2000 Ford 7.3L Motovan build (225's build cont'd)

[225]

Because I hate myself, I ripped the panels out of the van. The "great" guy that had the van before me, Decided to drill holes by the rear A/C to access it instead of pulling the panel off. And there are a few tabs broken off on different ones. And since I have all the panels off, I might as well go ahead and re-do the headliner.

But for now, one of many panels being done. Also, while they're out, I'll be putting in the remote keyless entry system too. More on that in a later post. But for now, fiberglass.

The holes:

Fiberglass patch:

First round of body filler, tomorrow I'll sand and finish / paint the whole panel. I may try to match the gray or go satin black since the headliner is black suede.

Still, lots of panels to fix. Plan on finishing them up tomorrow. Hopefully.

 

[225]

I've been planning on making the van like a Westy, but the bed folds up out of the way. And the rest will mimic a Westy. Also, a camper top is in the works.

Here is the beginning of the cabinet making. I still need to bondo/paint/finish it. And add the hinges and door hardware.

The cabinet case:

The cabinet will have the doors that were cut out. And the daylight you see on the bottom is because the back of it supports the 1" height difference from the floor. also, I will cut and trim all the interior plastic to fit where the cabinets won't be.

And finished plastic:

 

[225]

Needs paint:

 

[225]

In the van it goes! Man, it took a long time to do one stupid cabinet. It's held in place with bolts and nut rivets.

Only 10 more to go!

 

[luthj]

It sure is hard when literally nothing is straight in the van. That is a very nice cabinet. Practical and durable. :sombrero:

 

[225]

It sure is hard when literally nothing is straight in the van. That is a very nice cabinet. Practical and durable. :sombrero:

Thanks!

Now it's time for some real gangster ****.

Being the junkyard dog that I am (what my wife calls me), I found a wheelchair lift, AND and high top fiberglass top with rear doors for CHEAP.

I already paid for them, just have to go back and pick it up when I get off next week. The only problem is, they say the lift isn't working. Which isn't a problem, I'll fix it.

Secondly, it's the "big" lift. Which means when I go 4WD (which I was gonna start until I found this deal) the ramp will still touch the ground when the van is 8" higher.

No more ramps LOLOL... Roll the bike on the lift and up she goes.

Inside the donor:

 

[Oldcarnut]

Just as a heads up on the lift, you might run into issues with lifting "heavy items" (motorcycles) as the lift is designed for the center of the weight up against the cab, not in the middle of the ramp.
I have a Ricon S Series lift rated at 800lbs but have warned by numerous bus folks not to use it for my bikes. Need to look at upgrading the rams as the seals will blow lifting the bikes over time.

 

[225]

Just as a heads up on the lift, you might run into issues with lifting "heavy items" (motorcycles) as the lift is designed for the center of the weight up against the cab, not in the middle of the ramp.
I have a Ricon S Series lift rated at 800lbs but have warned by numerous bus folks not to use it for my bikes. Need to look at upgrading the rams as the seals will blow lifting the bikes over time.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll def look into better rams too.

 

[225]

Working on getting other things together. Mostly, the main cabinet that will house the sink, microwave, coffee machine (Nespresso), and a few drawers. I've thought about adding a stove, but I have a Coleman stove, and I'd rather not cook in a small space like the van.

I found a cool video with the hand pump instead of electric water pump, but I still may use the electric one.

Rocket hand pump: http://amzn.to/2x2N0CT

Video:

For the microwave, I'll find the smallest one I can at Target / Wal-Mart.

 

[Corneilius]

Hand pumps are for people with three arms. Check out marine foot pumps/galley pumps. I love mine

 

[225]

Hand pumps are for people with three arms. Check out marine foot pumps/galley pumps. I love mine

Thanks. Will do.

Does the water tank have to be below the foot pump?

I saw a diagram somewhere where that was the case.

 

[Corneilius]

No, they lift and hold their prime well. Check out my build for pics

 

[225]

I get off work Thursday. Plan on going to look at that top and lift. No promises that I'll take them home. Depends on the condition.

I've been back and forth about the exhaust I wanted. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go muffler or no muffler. Remembering that my wife loves riding in the van, and not wanting to spoil that, I went with the Diamond Eye 4" w/ muffler and exhaust tip. I'm sure it will still have plenty turbo whistle.

 

[tmo2460]

I've been back and forth about the exhaust I wanted. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go muffler or no muffler. Remembering that my wife loves riding in the van, and not wanting to spoil that, I went with the Diamond Eye 4" w/ muffler and exhaust tip. I'm sure it will still have plenty turbo whistle.

I ended up making a custom exhaust from essentially the same diamond eye kit you have listed. I ended up keeping my 3.5" downpipe, and the muffler starts right after the transmission cross member. Right after the muffler the pipe 45s over to the edge of the ambulance box and exits right in front of the tire with a turn down tip. I am happy I went with the muffler over the straight pipe. Mine drones a touch a around 1700 RPM and then quite a bit over 2300ish. On the highway I'm running about 2050 RPM at ~71/72 MPH and its pleasant enough at that speed, once I get to installing damping material I think it will be perfect.

The turbo is plenty loud for my taste and really whistles at parking lot speeds. I'm also running a wicked wheel so that may be contributing to the note as well. I am extremely happy with how it turned out, sounds (and looks) cool without being obnoxious.

I did have some issues with the fitment of the section over the axle which prompted the custom side pipe, but I know others have installed the Diamond Eye kit with no issues. Good luck with the install, I'm sure you'll have a smile on your face once you hear the turbo spool up.

 

[225]

I ended up making a custom exhaust from essentially the same diamond eye kit you have listed. I ended up keeping my 3.5" downpipe, and the muffler starts right after the transmission cross member. Right after the muffler the pipe 45s over to the edge of the ambulance box and exits right in front of the tire with a turn down tip. I am happy I went with the muffler over the straight pipe. Mine drones a touch a around 1700 RPM and then quite a bit over 2300ish. On the highway I'm running about 2050 RPM at ~71/72 MPH and its pleasant enough at that speed, once I get to installing damping material I think it will be perfect.

The turbo is plenty loud for my taste and really whistles at parking lot speeds. I'm also running a wicked wheel so that may be contributing to the note as well. I am extremely happy with how it turned out, sounds (and looks) cool without being obnoxious.

I did have some issues with the fitment of the section over the axle which prompted the custom side pipe, but I know others have installed the Diamond Eye kit with no issues. Good luck with the install, I'm sure you'll have a smile on your face once you hear the turbo spool up.

The exhaust comes in Monday, so we will see how the fitment is.Thanks.

On to another problem.

I bought a set of Glowshift gauges and the sail panel pedestal.

When I pulled the engine cover off, I see that I have a leak, maybe from the turbo? Or turbo pedestal? Not sure. The oil is being blown away from the turbo, so there's a air/oil leak.

I always hear a whistling when I get up to highway speeds. Not a turbo whistle, but an air escaping one.

I'm going out for the day, but gonna pull the turbo later today or tomorrow and see where it's coming from. Hopefully I can pinpoint the leak and fix it.

Pics:

Oil on back side of heat shield:

The leak being blown away from the turbo, facing the front of the van. Taken from inside the cabin.

Driver side of the turbo:

Looks like an exhaust leak from one of the up pipes too. Hopefully a gasket can fix that.