Newish member...new 77 21' owner

[Rastaman]

I have finally taken ownership  so to speak (waiting on title work) to a 1977 21' with 440.  This unit had been sitting for 5 years , the motor started right up by pouring gas in carb, the trans wouldnt move (slipped) after several attempts over the past 4 months and a jug of trans fix...i got it to move hesitantly to a spot where i could work on it...i changed the filter in trans. now it works perfect ( as far as i can tell)...yet to take i on a true test drive....mechanically it "kinda" runs ok...but needs some carb work,alt not caharging,front shocks shot (bounces like ...)the coach is in fair condition..few leaks that are temp. stopped...but overall a very rebuildable unit....SO far from the research i've been doing on this forum I think I have been able to get some GREAT info and ideas for fixes...however I am sure i'll be asking some more ?'s as this project progresses.......
BTW anyone here in the Tampa area??
David

[Horst]

Welcome Rastaman.
Be very gentle on your maiden voyage - be sure to check your wheel bearings - or have someone check them - if the wheels have not turned in 5 years - this could be a big problem if you ignore them.
Change the rear end fluid as well.....
Check the age of your tires - they may look good - but if they are more than 5 or 6 years old (my guess is they are possibly 5-10 years old, maybe older??) - then be sure not to drive freeway speeds until you replace those puppies.
How about a few pictures of your Clipper?
ciao
horst

[Rastaman]

thanks for the advise...yeh the tires are shot....havent changed rear end oil yet but will.....just not sure how much $$$ I want to put in to her at this time...I am dissapointed by the mpg i am hearing about...i was hoping for at least 10....now it seems 5 is more realistic. I also have a toyota RV (14-16 mpg) that I was beging to lose intrest in in favor of the dodge...now that may change :-) Still have to determine if the fridge and A/C are working...I havent been able to plug it in properly in its present location....i have some minor water leaks...but i am excited and love to fix things so i am sure i'll become very attatched to her...I dont mind putting the time in ...its the $$$ that scare me :-(
pictures to come later...(when i have her all spruced up)
david

[Conrad]

Money is no object when you have been bitten by the Clipper bug

[Horst]

If you get her tuned well, good tires, don't load her too much, and stay at or under 55mph - you'll get 7.5 to 8, maybe better.
There are some members who have reported 10mpg in a 440 Clipper at freeway speeds................so apparently it can be done

[Andy Illes]

Greetings and welcome to the Clip adventure David.  If, as you say, you really like working on stuff... you bought the PERFECT project... you will NOT get bored owning a Clip, lol.

Dunno if you'd call Loxahatchee or Okeechobee "in the Tampa area", but as far as I know.... I'm the closest to you.  There's supposed to be one in the Stuart area that belongs to ACOC, but we never hear from him.

Did you buy the one just So of Orlando?  A fella there had one for sale really cheap, and I was gonna look at for a "parts car" on the way back from NYC, but I lost track of him when it took me longer to start the trip (by several months) than I had planned.

HungarianDude@AOL.com

[Rastaman]

Andy....no this is not the one in Orlando....Well I guess these clips. arnt very popular then...Judging from the condition of mine considering its 28 years old.isnt that bad and it has been parked for 5 years...mecanically i dont think its real bad either. from the post ive read you seem to use yours often....wish you were closer....however i am sure i will be looking for advise from time to time....
david

[Andy Illes]

Yup... there's no moss growing on Fred's feet... that's for SURE, lol.

And Fred's little feet are free to pitter-patter wherever.... might just get to Tampa.

[Rastaman]

Well check in with me if you ever do...and need a place to park...I am in the city..but screw the neighbors :-)  actually thats part of the problem I have right now ,my clip is in Lakeland 35 miles away....so i cant spend as much time as i would like working on her...I am still not sure it would make the trip to Tampa ..yet....then when I get it here parking isnt going to be easy.... eventually I will get it up to North florida...Lake city area...plenty of space there...BTW ..you probably know...did these clips come with the 318v8...and if so do you know anyone with one and what is the performace like...especially the mpg....

[Andy Illes]

Hiyya David.  Sorry about your parking problem, onna the reasons I gave up "city life" and opted for horse country years ago.  I know where Lakeland is, and yeah, that's a pretty good haul for you.  Thanks for the visit offer.... just might take ya up on it onna these days.

