Ford e450 RV 'Sloth Life' (10 year plan)

Yay!Gurrr

Yay!Gurrr

Better Faster Stronger
Moderator
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Location
N. N. Raleigh, NC
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I have edited the thread, and block my neighbor from viewing it....
(wasn't a neighbor per sa, it was the real estate agent)
Whenever I'm board i go for walk.......
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Specs. 2006 E450 6.0/5R110, 102k miles, ~14' box, 14k GVWR,
Jacksonville, Tx [October-ish, 2011]
v2.0, Long story short .... I got it back.
This was going to be the super RV, then I had a stroke.
I sold it, buddy bought it, then he died (BigJuggy), then I bought it back. (wife)
Old thread. E450 RV / Tow Rig
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I've changed the plans a tiny bit, to address my older self, new hips,
no glasses, different outlook, etc...
Basically is going to be the same but I decided to have an automatic and no 4x4.
I'm doing the interior difference and I'm planning on spending a wee bit
more money (over time).
Things like add a bed that raises up to the ceiling...
A separate bathroom...
A couple of chairs, not just a bench...
Yes, it will have the 5.9 Cummins but I have add a Allison 6 speed transmission.
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Ill have more of those in a while.
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In case some of you want to read about the whole story.....
Yager - E450 Ambulance Tow RiV - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum
VRAY 2006 E450 - Ambulance Cummins Diesel Swap - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum
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This is how it sits today.
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Yes I'm sure y'all, are thinking, wow, that looks bad, I did too.....
Most of it, are in the back, bumper, grill etc... It is their, but needs assembly.
And definite a hose, soap and a brush will be needed.
Time line - 'hell if i know' time line....
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Here's the driveline.
 
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This is how its NOW going to look....[update; 09/23/2021 ]
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It hard tell tell in the bathroom, but i used Epoxy on the plywood to soak in the top layer. (Epoxy is water proof)
Now the in in place, ill do a fillet lay on the corner and the last coat will have some color to it.
As you can see bathroom wall is also part of the bed frame.
You can see the fans on top. Bedroom blow in and the bathroom blow out.
The fan are a low amp draw, so i can leave them on whenever. .25amp @24v (both)
The bed is also my storage spot...... :flippoff2:
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Insulation: I have about 3.5" (R19) of "wool" like material. I would advise people to go a different route than this
It 'great' as far as R vaule. it blows as far handling. (fall apart) but it doesn't soak up water..... my .02
Ceiling: I used 1/4" luane cut into manageable strips
More in a few....
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Weight: I scaled it with 1/2 tank of fuel. [Sept. 2011]
Steer: 4200
Drive: 5880
Total: 10080
Tank is directly behind rear axle so 200# for 25gals [55 gallons when full...]
10280# not to bad
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Overall inside = 86" wide x 162" long x 68" tall (5'8") [Sept. 2011]
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Heat transfer - Wikipedia
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I'll summarize heat transfer in my words. [Sept. 2011]
radiant - blocks suns radiant energy from passing into your camper and being absorbed and converted into actual 'heat'. foils
conduction - heat transfer by physical contact, regular insulation.
convection - transfer by fluid/air motion. close your windows/doors.
 
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Allison- I've had the Transmission for a while, and I just had to clear out some other junk before it... So.....
Yes, the Allison are new to me. I rebuilt my 2007 Allison, they are super easy AND hard at the same time.
Will it blow up... Who knows :)
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I would call a level 2 out of 5 rebuild. I upgrade the frictions/steels, one notch. I did a pressure regulator upgrade, Shift kit Jr. 1,2,3 upgrade in the valve body. Drill a couple holes in the case help oiling... New roller bearing, new thorrention bearing, bushing, new oil pump, new converter ($$).... but that's about it. I took my time and spent around 3 weeks doing it.
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The later 2006+ models I really had a hard time figure the valve body from the 'book'. The update section is like 10 pages should be 20, but I found online notes and lectures, that really helped me. Yes i will post them.... :flipoff2:
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Notes: Being I was doing a rebuild all my measurement were inside the boundary of the spec.
C1 [.085-.110]
C2 [.060-.085] I measured .065
C3 [.040-.060] I measured .051
C4 [.060-.080] I measured .058
C5 [.070-.085] .075 Using the factory plate.
With the back on and bolted on I measured it from the BOTTOM
[not .090 -.110 from the book, using 'H' setup thing]

