|
|
Expert
 
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Yes, but only a negligible amount. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
 
Location: Oceanside, CA | Stephen is correct on all points. Shocks(in our application) are not load bearing "suspension" they are dampening devices. You only need to size air bags for the amount of "assist" you want, the original suspension is still carrying all that always has. I've never come close to running my bags anywhere near their max pressure/load rating and that's with towing a heavy load that was putting a solid 600lbs of tongue weight down on the rear.
Edited by LCAC_Man 2019-06-03 9:46 AM
|
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Howdy,
Been real busy with life lately but have managed to make a little more headway on the coach of late. Hard to make time it seems.
My brother in law made it over a couple of weeks back and we got going on the trans rebuild (47RH). We got the front section done except for the valve-body. Upgraded to a heavier duty reverse and 2nd gear band as well as other parts. Also got a killer shift-kit to put in that I'll get the tech at my trans-shop to do. This kit should raise line pressures and extend the life of the trans some. I'll also get them to do the overdrive section - with the notorious 800/lb direct clutch spring. When they take the overdrive apart, I'll run the output shaft to a local shop to have it drilled & tapped to bolt on the 'Sitton-Cruse' modified FMC yoke so I can bolt the works right up to the stock FMC slip-yoke drive shaft. Scored me a brake-drum style (23 spline) yoke for free on the weekend, well, not exactly 'free' - had to drive nearly an hour each way then climb under an old Winnie for a bit but it was worth it I figure.
Yesterday I got a little more done on removing the engine AC from the coach. Compressor is out and I pulled all three refrigerant lines out that run from the engine house to the front of the coach. Still got all the stuff in the front to rip out. Once the evaporator is out of there I'm going to install the 40 gal forward water tank (early style) that I got from my buddy Jay in Wa. This will give us sufficient water capacity for back-country forays and provide a good extra forward-ballast option if required.
If it's not obvious yet, I'm going with a single roof-air unit that will be run off our new inverter I picked up recently (Go Power: 3000 watt). Will add a second high-output alternator as well. Another one of Lenny's great ideas.
My goal is to get the engine, trans, new rad, intercooler, oil/trans coolers in sometime this season (before Christmas) so we can at least use the coach. Next year will be the disc brake/hydro-boost conversion with the 22.5 Alcoas. Then if there's anything left in the kitty - a paint job. Thinking of buying an HVLP set up to DIY.
Won't feel too bad at all seeing the last of the H-vacs in our coach.
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Oceanside, CA | Later this fall I'm going to be making some changes to my brake system (while finally installing my new drums and getting shoes relined). I'm going to completely split my rear brake control/boost from the front. I'll be using an electric power steering pump system and another hydroboost/MC for my rear only brakes and leaving what I have for fronts only. This puts me in a position to move to much larger (volume) calipers at a later date (if I ever get to that). |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Oceanside, CA | Wanted to be the first to wish your engine swap project a "happy birthday"! |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Go ahead... rub-it-in!
However, do have some progress on my airbag mounts and will try to post today if I get time. Building Solo a new doghouse today.
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Air-spring install update.
Finally got my air-bags done!
Pics here if anyone's interested: http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
If anyone needs any clarification or better pics, you know what to do.
Now onto the engine & trans.
Hope ya'all stay healthy & happy.
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Howdy,
Been a few months since I've updated this so thought I'd get going again.
Just realized this project is now over 2yrs running... ouch! 
Will go back to where I left off best I can, then moving forward to where I am now so if anyone else ever decides to dive into the 12V Cummins circus, that maybe this might be of some use.
Concerning the Rockwell, I finished the three oil seal replacements and learned a bunch in doing so.
As I'm mostly working alone on this except when my mechanic friend/project supervisor, Liam, can make it over to help with the heavy '2-man' stuff and keep me pointed in the right direction when he's not here. Liam is shop-foreman at a large Chrysler dealership here in Victoria.
This necessitates that I actually have to 'think' to figure how to get things done by myself for the bulk of it. So, this is where my 1500 lb motorcycle lift came in very useful.
I screwed some wood blocking together and made a good jig to cradle the 400 lb Rockwell and lower it to the ground. It also made a good stand to work on it as it lifts it up fairly high.
I also elected to tear-up the old gross carpet in the back bedroom over the Rockwell then cut open the plywood floor (carefully, there's sheet-metal directly beneath it) in order to make easy access to the 4-nuts above the diff mounting bars. Take note of all large washer and rubber washer positions. Pics work great!
