What's new
By:
Filters

LS SWAP CLASS C RV

chaplinfj60

chaplinfj60

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2020
Member Number
3057
Messages
3,559
Loc
marshalltown iowa
good afternoon

Has anyone done a LS swap on old 1980 class c chevy RV, like something like this, if so what drama did you have, i like the idea of smaller rv to pull the buggy with and dislike my tent life options. LS platform i feel is a solid reliable as they come. any thoughts? i cant have anything taller than 10 foot and change if i recall, other wise its a no go in the shop and that is a deal breaker.

1654110673710.png
 
i would say 6.0 and 4l80 for the OD but if pulling a trailer, 5500 total with buggy would i be able to use OD, questions i need to sort out
 
that's the RV you have now?

What you think the LS will give you whatever came in the RV can't?

Only 3 main things I can think of to justify the swap project are to get a little better fuel mileage, tons of miles/usage per year and more oomph.
 
no i dont have it at all... i am just thinking out some ideas. only issue with old 350s is they are under powered, i wont gain much power i agree but may gain a bit more who know. just talking things out
 
I've pulled a bunch of van & RV 350's out that were low miles for swapping into squarebody trucks. A sawzall through the firewall is the main tool for making room to yank the engine. Fuck putting anything back in that engine bay.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DMG
If I was gonna fuck around, it'd be to put a 6bt in there with a lockup OD trans

My boss did his 80s ford class C, along with a 4wd swap and loved it, the mileage and power were sweet, not getting stuck in the dunes was killer, but the cherry on top was the fuel range
 
lots of ls swaps in those vans now. its pretty easy.
 
If I were to go that route I'd find a wrecked 1 ton van with a 6.0/4l80 combo. I've only used one for a swap in to a 72 chevy, but it seems like the ancillary components are already designed around the compact engine bay.
 
again thanks for the ideas, i am just trying to find my set up. and need to explore all the different ideas and take it slow and not knee jerk into anything. measured my shop door last night and that RV pictured at the top will not fit the door to my shop and with out doing a bunch of work to the shop just to get it inside i have to rethink this idea now. maybe a van is better suited. who knows.
 
If you were getting a really clean camper with a blown tree-fiddy I could understand but if you can get a big block just do that.
 
arse_sidewards said:
If you were getting a really clean camper with a blown tree-fiddy I could understand but if you can get a big block just do that.
Click to expand...
A camper that old is going to be near free in my mind, drivetrain may be missing or perfect but how much can a 1980 RV be worth?

If the structure is solid it seems like a decent plan to swap in a modern drivetrain and be all in sub $10k.

Still going to be lots of work on the interior I'd imagine.
 
CarterKraft said:
A camper that old is going to be near free in my mind, drivetrain may be missing or perfect but how much can a 1980 RV be worth?

If the structure is solid it seems like a decent plan to swap in a modern drivetrain and be all in sub $10k.

Still going to be lots of work on the interior I'd imagine.
Click to expand...

And then you still have a pos rv.

RV remodels rarely work out. There is a reason why those old ones are free. The structure is about to fall apart.
 
CarterKraft said:
A camper that old is going to be near free in my mind, drivetrain may be missing or perfect but how much can a 1980 RV be worth?

If the structure is solid it seems like a decent plan to swap in a modern drivetrain and be all in sub $10k.

Still going to be lots of work on the interior I'd imagine.
Click to expand...
I've been watching this market here in the northeast

You can reliably find Chevys running for $1-3k and non-running for free but it seems like "ran when parked 10yr ago" is the norm.

The Fords are the opposite, usually running. Same prices.

9/10 Chevys have the tree-fiddy. The other one has the 454

The Fords pretty much all have the 460 with the occasional 351

IDK what the Dodges have. They are older and had lower sales volume than both Ford and GM so when you see them they're generally ran when parked years go.

The Chevys seem to be common in shorter lengths with smaller rear overhangs and the Fords seem to be common in the longer lengths.

They all could use interior work. Some need them more imminently than others. I would watch the classifieds and try and snag something that was maintained and stored nicely prior to the death of the elderly owners and liquidation by heirs. Drivetrain shit is all easy. Evicting raccoons and repairing their damage is way worse.
 
