'93 E350 Goshen - Adventure bus build... - Page 10

Mr4btTahoe · 08-26-2018, 03:36 PM

Floor is mostly finished... Just need to figure out how I'm going to work around the co-pilot seat mount plate.

IMG_20180826_144724048 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

May get back out later tonight and get some painting done. 92F in the shade at the moment and high humidity. Sucks because the last 5 days have been mid 70s during the day and upper 50s at night.

I'll have my electrical stuff tomorrow... it'll be nice to kick on the AC while I button up the tedious stuff.

Mr4btTahoe · 08-27-2018, 11:56 AM

Cabinet guy is coming back out tonight to help design the bed and start on the remaining cabinets....

Our first real outing is in the planning stages... Hoping to stay 3 or 4 nights in Clifty Falls (about 3 hours out) and 2 or 3 nights at the hosier national forest on our way back. Cant wait to get out of dodge for a bit. October can't get here soon enough.

Frochevy · 08-27-2018, 09:40 PM

Floor looks great!! Good work!

Can you get some vinyl trim (matching color) and use contact glue around your seat mount?

Mr4btTahoe · 08-27-2018, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frochevy

Floor looks great!! Good work!

Can you get some vinyl trim (matching color) and use contact glue around your seat mount?

The seat base actually has a nice trim ring.. but I need to build up around it a bit as I sunk the base into the floor which it wasn't exactly designed for. It won't be too bad.. just need to tinker a bit.

Anyways.. a glorious evening... we have shore power!

Right now, the only circuit I have powered is the roof mount AC.. but what a blessing that is! No more heat strokes in the 100F and high humidity.

The power distribution unit isn't mounted or chassis grounded yet. I'll get that buttoned up once I run power to the other items on my list. I also added a 30a circuit and outdoor outlet to my shop.

IMG_20180827_230516446 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180827_230526821 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180827_230650511 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180827_223323738 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180827_223855407 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180827_230640442 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

More to come! Have a 4 day weekend coming up.

Mr4btTahoe · 08-28-2018, 10:08 PM

Ordered some more goods tonight...

I'm replacing the stock trans pan (E4OD) with one from a 4R100. The pan is deeper and comes with a drain plug in the sump making fluid changes much easier. For $38, I couldn't pass it up.

While the pan is down, I ordered a transgo 4R100 Tugger shift kit and motorcraft filter kit. Converter has a drain plug so the plan is to do a full fluid exchange as well (just shy of 5 gallons). Should keep the trans happy for a good long while considering it only has ~100k on a rebuild with no signs of issues.

I also ordered an LED light bar package. For $85 shipped, got a 50" curved bar (mounting under the fiberglass nose... above the windshield), a 20" straight bar (going on my old flat bed F350), and 4 - 4" pods (should make nice reverse lights for the bus).

Everything shipped for just over $200 using a 15% off ebay coupon.

Anyways.. now I'm headed back out to the bus for a couple hours to see if I can get the couch mount finished up and ready for paint.

Mr4btTahoe · 08-31-2018, 05:12 PM

More progress and an AC torture test today. Was ~95F.. bus in direct sunlight all morning/afternoon... high humidity. Was able to keep the bus very comfortable with the AC set on low. Only issue I noticed was a bit of condensation dripping from the air outlet. May need to drill a drain in the base of the ac unit so it doesn't pool.

Anyways... got the main bed mostly done. Just needs plywood which may happen tonight.. we'll see.

Main supports anchored to body framework...

IMG_20180831_124804576 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180831_124813618 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

My helper... helping assemble the 1x4 framing. Glued and screwed.. cross braces every 12"

IMG_20180831_154533550 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180831_154529832 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

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Resting in place...

IMG_20180831_150528608 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

No hinges yet... but clears everything nicely

IMG_20180831_150556179 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

Both sides sorta resting in place. The right side piece will rest on a ledge built into the base cabinet.

IMG_20180831_161514242 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

I'll get some plywood either tonight or tomorrow morning and install the hinges. Then paint everything. Then I need to skin the rear door (which will no longer be a door) and paint it.

My buddy is going to button up the cabinets in the next week or two as well.

Much to come soon hopefully.

joeblack5 · 08-31-2018, 07:07 PM

That looks good, if you want to fold the mattress with it then you need to modify a bit. May be make it from steel to save some space when it is folded against the wall.

Later Johan

Mr4btTahoe · 08-31-2018, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeblack5

That looks good, if you want to fold the mattress with it then you need to modify a bit. May be make it from steel to save some space when it is folded against the wall.

Later Johan

Could certainly go with steel but for the time being (and probably for the rest of our time with this bus), we'll be using a queen size air mattress that we already have. It deflates/inflates quickly and is easy to clean and such. Figured it'll work well enough.

joeblack5 · 09-01-2018, 10:51 AM

That is a cool idea, I had never thought about the air-mattress solution.
That certainly saves a lot of space, maybe I could do that in Elfie as well.

Once designed a fold out roof tent on our 4x4 Lada Niva. That had a inflatable mattress. Thanks for bringing that solution back in my mind.

