1994 International 4700 Conversion Begins

[scooter421]

Well, camping was good and the new gears helped a lot. We certainly did not fly up the hills but we managed better than previous trips. I have yet to check the fuel mileage. After the caliper change the other three calipers are running about 20-40 degrees warmer than the new one. Going down one of the hills coming into a town called Pine we had the left front stick a little and we could smell it. I hate to do it but I am just going to have to change the other 3 too.

Aside from learning the brake caliper itself was a problem and the others are being finicky as well. I also learned, as simple as it seems.....I still have to reduce my set up and take down time, get more solar power for refrigerator and a roof rack, steps front and rear, some sort of fold out table, lines for the propane tanks ran underneath, get some sort of bed, get the A/C running as best it can, an awning and get the cab insulated a bit more for noise. That should keep me busy for a little while! I know I am missing at least 10 more "things to do" somewhere.

I found a fair deal on some old school solar panels that will give me a total of about 350 watts worth of power, now I just need to get/make a roof rack. Working on gutter mounted frame work. Amazon (of course) sells roof mounted ladder racks which will work fairly well. The brackets will work but the bars will need to be replaced as they will be too short. I plan to attach the awning to the roof rack mounts with some additional brackets.

I've sorted out the propane supply lines for the most part. Lowe's has 10 foot propane extension lines that will make it easy to fish around frame components. I am going to hard pipe the propane as far as I can easily and flexible hose the rest of the way.

I found some really nice steps that might work out and they are much heavier duty than standard rv steps.

They are Bustin brand. Don't know if this is what I will get but I do like the design.

The outside table has had many conceptual ideas but I am pretty sure I've decided I will make it fold flat to the outside of the truck when rolling and fold out/down when needed. I don't know what it is about the folding tables but I love to hate em! I've worked out most of the details and proved it will work with some cardboard and tape. The table surface will be stainless steel. Now, I have to get some sheet metal and hinges to build it up.

For the cab insulation I am going to attempt to use aluminum backed roof patch material available at Lowe's also. I will start out sparingly to see if it stays stuck in place when exposed to AZ heat. As for smell, I've had the roll sitting in the cab out of the package for weeks and never really noticed a tar odor. To see if this actually works as a noise barrier, I will take decibel readings before and after.

Lots of talking, now I've gotta get off the computer and start pulling the cab apart!

Scooter

 

[scooter421]

I started with the doors. Sitting in the shop with the shop radio up and the evap running and everything shut (windows and doors) on the ambo I got about 33-34 decibels. Drive door open increased decibel level to 43-44. I was able to complete one door with a roll of the roof patch material and almost the second. I did not expect any miracles with one door completed but decibel readings were 32-33 with one door complete in the same conditions. However, this may be attributed to the song on the radio at the time. Either way, it's nothing major in noise reduction at this point. However, what I did notice was a significant difference in the tone of the door when shut and if I knocked on the interior panel. It was similar to finding a 2x4 in the wall....kind a...knock, knock....thud difference if that makes any sense. Any how, here are the pics.



I went to the Dollar Store and picked up some foam sheet to make this cover for the hole.

 

[scooter421]

Back tracking a bit. When I switched tires I was worried about a worst case scenario in a left turn and hitting a pot hole which might compress the front suspension enough to cause the inside of the tire to bite into the inner fender well. I removed a chunk at the time but still thought....it could happen. Well, the last camping trip proved me right.


I got lucky really, I just have to remove more fiber glass. It's not easy to see in the photo but I will need to take about a 3 x 8 inch chunk out.

 

[scooter421]

With one roll of the roof patch ($17) I was able to get 1 door and the extra panel covered along with the second entire inner door. I will need to pick up another roll to finish the hole cover though.
As for smell, unless my sniffer is failing me it does not smell bad at all. I will have to see what happens next summer when it's 115 degrees!
As for slipping in the heat I don't think it will but AZ summer is no joke and certainly pushes adhesives to their limits. It is very sticky stuff once attached and does not like to release. I was very glad I got things lined up each time or it was going to be a bit of a battle.

I used a piece of 1/2 pvc as a roller to smooth it out and push the material into the curves of the door.

