Elf Bus E350 corbeil

[joeblack5]

Thank you Jack,
Did not think about that. I will get under there, remove and test. It might be good to get them of anyhow as to get some anti seize on the fasteners.

Later J

[sdwarf36]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

Yesterday we had to drop family of at NewArk Airport. It was warm and a good day to test the airco. 500 Miles .Trip went well. Airco held up wih the heat. The bus is not insulated yet so i was pleased.
At 65Mph one of the rear wheel seem to start bouncing. Need to have that re-balanced. It was much more noticeable on the way back with less people and luggage.
Did not do a mileage trip.

Later J

Last time I had my 4 rears replaced, My tire guy calls me up. " Hey I think you want to look at this". I go to the shop and he a bare rim mounted on the spin balancer. He closes the lid + spins it-+ the rim is hoping up + down. It looked like the center hole (Fords are hub-centric) it apper itwas machined slightly off center. I ask if I could try re-mounting the rim on the balancer-he said sure. I marked the hi spot-turned it 90* on the machine-it showed up the same. Tried a couple different positions and it was the same. Luckily it doesn't shake until 67 mph--and I set my cruise at 64.
So if you have the tires balanced, ask if you can watch-and look to see if the rim runs true.

[joeblack5]

Wow, that is another good point to check. Thank you. I have seen something like that with my other e350. The rim and tore combined were about 3/16" out of round. Tires were 255/85/r16 . Could not feel it on the road.
I will check it out and report back.
Later j

[joeblack5]

I forgot to mention that the same that seems to have the vibration also runs hot. That is the axle bearing. Left side is lukewarm. The left is hot that you can touch and hold for several seconds but not for a long time. I think the nearing probably is on the tight side.

The tranny makes a slight noise in of at 50mph . going faster the noise gets lost in general engine and wind noise.
Later j

[joeblack5]

Had a good day to day, found a couple of air inflation shocks to mount our 12 volt freezer box on.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13661.html

It is located above the rear axle so it would get the full brunt of shocks. At least we have a first line of defense.
Then to be able to use the space as good as we could we mounted the microwave on ball drawer slides to slide to the back to open the lid and slide it to the front if you want to use the microwave.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13662.html

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13663.html

The space on top of the wheel well , behind the freezer and below the microwave is going to be used for a lithium battery bank when all is done and funds allow.

Later J

[joeblack5]

So mounted that microwave on slider and of course at about the first faster curve to the left it started sliding, door opened, glass rotary table popped out fell on a steel tool that was laying on the floor and..... did not break.
Any how it urged me to come up with a solution.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13711.html

Just a thin board that hangs down and prevents the microwave from sliding out. Will see what happens when a curve to the left has a big pothole.

Later J

[joeblack5]

Just noticed that I have been upscaled to "almost there" .. Ha < Ha.
Still so much to do.
But another step was the table for the kids at the dinette. Out youngest (4 yrs) has to sleep there as well so it had to be a conversion.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13712.html
We want to use double cellurall blind for the window with an up down feature. These are about 1-1/2' wide. So we started with a 1-1/2 SS square tube that also would provide some structural help with side impacts.
We bolted in the three standing ribs but I probably will weld it in as well when we are all done.
We welded tabs on the bottom so that with sliding pins we could hang a table from this square tube. The width of table was made the same as the distance between the seat so that the table would double as bed plank.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13713.html
As a bed it lays on the seat mounting rail and we drilled 1/4" Holes in the seat frame where the sliding pin can lock into.

I will post some detail images in the next post.

Later J

[joeblack5]

Lat night I started on converting the escape hatch. The original hatch could only swing up to get out. I found another hatch from the same manufacturer that could raise about 4". Made by Specialty Co. in Pineville. NC. It has 4 spring loaded arms so that the hatch can be raised in any direction to take advantage of the wind direction. It has a separate mechanism that the hatch can be opened up to get on the roof. The frame section that is screwed to the bus is the same and so it was just a transfer of. hardware.

The we thought it would be cool to make a skylight so that we can see the rain falling on , see stars and so on.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13717.html

I left about 3/4" around to glue/ seal a 1/4" lexan sheet on top and an 1/8" one on the inside to create some insulation. The roof is 1/4" thick and so I will add some adhesive tape to make the gap slightly bigger.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13718.html

Later J

[joeblack5]

I forgot, some details about the dinette conversion.

I was looking into sliding pin locks like you see them on gates but was nervous that they would open up because of road and engine vibrations.
There must be fancy units around but right around that time I found a piece of 3/4" plywood with two hinges. The plywood piece became th etable / bed plank and the hinges became the locking pins.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13716.html

The pin is 6MM. the SS nuts are drilled out 1/2-20 . They are tacked to the hinge and are more spacers then anything else. The handle is a SS M5 Allen screw. I bend the center hole of the hinge out and drilled an extra hole for mounting but did not put a screw in it yet.

