Putting a 1977 Winnebago body on a modern chassis?

[Giles]

Hi there, i am new to this so sorry if what I am thinking sounds stupid, i have read a lot of post about fitting a Cummings engine, just so happens I have 2 trucks in a barn with the same engine that are not worth very much in the UK. So could I possibly put the cool Winnebago body on the DAF 45 chassis, this way i would get better just about everything if its achievable?

ps. my trucks are manual but there is an auto-box on UK ebay to suit for £400 i think i could swap the manual box for

[Oz]

We had one member who swapped an old Winnie body onto a commercial, diesel deliver truck chassis.  However, the job was never fully completed as their life took a change and they needed to cash out of it.   But, consider that the bodies were originally simply built on top of the chassis.  Very similar to putting a house on a foundation.  They built it from laying down the entire floor, then adding the walls & roof, etc.

If the chassis you want to use are designed for heavy duty use and are capable of carrying the weight... and the wheel wells, steering column, and other necessary alignments meet up and have the proper clearances, or can be modified to fit, sure, you can put the body on anything you'd want to.  Of course, you'd have to mate up the chassis wiring to the dash and lighting too and I'm sure there's other considerations as well, like water tank mounting and routing the plumbing.  The body swap, as I recall, didn't require any modification to the wheel wells as it was a perfect match (sorry, I don't remember what the chassis came from).  However, there was quite a bit of work needed to get the rest together.  But, as there say, "where there's a will, there's a way."

[Giles]

the truck i have gross 7.5ton and have the same 5.9 Cummings engine, the nice thing about the truck chassis is in the UK the old Winnebago hates all the bends, where as the truck was designed for them and has virtually no roll and air brakes. I read the post on fitting just the Cummings engine and to me it was too hard, i know i don't have the skill to do all the things that are needed for fitting a new engine in a chassis that where not designed together. I think i might with some help be able to put the body on a different chassis that already drivable, the only major thing I can see being a issue is the ride hight will be increased and it might end up looking a bit 4x4, and the sterring.


i will take some photos of the truck with the cab up so you get a better look at everything.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Be sure to check front and rear wheel width (outside wheel to outside wheel).

Dave

[Wantawinnie]

If you have looked at my conversion posts keep in mind a lot of the changes are not because of the chassis. It basically bolted right in the Dodge chassis. The tight confines of the Winnebago engine compartment and front floor framing are the big issues. When you swap the body those issues would still be there. Others that have converted different makes of motor homes had much more room to work with. It is challenging regardless of the rig though.

Good luck with whatever you decide. It does seem like a good swap if things line up.

[ibdilbert01]

Here are pictures of a 71 chassis, they just extended the frame and welded 2x2s across the frame. 





The floor on 71 was just 2 layers of 3/4" Plywood, a layer of floor luan on top.  It was glued and trimmed on the edges with maybe pine or something similar   



The sides bolted to the bottom through the pine trimming on the edge of the floor.   They also bolted to the vertical 2x2s.  In the front the sides were bolted the the angle iron.



I see no reason why someone crafty couldn't do a conversion.   Actually you could very easy build all new and just make a replica.

[Froggy1936]

If you go to any of the Motor Homes websites they have a video of how they are assembled To the Vehicle manufacturers frame as they are delivered from the factory ! Should answer a lot of your questions as how to transfer the body . Were it me i would try it with the floor still attached to the walls (just for stabilization ) The wireing would require some spliceing into chassis wireing  But it sounds like a fun project. And you could stay with the manual transmission . Frank

[Lefty]

My '76 had steel angle iron running along both sides at the floor. The flooring was like a sandwich, first aluminum skin ran the full length & width, then 2"X2" floor joists ran crosswise every 16" with 2" styrofoam between, then on top of that was 3/4" plywood that went UNDER the angle iron along the sides (4'X8' sheets installed crossways, slid in from the rear of the frame before the coach was built.). Then the carpet and padding were laid. Then the 2"X2" wall base was bolted thru the carpet,padding,angle iron, and flooring.

I say all that because I see no way the welded on angle iron would allow the flooring to be lifted along with the walls, as it goes under the angle iron. You would either have to unbolt the walls from the angle iron (necessitating the removal of all the lower part of the panelling) and lift the body without the floor. Or, figure out a way to cut the angle iron away from the frame underneath without setting fire to the coach.

On another thought, I doubt a 35yr old body could be safely lifted away from the frame without doing signifigant temporary bracing thruout the interior to prevent it from flexing and/or collapsing without the frame to support it. I would proceed carefully.