Hope you hang on to your bus for a long time. You did so much work on it. We had an E350 4x4 medical ambulance 7.3 IDI that we converted. So much time and effort put into it for the amount of time we actually used it. Taking it now apart and re-using some parts in Elf bus. Every time I am taking something out I sigh for all the blood and sweat I spent on that conversion.

Later Johan

Mr4btTahoe · 09-01-2018, 06:46 PM

As it stands, the only reason we'll part with this one is to go bigger. We've got another little one on the way so we aren't sure if we'll have enough space now. Time will tell.

More progress..

One of the bed sides is buttoned up and on hinges now.

IMG_20180901_135439863_HDR by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180901_135408181 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

Emergency potti mounted...

IMG_20180901_140616672 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

All of our transmission parts showed up. Deep 4x4 version of the 4r100 pan with a drain plug... Transgo shift kit... motorcraft filter kit and re-useable pan gasket.

IMG_20180901_173459739_HDR by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

Also snagged this at the local Habitat ReStore for $15. Its really small but deeper then the average camper sinks. Came with the faucet. Have a little clean-up to do on it but it'll work nice.

IMG_20180901_140908235 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

More to come.

Mr4btTahoe · 09-14-2018, 12:39 PM

Insurance is up.... drove the big girl to work today.

IMG_20180914_121836535 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

Discovered that the only thing I didn't replace in the front brakes (driver's side caliper slides) are hanging up a bit. Get to replace those tonight. Other then that... drives great. Everything is quiet... engine and trans stay cool... good oil pressure... EGTs in check.

Our trip is 1 month out so planning on putting some miles on it before then. After work, heading to the fuel station to drop $150 in the tank.. and pick up some electrical supplies at the local hardware store.

Mr4btTahoe · 09-14-2018, 05:44 PM

Glad I took a short trip in it today... caliper pistons hung up on the way home on one side. So much for saving money rebuilding them myself.

Ordered 2 new ones that'll be in tomorrow.. not screwing around with it.

That side was smokin before I got it home... 30mph and 1k EGTs. Glad I was only 2 miles from home when it happened.

I'll have it back together tomorrow... hopefully that takes care of it.

Mr4btTahoe · 09-14-2018, 11:38 PM

While waiting for calipers to come in... I decided to mount my light bar. I wish they offered these "bus sized"... something like 70".. lol

This 50" curved bar puts out a lot o' light... will be nice if we are out in BFE at night...

IMG_20180914_223355883 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

I've been chiseling away at little projects.... hopefully the rest of the cabinets will be getting done next week. We shall see.

Harold 1951 · 09-15-2018, 12:12 PM

The calipers hanging up are probably the rubber brake line deteriated inside and not letting the brake fluid come back into the master cylinder

Mr4btTahoe · 09-15-2018, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harold 1951

The calipers hanging up are probably the rubber brake line deteriated inside and not letting the brake fluid come back into the master cylinder

It's all new. New hard lines... New master cylinder.. soft lines... And caliper slides.

Mr4btTahoe · 09-15-2018, 04:15 PM

Calipers fixed the problem. Hubs still cool to the touch after 10 miles at 65. Has no trouble running 65-70 now and EGTs are running much cooler.. trans temp is running around 145° mixed driving

So far, it's a lot of fun to drive. Planning on putting a couple hundred miles on it before we leave for our trip.

Currently, no leaks and everything looks and sounds good.

Mr4btTahoe · 09-16-2018, 01:29 AM

Late night tonight but got a good bit done....

Clapped out steering linkage and stabilizer out...

IMG_20180915_234134781 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

Pile o' Moog...

IMG_20180915_234459321 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180915_234518132 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

New goodies in and all lined up...

IMG_20180916_245141813 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

IMG_20180916_245146273 by acidburn02zts, on Flickr

And did a "driveway alignment". I marked the tire's tread blocks.. exactly where the tape measure was.. position and such. Measured everything before pulling it apart. I lined up the new parts to get it close then dialed it back in to exactly where it was before pulling it apart (as it drove nice). Too late for a test drive.. I'll take it for a drive tomorrow and see how it does.

Cant wait to put more miles on it.

Frochevy · 09-16-2018, 07:34 AM

Good work and good call on the Moog parts! Luckily brakes on my bus are in good shape, but I might be needing some steering parts in the future like you just installed. It feels like I have a little play in mine.

Mr4btTahoe · 09-21-2018, 10:41 AM

A buddy of mine came up last night and we dialed in the alignment. Gave it just under 1/8" toe in on the front and it drives great. No shimmys... no pull... tracks straight and smooth.

I love how this thing runs down the road.

Hoping to finish the exterior paint and such over the weekend.

Mr4btTahoe · 09-26-2018, 07:42 PM

No pics... but I did get some of the exterior paint buttoned up.

The bus is currently loaded up with all of the building materials I have left for the cabinets and I'm dropping it off with my cabinet guy tomorrow. He says he'll have everything done this weekend.

That leaves me 2 weeks to button up a few 110v circuits and paint the interior.

The bus wont be "done" by the time we leave, but we should have decent storage, heat, ac, entertainment, and a comfy place to sleep. I doubt I'll have the water or propane plumbed by then.. but oh well.

Anyways.. more to come.

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