The Camel Conversion Project

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by wtd

I've used these in various places around the bus, metal, not rubber, don't meet any bizzaro specs or anything that I know of but they work fine and are inexpensive -


Both came from Ace - the one on the left from the hardware 'drawers' they have a bunch of different sizes and as you can see just pop into the hole - probably not waterproof if that's a concern, but a little bit of RTV would fix that. Cost less than a buck.
The one on the right is just an 'extra hole' plug from the plumbing aisle. Cost a couple bucks, come in a coupla sizes, are usually installed in sinks and made waterproof with a bead of caulking.
If you want rubber, Ace would most likely have them, I know they have rubber 'corks'.

Tom

Thanks! I'll check out the local Ace.

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

I need to plug an unused hole in the firewall under the dash. It's 1-3/4" diameter and it looks like this: MOCAP LDPE Sheet Metal Hole Plugs.

Anybody know where I can buy one of these in a single pack? The online sources that I've found sell only huge packs of 25, 50, 100 or much more. I tried locally at Harbor Freight, NAPA, Carquest, AutoZone, etc.

Ck the electrical dept.
We use those and similiar plugs all the time in electrical panels and boxes.
The ones w/ rubber are water proof... (as manufac says)

[bansil]

Lol...I'll give you one website...www dot mcmastercarr dot com

Anything and eeverything you could want,I believe they give this catalog to engineers when they start college

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by bansil

Lol...I'll give you one website...www dot mcmastercarr dot com

Anything and eeverything you could want,I believe they give this catalog to engineers when they start college

Way ahead of you on that one. That site does have everything, but the cap plugs I was looking for come in a minimum package of 50 pieces. I only need one!

[bansil]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

Way ahead of you on that one. That site does have everything, but the cap plugs I was looking for come in a minimum package of 50 pieces. I only need one!

I guess that's how ebay started

[Bullwhacker007]

Just my two cents.
If the hole isn't in plain view why not use one of those expanding rubber plugs you can get from a car parts store?
Stick it in the hole and crank on the nut to expand it.
You could remove it later for an emergency repair on your engine if needed?

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by Bullwhacker007

Just my two cents.
If the hole isn't in plain view why not use one of those expanding rubber plugs you can get from a car parts store?
Stick it in the hole and crank on the nut to expand it.
You could remove it later for an emergency repair on your engine if needed?

I'd like to be able to cut a small hole in the rubber caps in the event I need to run a wire or whatever to the under-hood area. I do have a line on a local source for these parts. I'll find out soon if it pans out.

[PDBreske]

Today I got the rig weighed on a local truck scale. The scale was located at a bulk mulch retailer and he was kind enough to let me drive it over the scale for free. I weighed the front and rear axles separately so I could figure out the vehicle's center-of-gravity.

At this point, the rig is as close to an empty weight as it ever will be. Based on these numbers I'll figure how much I can add or how much more I need to remove.

Front axle = 7820 pounds. Rear axle = 9860 pounds. This puts the current CG at 155 inches behind the front axle (wheelbase is 278 inches).

Adding the Jeep's CG to a point about 24 inches behind the bus rear axle moves the bus CG to 180 inches behind the bus front axle. Still one hundred inches ahead of the rear axle, and that's before I remove the rear and side walls from the garage area (removing the 1/8" thick aluminum sheets will probably cut another 200 pounds from the weight behind the rear axle).

The fresh water will eventually be located near or slightly in front of the bus CG.

So far, so good!

[PDBreske]

I bit the bullet and bought two new front tires and bought a third tire for a spare. I talked the tire place into selling me a spare wheel rim for half price and they also mounted the spare tire for free.

The tires are all Kelly KSR1 255/70-22.5 and I had the tire shop install Dynabeads in all three. It rides much nicer than before, so the ride previously was affected by a really bad balance condition, or maybe the wheel rim's concentricity was slightly off (a not uncommon problem with Dayton-style wheels) or maybe a combination of the two. While it was on the jacks, the technician pointed out that the right front wheel bearing is slightly loose, so I'll have to take a look at that. The left front brake also drags just slightly. That can't be good for fuel economy or brake endurance.

