COE Class a p-30 motorhome frame question

I looked at a cl*** A 1985 p-30 motorhome yesterday, it has a 454 auto trans with quadrajet. Would this be a good donor for my 41 coe which I want to make into a car hauler? I want to haul my 41 and 47 Chevy pickups and my 41 Plymouth when it is finished, not all at once. I know the pickups weigh about 3400 pounds, no idea about the Plymouth. I did not know the p-30 was a 1 ton frame until I ran the vin. What do you folks think? Will this haul them safely?

 

I have a 454 Chevy in my COE, the gas mileage is horrible and no room for an overdrive,

 

Lots of folks have gone this route. The vehicles you plan to haul each probably weigh less than the motorhome body that you will be discarding.

 

should be plenty stout for a car hauler, I'd check the track width front and back.....make sure it's not too wide.

 

Thanks guys, I needed to hear that, I will check track width. Dave

 

I looked at the motorhome again and I think if I were to use it I would need to move the engine to the rear at least 1 foot. How much of a job would that be? Dave

 

You'll have to get used to moving stuff around....nothing is plug and play on these COE's. Move the engine wherever it needs to be for fit and access. Access is super important. Guys building haulers/ramp trucks often put the engine behind the cab under the bed.
Also take a look at the steering setup on the MH. Is the steering box mounted outside the frame like on a truck? If so, it would need to be moved also. Remember those early COE cabs are really narrow....not much room under there.

 

If the engine is moved aft how much does it affect steering and handling?

 

Remember, a motorhome wasn't a Ferrari to start with! Moving weight toward the center of the wheelbase shouldn't affect handling adversely.

 

At this point I would like to move the engine aft as little as possible but that may not be practical. Have people had good luck with mid engine? Would moving it back possibly make access easier? Could I make some sort of access in the slant back/beaver tail? Have people had good success with that sort of setup? Dave

 

google : CAB OVER TRUCKS, you probably will be overwhelmed..

 

Also, http://coetrucks.atwebpages.com/Index.a.html

 

I guess my thing is I don't want to reinvent the wheel. I would love to see specific builds of similar trucks and then decide what I want to do. I have a long way to go before I start on this so I will continue my research. Thankyou for all of your help so far. Dave

 

My COE is mid engine (SBC). Handles great and rides very nice. I can hear the engine behind me, but my interior is not finished. The only change to the 1 ton suspension was to install 1/2 ton coil springs up front. It was way to stiff otherwise. PS - with the 400 SBC, 700R4, 4:10 gears with tall tires, and a carb, I get 16 mpg. Going to switch to throttle body FI at some point just to see if the mileage improves. The 400 has a lot of torque, so that's why I chose it. I also have front and rear factory sway bars.

 

Can you haul cars on your truck? Where is your radiator located? What kind of access do you have to the engine? I was thinking of making an access cover in the bed that you could lift to access the engine. All great info thanks! Dave

 

The access hole does NOT do a lot of good, (if your truck has issues) IF the disabled car your hauling is on the back.
The access hole is good, but also have another access.

 

What other access if the engine is sitting in the mid position?

 

thru the sides???

What if it quits while loaded on the highway? And you don't know why?
Think about it...

 

I guess but how much above the frame rails does the engine sit?

 

Mine is mostly under the cab/sleeper and both tilt forward. Of course, this design wasn't without some trial and tribulations...

 

NOT TO BE JUDGEMENTAL>>>
But, this might be MORE of a project that you might NOT want to take on, not for the novice, for sure.
some of the questions you'er asking, are pretty subjective... IMO

 

I know what you mean but I am not a total novice, I put my 46/7 Chevy pickup on a shortened s10 frame and that turned out fine. The other thing I have going for me is I have several friends that I can go to for help who have done all kinds of projects with cars,trucks, iceracers and such. I know I am asking some dumb questions but I am trying to take advantage of all of your knowledge. The way I tell my son's, learn from others mistakes, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself. And, no offense taken at all! Thanks! Dave

 

sounds great, you go man, have fun !!!!

 

Where is your engine located?

 

Behind the cab

 

The place to start your thought process on this subject is to answer a few simple questions. When you need to access your engine, what part of it do you need to access? Oil change = oil pan and valve cover. Starter issues= usually from beneath. Provision for oil and coolant checks. Of course you will need to access distributor and carb.
After all was said and done I chose to tilt my cab, but my situation is different from most. (Scratch built cab framework)
My radiator is placed under cab just in front of engine, using engine mounted fan. Hopefully I will get enough airflow to cool the engine.

 

All good thoughts. I am a long way off on this project, just gathering info so I can decide what I want to do. I would like to have a fairly solid plan before starting.

I am working on my current project right now, a 41 Plymouth 4door sedan, hopefully finishing in 2 years, I only work on vehicles during the winter. The rest of the time I try to do outdoor things,hunting flying,fishing. Dave

 

I am looking at build threads and can not open jpg files. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to open them? Dave

 

A friend of mine built this IH ramp truck years ago on a Dodge motor home ch***is. The engine is behind the cab under the bed. The bed deck slides back(hydraulic) for loading, also to access the engine. Side panels can also be removed for access. Sorry, this is the only pic I have of it.

 

Yes I can haul a car. I have a 14' long bed, so it would hang off the back. The engine sets slightly above the frame, but completely under the bed...this is all due to my Z'd frame and the bed design.. A/C compressor is top mounted, alternator is lower than stock, on the p*** side. PS pump in stock location. My radiator is up front, the trans cooler is right in front of the engine. Electric fans. I have an access door on the front 14" of the bed...to get to belts, alternator, small stuff. My bed tilts, so if I had a car on back and engine problems, I'd raise the bed with the electric pump. My boxes are mounted to the frame and do not move with the bed. The dual fuel tanks are in the boxes. My truck was designed around my limited garage space and small garage door. Bed is no wider than the running boards and fenders, cab roof clears the garage door by 1". No air bags or drop spindles. Dodge Dakota A/C under the dash. Tight fit, but it should cool the truck very well.