OleRVer
Orlando,Fl.
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Joined: 04/06/2004
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I cannot think of any motorhome that doesn't or hasn't used wood some where with the exception of a BlueBird or Barth, and they have wood at least in the floors. My concern is the parts availability for the Dodge chassis. Even the wheels are getting hard to find. If you go with a Dodge chassis anyway, lift the engine cover and check the shock mounts, they have a tendency to brake at the mounting point. The kingpins are also an inherent problem. Good luck and keep us informed!
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65CrewCabPW
eastern Oregon
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Joined: 06/10/2008
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wny_pat wrote:Research, lots of research! And when you say "not wood inside", are you talking frameing between in and outer walls, or do you mean no wood at all, like in plastic cabinets?
I mean wood framing... Sorry to not be clear.
Can you tell looking at the outside? I mean, a fully fiberglass shell is easy enough to recognize, but what about metal frames w/metal sheeting? Those apprently exist...
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Mopars forever... Not German, Japanese, Chinese...American Mopars!
The price of freedom is higher than the price of slavery, but it's still a bargain!
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Daveinet
il
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Joined: 10/29/2003
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Revcon
BTY: Contrary to what has been stated above, not all old motorhomes suffer from water damage. Even if the windows leak water in, a motorhome can be designed to withstand water without damage. Many who I have spoken to who bought a Revcon without specifically looking for one, state that the main reason they bought it, was because it was the first older motorhome they stepped into that did not smell musty.
Dave
FMCA F298817
'83 Revcon Prince 31' FWD
502 w/Thorley's & Magnaflows,
Howell/Edelbrock MPFI, Koni FSD,
Class A built for gear heads 
My Revcon Website
Revconeers Forum
XP activation frustration
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65CrewCabPW
eastern Oregon
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It seems to me there must be some construction clues to be able to tell wood framed from metal framed..
Also, it seems to me that some construction types are more and some are less prone to leakage and damage. I don't want to get into a holy war here, but at least these questions come to mind. I found one for $2k that I know, from other threads and posts is a metal framed Class A, and pics say it looks ok on the outside. The chassis stuff I can handle myself. And I don't really mind fixing plumbing and wiring, and whatnot. Even though I know it's a total pain in the neck to work on.
Edit. It's sold. There's lots of other choices, though. I just wish I didn't have this feeling like I'm shopping for my wife's clothes... Lost and confused and lacking wayyyy too much information 
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erniee
Weatherford, Texas 76086
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Joined: 11/21/2000
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Bluebird Wanderlodge-- light years ahead of all the others, steel everywere. At least these are the traits in my coach.
Ernie Ekberg, Bluebird Wanderlodge
www.wanderlodgeforum.org
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BigRabbitMan
Dixon, CA
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Joined: 07/02/2005
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Well, I drive what you have described as what you want! FMC coaches were built on a custom steel chassis powered by a 440-I mated to the 727 transmission. Four wheel independent suspension. The body consists of a one piece fiberglass top that comes half way down the sides and rear. A second section extends the last three feet to the bottom of the side. Underneath the fiberglass is a welded together aluminum frame. In between the framing is sprayed in insulation. The inside layer of the wall is a thin layer of stainless steel. That is covered by a vinyl wall paper of some type. The floor, cabinets and interior walls are wood. No other wood.
1052 of them were built between 1973 and 1976. 70-80% are probably still on the road. Mine is number 1046. Another Mopar addict is a friend of mine and owns #902 and #412. #400 is a beautifully maintained coach which had it's engine rebuilt by it's aircraft mechanic owner and it is located in Oregon. They come up on ebay and other places from time to time for from $5,000 to $50,000 depending on condition and upgrades/modifications. A few have been converted to diesel, but most still run the Mopar 440-I. Note that it uses the "I" or industrial version of the 440 rather than the auto or truck version.
Some pictures can be found in the Album section of FMCOwners.com
There are many more pictures at the Yahoo group FMCMotorCoach at this link if you have a Yahoo account. The files section there has copies of the original sales brochures which give all of the specifications. All parts including body parts are still available today.
Did I mention that they are also rear engined? Pull the rear bumper, the panels, the radiator and there is the engine ready for anything you want to do to it. Because of the independent rear suspension, the driveline is very short and the coach remains in good balance even though it is only 29 ft overall. Due to the suspension and custom frame the interior floor is only 16 inches from the ground and the total coach height is only 9'2''. A quick look can be found by looking at my signature.
I have done a number of modifications/upgrades to my coach. Why? Because it is a well built coach of the size I like with a rear engine that handles well and built such that it will not rot or fall apart after I did my modifications. My Mopar friend with #902 has a turbo on his! Two of us have Edelbrock MPFI systems on them. Others have other systems.
Join the non-leaking, non-rotting, highly maneuverable, good handling, Mopar powered FMC Club!
BigRabbitMan & DiamondGal
Dixon,CADiamond Gal's T-Tapp fitness site
76 FMC #1046, Gas Pusher W/Chrysler 440-I
Edelbrock MPI fuel injection, Allison 545
Toad: Red '87 4x4 Subaru Brat, Lorance IWay 500c
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Daveinet
il
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Since you are a die hard Mopar guy, I'll give you an interesting tidbit of information. There was an engineer involved in the design of the FMC by the name of Peter Bryant. He originally worked for Lotus and Ferrari F1. He moved to the states to work the Can-Am circuit. He wrote a white paper on using aerodynamic down force to improve cornering. When he retired from racing, he then worked for FMC. The reason I know this is because when FMC got out of the motorhome business, he worked for Revcon and designed the custom drivetrain. So there is an interesting heritage in those two low profile motorhomes. FMC and Revcon where on my short list (of 2) of considerations. I ended up with the Revcon because I live in a black hole when it comes to used motorhome shopping. Happened on the Revcon first.
* This post was
edited 06/16/08 07:41am by Daveinet *
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b ubblerboy64
946 Ashton Shippensburg Pa 17257
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Joined: 10/18/2004
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Bluebird Wanderlodge. Only way to go.
John Heckman
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Leeann
Maryland
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Joined: 08/22/2006
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BigRabbitMan wrote:Mopar 440-I. Note that it uses the "I" or industrial version of the 440 rather than the auto or truck version.
Just a correction: the 440-1 is the auto/pickup truck version, the 440-3 is the industrial version. The 440-3 has additional cooling passages, among other, beefier internal components.
The 440-3 is what I have in my rig.
'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo
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BigRabbitMan
Dixon, CA
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Leeann wrote:BigRabbitMan wrote:Mopar 440-I. Note that it uses the "I" or industrial version of the 440 rather than the auto or truck version.
Just a correction: the 440-1 is the auto/pickup truck version, the 440-3 is the industrial version. The 440-3 has additional cooling passages, among other, beefier internal components.
The 440-3 is what I have in my rig.
I used the letter "I" or "eye" and not the number "1" or "one" that you thought I used. The I for "Industrial" is the same engine as the "3" designated engine.
Translation, we are both talking about the same engine.
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