Also, when I finally got it out of the coach I took the two mounting bars to a local machinist and he re-drilled the mounting holes (4) 2" forward, buying me another 2" to shoehorn the Cummins in there. Did the job for $40 and I hope it's money well spent.
Updated some album pics: http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
Also a couple of Youtube shorties for your perusal: (hopefully the links are live)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeaTWhtCdq8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_c4vCiR8b0
More later.
Terry #846
|
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Engine mounts etc.
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Today is a very special day for yours truly...
Sorry this drags a bit, but there is a 'happy-ending'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8zFIf0M2Uk
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | This one is shorter but with a bit longer run time...
https://youtu.be/xirxQ2htRw8
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Congratulation!! You did it!! It lives!!
It’s a long pull to do one of these conversions and you can be proud of what you have accomplished to this point. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Finally got around to some album updates in the gallery.
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
On to exhaust then aluminum radiator install...
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | A lot good pictures with explanations. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Thanks!
Got a bit of a push on to get'er back on the ground.
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Few more update pics...
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=191&p...
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Good pictures with good descriptions. This is the stage where you are dealing with all of the small but critical items involved with an engine swap. Keep it up and I look forward to the completion. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Thanks Stephen.
Few more pics of the rad installed - final.
New expansion tank comes next Friday. Yee-ha!
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=191&p...
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Electrical gremlin:
Installed a couple of 12" LED strip lights (.28 amp ea.) in the engine house a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I reefed out the two new cranker batteries that were in my way so I could address a couple of intercooler piping leaks that were hard to get at.
I disconnected and removed both batteries only to find that both of the LED lights on the ceiling were still flickering on & off. Clearly faint voltage but still visible.
F-ing' strange! No batteries in the coach - period.
Then I realized the coach 110-AC was plugged in and when I unplugged it the lights went out.
Stray 110 voltage somewhere?
Anyone had this happen?
Guess I should actually be able to measure it with a VOA meter (coach chassis to ground?) Would be interesting to know how much juice there is there.
Maybe this rouge-voltage is what's causing my new tach (alternator signaled) to be so erratic.
Not sure how to chase this down but will have to try to do something to find it. Not certain if I should worry about it but it's bugging me some.
I did relocate my AC power control box on the rear firewall to make room for other stuff. I also noticed that the 'hummm' of the box when plugged in is steadily louder than usual; previously, in its former OEM position, my power-box was notorious for occasionally humming really loud when first plugged in. I discovered that if I simply unplugged it in and out a couple of times that it would, in stages, get quieter until I could hardly hear it at all. Left there, we got a good nights sleep.
After I resolve my low-boost issue I'm going to see if I can chase this down. Think I'll start with the fried receptical outlet in the back bedroom that's been that way since I got the coach. Maybe there's a short in there that's not enough to trip the AC breaker but enough to be sending some juice to ground?
If there's AC current in the chassis, couldn't this wreak havoc with DC shit?
Since I pound nails for a living hopefully a better 'auto-electrician' than me might help point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance!
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Oceanside, CA | don't you have an inverter/converter/charger? if you had shore power connected that may have still been making charge power.. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Thanks for the reply, Len.
Yeah I do. PD with Charge Wiz.
After reading your response I quickly went out and checked something.
It was far simpler than I imagined. Dumb, really. When I installed the new LED lights I also plumbed-in a new 'lighted' on/off rocker switch for them on the access door header. Although the batteries were out of the equation the switch was still in the 'On' position. Switched it off and the lights stopped flickering. Imagine that!
So, am I correct in assuming the AC current - beyond it supplying juice to the coach - was only part of the issue but also it was the batt-isolater backfeeding juice somehow?
Thanks again.
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Oceanside, CA | I have no idea how/where your charger is connected so it would be hard to say for sure...but...in general if you are providing power to the charge device (whatever that may be) and it senses any load at it's output, it will see that as a battery needing charge and will attempt to support it..
|
|
| |
|
Veteran
Location: Houston, Texas | Andy mi compadre, you need a "wood stretcher"
Rico& Carmen |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Si mi amigo, gracias. Yo no necesito mas madera... been a carpenter too long.
Terry
#846 |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Location: Houston, Texas | Hello my friend hope everyone is staying healthy,
how’s is it going with the project ? any updates ?
This forum has been very quiet for a while.
Rico & Carmen |
|
| |
#846 Cummins Swap.