Last edited:
That RV has to be so smelly and rotten by now that it isn’t worth a drivetrain swap. They were really poorly made in general. I would just look for an early 2000s RV with the V10 or 8.1.
 
There's a near zero chance of finding a cheap 80's RV that doesn't or hasn't had some major roof leakage, they either leak or lived in such a dry climate that they never encountered rain and will leak the first time they see it. Plan on completely recoating and resealing the roof of whatever you find before you even get to the drivetrain.
 
I like the idea of an LS swapped motorhome, but then again, getting an older one and just slamming on heads, intake, cam will really make them more driveable.
Then you can spend more time cleaning up the house part, that is where all the attention is needed on an older RV.
 
ironman_gq said:
There's a near zero chance of finding a cheap 80's RV that doesn't or hasn't had some major roof leakage, they either leak or lived in such a dry climate that they never encountered rain and will leak the first time they see it. Plan on completely recoating and resealing the roof of whatever you find before you even get to the drivetrain.
Click to expand...
The roof would be the least of my worries. That's easy enough to solve on day 1. It's a falling apart interior, hack wiring installed when repairs were made in 2001, rotted out shit that was paneled over in 2008, etc, etc, that really sucks up your time.
 
Have you considered just getting a 3/4t van with a 6.0 and putting a mattress in it? There's a lot of options between a tent and a restomod motorhome

If you're doing shorter drives/ longer stays, bigger family, a rv pencils out, but for a single guy or a couple, a van would make you feel like a king for a couple years before getting an rv
 
welndmn said:
I like the idea of an LS swapped motorhome, but then again, getting an older one and just slamming on heads, intake, cam will really make them more driveable.
Click to expand...
If you live/travel in a moderate climate at steady elevation, this makes sense. Living in Colorado where we camp 4k' higher than we live, and have ridiculous temperate swings, I would consider EFI a must so the LS makes sense, along with a modern OD lockup trans. A motorhome that old will likely have fairly deep gears in the rear end and a 3 speed trans. That was back in the days of the 55 MPH speed limit.

Pete
 
I'm also not a fan of buying an old RV. They are held together with balsa wood, staples and bubble gum when new. Not built to last at all. Buy one sure, but use it as is and ditch it when you're done with it.

For a more permanent solution, a pickup with a slide-in camper is better, because you can ditch the slide in when it gets bad. That or a 3/4t van with a bed and roof mount AC. Little more work up front to build out the van, but you can make it exactly how you want.
 
pcorssmit said:
If you live/travel in a moderate climate at steady elevation, this makes sense. Living in Colorado where we camp 4k' higher than we live, and have ridiculous temperate swings, I would consider EFI a must so the LS makes sense, along with a modern OD lockup trans. A motorhome that old will likely have fairly deep gears in the rear end and a 3 speed trans. That was back in the days of the 55 MPH speed limit.

Pete
Click to expand...
x2, an extra 100 hp over a weezy smogged 350 can't hurt.
 
bradp674 said:
I don't know what your budget is, but you can find newer chevy RVs with the ls in them already.
Like this one.
2006 Forest River SUNSEEKER 2900 in Vinita, OK
Click to expand...

He's looking at putting a $500 engine in a near free rv, you think he wants to spend near $20k on a nice one? :laughing:

Projectjunkie said:
Have you considered just getting a 3/4t van with a 6.0 and putting a mattress in it? There's a lot of options between a tent and a restomod motorhome

If you're doing shorter drives/ longer stays, bigger family, a rv pencils out, but for a single guy or a couple, a van would make you feel like a king for a couple years before getting an rv
Click to expand...

Good plan, or E series. Imo, the 6.0 gm is overrated in stock form.

The other option would be a box van or truck with some amenities built in.
 
If you really want one of those vans, get a long one without the camper crap, and just put beds in it. they made that body all the way to 96 in a 1ton, and they're decent. I have a 96 I picked up awhile back with a 350/4l80 in it, with only 76K on it. its the real long one, longer than the standard lenth.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh