1990 E350 Conversion Project - Page 3

roach711 · 03-07-2013, 10:09 PM

Yeah, you've got to get rid of those seats! You'll have to build the rest of the bus up to their standard and that's going to be expensive!

100MPG · 03-08-2013, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roach711

Yeah, you've got to get rid of those seats! You'll have to build the rest of the bus up to their standard and that's going to be expensive!

Ferenzy · 03-08-2013, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roach711

Yeah, you've got to get rid of those seats! You'll have to build the rest of the bus up to their standard and that's going to be expensive!

Nice!

I believe they came out of a Honda Odyssey. On another note, I'm going to try and get the frame of the bus painted this weekend, the temperature is suppose to warm up a bit. I can't wait to get the floor back in so I can start building!!!

Ferenzy · 05-09-2013, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetootall

Looking forward to following this project!

Did this one spend most of it's life in NY? I have a 1994 E350 that I'm about to start work on, and seeing as though mine spent a good bit of it's life going from Minnesota to the oil fields of North Dakota, I'm scared to see how much rust damage it actually has

Well, I've found a lot of paperwork in the bus when I working on it. It seems it came in from Canada and stayed in upstate NY the entire time. So it's been exposed to pretty harsh winters and road salt, which could account for the massive rust!!! I finally replaced all the rotted crossmembers and reinstalled the gas tank!! Yay!! I'll be posting pics soon. Next step will be to start mounting the holding tanks. I figured it'll be easiest to di this now with the floor open.

Ferenzy · 05-27-2013, 06:10 PM

Ok, so the weather is finally good, and life seems to have slowed down enough to get back to work on the bus! I finished installing the new crossmembers.

I figured while I have the beams exposed it would be a good time to get the tanks mounted. Here I've mounted the black tank.

Below is my professionally made and custom ordered tank mount....NOT!

I just finished making this mounting bracket for the grey water tank out of some old bed rails I had lying around and welded them up. It fits real nice and should support it well.

I think I may have to fire my welder!

I'm going to prime and paint it before I mount the tank. I think I should also install any sensors and cleanout jets while I'm at it. The grey tank should be mounted in the next few days. The freshwater tank I may put inside the cabin under the main bed.

Ferenzy · 06-07-2013, 04:23 PM

Ok, so I know I post a lot of pics, but I love pics!! My wife laughs at me because when I'm done with a project I spend just as much time staring at my work as it took to build it!

Anyhow, I got the grey tank mounted and sensors installed.

Also mounted the sensors in the black tank

Here I installed the Quickie Flush and cut holes for the main pipe and vent. I was dredding this job but it actually turned out very well and was much simpler than I expected. I used the cutout for the main pipe to get behind the Quicki Flush mount, once the silicone sets up, I'll tighten then SS nuts a little more and should give a nice tight seal. I got that tip from somewhere on the internet.

Next step is to build a support frame of some sort for a small generator to go where the ac condensor used to be. Then I can add my longitudal bracing to the cross members and start putting the floor in!

bansil · 06-10-2013, 11:47 AM

slow and steady wins the race...looks good, and I'm a picture whore also

Ferenzy · 06-12-2013, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bansil

slow and steady wins the race...looks good, and I'm a picture whore also

Thanks Bansil, those are words of wisdom!! Unfortunately I'm self-diagnosed with Adult ADD and can't sit still! But then again most of us on this forum probably are!

nat_ster · 06-19-2013, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferenzy

once the silicone sets up, I'll tighten then SS nuts a little more and should give a nice tight seal. I got that tip from somewhere on the internet.

That is a really bad bit of info. By tightening after the silicone sets, your are breaking the Adhesion seal, and relying on compression to seal the connection.

Better advise, would be to clean both parts with 99% rubbing alcohol, silicone, assemble, done. You will get a far superior seal this way.

The smellier the silicone, the better it is. Not all are created equal. Things assembled with good grade silicone, and proper prep will never come apart.

I learned this the hard way renovating bathrooms and kitchens.

Love the build, looking forward to more pics.

Nat

Ferenzy · 06-20-2013, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferenzy

once the silicone sets up, I'll tighten then SS nuts a little more and should give a nice tight seal. I got that tip from somewhere on the internet.

That is a really bad bit of info. By tightening after the silicone sets, your are breaking the Adhesion seal, and relying on compression to seal the connection.

