Renovating a 50 Year Old RV: Water Leaks, Engine Tuneup & No Glamour

I’m renovating my 1976 Dodge Chinook RV (yes… a 50-year-old vintage RV), and this week was pure sweat, chaos, and progress. I deep cleaned the entire interior cockpit, doors, ceiling, couches, kitchen, cabinets, and bathroom until it finally felt sanitized and livable again. Then my mechanic friend Angel helped me tackle a full tune-up (spark plugs, filters, belts)… and of course we found another problem: the alternator is locked up, so she’s getting a new alternator too.
On top of that, the engine has a cold-start issue and I’m still waiting on a new carburetor in the mail. I also tracked down a water leak that seems to be coming from the water heater area, and I took the RV in for a safety check on the propane and water systems.
I’m also starting to make design choices inside (wallpaper + backsplash), and I’m clearing out space because a permanent solar/electrical setup is coming soon. For now, I’ve been surviving off a power station while I build this rig into a real off-grid home. And yes… I tried to remove the old RV fridge and realized it might not even fit out the door.
If you’ve renovated an old RV, dealt with vintage RV electrical issues, a stuck alternator, carburetor problems, water heater leaks, or had a fridge that won’t come out drop your advice in the comments. I need it.

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