1984 Chieftain 454 belt and hose replacement

[johnfrederick]

 i?? i?? Morning all. Proud owner of a 1984 23' Chieftain with only 23,000 miles. Have gutted interior and and I'm slowly rebuilding. In anticipation of its first road trip I plan to replace all the original belts and hoses. My plan is to pull off the front cap to expose "everything" as part of the project. Going to fix, clean, seal and upgrade insulation on the front as much as possible. 


Does removing the front cap make the process of belt replacement any easier ? Any tips or tricks on how to go about it ?

Thanks, John

[tmsnyder]

Someone that actually knows will be replying shortly I'm sure.  This is a very active and helpful forum, especially for a Winnie!  Hopefully you will be sticking around!






I've never owned a Winnie or worked on one, but the 'Some Other Brand' on a 1989 P30 chassis that I did have, I found that easy access could be had by going through the wheel wells.   Chock the back wheels, jack up the front and set it on jack stands or cribbing, take off the front wheels and then remove the inner wheel wells / air baffles around the engine.  This was easy on one side, on the other side a few of the bolts holding the inner wheel well in place were inaccessible, so I sliced it in half and welded on tabs for reattachment.   Easy access to both sides of the engine after that.   This was on a Holiday Rambler Class A, it may not be the same on a Winnie, but worth checking it out.  Stick you head down into the doghouse and see if you think the wheels are on either side of the engine. 


I think getting at the front is going to require removing major components, like the radiator.  If you are going to do that anyway, then it makes sense.  But just to change belts and hoses I think you'd be better off coming at it from underneath, sides and above. 


Welcome to the forum!

[johnfrederick]

Very good idea, thanks for responding. I'll probably try that first. Those wheels will come off a lot easier then the front cap.


I do like this forum and plan on sticking around. 

[Rickf1985]

On mine I have to remove the bolts holding the fan shroud and then move it back far enough to get access from underneath to get to the belt from there and also work from the top inside. I have removed all of my emissions pumps and hoses so it is much easier to get to. Mine is an 89 so the front may be different but on mine removing anything up there in the way of bodywork still leaves a framework for holding the bodywork and the radiator and A/C condensor and oil coolers. No getting in that way unless you remove all of that stuff.

[johnfrederick]

Got it thanks. When I started this project I gutted the entire interior . I was surprised to find how poorly sealed the floor was. Multiple holes for drains and electrical had only been "sealed at" at the factory but the floor might as well been a screen door. I guess they figure the carpet would cover everything. It did cover pretty shoddy work.


I ended up foaming every crack and crevice as I completed the electric and mechanical on the interior followed by 1/2" exterior plywood underlayment.


Considering the holes I found in the back I'm thinking the front will be at least as bad. SO, I'v decided to pull off the front cap and foam/insulate as part of the belt and hose project. I'll report back when I get into it.


enjoy the site, thanks.

[Rickf1985]

One thing to consider when adding all that underlayment is the added weight. These things were pretty much overweight as they came out of the factory before you even filled everything up. The you fill the propane, a 50 gallon water tank and a 60-80 gallon gas tank plus all of the normal stuff like clothing and food and essentials and you will hate to see the scale slip. So while I agree with what you are doing with the floor I would not do it to the sides and roof for the weight reason alone plus stability.

[johnfrederick]

Agree, thanks. Only did the floor. I am very conscience about weight. Considering the weight of the carpet and other weight taken out I am hoping to be under factory weight when I am finished.