[Giles]

Morning guys

The pictures are great and give me a better understanding of what is going on where you can't see. From what you are saying taking the body off may be possible but taking the floor off at the same time may not be possible without setting fire to everything.

The major desire for me is to have a cool classic RV that is usable for holidays while my 1 year grows up, and then hopefully after that when I retire one day. So although the cost of all the work might seem madness now, if I end up with the the Winnebago on the truck chassis then there is no reason why I don't get 20 years of use out of her. If i just fix the current dodge setup she will always be compromised on fuel, ride, brakes, reliability, and just general ease of use.

The whole RV is in such poor condition I should probably start with all the jobs that need to be done whether I change the chassis or not. one of the major jobs will be to replace the roof so maybe I should start there and when I do it, do it in a way that would give it some extra strenght should I lift the coach of f the floor

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Another option, already hinted at, would be to do a mock up or replica on your newer chassis.  Or, I had a brainstorm based on that train of thought.

What if you were to take everything out of your truck chassis down to the frame, leaving the steering components of course.  And put on a brand new floor, the same length and width of your Winnebago.  Next, gut the Winnebago and remove all the inner walls and cabinets to where its just a shell.  Then unbolt all the trim molding around the Winnebago outside corners and roof, and then remove the roof completely.  Next remove one wall at a time...you might have to use a sawzall...and then bolt them on to your new chassis with its new floor.  Do all four walls including the nose clip and windshield, then put the roof back on and the trim molding, seal everything, and then start the rewiring process, which should be fairly simple...just a matter of tying in the headlights, signal lights, and marker lights to the new chassis wiring. 

No matter which way you approach this project, its gonna be a big one.  But if you aren't overly mechanically inclined but are a fair hand with carpentry, this might be a more doable option for you.  Then you'll have a brand new floor build around your existing chassis, and you won't have to worry about clearance issues with the Winnebago floor or the steering or anything. 

After the body swap, it would be a matter of adding plumbing and all the other systems to the RV, but since it would be an empty box, you could pretty much pick and choose where you want everything to go, designed by yourself to your needs and wants.  You could even reuse a lot of the original Winnebago cabinetry and appliances, or start from scratch and build it all new.

Just a thought!

Kev

[Lefty]

To be honest, If the rig suits your needs (size, sleeping arrangements,storage space,style,etc...), I'd spend my money on repairing the Dodge chassis it sits on.

Why?
The Dodge chassis is a very tough, durable chassis design. Very much over-engineered for the weight it carries. For half the money it would cost you to swap the body onto the other chassis, you could rebuild the front suspension, all the brakes, install new shocks,tires, and maybe even install air ride... and likely have enough money to even rebuild the engine and freshen the tranny. In other words, you'd have essentially a new chassis that would be ready for many years of service and tens of thousands of miles.
I don't know what kind of mileage you might get from the other chassis, but a properly tuned, slightly modified 440 powered Chieftan should get around 8-10mpg if you keep your foot out of it, and drive around 50-55mph. They will still average 7-8mpg if run at speeds of 65-70mph though. Remember to factor in how long it would take for the fuel savings to pay off, by factoring in how many miles you plan on driving and what it would cost per mile for each chassis. And what it would cost to switch it. In most cases, it would take 10yrs or more for the difference to equal out. That's the primary reason hardly anyone has done a conversion.

Don't be afraid of the Dodge chassis brakes or suspension. When they are in good shape, the brakes will stop it faster than you'll be comfortable... Mine would stop as quickly from 70mph as my 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup if I had to... It also handled turns and bumps just fine... It actually drove better than our current rig, a 1988 Georgie Boy that is about the same length and weight, and on a newer Chevy P-30 chassis design.

It's your rig, but you mentioned that this is your first RV, and that mechanically you are somewhat limited in knowledge,tools,and experience. The fastest way to permanently park your rig would be to rip it apart, without the ability to put it back together. I would start a little slower, pick repairs and projects that get it usable and are within your ability to do... then progress to repairs and upgrades that improve on the rig, while still keeping it as usable as possible, as your knowledge and experience grows. Trust me, you'll enjoy working on it a lot more if your also able to take it out and enjoy it some during the renovation process.
I spent 3 years restoring one, and it never left my driveway the entire time.

[Giles]

the truck that is the barn I use to drive when I was about 20 and they are pretty bullet proof, the thing i like about them is when is was that age i used to drive everything mega hard, they would do 400 miles a day,day in day out all at 70mph plus often overloaded. I can remember they never did less than 16mph  and they would go round bends pretty much like a European car if you were brave enough.

