The story of...
aka the little motorhome that could!
Serendipity
ser.en.dip.i.ty n. [from its possession by the heroes of the Per fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip] :the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
1973 Dodge Sportsman van owner's manual online.
The untimely demise of Serendipity
Previously, there was discussion of refurbishing the RV, so work was started in earnest. New floor mats were acquired, new cushions made at a cost of over $600, and some almost new 16.5 tires for free. The back door was completely rebuilt including the door frame. The cracks in the fiberglass above the left side window were patched and the wooden window frame completely replaced. There came some significant issues that were beyond my capabilities so the professionals were called in.
The RV was driven to a RV refurbishment/repair facility and the repairman did a survey. The price estimate of a turnkey repair was $7-10k! The cost of just doing needed repairs was ~$3500 which included the $67/hr labour charge. Part of the expense is having to reverse-engineer the RV since there's no assembly manual and the need to custom fabricate just about every replacement part. There was also some concern about the numerous fiberglass defects and that if they were not repaired properly, would continue to crack and fail. This was disappointing to hear since everything is in great mechnical shape. The RV was driven back home and then the next day everything RV related was loaded up as well as every part that was removed, then the scrapyard came and drove it away. This resolution was suggested to me, and I allowed it to come to fruition. Had I been the sole owner and operator, it would have been kept and repaired at my leisure. That same weekend, a 1997 Starcraft travel trailer was purchased. It's also around 19 feet in length yet, everything works in it. When hooked up to the V6 powered tow vehicle, the RV could certainly outdo it in acceleration and gas mileage! Currently the tow combination gets around 8-9mpg averaging 64mph and around one minute to get to cruising speed.
Probably the most significant loss is that this new trailer has no personality whatsoever. Old vehicles have character and temperament. Those of us who do own old vehicles can testify to that. Part of the fun of camping is doing more with less and Serendipity did that perfectly.
The moral to this story is that if you own an old RV of any type, investigate and repair any leaks immediately! Also remember the rule of thumb for any project; it always goes overtime and overbudget.
Be sure to check out the pics below! Wiring diagrams and other Balboas as well.
Also the Balboa RV owner's manual
What is Serendipity? Why, he's a motorhome with a big heart, of course! He's a 1973 Balboa 110 Class C motorhome based on a 1972 Dodge B300 1ton van chassis. At 19 feet, it's a good size for me. Fully self-contained, there's two bunks, an overhead sleeping area, hot and cold running water, 4 burner stove and oven, furnace, roof ac and bathroom with shower and vent. Not that it all works, of course. He runs good now but looks rough. All this will be taken care of eventually.
Serendipity's history: I found the RV in Fairfax, VA in the spring of 1999. It was in a parking lot, with $1450 painted on the windshield. Once I got back home to NC, I made a quick decision and called back about it. I was able to make a deal where if I came up there with $1450 cash on the weekend, the seller would hold it for me and amazingly, he did. I traveled by bus, and my brother helped me pick it up. It was clean, and the money exchanged and title handed over. It ran, but the gas gauge didnt work all the time and the brakes were poor. Even so, I had tools with me and drove it over 300 miles home with no incident although I did gas it up several times just to make sure I didn't run empty somewhere. Since then, I've done work on it to make him reliable and have taken several trips to the coast and drove it as my second vehicle when the primary vehicle was in the shop. Even so, I am still leery of Serendipity's reliability. Thankfully, 28 year old vehicles are easy to work on. It has plenty of power and gas mileage isn't as bad as you think.
I have corresponded with a few other Balboa owners in the time I've owned mine. One I found for sale online and another individual emailed me, probably because of finding mine listed here. From what I can tell, these RVs were handmade by Jensen Marine located in california. I have been told that there was a limited production run, but I cannot quantify that.
The good:
Cheap: only cost me $1450 initially. <!>
Small: can almost always find a park. Just have to be careful of 9'9" height!
Old technology so it's easy to fix.
Relatively low operating costs. Gas mileage is around 10. Plus, I don't charge for my own time to work on it.
It's just the perfect size! I dont need 30 feet with satellite TV to go camping!
Nice big side windows with screens open up. No problem for cooling.
All self contained. Not bad for 19 feet.
360 engine with Loadflite 727 transmission. Bulletproof.
Heavy duty full-floater rear end. I don't know why it's good. It just is.
Roof A/C added and it actually works.
Frame is strong and clean with no rust on it.
Side awning installed by previous owner.