Dodge-based Clips only came with 360s and 440s.  Though Mopar expert Rodney's really the one to ask, as I understand it the 360 and 318 are identical except for the bores (and stroke?) so they interchange.  The 440s an entirely different block.  Mine's a 360 and managed about 12 mpg with it after a new total tune up, including bumping my timing to 10*, when I first got it... there are some threads about that.  But since the 2nd trip to NYC,  best I've been able to get is 10 only running at 55 on flat ground.  At 65, it dropped to barely 9.  I'm gonna have to get back under the hood.

I'm not sure a 318 would give you better mileage, cuz it'd have to work harder and so it'd probably just burn as much as a loafing 360.... never mind having a shorter life.  

Good luck with your project...  

[Rastaman]

Well just as well...i was just searching for ideas for improved mpg...actually the present 440 sounds real good,has issues with idleing at the moment which i think may be egr,vacume ,leak,poor gas quality(old with water),or carb....as i make progess with this project i will keep you posted....just gotta watch the $$$ this puppy might want to eat up  :roll:

[bigray]

Welcome to the forum Rastaman.

I understand about the neighbor thing. My deed restrictions don't allow for RV's; however, I was able to park my Clipper on my driveway for a year without harassment. I have a rear-detached garage with long driveway so it's not like it's on the street.

Like I said, I got away with it for about a year after that the letter start coming. The year allowed time to make modifications to my Clipper on my driveway. I see your point though..... it would have been hard to work on it many miles away. Mine is currently stored in an inside storage outfit about 3 miles from my house. Even with that short distance I'm lease incline to tinker with it as when it was on the driveway.

As far as gas mileage, seems that's the first thing people aim to improve when they acquire a Clipper is the gas mileage. I was no exception. I've considered everything from a complete engine and transmission swap to Gear Vendor. From a throttle body installation to installing headers.

I've found that a good tune-up and some slight modification will result in better mileage. But don't get your hopes up too high, my friend, because these are big beast and it takes a lot to move your living accommodations down the road.

I changed my plugs and wires, installed a K & N filter, and added a cool air intake snorkel to carb breather and I get much better mileage. I think replacing my mufflers helped too. I get somewhere between 9 and 10 running between 60 and 65. I say between 9 and 10 because after the modifications I've had to run my roof A/C while traveling and once I reached my destinations (did I say it was hot as you know what in Houston. But I'm sure Florida's worse).

Anyway, good luck to you and welcome aboard.


PS: There is a fella roaming around this forum claiming mileage of 12-13 mpg; however, this claim has not been substantiated and has not been repeated in any lab test. I think his name is Andy! :lol:

[Andy Illes]

HEY!!!!!   Watch that slander, Ray 'ol buddy!!  That mileage was witnessed and attested to by Jaws, who's an acknowledged expert on "gas" mileage!!!!

Seriously though, that was the number after a 1,400 mi trip.  Ray's just jealous.  But he's also right... nothing beats a thorough tune-up.  Since you're also a flat-lander Rastaman, I'd suggest throwing the timing light away, and advancing it as far as she'll go without pinging in your normal driving.  In my case, that turned out to be 10-11* and I think that's what got me the big number.

PS... I don't roam..... I lurk!!!

[Rastaman]

Ha Ha...thanks for the encouragement guys....I will keep that info in mind...right now I have a long list of things to fix before I think of getting down to the fine tuning (isnt this fun?)...but you know what they say..."action wards off anxiety"...so as long as i keep busy i'll be fine..
my next plan of action is to drain the gas tank (does it have a drain plug?)
then fix the charging system....I have been concerned about the rear wheel bearings, as it was parked for so long...i have heard of the top half of bearings rusting due to lack of motion...never pulled axels that big before..not sure exactly where the bearing is located...how hard a job is this...will pulling the axle do it or does the drum have to come off...after that i will try and drive her a few miles to try and determine other ailments.then it will be brought home...screw the neighbors (dont really have an assoc.but i try to be a good citizen) and the fun starts with the interior...dont really mind mechanics...but i am more used to imports...these monsters intimidate me a bit...keep the advise and encouragement coming...i need all i can get...
rasta

[Horst]

time to throw Andy under the bus.....................
I'm with BigRay as far as Andy's 12-13mpg.............

Andy. I think you need to do that mileage math BEFORE you drink that fifth of JD.............

Horst-  (who thinks Andy's 12-13 MAY actually be 10 or so)