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Old 11-27-2018, 07:49 AM   #21
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
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I have been slowly chipping away at this build... still waiting for the urge to pull the injectors for a rebuild. but i have been busy getting the floor done. after rust proofing the floor I put down some 1/2 inch closed cell foam sheets one side was white and one was reflective. I put the reflective side down even tho it wont make a difference. Since my end use for this us probably wont include much wet weather, I went with OSB for the flooring. I painted both sides to seal it. I will be gluing down some gray vinyl roofing material that I scored from a local dumpster (free is for me). Once the floor is down and we have the corner trim installed we will begin the build on the couch/bunks.
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Old 11-27-2018, 12:35 PM   #22
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Great price..congrats..what do you think caused the chipped turbo wheel? If you do the injector buzz test do they sound different? I have had a the high pressure part of the lift pump fail and that will give trouble also.

Good luck
J
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Old 11-27-2018, 01:00 PM   #23
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Great price..congrats..what do you think caused the chipped turbo wheel? If you do the injector buzz test do they sound different? I have had a the high pressure part of the lift pump fail and that will give trouble also.

Good luck
J
I found a piece of rubber caught in the screen on the intake plenum so I imagine that was it also the intake box was destroyed so a piece of plastic may have gotten to the turbo wheel as well... when i run the buzz test one injector is nearly silent and 2 or 3 are very very quiet. what I think is happening is the injectors are so worn that the poppet valves leak high pressure oil and cant fire the injectors. I replaced the fuel pump that I dont think i mentioned.
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Old 01-21-2019, 10:10 AM   #24
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Well i finally found some time to pull the injectors and get them sent out for a rebuild. I am happy to say that it is now the smoothest running 7.3 I own. fires right up with no block heater in the 20 degrees we had the other day. Now I can feel comfortable starting on the interior being that I know the engine isn't toast. I am going to give the insurance company a call today to hopefully get a policy on it so I can drive it. I will post more pics as the flooring and bunks go in. I found some vinyl roofing material in a dumpster that will work perfectly for what I need. I will put some area rugs down to keep the floor from getting too cold. I also found out wile removing some bus stuff that the entire walls and ceiling are insulated which will be excellent for the winter trips i have planned. When I have been running a small space heater in there it stays warm enough to work without a jacket on.
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Old 01-21-2019, 07:27 PM   #25
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Outstanding! Love it when a fix actually fixes something!
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Old 03-15-2019, 06:39 AM   #26
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Got my bus INSURED! Ended up getting it with progressive commercial for personal use. I explained everything to the agent explaining that i had no plans to convert to an RV policy and he said no problem. So now I have to fix a few minor things and she will be on the road.
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Old 03-15-2019, 11:40 AM   #27
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That's the way to do it. Just keep it simple: it's just a regular van to be insured, not some weird RV conversion--only weirdos would do that.
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Old 03-15-2019, 03:42 PM   #28
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That's the way to do it. Just keep it simple: it's just a regular van to be insured, not some weird RV conversion--only weirdos would do that.
So you are calling a lot of people on this site “weirdos”? A lot of people change to RV conversions. I personally changed mine to motorhome because the insurance is cheaper.
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:54 AM   #29
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Well now that my bus is insured i buttoned up all the things keeping it from the road. I finished my custom intake that mounts under the bus between the frame rail and the driveshaft. I took it for a short drive and it felt really good. Next step is getting the flooring in and start engineering the bunk/couches. Its been a long ride but the end is in sight.
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:55 AM   #30
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So you are calling a lot of people on this site “weirdos”? A lot of people change to RV conversions. I personally changed mine to motorhome because the insurance is cheaper.
I believe that's sarcasm there.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:42 AM   #31
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What did you feel was wrong with the original intake box design. In mine I have taken of the resonator box and plugged that hole. I would think air below the van is a lot more dusty.

Nice fixes. Johan
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Old 03-18-2019, 10:07 AM   #32
Skoolie
 
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My original box was shattered into a million pieces. I also could not find a factory replacement. I have a couple other power stroke trucks and the factory air boxes just don't hold up. They have been know to fail and ingest much more dirt than the turbos can handle. I also wanted to delete(relocate to vent behind the rear axle) the factory Crank case vent that can fill the turbo with oily grime which reduces air flow and performance. I'm only into this intake setup for less than 300 bucks. I should also see cooler egts with this setup as i'm no longer sucking in the hot engine bay air. another future mod that i am planning is to put a water to air charge air cooler in the location of the old airbox. I may not need it but that would be a huge improvement in both MPG's and EGT's. I haven't put too many miles on it yet and the design may change, but as you see it now it is performing very well. I will give an update in a few months as to how it is working.
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Old 03-28-2019, 10:43 AM   #33
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Making lots of progress lately. i got half the vinyl flooring installed, welded up a few holes in the body, and got the thing on the road for a short drive. everything feels great. My air intake box and tubing seems to work very well. I am prepping for paint today to hopefully get it painted this weekend. I decided to go with rustoleum light machine gray. I dont want it to stand out too much. Ill post some pics when I get them.
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Old 04-01-2019, 07:50 AM   #34
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Got my bus painted this weekend. I was a little worried about the process because I have never painted a vehicle before but, I was able to get it masked and sprayed on saturday. Took about 22 man hours between my brother and myself. The prep work was a real hassle, so many windows and trim. I think it came out great. I went with a Rustoleum light machine gray enamel paint. It is relatively easy to work with but the second coat was a little finicky.
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Old 04-01-2019, 08:02 AM   #35
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Looks great. Prep is a pita but its the only way to get a great result.
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Old 04-01-2019, 08:29 AM   #36
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yeah we sanded everything with 220 on DA sander then washed it with dish soap then wiped it with acetone. After sanding, it looked like i got into a fight with chester cheetah in a cheetos factory...
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Old 04-01-2019, 08:34 AM   #37
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yeah we sanded everything with 220 on DA sander then washed it with dish soap then wiped it with acetone. After sanding, it looked like i got into a fight with chester cheetah in a cheetos factory...
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Old 04-01-2019, 08:48 AM   #38
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hahaha exactly
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Old 04-01-2019, 10:13 AM   #39
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hahaha exactly
Quote:
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Got my bus painted this weekend. I was a little worried about the process because I have never painted a vehicle before but, I was able to get it masked and sprayed on saturday. Took about 22 man hours between my brother and myself. The prep work was a real hassle, so many windows and trim. I think it came out great. I went with a Rustoleum light machine gray enamel paint. It is relatively easy to work with but the second coat was a little finicky.

this masking paper tool can save many hours on a job
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Old 04-01-2019, 10:23 AM   #40
Skoolie
 
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I was going to buy one of those. But I didn't see a need for it other than this one job... Looking back the cost would have been well worth it.
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