Hi Nat,
I went back and forth with this problem for some time and did some research before my final decision. My tank is polyethylene and from everything I read and the manafacturer's website,basically nothing will stick reliably to it. So, I liked the idea of the mechanical seal keeping things tight if and when the silicone stops sticking. I guess only time will tell!
On another note, I've made good progress with the framing and actually mounted the permanent propane tank under the chasis. I'll post the pics soon.

100MPG · 06-21-2013, 08:35 AM

you are doing a great job on this rebuild! And it is not add, it is just doing the best job you can! Well done.

crazycal · 06-21-2013, 12:41 PM

Ferenzy, I'm diggin' your avatar.

JakeC · 06-21-2013, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferenzy

Quote:

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferenzy

once the silicone sets up, I'll tighten then SS nuts a little more and should give a nice tight seal. I got that tip from somewhere on the internet.

That is a really bad bit of info. By tightening after the silicone sets, your are breaking the Adhesion seal, and relying on compression to seal the connection.

Hi Nat,
I went back and forth with this problem for some time and did some research before my final decision. My tank is polyethylene and from everything I read and the manafacturer's website,basically nothing will stick reliably to it. So, I liked the idea of the mechanical seal keeping things tight if and when the silicone stops sticking. I guess only time will tell!
On another note, I've made good progress with the framing and actually mounted the permanent propane tank under the chasis. I'll post the pics soon.

Nat may not have been realizing you were using polyethylene, as you are 100% correct. I have worked extensively with hdpe in a previous job and yes, NOTHING adheres to it. You can buy bulkhead fittings which only use a compression seal to mount and seal. No screws or bolts.

Ferenzy · 06-22-2013, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 100MPG

you are doing a great job on this rebuild! And it is not add, it is just doing the best job you can! Well done.

Thanks 100mpg!

Ferenzy · 06-22-2013, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazycal

Ferenzy, I'm diggin' your avatar.

Thanks crazycal, we all have to make our statement anyway we can!

Ferenzy · 06-22-2013, 10:15 PM

Thanks for the confirmation JakeC, it's good to know I'm not losing it! I really try to plan things out and do my homework first and your comments reinforce what I've read elsewhere.

On another note, after much hemming and hawing and some sound advice from Tango, I finally settled on my propane tank. I decided to go with a single tank. It's a Manchester 11.2 gallon permanent mount, should be plenty big enough. http://www.dyersonline.com/manchester-1 ... -tank.html

The mounting went nice and smoothly.

There are four 1/2 in galvanized bolts holding it in, nice and secure. I did multiple scientific/engineering tests to make sure it was strong enough...at 175lbs I jumped up and down a few times and it didn't budge! Good enough for me!!!

Here I marked and cut out space for an access door.

JahDW · 12-04-2013, 10:57 AM

how do you go about splitting the service into multiple lines? how many times can it be split? separate regulators for each?

Ferenzy · 12-07-2013, 08:08 AM

Well, I was figuring on making a mini manifold and feeding each device from there. As far as the regulator goes I would most likely install individual ones on each line that needed it. Some devices will already have one installed in them, and wouldn't need one.

ol trunt · 12-07-2013, 10:58 AM

Although using a pressure regulator at each device will work just fine, I have never seen this done in any of the commercially manufactured house cars I have worked on. I suspect the main reason is that it is cheaper to use only one regulator but I'd prefer to think it was to avoid piping high pressure gas throught the vehicle for safety reasons. You might want to research each appliance as to fuel pressure and volume requirements and design a low pressure delivery system using a single regulator located very near your tank. There are also now available inline emergency cut off valves that shut down gas flow in the event of a major break in a line. You can see an example of these at HD or L's as they are now part of the flex tubing gas hook up kits they offer--once again you would need to research their sizing. Hope this helps.

nat_ster · 12-07-2013, 11:49 AM

Research.

When I install propane furnaces and cook tops in residential houses, we use a high pressure regulator at the tank, then a low pressure regulator at the entry to the home. from there it is split to each device that needs propane. From there cook tops have one more regulator, but hot water heaters don't. We install as per the guidelines from the company that supply's the propane.

I like the safety shut off Ol Trunt mentioned. It's one of the missing components in most propane systems.

Nat

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