Roadtrek Chassis with Best Bones

[themexicandoctor]

Here is another one in LA

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/200...ILE-5014049747

In the whole of RVTRADER USA I only found 2.


Maybe ask around on this site, start a thread asking for a 170 .

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by RT-NY

That Los Angeles listing looks suspicious to me -- pictures and description are too generic, no year, no miles, too cheap of a price, and what does this mean "It looks like a normal van except for the air conditioner on top"? One of the good things about the Roadtrek design is that the air conditioner is inside the cap!

Here's one in WA, the ideal model year in my opinion (the 1999 25th anniversary edition!): https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/r...197336672.html

Yes, it looks great.

What is a 5.2 liter motor, waa thst a one off?
Or a typo?

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by carpeBLUEGRASS

new seats

I just replaced my chev seat base foam- easy and well worth it- the backs were fine, the coverings were fine, I took the time to shampoo clean and rinse with distilled water ( to make soft, we have hard water here). the foam was worn on the sides from sliding in/out. also cleaned out old crusty grease and lubed the seat swivels.


cost will be tough for you.



there is also the winnebago rialta ( built on a VW!) which I have a fondness for- 4 different floor plans make great use of space


Off I-66 Delaplane- I'd be all over this:



https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...202945574.html


springfield:


https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...202927298.html

norfolk - a rialta


https://norfolk.craigslist.org/rvs/d...194066802.html



mike

[booster]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Yes, it looks great.

What is a 5.2 liter motor, waa thst a one off?
Or a typo?

The 5.2 is the old 318CID Chrysler smallblock engine. The 5.9 is a longer stroke version of the same small block engine and is the old 360CID. In a heavy vehicle, I would definitely prefer the 5.9 because of the long stroke, higher torque characteristics.

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

I just replaced my chev seat base foam- easy and well worth it- the backs were fine, the coverings were fine, I took the time to shampoo clean and rinse with distilled water ( to make soft, we have hard water here). the foam was worn on the sides from sliding in/out. also cleaned out old crusty grease and lubed the seat swivels.


cost will be tough for you.



there is also the winnebago rialta ( built on a VW!) which I have a fondness for- 4 different floor plans make great use of space


Off I-66 Delaplane- I'd be all over this:



https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...202945574.html


springfield:


https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...202927298.html

norfolk - a rialta


https://norfolk.craigslist.org/rvs/d...194066802.html



mike

Yes the Rialta's are a secret sauce for many.

If anyone needs to replace the searts, I went whole hog a couple of years ago & contacted a place Dicks;

https://dicksautoparts.com/c-1144216...oem-seats.html

https://dicksautoparts.com/c-1206703...van-seats.html

[themexicandoctor]

Thank you as always Booster

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by booster

The 5.2 is the old 318CID Chrysler smallblock engine. The 5.9 is a longer stroke version of the same small block engine and is the old 360CID. In a heavy vehicle, I would definitely prefer the 5.9 because of the long stroke, higher torque characteristics.

Thank you as always Booster

[themexicandoctor]

Road Trek International- Roadtrek International - Roadtreks for Sale

Is this a treasure trove above of 170's initially & other models later?

WOW!

[themexicandoctor]

https://www.shoppok.com/rv-rvs-for-s...oadtrek-170-sp

Here is another huge haul.of rigs for sale

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

replace the seats, I went whole hog a couple of years ago & contacted a place Dicks;

upgraded seat base, the seat shop direct or amazon $125:



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[carpeBLUEGRASS]

Wow! Thanks for all of the advice and leads. I've been searching Roadtrek International, rvt, rvtrader and Searchtempest every day. 170's are definitely more rare than 190's.

While I'm leaning to pre-2000 vintage (both due to price and a desire for more of a 'classic' feel...I think a set of white letter tires would be cool!), there are probably issues going back that far: lack of airbags, parts availability, etc.

If I see one, can I show it to you for your thoughts?

Thanks again for your time.

[mkguitar]

a dodge, ford or chevy van can be fixed anywhere, by anyone with parts from napa
there are millions of these on the road- uncomplicated and not reliant on a parts supply line spanning oceans
Mike

[RT-NY]

That is also my experience with my 1999 Dodge 170, that it is no problem to find parts or get it repaired. There are still plenty of them on the road (between the Ram vans and trucks).

My 1999 has a lot features of more recent vehicles: dual air bags, cruse control, power doors and windows, digital odometer, etc., so mechanically it is more or less a modern car even though it is also a classic. My sense is that from 1998-2003 or so, the Dodge 170's all look pretty much the same (like in the craigslist add from WA above) though I think the digital odometer starts in 1999. You can find the brochures on line to compare features by model year -- they have a surprising amount of good information in them. I have them all from 1993-2003 as PDF files if you can't find them. And, of course, always happy to give what advice I can. Roadtrek owners are a pretty dedicated group of folks (whenever I pass another vintage RT on the road they always wave hello!).

Also, regarding the 5.2L engine, as booster said: it is listed in the brochure as "5.2 L/318 CID SMPI gas V8"

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by RT-NY

(whenever I pass another vintage RT on the road they always wave hello!)

3 windows up top, always easy to spot an RT
Mike

[themexicandoctor]

Have any of you resurfaced the wood you have ie; replaced cabinets to give them a more modern look ?

Or are you, like I, prefer the wood finish, no matter when the build date?

[mkguitar]

I have solid maple cabinets fronts- nothing will last longer.
Living in the desert, each of the 9000 Robertson head screws required an 1/8 to 1/4 turn to snug up when we bought the van.
( The previous owner was confused by the Robertson heads...which are Canadian standard for furniture and electrical, he'd never snugged )



I might have a different opinion if the cabinets were laminate faced or built with engineered wood products- screws pull out or loosen up
mike

[booster]

When everyone is talking about solid maple, oak, cherry, etc cabinets do you really have entire cabinet made of those material? I think most of the manufacturers use the lightweight vinyl covered plywood for the frames. IIRC all the class b's we looked at were that way with only doors solid. Our 07 Roadtrek 190 also was listed as solid wood cabinets, which they are except the surface of the frames are vinyl that matches the wood color until they both age a bit. Only the doors and some trim are solid wood.

[mkguitar]

Yes, you are right- everything where hinges or hardware attaches is solid maple- all the doors and fascia. The screws get a good bite.


everything lining the interior walls of the van appears engineered

as are the cabinet "boxes" with a mix of maple veneer on the cabinet interiors- and a contact paper on the inside of the head and galley backsplash
Mike

[booster]

For the OP, re Dodge 170 model year desirability and such.



You may want to look at this site, which is the old Yahoo board after moving to a new host.


https://roadtrekkers.groups.io/g/RT/topics


There are lots of Dodge owners on there, including some 170 owners. Good representation of a wide range of model years compared to most places.


The does seem to be some evidence from users that the 1998 and up model years, which were after a redesign, have more handling issues than the earlier years. All Dodges can be kind of random on handling, with some described as scary and some described as good.

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

Yes, you are right- everything where hinges or hardware attaches is solid maple- all the doors and fascia. The screws get a good bite.


everything lining the interior walls of the van appears engineered

as are the cabinet "boxes" with a mix of maple veneer on the cabinet interiors- and a contact paper on the inside of the head and galley backsplash
Mike

So in this photo of my modified TV Cabinet (had it cut back to an omly 9.75 inches), the mortise corner hinge is sold maple.

The base is maple plywood.

The face solid maple.

The frame itself is the vinyl covered ply.

My upfront cabinets are 3/4 maple plywood with maple trim - couod have gone with 1/2 but ...