The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Scored a Dually!

A few weeks ago I posted that I wanted a dually.

Today I made a deal on a 25 year-old motorhome with a 454/400 turbo and duals under the rear. I'm pretty tickeled!

I'm thinking I'll jack up my '47 and roll the dually stuff under neath.

Does anyone know anything about the frames under motorhomes? Its a Rambler Holiday and I presume the running gear and IFS is all GM. If anyone can point me to more information I'd sure appreciate it!

LOL don't you have enough yard art already? well at least now once you pull the RV body off you will have that mother-in-law apt you were talking about wanting! hehe

what is the width and length of that thing?

You didn't say if this is a class A or a class C motorhome. The class C's used a wider rear than the class A chassis did just as a dually P/U has a wider axle than a "one-ton" cab and chassis uses. Be careful that yours is correct for whatever it is you intend to do. As for the frame it is likely a Parrish or some other outside vendor that GM used and supplied to Holiday Rambler as a motorized chassis but is rated as GVWR and by GAWR and will satisfy those requirements.

I promised the wife a couple others will be leaving soon... I think he said its a 28-footer, and I forgot my tape so it didn't get measured. The truck is pretty wide, but the axles seem narrow within the body.

Class A is a complete custom body, and Class C is a pickup/van with the camper added on? If I have that right this is a Class A.

"rated as GVWR and by GAWR" I didn't locate anything that would give these figures, but I'll be looking.

I'm not real worried about the width. In the back I'll build to fit the width. In the front I might find a pickup IFS to get the width where it needs to be. With the dually type wheels it can be pretty wide and still get the tires inside the fenders.

dual rear wheels under the stock width fenders? tubbin' the bed?

Supposing you didn't care about hauling a lot of weight but wanted dual rear wheels couldn't you just mount dually wheels on regular hub and axle? assuming you had the correct width and lug pattern? I would like to build a dually someday maybe but I don't care about hauling anything heavy.

I hate computers. My notebook has become unreliable! It crashed a few minutes ago, just before I clicked Add Reply. #$&@&%!

I'm not clear where I'm going with this project, so if my responses aren't clear, that is why...

I've long wanted a COE, so if I can find a COE cab for a price I'm willing to pay, I'll go that way, and make a car hauler. The other alternative is to move the cab from my '47 onto this frame, and either build a custom bed, with wider fenders, or put a flat bed on it.

I may just pull the wheels off of it, and try the dually look on the '47 without other changes.

Stay tuned...

41-46 COEs are pretty cool. I saw one either on Ebay or in Classic Trucks mag that had an RV chassis

I think my first choice would be a '54 GMC COE, but Advance Design or Art Deco either one would work for me.

I have a line on a '51 Chevy and depending on the price may buy it without looking much further.

But I've always liked the almost menacing look of a GMC Art Deco COE with all those horizontal bars, and if I find one of those that will be the one. I think there was one in some old movie that has just the look I want.

The motorhome isn't in my yard yet, so my wife hasn't really had her say yet...

OldSub...yes, you are correct about the Class A being the totally enclosed unit and the Class C being built on a cut-a-way van chassis. The ID tag should be around the drivers door area and have the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rating. If it is an older unit it may not be over 10-11,000 GVW.

It doesn't have a driver's door as such. Just the one door mid-way back on the passenger side. Its a '78, so its sure not new...

I have a lead on a '51 COE cab, so it may end up being a COE.

10,000 GVW seems lite for a car hauler, but maybe not. I'm sure the truck will weigh somewhere between 4- and 5-thousand. I guess that would allow carrying a 3,500 lb truck, but I'd feel better with more margin, just in case I want that 6,000 lb Cadilac on back...

So this will be done by Labor Day correct?

I was once accused of using a geologic calendar to schedule my projects. I think it applies here. I'm pretty sure the motorhome will be here by Labor Day.

Steve-

here's another option:
New/Old 1950 5-window dually

That's fun. It looks like he has solved some of the same problems I'm going to face.

I'm wondering what he did to put the dually wheels on the front. If they are on the stock axle he must have used spacers.