So this locking pin mechanism is used for the table and also for the bed.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13714.html

Drilled a 1/4" hole in the seat post of each dinette seat.

For the table support I had a piece of square 1" steel tubing laying around. Made an angle out of it and welded a 10MM SS shaft on each end. Drilled a hole in the bottom of the window tube for the upper pin and made a bracket for the lower pin. Screwed the bracket with Tech screw to the seat rail. So the table support can swing left or right flush with wall.
A small hole in the table and a little pin at the end of the table support arm interlock so that the arm can not swing while the table is in place.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13715.html

Later J

[Tedd]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

Nice junk yard weather.

It's ALWAYS nice junk yard weather!

Hey Joe

I just read through this entire thread looking to find out if you ever figured out what the second 110 VAC plug you found under the hood was for?

One was for the block heater.

[joeblack5]

Hi Tedd,

I had to reread my scribbles myself. Sproutroot had two plugs. I have not checked if I have two as well. I did notice under my ford that there was 120 VAC wiring going to oil filter area, so i wonder if this diesel has an oil heater as well as a block coolant heater?

regarding co pilot safety. Does your bus still has the passenger airbag installed? Mine has not. I was wondering if I could re-purpose that for extra storage.
My swivel seat is pretty stout and anchored with plates and so on. Not sure if it would be useful to put the airbag back in.

later J

[Tedd]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

Hi Tedd,

I had to reread my scribbles myself. Sproutroot had two plugs. I have not checked if I have two as well. I did notice under my ford that there was 120 VAC wiring going to oil filter area, so i wonder if this diesel has an oil heater as well as a block coolant heater?

regarding co pilot safety. Does your bus still has the passenger airbag installed? Mine has not. I was wondering if I could re-purpose that for extra storage.
My swivel seat is pretty stout and anchored with plates and so on. Not sure if it would be useful to put the airbag back in.

later J

Don't know about an oil heater. I guess it's a possibility.

No ... dang it. There was no passenger side air bag. And no glove box either. I did note all that room up in what used to be the co-drivers space, but haven't planned a use for it yet.

There is no end of the fun you can have with a spare air bag and a little electricity!


I noted your co-driver's seat. Heavy duty! Looks comfy.

[joeblack5]

It is the passenger seat out of our old Ford ambulance /camper. Several years ago I converted that to a swivel. Got is at Discount van and truck. It was a couple of hundred $$. It is pretty heavy.

I like to convert the driver as well but figure that I will find something in the junk yard ...give it some time.

I wanted a bus 4 window like you have but then in srw drive and ford and could not find it. This ford is a 5 window bus but we are in in with 2 adults 2 kids and our dog Rosie. So may be I was lucky that I did not find a 4. With the dinette/ booth setup we needed that seat as swivel to get max usable space and still get a cozy setup.

I really like your combined use of metal. It saves a lot of space. These small buses need a lot more creativity to get your max out of the space.
Later J

[Tedd]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

regarding co pilot safety. Does your bus still has the passenger airbag installed? Mine has not. I was wondering if I could re-purpose that for extra storage.

later J

Your thread and question caused me to kinda revisit this issue in a spare moment.

Unless you are going to mount your co-drivers chair closer to the dash ... an airbag up there is almost as useless as that grab handle.

I had a chance to take all that dashboard stuff down when I found that a rodent ate the vacuum lines that control the various door for the heat and ventilation.

When these buses were thought out (2000 or so) the design called for mega a/c and heater systems to keep the little guys in the back warm or cool depending on the need. The designers went back to old vacuum operated doors and ducting. The benefit: this stuff is much smaller and less complicated then the computer controlled systems.


As the photo below illustrates, from just opposite the driver's boney old right knee, running over top of the dog-house for the engine then all the way over to that big side window there is a LOT of wasted space. I've decided that I am not going to put GM's plastic center storage panel back over the dog-house to make it easier for this old guy to rotate to the right and out of the driver's seat into the living area without having to take a LOT more yoga classes. There is a lot of stuff (Dynomat) that does not take up much room on the market that will insulate and sound-deaden the dog-house.

http://s239.photobucket.com/user/CPOT2877/media/SANY0403_zpsn4vtwqe3.jpg.html][/URL]


I do not want to loose nor block that “passing window”, and I don't want to build anything that will stick out beyond the back of the doghouse.


Electronics would fit nicely in that spot, so would a couple fire extinguishers, warning triangles, and other items you would need to give help in an emergency. Just remember not to mount anything that will make the removal of the dog-house much more difficult.


One way or the other, there is just too much useable space there to just let go to the rodents.

