Sawcy Camper Conversion

[SAWCE]

Did a thing.

Saw a Ram 3500 van parked on our street with a “For Sale” sign on the window. Threw the idea out to Michelle for us to buy it and do a camper conversion, and surprisingly she was down. Lift my number on her windshield, got a call this morning. Needs some work, has a CEL and won’t check smog but she took it to three shops and all diagnosed them same problem with a quote of about $2k. Knowing that, we wanted to be all in for the purchase and mechanical repairs at $3500 or less. She was asking $2200, offered $1200 cash and she took it.

1998, Ram 3500, 196k on the clock.

Will update with pics as we begin the tear down after we get it sorted mechanically. There is some surface rust, minor body work needed, a few missing trim pieces, etc.. but all that should be easy to take care of as we go. Probably spread the project out over the next 6-12 months.

[Desertbreh]

THIS IS GREAT SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Acid666]

That's gonna be cool. What's the mechanical work that's needed?
You can tow with that bad pig too so you got a lot of cool options

[SAWCE]

That's gonna be cool. What's the mechanical work that's needed?
You can tow with that bad pig too so you got a lot of cool options

I think one of the cylinders is over compressed? She couldn’t remember exactly what the mechanic had said, but I’ll take it by a smog shop and see what they say and if it’s something I can fix myself. Needs to pass smog before we can register it.

[Dbest]

Nice, what’s the powertrain in it? RWD gasser V8?

[SAWCE]

Merkle was kind enough to give me some general stuff to look over, but since this is my first time buying an older vehicle, if anyone else wants to chime in with a list of what I should check out/refresh/replace, please chime in!

[SAWCE]

Nice, what’s the powertrain in it? RWD gasser V8?

Yessir!

[Apex]

This is gonna be awesome

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Oh

You going to spin wrenches on it or take it somewhere? FIRST: Did it pass smog? If not, that CEL is going to be a big sticking point.

[max225]

Merkle was kind enough to give me some general stuff to look over, but since this is my first time buying an older vehicle, if anyone else wants to chime in with a list of what I should check out/refresh/replace, please chime in!

Check brakes on all 4 corners
Brake fluid replace
Rear diff fluid
Transmission fluid
Coolant
Ps fluid
Oil
Spark plugs/wires
Air filter
Tires in ok shape ? Check date codes

[SAWCE]

Oh

You going to spin wrenches on it or take it somewhere? FIRST: Did it pass smog? If not, that CEL is going to be a big sticking point.

Did not pass smog, that $2k quoted bill is why she sold it, didn’t want to put money into it. So hopefully fixing it isn’t actually more than the $2k. I’ll get it into a shop for a diagnosis in the next few days and report back with the issue and if it’s something I can tackle myself.

[SAWCE]

Merkle was kind enough to give me some general stuff to look over, but since this is my first time buying an older vehicle, if anyone else wants to chime in with a list of what I should check out/refresh/replace, please chime in!

Check brakes on all 4 corners
Brake fluid replace
Rear diff fluid
Transmission fluid
Coolant
Ps fluid
Oil
Spark plugs/wires
Air filter
Tires in ok shape ? Check date codes

Thanks!! Tires look decent, but I’ll check the date codes for sure, good call on that.

[max225]

Oh

You going to spin wrenches on it or take it somewhere? FIRST: Did it pass smog? If not, that CEL is going to be a big sticking point.

Did not pass smog, that $2k quoted bill is why she sold it, didn’t want to put money into it. So hopefully fixing it isn’t actually more than the $2k. I’ll get it into a shop for a diagnosis in the next few days and report back with the issue and if it’s something I can tackle myself.

You can get a obd2 scanner for $50 which is cheaper than any shop diagnosis. Post up the codes and we can walk you through it from here.

[Desertbreh]

5.9 Magnum?

[SAWCE]

Did not pass smog, that $2k quoted bill is why she sold it, didn’t want to put money into it. So hopefully fixing it isn’t actually more than the $2k. I’ll get it into a shop for a diagnosis in the next few days and report back with the issue and if it’s something I can tackle myself.

You can get a obd2 scanner for $50 which is cheaper than any shop diagnosis. Post up the codes and we can walk you through it from here.

Another good call, thank you.

[SAWCE]

5.9 Magnum?

Not sure, I didn’t look to see which engine it had when I popped the hood. Was just listening for anything weird, looking at belts and shit, seemed okay, sounded like it ran smooth.