Sits up nice and high. Commands respect on highway.
Van form factor makes engine too easy to work on. Just lay down and adjust the points!
The bad:
Some of this stuff I didnt find out until well after I bought the rv.
Dash A/C doesn't work. Hoses were cut.
Weak drum brakes. Drum brakes are the worst to work on.
4:10 gears, so top speed is only about 55mpg. Plenty of power though.
Propane icebox was replaced with dorm fridge, so no coolness when not hooked up.
Dents concealed with bondo and paint which doesnt quite match along with major overspray which is cracking off.
Strange waviness in the fibreglas sides.
Roof leak from one of the side windows and makes the wooden floor wet when it rains.
Lower parts of both doors rusted.
Right side front wheel arched majorly damaged and was coated over with up to 1.5 inches of bondo! Looked good before, I should have left well enough alone.
Bad grounds in various places which sometimes causes electrical gremlins.
Aux battery 12v system needs rewiring. Battery isolator to be installed.
Fibreglass gelcoat broken in a few places and tiny cracks elsewhere.
Left rear of RV appears to have been redone. Wooden formers found underneath which are not found on other side.
Back door frame rotted out so door is very flimsy.
Back license plate falling off because screw holes are stripped out.
Emergency brake doesnt hold very tight.
Water pipe to sink split because I didnt drain system for winter storage.
Black water tank possibly has crack in it.
No windows in overhead bunk. Feels very small up there although it's a twin size bed.
The Ugly:
Certainly looks 1973 style!
Horribly dated interior. Doesnt bother me though.
Needs paint once bodywork is done.
Driver's seat torn.
Scratches on body.
Usual bodywork in progress: primer paint, and rust holes showing.
Dashboard area above doghouse cut open for aftermarket radio. Broken mounting points as well.
With all these issues, you'd think it wouldnt be worth keeping! Maybe so, but after camping out at the coast safely insulated from flying pests and staying dry during a nighttime rainstorm, I say it's worth it. Just being able to drive and take your home with you makes for fun driving. So far, I have done the following maintenance:
Replaced brake springs and regreased wheel bearings on all 4 corners.
New brake cylinders in back. (rear brakes didnt work at all at first!)
Battery isolater purchased, but yet to be installed.
Points and plugs and fuel filter replaced.
Emergency brake cables removed and lubricated. Works a little better, but not much.
New battery terminals.
Sanding down rust and areas of poor bodywork.
Replaced ballast resistor which solved MANY engine problems. If you have a Dodge-based RV, change your ballast resistor and take a spare with you!
Got all running lights lighted.
Replaced bathroom vent cover and rebuilt opening crank unit.
There's much work to be done, but can be used as-is. I dry camp most of the time anyway so having the accessories running is not a requirement right now. So far, Serendipity has been to NC's outer banks several times and made it back with nary a problem. At 115k miles, he makes lots of creaks and strange noises, but gets along the road with no problem. The previous owners (I think there were two) kept service records which showed that the RV did quite a bit of traveling and has had several things replaced, such as the A/C power converter box, timing chain and rear springs and that dorm fridge of course. From original pictures it seems that the roof A/C unit, storage rack and access ladder to the roof were also added.
march2002:
Serendipity gets driven on a regular basis and has proved 100% reliable. When it was real cold, it seemed the neutral safety switch would freeze up and prevent the starter from turning over. Moving the shifter always fixed it. Even though few miles gets put on it, the oil filter was replaced and the oil pressure increased some. Tires were probably never rotated, but they were but only on the same side. Result is much quieter when on the road. Unfortunately, the fuel sending unit wire is broken and must be fixed soon so fuel level can be read. No fun to run out of gas.
april2002 The front running lights did not work and two of the orange lenses were missing. I had purchased replacement running lights but never installed them. Since an inspection is coming up, it was time to do it. The old ones were pried off and replacements installed with 10/32 screws and bolts since the old ones used rivets. The wires were hooked up yet they still didnt work. I removed a panel beside the drivers door since the wiring went up that way and regrounded a loose wire and that fixed the problem. The fuel gage sending unit wire was found and a temp wire spliced in. A ground wire was also found that's almost broken loose and wil be repaired. Perhaps that will get the gas gage to record accurate readings. The exhaust pipe that runs below the transmission was cracked, probably due to a transmission leak that was corrected. The nuetral switch was a bit loose causing fluid to run out. Simply tightening that has appeared to all but stop the leak. I took the RV to a muffer shop that had a lift big enough to raise the RV. While the mechanic was inspecting the exhaust, he told me there was a major gas leak. Sure enough, the fuel pump decided to fail at that point and was shooting fuel out the inspection hole but the engine was still running ok. It must have happened recently as I never noticed a leak otherwise. A $31 fuel pump was installed and the rotten pipe cut out and a new section spliced in. It's much quieter and maybe gas mileage will improve some as well.