[joeblack5]

There is also quite a bit of space between the passenger front wheel well and the entrance stair.
In the ford the fiberglass bezel around the window in front of the entrance door has a lip molded on to it that is part of the floor. Below that , the actual old entrance step. Nice amount of space. good as you say for a fire extinguisher and so on.

Later J

[joeblack5]

Evening dear folks,
Small progress. Made some under counter storage. Found a plywood with oak veneer cabinet that was just the right size to be modified. Turned out some plastic storage from sterilite fitted right in. I like the plastic that can be easily cleaned or replaced. The wife is not crazy about it so I will see if I can make it a little more appealing.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13796.html

The sink was recycled from a local Paneira. The nice think is that it has a lip around that prevents the water from running on the ground.
We will just put a bucket under it as a gray water tank. One of the flat clear 1 gallon tanks is standing on the ledge above the sink. just gravity.
To make the sink ledge as wide and efficient I pulled the windows out and moved them to the outside. This also gives me 1/2 " more space to for insulation. With some creativity I can use 2" alu foil polyiso with a R value of 13 ) according home depot.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13795.html

I am curious if it improves the stream line a little. The lower window glass is going to be replaced with metal that has the same line pattern. I also want to change covers for the post in between the windows to get a more uniform appearance.

Tomorrow morning back to the junk yard to get another piece of bus roofing that I used to cover the window openings

The next step will be the insulation and an one unit induction stove next to the sink. It will be a fold away that will be vertical to become part of the separation wall with the bed .

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13797.html

After that wooden storage closets above the windows and more SS below the bus.
It is hard to see but the skylight in the escape hatch provides really nice light and gives a very spacious feel for such a small contraption.

Later J

[joeblack5]

Pretty good day today, Went to the junkyard and the old bus was still there. You never know when things get scrapped. Cut another 4 feet section out and was just done before a thunderstorm rolled in.
Back at home took the window frames out and removed the lower part of the framing. The self tapping screws were corroded in the aluminum and I had to drill a 1/16 hole into the profile and squirted some wd 40 in there. A little more pounding on the head of the screw loosened it up enough so that I could take it out without the head stripping o breaking of.
Took the window out and used it as a template for the metal piece.
aligned the pattern in the metal with what was one the bus already and cut them out of the sheet.
Tomorrow will be rust removal, priming and painting.
Feels good that thing start coming together.

Later J

[Tedd]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

Feels good that thing start coming together.

Later J

I know that feeling.

[joeblack5]

Yesterday and today was a slow process. Took the kitchen windows completely out, disassembled and installed metal. The metal frames moved 3/4 out wards to create more space on the inside between the sink. Glued and screwed everything back together.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13835.html

Coming Sunday we want to take Elfie out for a test camping trip close by and figured that we needed mosquito screen. Found a couple of old fridges and removed the magnetic strip. A couple of old window screens provided the material for the screens.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13836.html

Tomorrow I will put the first pieces of alu foil polyiso insulation in.
1" behind the lower kitchen windows.

Put the first pieces of fold out cooking induction burner in. Have to find a couple of more aluminum pieces to weld a proper frame.

For this camping trip I will be using grid power and convert it to 12 volt for the freezer and fridge.

I bought a couple of Mppt solar controllers on ebay with a BQ24650 Texas Instruments chip. ( $12.7 I will to try to modify them to about 10 Amp by doubling the mosfets , a larger inductor and smaller shunt resistor. Anyhow that will take a couple of weeks from China.

Later J

[joeblack5]

yesterday I glued the diver side panels in with window shield glue ( 3M). Degreased with Acetone and backed some of the 8-32 screws a little out so that it was easier to get the 3M stuff in between. All together it went pretty smooth. Next day I checked the adhesion, unreal , could not remove the glue from the metal. It rather tore in pieces.

It was a sunny / warm day in PA. and moved on with the bedroom wall insulation. Took the bed back out to make work easier. Cut the polyiso 1/2" smaller on each side so that I could easily fill the gap with large gap spray foam.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13852.html
Used gorilla and nomal construction glue to bond the polyiso to the metal.

Before assembly I sprayed spray foam in the rubbing rib as to not create hollow spaces.

So i used 2" polyiso. The framing is 1-3/4". I used 1/8" spacer between my metal panels and the frame and filled that gap with the 3M windshield glue.
That would leave 1/8 on the inside so that my wood paneling is not in direct contact with the vertical framing.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13853.html
After this all was done and the evening sun was beating on that side of the bus the framing metal was real hot. The interior felt cooler but that might have been wish full thinking.

Thru existing screw hole I filled up the hollow space inside the framing channel. The framing is galvanized. I will do some temp measurements between the "empty" framing and foam filled framing.


http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...ture13854.html

Installed the insulation on the other side as well but have tear it all out because the metal pan needs to have some interior tarr coating removed before I can glue it to the framing.
Any how from an insulation perspective it will work OK.

Enough for today, time for some beer.

Later J