1981 Dodge Class C RV with a 440

I worked on and rebuilt the 360 in my parents 73 dodge motorhome back in the day. I would have killed for a 440 motor.

April 1978 is a 78

Yes, 78 was the end of the big block

All the motorhome companies that used Dodge Chassis would buy them in bulk and then just use them when needed. The actual RV built date can be WAY off from the drive train and frame.

& the chassis VIN # F44CD9V725877

F4 = forward control 400 series
4 = (body code index) = STD cab w/sweptline box or special compact bus
C = (GVW index) = 10001 to 14000 lbs.
D = 440
9 = 1979
V = Warren assembly plant
725877 = VIN sequence

My 79 Dodge Van factory service manual shows everything for a 440, as well as a 'metric' inline 6 cyl. diesel (weird!). Obviously printed before the models actually came out.

The Dodge motor home plant was called "Sherwood Assembly" (on the corner of Nine Mile Rd. and Sherwood) but was officially known as Warren Truck Assembly Plant 2, and they did build trucks there before the motor homes. Seems to me, that after the big blocks ended in the cars they were still available for two years. Trenton Engine Plant made the 400 and 440 back then. This was before Toluca Engine(Mexico) built any engines for Dodge. Only the chassis were built and were shipped with a temporary steering wheel and fiberglass bucket seat to motor home manufacturers such as Champion. I believe it was in 1980, but I recall that the motor home plant was retooled for an International engine, something around 500+ cu. in.; I saw the tooling in the plant, but shortly thereafter the motor homes were discontinued altogether and the contents of "Sherwood" were purchased by and shipped to, Bishop Trucking in Dallas, Texas. I do not have a picture of motor home chassis but I know I have pictures somewhere of a Dodge cab over built at "Sherwood" in the middle 1970's. It was a tilt cab with a Cummins Super 250 diesel. In those days Dodge used Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel, Cummins for their Heavy Truck operations. Speaking of diesels, it is true that there was a Mitsubishi 6 cyl. diesel used in "light duty" Dodge Trucks, probably D100 only, for (as I remember), one year only. This was a poorly conceived and clumsy foray into diesel trucks for Dodge.

RV coach and chassis manufacturing dates are often different. I saw a post on an RV forum by someone who claimed to have a 1981 Dodge RV with a factory 440. One of the forum members over there posted that some of the RV manufacturers like the Dodge chassis, so when they heard Dodge was going to discontinue the 440's they stocked up.

If the RV in question is a class C with the Van front sheet metal, it would be easy to tell if it's a 78 and older or a 79 and newer because the Dodge line of van's got new front sheet metal in 1979.

As mentioned above the years can vary and not match the chassis. '78 was the last year for the 440 in cars and pickups but it was still used in the motorhome chassis until Chrysler got out of that business. You'll see the old style front end Class-Cs registered as later years. My '79 chassis Brougham is registered as a '78 while my '73 chassis Hall GTC is registered as a '74.

The biggest problem is when you go to get parts. When I rebuilt my '79 I spent a lot of time buying and returning parts, especially for the brakes. My coach originally had a 440 but someone changed it over to a 360 which I kept.