1978 Vintage Dodge Chinook "Futura" Motorhome

1978 Dodge Chinook "Futura" RV. 318 with auto, dash air/roof air. They only made this unit for 2 years, and was pretty unique in it's day.

I've posted this twice before. First was a 0 feedback, and had no clue how it works, so, 0 ebayers, please contact me first or your bid will be canceled. I re-listed a few months ago, half way thru the auction, went out and had no brakes. Pulled the auction, and installed a new drivers rear wheel cylinder, bled brakes, and is now ready to go. Also, pulled the leaking aftermarket hatch and sealed it up with airex foam, epoxy and Fiberglass cloth, so, it will never leak again.

History. 2 years ago (august 2014) I bought this down in Tn. Went down, took a look, and left it at a local shop.

They did:

Flush and pressure test the radiator with all new coolant

New Belts

Major tune up with plugs, wires, cap, distributor pick up and rotor

Oil change/filter

Transmission fluid/filter

rear end topped up

Adjusted brakes

New Alternator

New wiper motor and wipers

It also has a 3.5 Kohler Generator that I cleaned the carb and fired up and plugged in. It pushed all the systems including the charger and the roof air. Lost the power to the solenoid, so, can't get it to turn the starter. Easy fix, for this price I'm passing it on the next owner.

It's been sitting for a bit, but I fire it up once a week, and roll it a bit to keep the tires from going out of round and lube it up. It's acquired a tick that is a lifter sticking a bit. Tends to go away when run for a bit.

Now, it has a new rear wheel cylinder and bled brakes. Stops well especially for a 1 ton.

I drove it home the 500 plus miles in 90 plus degrees, with the dash air blasting on full and it never missed a beat or got hot on the grades. It's got a rock solid 318 that pulls well.

It had a aftermarket hatch that leaked like a sieve, and ran down the headliner and pretty much compromised the interior cabinets. If your a better capenter than I am, it is an easy fix. I pulled some headliner and the rotten carpet and the overhead matteress. It also rotted out the foldable couch, so, that's gone also. Floor is solid, most cabinets are there, and it just needs some capentry work. Pumps work, but seals in the plumbing are dried out and need to be replaced. It didn't come with a stove and the fridge is just some aftermarket something that is cut in. It works fine though.

 Never been hit, body is solid, Fiber Glass is intact and of course will never rot and is fairly light.

Ok, so, the biggest question that everybody was asking was, Can I drive it home? Personally, I think so, but, I'm not a mechanic by any stretch nor do I claim to be. I think it's got a solid drive train, tracks well even with old tires, stops well, good oil pressure and runs cool. That said, it is a classic, 40 year old RV. It is sold "As is, Where is" and nothing is implied.

Forgot a couple of questions. Floor is solid, all the cabinets are solid, the overhead cab is ok (I've slept up there) but, I think will need some work. Has a HUGE bathroom/shower for a 21' RV which is all fiberglass. All the tanks are in it (grey, black, fresh h20) Propane tank is intact. 3.5 Kohler Generator worked well and pushed all the electrical (off grid) and now has a minor starter issue which I'm just not messing with unless I keep it. Dash a/c blows cold but could use a charge. Roof A/C will freeze you out at full power and has a heater built into it also. It was a top of the line RV in it's day, just got put away with a bad leaking hatch. It could be used now with a new futon/couch where the old one was while being restored for the winter. Ok, that's my spiel, if nobody picks it up, this is the last time I'll post it, and I'll just keep it and restore it on the fly. It's really a good unit, easy to drive, and has parts you can stop by any Napa anywhere in the country and pull off the shelf, and any backyard mechanic can work on it.