 

[scooter421]

I mentioned an electric chain saw in Ross's post I think a while back. I just wanted to mention; for those of you that may be getting tired of the standard hassles of a chain saw, the dang thing did very well. The battery pack has 3 led's to indicate it's power level. I cut enough wood for a couple nights worth of fires and buried the 18 inch bar into a big tree to see how it would do and it did pretty good. The battery went down one notch. I cut some more wood a day or so later and still came home with one light on the battery. It's certainly not a "logging" chain saw but for what I use it for, I was impressed. I think it's safer and certainly quieter. You let go of the trigger, it just stops and I was using ear protection out of habit. I did not check the decibels but it's fairly quiet, my wife liked that and the fact it does not stink up the truck. I bought the 80v from Lowes.

 

[scooter421]

Laying out the additional solar panels.

 

[scooter421]

Okay, I got the passenger side door done and it is noticeably quieter when shutting the doors. The sound of shutting the door does not resonate like it did originally. Decibel level seems to be about the same after the second door is complete. It might have dropped a half to one decibel....maybe. I am trying to keep the conditions the same each time I put more material in. The real test is; of course, driving down the road. I will check the noise level the next time I get fuel.
Sorry, more like a hatch in this position....

 

[Outlaw Images]

Love the project, keep it up

 

[scooter421]

Love the project, keep it up

Thank you,

It's one of those things that will probably never end as long as the funds are available to cover the ideas!

I finally took it down the road on Saturday. The decibel level bounces around 70-73 between 55 and 60 mph. I am looking at additional sound reducing materials rather than just this thin roof patch material before I get into the rest of the cab. I can go thicker on the rest of the cab and figured I might as well if I am going to dive into it.

My roof mounts came in and I am working on the brackets to hold the additional solar panels.

Slowly but surely, I will make some progress.

Scooter...

 

[Baloo]

Yay! Another 4700 Ambo build! I too have a 4700 with the mighty DT360. It was bolted up to the Allison as well, but I gave up on it and swapped it out for an Eaton 6 speed. I have also installed a huge intercooler and some other diesel happy mods to make it more driveable on the highway. Happy to finally see another DT360 out there, it is a great engine!

 

[scooter421]

Hi Dodger, very interested in what you came up with for the swap! I knew the DT360 was going to be a bit slow but I had no idea it would be sloooowwww! I was looking at it from a rebuild and parts perspective; however, the poor bugger sure struggles in the hills. I suppose it will last me a good long time or at least until I can't stand it anymore! Did you have the 545 as well? The guys at Allison tell my the 643MT would help a lot. I would gain one more gear and it's got lockers in 3rd and 4th. In a sense, it will behave like it has a 5th gear over the 545. The engine seems fine really, it will never be quick in the quarter mile. I just run out of gear and figure the transmission would be a great upgrade.

 

[Baloo]

Scooter, mine was a AT500 (even worse than the AT545) and by switching to a FS5306A Eaton, it made it a completely different truck. After the swap I added a huge intercooler and adjusted the fuel rate and injector pump timing to 19 degrees. For starters I highly recommend an EGT gauge. The DT360 can make and take a lot of heat, but after making the changes I did it really brought the EGT's down. That little engine can really make some reliable power for a little money. If you check out my build thread there are some good pics of the swap.

 

[Ozrockrat]

Well where is the progress report

 

[scooter421]

Good Lord, it sure has been a while since I've been online. Okay....a progress report.

I am going to blame a lack of progress on my buddy Jim....see, I used to race mountain bikes when I was younger and he got me back into it. So, for the last several months I've been riding in the mountains, getting back in shape and having fun.

However, It's time to get back to work! So, I finished tinting the windows and I should have left it to the professionals! What a pain in the ********! I will be finishing the insulation project soon with pictures to follow, I replaced the remaining brake lines/calipers and will take it for a grocery run today, I just purchased an MT643 tranny for the truck and I am stoked!

I'm getting motivated again....the season is upon us!

Good day, folks!

 

[scooter421]

Baloo, it might take a while to get my transmissions swapped but I will be asking about your fuel injection changes/additions. I'd like to give the engine a little more pep as you've done. The motor is dialed way down right now.

Scooter...