I do take on the point that having only just got the thing pulling it apart probably isn't the best idea. I plan to mend the brakes and then send her to have a new roof fitted. What I am thinking is if I am still in the mood for a new chassis, i will have a brand new floor built on the truck chassis which shouldn't be too hard, if all goes well i will only then plan to take the Winnebago's walls off and fix them to the new floor as suggest by a couple of you guys

[vincewarde]

OK, my two cents worth of brainstorming is this:  If the original frame rails are about the same distance apart, why wouldn't it be possible to move drive line and suspension over from the newer vehicle?

That said, I think sticking with the current chassis makes a lot more sense than trying to move things.  Changing the engine and or trans is about as far as I would ever think of going.

[LJ-TJ]

WOW now this is a read. Sounds like one heck of a project. Some great ideas here. Should be fun to follow along and see how you make out. There's always something new to learn here. Hm?

[Wantawinnie]

Could you post some pics of the Cummins setup that is in one of your trucks? You may have the correct exhaust manifold, intake. etc to make the swap easier.

[Giles]

Hi

my trucks are few hours away from me but I will take a load of pics in early may when I am next where they are but here are some photos of the same truck DAF 45
1995

this topic does seem to have split you guys in to 3 camps, do it, don't do it, can't be done.

[Giles]

the truck

[Wantawinnie]

The engine pic you posted still has the VE fuel pump of the earlier Cummins like I am installing. That engine appears to be intercooled and the tubes at least go forward instead of out the side like the Dodge trucks do. Around 1994 or maybe 1995 with the medium duty trucks you might find that you have a P pump and it is larger with six fuel lines feeding directly out the top. It is a much larger pump that can give a lot of power if modified.

I pulled these off the web of a DAF 45 Cummins. If you have the same setup you are much better off than I was. The exhaust manifold, oil pan, and intake setup are much more suited for a tight chassis setup. If you notice this one does not have intercooling. The intake just runs from the turbo to the intake. Also, the turbo is reversed so that the exhaust is out the front and the intake is out the back. That engine is probably around 160hp and 400 ft lbs of torque. Maybe more but I doubt by a lot.

By far the biggest hurdles for me have been the intercooling setup and the optional turbo arrangement that I wanted to use. If you are happy with the existing power and mileage of those trucks then you wouldn't have to change anything. Had I skipped those changes it would have been running and driving by now. I wanted the option of more power and decided to go that route right away.





I don't know what transmission you have or where the shifter comes out but the one in the pictures looks like if would have to be moved to work in the Winnebago.

The other thing is the wheel base on a lot of the straight frame trucks can be adjusted pretty easily by just moving the rear axle and spring mounts forward or back. That will involve changes to the driveshaft, brake lines, etc. though.

[Giles]

Hi there

Funny you should say that there are two pumps because i think one of the trucks is 150bhp and the other is 130bhp and i think I was told the only difference was the pump.

I know your right about the wheelbase because both truck are different lengths and i think the chassis rails are Predrilled form new for different options.

Would adding the daf45 auto box be easier do you think than using the current manual box on the truck,i guess there are issues either way

[Wantawinnie]

I was originally going to go with a manual transmission. The ones I looked at from Dodge would have required cutting the step up floor support right behind the seats up. I didn't want to do that. Are the manuals in those cable shifted? That would probably make it easier.

The Dodge diesel automatic I used is basically a 727 derivative and fit the tunnel as originally designed. Just had to drop the crossmember a couple inches due to the overdrive mount on the bottom being thicker.

As for the DAF-45 automatic transmission it all depends on the final drive ratio's. I don't know anything about them. Are they overdrive units? If the automatic trucks use the same rear end gearing and have a similar ratio to you manual it should work. The Cummins engines have such a limited rpm range that it is crucial to not overgear them. Without an overdrive transmission the rear end gearing really needs to be in the low 3.0's to have decent highway speeds.

[Giles]

hi

i saw all your pictures and thought it was a pretty cool idea, I think I would of definatly done exactly the same as you if I had the skill. I am pretty handy but I know my limitations and that is what attracted me to the idea of just adding the body to the truck chassis, this I think I could do even if it is the long way to getting what you have, but as most of the RV needs rebuilding anyway it might just be the best for mine anyway.

I think the manual is all on linkages but i would have to check, i think the ratio for the Auto would be ok but I could ask, if it  is I think it might be the way to go.