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Here is what I learned, (ruff guess) .
The all start off as the same case (year/dependent) and they go from there.
From high level (roughly) 2005- 5 speed and 2006+ 6 speed
Some get SAE3,SAE2, Chevy, Gears, output, but the gear are the same (except for the ratio ) even the rear will bolt on..
Depending what year you have they changed some bearings in there, but you can swap there entire set.
So, I went from a Allison 2007 2500 ---> 2006 1000 :) w/ park and a brake on the back*. (Still working one that)
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Everyone should download a free PDF the goes into how the rebuild them if you have not already. [Search for this 'Allison 1000 rebuild PDF']
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[DefeoMfg.com - Really nice guys, super fast shipping...]
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I'm sure the someone out knows a lot more and will tell me how wrong i am.... but hey, bring it.... ;)
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If your interested in the 2500
Here is twobockal (sp) all the gears were 72 deg pitch BEFORE ~2006 (5 speed) [This is a steeper angle per the 'book']
And most all 2006+ have an 80 deg pitch, 6 speed [This is a lesser angle per the 'book']
BUT....
The 2500 has an 80 deg pitch on P1 (Sun/Planetary) [More Quiet] and ....
a 72 deg pitch on the rest on the gear... [More Stronger]
AND no parking ring....
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It all make sense
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Wiring - Ugg
Yes i finally procured solar panels, 4 of them (2 now, 2 when i feel like it) for a whopping 1540 watts. Goodbye generator ! :)
Here my take on things.....
-Yes i am over paneled, but the solar chargers will dump the extra solar when not needed.
-Only in the dead of summer for like 3 hours and really worry about it.
-I can go in various places to camp and not care.
-I have no generator, i want my batteries to be charge every day.
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Here how i have thing hooked up....
I used 4 door hinges to mount the solar panel. It dawned on me, something that is cheap, large enough, and fills the need for removing them but stay on.
Battery- LiFePO 2x 12v@200 amp, hooked in series. [24v]
Solar: 4 x370w, 2 teams in series, 4 wires down.
Charger (Solar): 2x100/20 I'm running two of these aka the 4 wires.
Charger 120v/Inverter: VictronEnergy MultiPlus 24v/3000w/70
....Basically you run this thing went ever you need 120v, It charges the solar cells, it buffer shore power, correct 50/60 hurts (campground woos)
It fill in gaps like motor start (A/C) up with solar. If on solar your, go to go.... up to 3000w.
[NO I'm not able to run my A/C all night on the battery, but I can run it for like 3 hour a day, DO THE MATH!!!!!] ymmv
Solar cell on the roof hits the breakers then to the chargers..
The negative stops to go 'through' a [that black thing] after the battery.
I have all the input/outputs going through breakers were i can switch them off or add then as we go.
Battery: I have a sensor that tell the charger that it to cold, and the chargers stop. ($30 sensor )
[I went with a no name brand of batteries, with the sensor and all is good]
I went with the European Style of breakers for fitment and so the i can easily shut a section of it off (and the cost).
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Water and heat, in progress.... and bike [ :) ]

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Allison need to be keep cool........

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i had a pic of my older setup... i just really did not like that from the begin, so....
I redid it, more simple... but i did not take a pic....duuuh
 
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Looking forward to this. Your builds are always top notch creativity and mechanical ingenuity.
 
well, we needed to go a different route.... 'you can't get there from here'....... come to mind...
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so... had to ditch the 'old' adapter, because it cracked.... yea.... [I said a bunch of bad wordssssssss] No adapter, straight on to a CHEVY bell pattern... :)
I know what your saying... ya but Mike why didn't you go straight to a MDT bell housing.... it won't fit..
I have a 1" body puck lift already.
The new adapter went in perfectly.
I bought a new piece came with out holes or notch. (for my stem vent on top.)
A little bit on my mill....bam, I had to take a bit out to make room for the adapter plate.
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Rear bumper/hitch/Turn-Brake/Reverse lights....
Ya i looks weird,.... Normally its all hidden by 1 sheet of aluminum, between the lights..
I cut it in to 3 sections, i won't have a middle section, spare tire will go in there. Sticks out ~6"
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After some thought. I decided to put the spare in the cube (sp) hole.
I put it at 15 degree up, to provide more space for the ball.
So...... Scratch the above, probiby won't have room for the 2" piece across
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I had to make a spot for the license plate to go. Move spare tire over a bit.
Trimmed out a bit, still 1 more piece but it is functional......
 
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Hey Mike - for inspiration only. You may have seen this on another forum. I thought it was interesting as it came across from the Tiny House community.

tinyhousetalk.com

1997 E450 4×4 Diesel Ambulance Conversion With A Shower!

This is a 1997 E450 Diesel Ambulance Conversion with 4x4 and a shower! It also features air conditioning, an awning, backup camera, built in water tanks, a roof rack, solar power, and so much more. It
tinyhousetalk.com tinyhousetalk.com
 
Well I move the RV2 10 feet, and today i got a OBD2 ($20) gizmo and i can read the engine RPM off the trans. controller. :flipoff2:
A40 Allison

What this means is this:
-It works..
-So far no errors.
-I can read the [A] PIDs, so far RPMs


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Anyone have PIDs ? [Torque Apps]
Are the all the same in that a Trans. Temp is All the same OR different per vendors??? Ford vs Chevy
(my brain hurts, from reading)
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PIDs are here:
 
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Ok guys, I'm half way there.
I received a valid inspection. (they called this morning)
Got insurance
Get a 10 day license plate.
And it's still at the shop. (Going to Gavan's house)
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I found a form online [MVR-51]
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It does NOT say an 'officer', but a notary public stamp. That's it...
So have i been mislead on this?
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(in case you were wondering, 'hey you've already does this already'.... Ya but i had a stroke, :\
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So, if anyone who's does this, can you outline the process for me again ????
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i case everyone is thinking about this (above), i failed for me. (aka ME, so take that for what its worth)
 
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