Man turbocharges abandoned RV he found in Wyoming barn
Published on Jan 18, 2026 at 5:24 AM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Jan 15, 2026 at 5:27 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
A YouTuber decided to do a crazy DIY project and turbocharge an abandoned RV that he dragged out of a barn in Wyoming.
He pulled a dusty 1977 Winnebago Chieftain out of a barn after it had been sitting for up to 20 years, then somehow drove it 400 miles back to Colorado.
Instead of restoring it in the typical way, he decided to stick a turbocharger onto the massive old motorhome, because of course he did.
What he ended up with was a true beast that goes faster than any RV would ever need to go, at least he won’t be late for camping.
EXPLORE SBX CARS – Supercar auctions starting soon powered by Supercar Blondie
Man turbocharges abandoned RV he found in a barn
There’s nothing better than a DIY project, but possibly the only thing that’s better is sticking a turbocharger onto a vehicle that certainly doesn’t need it, like this 1977 Winnebago Chieftain RV.
The project came from Dustin from the Life of Lind channel, who admitted to his subscribers that he had never built a turbo setup like this before.
The Winnebago’s interior was in surprisingly good shape, but under the hood, things were far less friendly, with melted wiring, aging connectors, and plenty of problems that had to be fixed before adding power.
Rather than cramming a turbo into the engine bay, Dustin rerouted the exhaust forward and mounted the turbo up near the wheel well.
The entire setup was fabricated at home using basic tools and a welder he got for cheap, with lots of cutting, test fitting, and trial and error along the way.
The fastest motorhome ever
Once the turbo and the fresh new intercooler were in place, he carefully brought the RV back to life, but with a little bit of space.
After sorting out oil leaks and wiring issues, the big RV finally hit the road, with so much extra power boosted by the turbocharger.
It is still a gigantic motorhome, but now it accelerates far quicker than it ever did before it was upgraded, but the turbo is clearly audible every time Dustin steps on the throttle.
The next plans include boosting it even more, cleaning it up and dropping serious weight by removing old tanks and a massive generator.
The end goal is a turbocharged abandoned RV built for people who will never be late to the camping trip ever again.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Daisy Edwards is a Content Writer at supercarblondie.com. Daisy has more than five years’ experience as a qualified journalist, having graduated with a History and Journalism degree from Goldsmiths, University of London and a dissertation in vintage electric vehicles. Daisy specializes in writing about cars, EVs, tech and luxury lifestyle. When she's not writing, she's at a country music concert or working on one of her many unfinished craft projects.
