I think a rod spun a bearing in my rebuilt 454

[TotalyHucked]

I see dead RV's with 454s for sale from time to time (and always thought that would be an decent way to get a lower-mileage 454 tailored for use in a truck instead of a car or boat), but my biggest question is what do you do with the rest of the hulk once you've salvaged out whatever is usable?

A couple guys around here I know that have done that have just slowly stripped the carcass down to a bare chassis and then sold that for scrap. Most scrap places around us don't want RVs but they'll take chassis for the steel. Kept some of the wood, paneling, plumbing, wiring, etc for other projects. Threw away what wasn't usable in small doses in their home trash can till it was gone or took it to the dump.

 

[HotRodPC]

Here's the thing though, around here and my surrounding area, I cannot find any old RV's for cheap. Or really at all. I think the wood got soft in them long ago and they have mostly been disposed of already. Travel trailers too. Compared to the newer high dollar stuff, the older stuff just doesn't really exist.

True, you're in the rust belt so the $hit prolly done rusted and the frame folded in half and it got hauled off to the dump long ago.

 

[HotRodPC]

A couple guys around here I know that have done that have just slowly stripped the carcass down to a bare chassis and then sold that for scrap. Most scrap places around us don't want RVs but they'll take chassis for the steel. Kept some of the wood, paneling, plumbing, wiring, etc for other projects. Threw away what wasn't usable in small doses in their home trash can till it was gone or took it to the dump.

Exactly !!! I'll strip the wire, that stuff is expensive when you need to buy it to build a bus, and the RV lengths are great. Thing is, you need to make your own color code circuit chart. In short, make your own wiring diagram as you build using the re pursposed wire, but yes it works and so does all those plumbing fittings for drains, water and propane. I salvage all I can, then my expenses are much cheaper and I only have to buy what exact fittings I need to make that stuff work. I'm even using the double stainless steel sink out of this one. It's not a full size household sink. Perfect for an RV bus build. I'm also using the Converter, the part that you hook you shore power too. So it has both 120V AC power and 12V DC power circuits and also a built in 2 amp charger so while you're plugged in, it tops off your coach batteries also. All that built into one small power distribution device. So many parts to rob from an RV. You should see this $1400 dual fuel RV fridge/freezer in this RV. It's NorCold brand and like brand new inside. Onyx Black front. It's awesome. So it'll run on 110 power or propane. Hell yes, I'm keeping it.

 

[HotRodPC]

I see dead RV's with 454s for sale from time to time (and always thought that would be an decent way to get a lower-mileage 454 tailored for use in a truck instead of a car or boat), but my biggest question is what do you do with the rest of the hulk once you've salvaged out whatever is usable?

You take all the fibreglass and wood to the dump after you're done and used all the wood and latches and hardware you can. Then you can sell the rear axle to a P30. It's usually going to be a 14bolt FF. Sell the 19.5 wheels etc. So much can be sold. When it's down to nothing but a chassis cut it up in about 3-4 pieces and scrap it just like scrap metal. They don't ask for a title unless you're scrapping it as a car body. I intend to use this frame though. I'm making a walking bridge over a creek with the 34 foot frame.

 

[RanchWelder]

The fact you have an option for alternative machine work is a blessing. Every shop for 50 miles either direction is booked for 2 years here.

Your idea to upgrade the rods and pistons sounds great.

Hopefully the crank is not damaged from mis-matched caps.

What you don't know, when you drop anything off, is: did the crank got bent or dropped?
Was it straight in the first place?

Bent rods in the 8100 are a real issue.
My Mark VI was looking great until I read the stories on the weak OEM link rods.
Anything you put in there to make more HP bends them like twizlers. The engineering maxxed out the usable OEM HP with minimal rods.

Wish your were available for re-negotiation services, in my neck of the woods.

Receiving your refund, really saved this thread.
Not slagging the shop is class act, as well.

Somebody's getting reamed for that one, for sure.

Good luck with your rebuild.

 

[HotRodPC]

The fact you have an option for alternative machine work is a blessing. Every shop for 50 miles either direction is booked for 2 years here.

Your idea to upgrade the rods and pistons sounds great.

Hopefully the crank is not damaged from mis-matched caps.

What you don't know, when you drop anything off, is: did the crank got bent or dropped?
Was it straight in the first place?

Bent rods in the 8100 are a real issue.
My Mark VI was looking great until I read the stories on the weak OEM link rods.
Anything you put in there to make more HP bends them like twizlers. The engineering maxxed out the usable OEM HP with minimal rods.

Wish your were available for re-negotiation services, in my neck of the woods.

Receiving your refund, really saved this thread.
Not slagging the shop is class act, as well.

Somebody's getting reamed for that one, for sure.

Good luck with your rebuild.

Thanks for putting this thread back on track. I about derailed it.

I wouldn't trust that crank either. At minimum, I think I'd want it turned and whoever does that, should be able to tell of it's bent or not. Then I could trust it. Spun bearings usually damage the journal one way or another. Maybe get by with a polishing in this case since he caught it right away and didn't continue to drive it, but I'd sure be mic'ing that journal very well to make sure it's not egg shapped in the least.