may2002 An angle grinder was purchased with a wire wheel attachment and works great for removing rust and body filler. I used it to clean the rear bumper down to bare metal for repainting and also used on the driver's door, making dust everywhere and discovering areas of shoddy bodywork with holes just being plugged up and metal not even smoothed out! The mirrors also got the treatment and then everything got a coat of white primer which doesnt look so bad as the red colour primer.
july2002 Transmission seems to leak at the backup switch. There seems to be a metal gasket there that might be at fault. Problem is a new one looks the same! Closer inspection will be needed to find the source. It leaks even when not in operation, so a faulty seal is probably not the cause. The license plate light was modified, cleaned and painted with a short length of wire spliced in from the taillight to get it working. Some well nuts were used through the holes in the fibreglas which allows the license plate bracket to be firmly mounted without worrying about creating and/or damaging screw threads in the fibreglas itself. Well nuts work great, but if it's a blind hole, you cannot use them. RV gets pretty good gas mileage provided you don't drive with a lead foot. A GPS was used to verifiy the speedometer and it appears to be about 4mph slow at 60 mph although it seems accurate at low speeds. Some of the instrument cluster lights were burned out, so they were replaced with standard bulbs. Some of the twist-off sockets were missing, so the hi beam inicator doesnt light up and the gages are dark, but still readable.
One time at a car parts store, the engine failed to start. My friend, who was riding along, did some troubleshooting and determined there was no spark. Since the RV uses points (KISS method) some wires were cut and rerouted and we were back on the way. There was a small cylinder mounted to the engine with some wires coming out of it. Inside was some electrical components and a big heat sink. I presume it was some sort of ignition booster. When it failed, there was no spark. It runs ok without it, but now needs a little gas when starting when before it would start without hitting the gas.
october2002 RV has been put aside for now due to having the ujoints replaced. The driveshaft is easy to remove, and replacement parts are still available. Mine had what appeared to be two different ujoints. Thankfully, the guys at carquest took some time to check details and it seemed that one was slightly different, but in appearance only. Both front and back ujoints are identical. The old ones can be pressed out using some sockets of the right size and a BFH. Installation will be done with a vise.
The transmission leak has been found and it's leaking at the shifting shaft seal. Replacement involves removing the valve body and the shaft in order to press the seal in. Not a particularly difficult job, but quite involved.
all hallows' eve 2002 Ujoints replaced and a difference can be felt. Much tighter now when coasting and then getting on the gas.
Thoughts on driveshaft replacement. -> Most of us shadetree mechanics using a big hammer and sockets to whack the cups out and then use the same method to put them back in. After helping a friend replace some of the same type on a GM product, we found out that the ears on the front of the driveshaft were not perfectly parallel which meant that with everything seated as best as possible, the snap ring would fit into its groove, but no all the way around.. By matching it up with the transmission yoke, we found at least a 1mm discrepancy in the width! By carefully bending the ears on the driveshaft end out a hair to match side by side with the transmission yoke, we were able to install the snap rings just fine. For good measure, the driveshaft was put in a hand-operated press and the driveshaft ears pressed down to make sure they seated firmly against the snap rings to prevent slop, and also the possibility of having the snap rings spin off at high RPMs. This may not be an issue for driveshafts with outer snap rings, but something to keep in mind nonetheless.
Time for a points adjustment though as it's getting hard to start and sputtering some.
november02 Points adjusted but now the idle is too low. Needs to be a little higher now its getting cold again. The choke diaphragm is a bit weakfrom age causing major flooding when cold. Once up to operating temperature, it runs much better. I presume only alternative is to install a manual choke.
