My wife and I just acquired this beauty and have decided to get her back on the road. We may have saved it from the scrap yard. What the heck, it was free not counting the near $200 to get her home.

We are on a tight budget and will be doing the vast majority of the work with reclaimed, used/scrounged and refurbed materials and parts.

Looking forward to the project and excited to find this valuble resourse to assist and document the endeavor.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

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Thanks for the input.

We want to use it as painlessly as possible.

We are loving the engine discussion.  It is VERY appreciated.  We were thinking Ford because it IS a Ford and we thought the conversion would be easier.  But, are open to GM or Mopar.  I suggested diesel and Jay balked, but is starting to come around.  Fuel injection would be more efficient, if we stick with gas.  Our budget suggests that we find a smooth running van or truck that has the right running gear, then swap everything out.  After all, the engine is only part of the equation.

Does anyone have thoughts on a 1982 C10 6.2l Diesel?

Although I admire the diesels and think they are the most efficient, I have stayed away from them simply because of the initial cost and the cost of parts when they need repaired. I think if you went this route, it would certainly make for a very impressive rig. Sweet sounding and the most fuel efficient and the most capable to push that heavy brick down the road.

I guess it depends on your budget and long term plans for the rig. If you are wanting to make a serious investment in time and effort to build a very special rig then go diesel. If you are trying to build a nice rig on a budget, I think the easiest and cheapest way would be a big block Chevy hands down. This is coming from a big Ford and diesel fan. Others will argue with me but, a Chevy is economical to buy, easy to get all sorts of parts and specialty parts for and Ford motors are nearly twice the money to buy. Compare Jegs, Jasper, GM Performance to Ford performance, Summit Racing and others. If money is not much of an issue, buy a Ford or Ford gas crate or Ford/ International diesel but you will pay twice as much money by the time you get it running. I owned the Fords and loved them. Im also the guy that special built a 454 Chevy for my Airstream and getting nearly 12 mpg in an Airstream 28 MH. I tried the same with my 460 Ford and never better than almost 8 mpg in a Fleetwood Class C

the gm 6.2 diesel was powerless poor designed engines 6.5 was better but still had issues at higher mileage and power wasn't much better. i done a replacement about 10 years ago the engine was cheap through gm then they had a 2.00 core they wanted there pallet back not the old engine both the gm 6.2 6.5 ford 6.9 early 7.3 was non turbo non cooler but can be added non computerized there not as good as the new stuff but still better power and fuel wise than gas but diesel do have a higher repair costs i also agree and firm believer if it say ford dodge Chevy  that's whats should be under the hood also keeping it ford and looking at diesel 5.9 Cummins would work ford has the right to that engine as well as dodge for the f600 and bigger

I agree - if it was born a Ford I would stick with Ford. It would be cheaper and easier in the long run, too.

All this engine talk has me leaning towards getting her road worthy. But there's a lot more work to do.

Got the interior emptied. Swore I was gonna throw every thing away. Ended up with 4 boxes of good stuff and a truck bed loaded with junk. The previous owners really used this RV.

Removed a really bad carpet job. Padding stapled into original flooring in way to many places and carpet installed on carpet strips.

Removed pilot and copilots chair, fwd divan and dinning room.

Found a rotted spot on floor at rear door which should be an easy repair.

First major snag. This thing sat for about 10 years with the front end opened to the elements and appears to have some significant weather damage. The wooden cockpit flooring and fwd structure will need some repair.

Besides water damage at the rear overhead vent and a square hole where the AC used to be, and this refurb is getting easier by the moment.

Good news. Plugged in shore power and the AC system is working. Well at least lights and plugs are anyway.

Got tunes and lots of light.

It's a start.

Looks great! I spent all last winter and a good chunk of this past Spring staring into that hole where the engine should be in my Allegro. The first trip down and out the driveway with yours will be very satisfying.

Last one I had done was about 6 years ago. Was around $2,500, but that was for my Grand National (overbore, forged pistons, porting & polishing, Cometic head gaskets, port matched intake, cam, etc.). The turbo V6s are a bit of a specialty though. I'd like to think you could get a high-quality rebuild on a common Chevy or Ford engine for $2k or less.

I had toyed with the idea of having one rebuilt/modified for my Allegro. But, since my block was bad there was the additional expense of finding a good, rebuildable 454. As fate would have it, I found a 25k-mile 454 complete from carb to pan for $1k. I couldn't pass it up. I've put just shy of 1,000 miles on it so I'm hoping any major issues would have manifested themselves by now.

If on a budget, my advice is to find a good, used engine. Preferably the brand and type that came in it in order to limit fabrication that might be required. That might be a tall order given its age, but I don't speak Ford. I knew any Chevy 454 from 1970 through 1990 would drop into mine so I had a 20-year range to pick from. The casting date on mine is 1990 - the end of the Mark IV big block.

What kind of mpg do you get with your 454, Jim?

I'm getting around 6 right now. The gas gauge doesn't work so the previous owner kept a log of odometer and fuel purchases. He was getting low 7s with it. I hope to do as well with some tuning.

my machine shop cost me roughly around 1000.00 to 1500.00 with machine work and engine kit depending on engine kit machine work price the same it doesn't matter if  its ford,chevy,dodge, or import kits depend on what i change and size of engine and year i do my own assembly but most mach will do it for an additional price mines around 500.00 with them putting it on dyno to brake it in speed books are not right place to look for an engine in rv through good dealer gm ford engine are roughly the same i would suggest staying away from the cheap parts store engine i had a lot of trouble with them they will warranty them but they dont cover the time and labor to do them more than once i have had good luck with jasper engines on both gas and diesel ite the experience of the accessories that add up the big bucks head configurations (aluminum or cast) carberation electronics etc.

but at same time a good used mill can work just fine most motor homes don't see a lot of mileage as say your daily driver most times people use there motor homes a year and they sit the rest not starting them and keeping the seals and internals lubricated after time lifters rings varnish and stick oil seals and gaskets dry up and  hardened valve seals harden and crack causing it to smoke and unfortunately for all us rv people old car peoples are snatching up the older rv for low mile engines that need new gaskets to go again and part are getting scares with all the scrapping programs that are going on

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