83 dodge ram starting problems

hey, my band's touring with an 83 Ram V8 camper van, and it's having problems starting. when you turn the key you just hear the click, but nothing goes. if you hold down the key and have somebody look in the engine and bang on the steering column area with a hammer it'll eventually turn over. at that point it usually starts, although sometimes it'll start and then stall right away. it's a bit intermittent, we've replaced the starter but had the same problem. banging on the starter itself does not help, just banging on the area around the steering column. we also recently replaced the ignition coil and ignition module, which seemed to fix the other problem we were having, which is that after a few hours of driving the van would lose power and eventually stall. any suggestions? older MOPAR's often develop bad electrical connections. check wiring connector at starter relay.should be in area you disturbed ,maybe on fender.small silver metal box.also check wiring for crumbling insulation.