Finally resoldered cracked copper water line. I decided to just hack it back together as it uses fittings I am not familiar with, must less am able to find! Now, with the garden hose plugged in, I get no leaks, but no water either! There is line blockage somewhere that will need to be addressed now.
dead of winter 03. I've been driving it on a regular basis, but it runs poorly until it warms up. Due to the hot water heater exhanger, there's a lot of coolant to warm up, and although there's heat, it doesnt get very hot, or at least not enough to warm up the entire RV. The engine got a good cleanup using oven cleaner and the hose. Good thing about an old van is that in most cases, you can bring the hose inside and go to it! The oil pressure gage quit working, but was becasuse the sending unit came unplugged. There is some rust in the floorboards, so that was cleaned up some and will get treated when warm weather arrives. A table saw has been purchased which will be used to cut some wood parts to replace the ones that are rotted. The back door needs rebuilt and some wood beneath the side window where a crack in the fibreglas allowed water in to run down and damage the wood. Plenty of work to do for the maiden voyage of Serendipity of the opening day of summer vacation.
Spring 03 The RV is all torn apart with the side window out and the back door and frame removed both for rotten wood replacement. New cushions are being made, and repairs will have to be stepped up to get everything ready for the Memorial day shakedown cruise. Details to follow.
More of spring 03. It's always easy to underestimate the time and money needed for a project and this RV is also included. We're taking it to some refurbishment specialists to complete the job. stay tuned!
Pictures of serendipity:
Front view (187k) This shows the right side of the RV. The primer area above the wheel is were all the bondo was found covering up strange body damage. How could it get all dented there and only there? It's a large pic, but I dont know how to make the image smaller without sacrificing quality. Hit your BACK button to return to this page.
Back view (179k) Back corner view. Tire cover has been added and sticker residue cleaned off too. AFAIK the ladder, luggage rack and A/C unit are aftermarket items. Hit your BACK button after viewing to return here.
Balboa ad (800k) This is a B+W scan of an advertisement for the RV. Note that the vehicle looks like a preproduction model with the front end design. It's a large image, but will show detail and the text can be read. Use your BACK button to return here.
Balboa ad in colour (809k) This is a colour advertisement of the RV showing the rear view. This shows a furnace vent which is not present on mine. The image was scanned in true size to allow the entire text to be read. Use your BACK button to return here.
Dodge van wiring diagram page 1 (119k)
Dodge van wiring diagram page 2 (150k)
Dodge van wiring diagram page 3 (141k)
Other Balboas found- Below are pics of other Balboa RVs.
This one was found online by searching used RV dealers. Thankfully they provided me with these pictures. They had the price at $3500 which seems high for something this old but looks in good shape nonetheless. I have located another one within a hours drive from where I live. Hopefully I can take pictures of it.
Dealer Balboa page 1 (81k)
Dealer Balboa page 2 (86k)
Dealer Balboa page 3 (87k)
The following 2 pictures are from someone who bought theirs for only $100. It appears to be in good shape on the outside.
Balboa pic 4 (90k)
Balboa pic 5 (102k)
The next 5 pictures are from an earlier Balboa that was for sale on ebay. Selling price was ~$1800. This one looks slightly different with flares around the back wheelwells and the interior rearranged much differently. This lends some proof to the guess that these RVs were custom configured.
Balboa pic 6 (90k)
Balboa pic 7 (92k)
Balboa pic 8 (120k)
Balboa pic 9 (94k)
Balboa pic 10 (62k) This shows the floor plan of the RV listed above. It is different than mine.
Here's two images found on the net.
Balboa pic 11 (15k) This one is based on a Chevrolet chassis.
Balboa pic 12 (20k) This one has dual wheels and chrome rims. Makes it look much nicer!
The following 5 pics come from an owner who discovered this site. It appears to be a 1973 model, although the grille on my 73 and hers do not match. I suspect the grille is a 74 model. This unit has 80k miles and has the california style mirrors which I suspect mine had at one time.
Balboa pic 13
Balboa pic 14
Balboa pic 15 Interior identical to mine with the exception of front seat colour, curtains and much nicer cushions!
Balboa pic 16 The back interior view here shows a different cabinet arrangement, lending more evidence to the fact that these RVs may have been custom configured.
Here's another owner's Balboa. He states that the powertrain has been rebuilt, interior has been refurbished and everything functions although there is no shower or oven. Having been traded for a diesel tractor loader, I'd say a great deal was made!
Balboa pic 17 Front oblique view. Looks good! Notice the dual rear wheel setup. This rig also has the side mirrors and nice unbroken blinker lights I wish I had.
Balboa pic18 Left side view. Note that this model does not have roof A/C, luggage rack and no side access door as well as having vents on this side.
Balboa pic19 Inside pic.
Balboa pic 20 Back view. Looks similar to the Balboa pictured in the colour ad listed above.
I'm making every effort to locate and photograph every Balboa still living. If you can help, please do!
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