck out there

 

[dsd1967]

I bought a 80 c class motor home for $500, took the motor, trans and radiator, and sold the carcas to a friend for $500.

He wanted the running gear to put into an old uhaul truck.

I ended up making money but had to help part out the chassis

 

[magvan]

I did it once Spent A Week sawing up the whole carcass and throw it in the dumpster. Sold the rear end, sold the wheels and tires, Sold all the vents and fans from the roof, sold the generator and gave the frame and suspension to the local metal scrap man. Ended up selling all the stuff for more than I paid for the motorhome but I still had to do a bunch of work

 

[Bruzilla]

I would say "No." As mentioned, you're going to have a ton of hassles getting rid of the motorhome, plus it's not that great of an engine, and the transmission will be worthless.

I would suggest buying this. It's a 75 van, the engine will be better, the transmission will be useable, and there's lots of parts to make your money back on. I would offer the guy $500.
https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/col/pts/d/dodge-van-cu-in-motor-runs/6215021126.html

If you really want a motorhome engine, here's one already pulled for $500.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/pts/d/mopar/6175930815.html

 

[68GTXNH]

I'd buy it but where I live I'd strip it in a day, make money off of all the metal and burn all the wood. I'd probably make all the money back too, man it must suck out there

ya scrap metal is WAYYYY down here. i went with a full utility trailer of the aluminum siding and all the wiring. plus three drum sized barrels full of copper piping i re-did on my house. and three aluminum radiators out of junk cars i had. total was $87.55 i am burning what i can( in drums fires fridays/sat nights with friends and beer, but so much of it has the insulation spray glued to the main outer plywood, so that needs a dumpster. and all the cabinets (70s) were that resin crap for the doors so they wont even burn. plus there was the absolutely disgusting plastic "clean water tank" more like mildew tank, and an even worse fiberglass "shitter" tank. that ill have to cut up. at least in my case the original plan was to build an old school car hauler, so im using the full running big block 14,500 gvwr chassis. have a 47 dodge 1.5 ton cab to put on it. and an 87 gmc ramp truck to steal the bed and hydraulics off of. in my case it makes sense, and i got the motorhome for free (drove an hour and a half home). so i needed alot more then just the motor.. but having done all that, if i just wanted the motor, it wouldnt have been worth $500 at all. like i said, my local yards have plenty of big block power wagons rotting in the yards for $150-$300, running.

 

[68GTXNH]

I would say "No." As mentioned, you're going to have a ton of hassles getting rid of the motorhome, plus it's not that great of an engine, and the transmission will be worthless.

I would suggest buying this. It's a 75 van, the engine will be better, the transmission will be useable, and there's lots of parts to make your money back on. I would offer the guy $500.
https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/col/pts/d/dodge-van-cu-in-motor-runs/6215021126.html

If you really want a motorhome engine, here's one already pulled for $500.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/pts/d/mopar/6175930815.html

mine came with a nice stout 727 not sure about the ratios though, fine for a truck but that may make that motor even more of a dog in a b body. Ive driven my "convertible 79 dodge" with out the weight of the bx on the back, and the trans shifts strong like a truck, but its way more peppy without that weight, so maybe the trans would be fine?

also, fyi that 75 van is actually a motorhome, and will have the same trans. thats exactly the state mine is in right now. you can see the fiberglass parts flaring off the cab toward the box of the motorhome. the value here is all the hard work and bs is done. but more money.

 

[Bruzilla]

mine came with a nice stout 727 not sure about the ratios though, fine for a truck but that may make that motor even more of a dog in a b body. Ive driven my "convertible 79 dodge" with out the weight of the bx on the back, and the trans shifts strong like a truck, but its way more peppy without that weight, so maybe the trans would be fine?

also, fyi that 75 van is actually a motorhome, and will have the same trans. thats exactly the state mine is in right now. you can see the fiberglass parts flaring off the cab toward the box of the motorhome. the value here is all the hard work and bs is done. but more money.

A motorhome (and some truck) 727 uses a different tailshaft than the ones for cars, trucks, and vans. This is one of the later...

This is a motorhome unit...

I see a LOT of motorhome transmissions for sale because guys buy them with the motorhome's engine, and plan to swap the tailshaft with one from a car/truck unit, and then find out those pieces are getting harder to find and the cost of the swap is more than just buying a rebuilt trans that's for their car.

 

[moparwacko]

$87.55 i am burning what i can( in drums fires fridays/sat nights with friends andbeer, plus there was the absolutely disgusting plastic"clean water tank" more like mildew tank, andan even worse fiberglass "shitter" tank.
LMAO
Now that there's a party!!
Just enough to buy a hundred clams and 2 cases of Schlitz
And maybe a couple boxes of 12 gauge for more fun

 

[furyus]

I've wondered if you can put a gear vendors overdrive on the shorty trans, and use it in a car, avoiding the too short driveshaft issue.

 

[HT413]

I'll save ya the effort. Buy my motor home 413 shortblock. Forged crank and ly rods. Ran fantastic last year when I pulled it.

 

[fwi]

I'll save ya the effort. Buy my motor home 413 shortblock. Forged crank and ly rods. Ran fantastic last year when I pulled it.

Price?

 

[magvan]

Bruzilla, that van is a c class motorhome not a van.

And send those motorhome transmissions my way, I'll use them