Anyone want to/able to run the VIN for me?

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Did not pass smog, that $2k quoted bill is why she sold it, didn’t want to put money into it. So hopefully fixing it isn’t actually more than the $2k. I’ll get it into a shop for a diagnosis in the next few days and report back with the issue and if it’s something I can tackle myself.

You can get a obd2 scanner for $50 which is cheaper than any shop diagnosis. Post up the codes and we can walk you through it from here.

My biggest struggles with smog were the dumb things like evap systems and whatnot. Those things are worthless, but quite complex to diagnose/repair and often a PITA to get to. The van should be pretty simple, but packaging is tight around the engine.

[SAWCE]

You can get a obd2 scanner for $50 which is cheaper than any shop diagnosis. Post up the codes and we can walk you through it from here.

My biggest struggles with smog were the dumb things like evap systems and whatnot. Those things are worthless, but quite complex to diagnose/repair and often a PITA to get to. The van should be pretty simple, but packaging is tight around the engine.

Yeah that stubby little nose does not provide much working room in the engine bay. I was in the Jeep changing the oil and rotating tires yesterday and then popping this van’s hood open after that was like like 1/3 the space, if that much even.

[SAWCE]

She gave me a folder of records from the previous owner. Looks like in 2019 he replaced the alternator, tensioner pulley, battery, and a few other things. Passed smog checks from the last few years, so hopefully getting it to passing condition is easy/cheapish and no more than the $2k she said she was quoted, hopefully far less than that if I can DIY it.

[SAWCE]

This should work, yeah?
MOTOPOWER MP69033 Car OBD2 Scanner Code Reader Engine Fault Code Reader Scanner CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool for All OBD II Protocol Cars Since 1996 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z3HB7DR/re ... UTF8&psc=1

Or if anyone has a preferred scanner that they recommend, let me know!

[Desertbreh]

She gave me a folder of records from the previous owner. Looks like in 2019 he replaced the alternator, tensioner pulley, battery, and a few other things. Passed smog checks from the last few years, so hopefully getting it to passing condition is easy/cheapish and no more than the $2k she said she was quoted, hopefully far less than that if I can DIY it.

For $2000, if that is the true cost and you cannot DIY, I would start looking at engine swaps. The Mopar 360 is NOT a rare bird.

[SAWCE]

She gave me a folder of records from the previous owner. Looks like in 2019 he replaced the alternator, tensioner pulley, battery, and a few other things. Passed smog checks from the last few years, so hopefully getting it to passing condition is easy/cheapish and no more than the $2k she said she was quoted, hopefully far less than that if I can DIY it.

For $2000, if that is the true cost and you cannot DIY, I would start looking at engine swaps. The Mopar 360 is NOT a rare bird.

I had that thought as well.. I should be able to find something with fewer miles on it too.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

My biggest struggles with smog were the dumb things like evap systems and whatnot. Those things are worthless, but quite complex to diagnose/repair and often a PITA to get to. The van should be pretty simple, but packaging is tight around the engine.

Yeah that stubby little nose does not provide much working room in the engine bay. I was in the Jeep changing the oil and rotating tires yesterday and then popping this van’s hood open after that was like like 1/3 the space, if that much even.

You actually do most engine work from inside. That big hump in the center from the dash is removable and you can get full access to the engine through that.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

For $2000, if that is the true cost and you cannot DIY, I would start looking at engine swaps. The Mopar 360 is NOT a rare bird.

I had that thought as well.. I should be able to find something with fewer miles on it too.

Caution...the smog folks will run the VIN and know what engine it's supposed to have. They will absolutely check to make sure it's the same. If you swap it to something different, you need to jump through hoops to get it approved.

It's highly unlikely that the engine is bad and causing the CEL. More than likely, it's evap, cat, or sensor related. I'd leave an engine swap as a last resort.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

This should work, yeah?
MOTOPOWER MP69033 Car OBD2 Scanner Code Reader Engine Fault Code Reader Scanner CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool for All OBD II Protocol Cars Since 1996 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z3HB7DR/re ... UTF8&psc=1

Or if anyone has a preferred scanner that they recommend, let me know!

I have this:
https://www.amazon.com/Mestart-OBDII-OB ... 78&sr=1-16

It connects to the phone via bluetooth and I downloaded the Torque app to scan, read, and clear codes (I actually paid for the premium version, but you can read codes with the free one I believe). I've had it on all sorts of vehicles and it always works well.