Total price tag for the three tires, wheel rim, beads, three new valve stems, and labor was just under $1200. Ouch. At least this is something I'm not likely to have to replace for a very long time as I'm certainly not going to wear them out by driving too much.

(I've updated the original post with the new cost figures.)

[pipopak]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

and I had the tire shop install Dynabeads in all three. It rides much nicer than before, so the ride previously was affected by a really bad balance condition

I am curious about the Dynabeads. I have seen tires that show internal erosion (rubber dust) from just regular use. Has anybody seen how a tire looks inside after using the Dynabeads for some time?.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by pipopak

I am curious about the Dynabeads. I have seen tires that show internal erosion (rubber dust) from just regular use. Has anybody seen how a tire looks inside after using the Dynabeads for some time?.

They are very small (maybe 1/16" or so), perfectly round, smooth, ceramic beads. They look like little pearls in the bag. By themselves, I doubt they would do any damage to the inside of a tire, especially since the ten ounces they add to the tire is comprised of what looks like several hundred beads.

When they add the beads to the tire, they just throw in a pre-measured bag. The bag keeps all the beads inside the tire during the mounting process, but is designed to break apart during the first few rotations of the tire. The beads will then disperse to balance the wheel. Pretty cool, actually.

I recorded the entire tire change on my iPhone and once I have edited the footage I'll post it here.

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

Front axle = 7820 pounds. Rear axle = 9860 pounds. This puts the current CG at 155 inches behind the front axle (wheelbase is 278 inches).


So far, so good!

Formula? Please...

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

Today I got the rig weighed on a local truck scale. The scale was located at a bulk mulch retailer and he was kind enough to let me drive it over the scale for free. I weighed the front and rear axles separately so I could figure out the vehicle's center-of-gravity.

At this point, the rig is as close to an empty weight as it ever will be. Based on these numbers I'll figure how much I can add or how much more I need to remove.

Front axle = 7820 pounds. Rear axle = 9860 pounds. This puts the current CG at 155 inches behind the front axle (wheelbase is 278 inches).

Adding the Jeep's CG to a point about 24 inches behind the bus rear axle moves the bus CG to 180 inches behind the bus front axle. Still one hundred inches ahead of the rear axle, and that's before I remove the rear and side walls from the garage area (removing the 1/8" thick aluminum sheets will probably cut another 200 pounds from the weight behind the rear axle).

The fresh water will eventually be located near or slightly in front of the bus CG.

So far, so good!

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by thommassey

Formula? Please...

I googled "how do I calculate my vehicle's center of gravity" and found this link: Jeepaholics Anonymous. I just inserted my own numbers and arrived at the results above.

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

I googled "how do I calculate my vehicle's center of gravity" and found this link: Jeepaholics Anonymous. I just inserted my own numbers and arrived at the results above.

Thx... got it!!

[PDBreske]

Still working on the video of the new tires.

In the meantime, I dismantled the box over the generator and started disconnecting the genset so I can remove it from the bus. It already looks much bigger in here without that stupid box taking up floorspace. I'll patch the hole with leftover plywood from other parts of the previous owner's interior.



Can't wait to find out how much this thing is going to cost to ship once I list it on eBay.

[PDBreske]

Contrary to what I've previously stated, the rear of the bus is not sagging. Not one bit. I measured the height of the frame rails at the front and rear axles and they are exactly the same. It turns out the sag is an optical illusion created by the driveway's curvature and the size of the front and rear wheel arches relative to each other. I'm sure the weight of the Jeep will eventually depress the rear springs, but I've located a local shop (Tampa Spring Company) that can build helper springs or even a brand new spring pack if necessary.

Family has been visiting this week, so progress is limited. I'll probably get back to work in earnest starting this weekend.

[wtd]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

... I measured the height of the frame rails at the front and rear axles and they are exactly the same. ...

If that's the case gutted, it musta been quite a taildragger when it was a bookmobile.

[PDBreske]

Here's the video I made last week of the new tires being installed on the steering axle:

http://youtu.be/7y07PnqqtiY

[bansil]

Cool vid,thanks