93 E350 Ambo camper
- Thread starter Shredface
- Start date
flightcancled
Explorer
Shredface
New member
Its not even the same town anymore! The large box is nice, theres enough room to relax and feel comfortable and not cramped. My dog thinks its all hers though and it hard to argue with a 120lb princess. How do you like those tires? I know someone who has a set on his truck, I've thought about them, save some money on brand new tires.
Shredface
New member
Day Drive
I took the ambo out for a cruise today. It has been sitting for a few months so I had to jump it, and it ran a bit rough for a few but warmed up on the drive. It has been parked for I don't know how long before I bought it, and not driven so it needs some fresh miles. I'm going to take it out in a couple weeks down to the McKenzie river to ride, so we'll see how it goes.
Here is a Look at my starter sink pluming for the short weekend trips. I'll have to upgrade to a better systems when I plan some longer trips, but this will do for now. Still have to secure the propane tank and hook it up.
I took the ambo out for a cruise today. It has been sitting for a few months so I had to jump it, and it ran a bit rough for a few but warmed up on the drive. It has been parked for I don't know how long before I bought it, and not driven so it needs some fresh miles. I'm going to take it out in a couple weeks down to the McKenzie river to ride, so we'll see how it goes.
Here is a Look at my starter sink pluming for the short weekend trips. I'll have to upgrade to a better systems when I plan some longer trips, but this will do for now. Still have to secure the propane tank and hook it up.
Campbulance
Observer
Looking good man. The interior turned out great. Very cool looking dog to.
cjken
Explorer
We generally travel with a dog or 2 as well!
As for tires, it's funny you should ask.
I'm not sure what my end solution will be.
They are not ideal for road travel. Hard to balance perfectly and are really heavy!!
I can't complain I drove all the way across the country and back on them, but I still feel the need for some improvement. Some times the run really smooth other times I feel some minor vibrations that I want to eliminate.
I feel that any vibrations on such heavy tires will abuse my front end components.
I want to stick with "37's or 35's
Right now they still have the run flats inside. I believe this adds 30lbs to each.
My first step when I have some time will be to remove the run flats to see what that does.
I went with these so I could run a wider tire with my dually front hubs. The dually rims are all really narrow.
If I end up running different rims so that I can have more tire options. I will need to swap out my front hubs.
There are not a whole lot of 16.5 tire options out there.
There are some 17" h1 rims out there but they are really expensive!
For now I'm just gonna run them.
Shredface
New member
cjken I could see the runs flats causing balance issues maybe? But overall they are heavy tires. I used to have a couple Ford work trucks with duals and your right they do have narrow rims, I went through a lot of blown Toyo's and bent rims wildland firefighting. The 1000 gallons of water on the back didn't help but we still made it through some fun country! Thanks for the info I have been curious if those tires would be a good deal or not, sounds like a mixed review for mostly paved road use, I'm sure they're fine off road.
Shredface
New member
Trip planned
I got the stove top and propane tank mounted and plumbed in, along with some new speakers to make the drive a little more pleasant. Planning on taking it out for its first trip on a little central Oregon tour for some camping/biking next weekend.
Cant say I am not a little nervous but I have it all tuned up and ready so hopefully all goes well. I'll give you all the run down when we get back.
I got the stove top and propane tank mounted and plumbed in, along with some new speakers to make the drive a little more pleasant. Planning on taking it out for its first trip on a little central Oregon tour for some camping/biking next weekend.
Cant say I am not a little nervous but I have it all tuned up and ready so hopefully all goes well. I'll give you all the run down when we get back.
Shredface
New member
Road Trip Return
So we made it back home in one piece and with few hassles. Before we left I added a few more small touches to the van. I re-purposed a backrest in to a simple headliner for the cab, and made a screen for the back doors for cooler sleeping temps.
The ambo cruised well at all speeds on the highway and averaged 12 mpg which I am stoked about. There was some heat issues with the IDI, I may have a sticky thermostat or a bad fan clutch. It would only heat up when pulling up hills, not the IDI's strong point. I'm thinking that a turbo is in the near future I've been looking at a Hypermax kit, they seem to be one of the few that offer a kit for the vans. It would make the drive so much easier if I didnt slow down to 45 mph on hills and could cruise up them at normal speeds.
It was a good trip, did some biking and came back with a list of upgrades, but camping out of it was a blast.
So we made it back home in one piece and with few hassles. Before we left I added a few more small touches to the van. I re-purposed a backrest in to a simple headliner for the cab, and made a screen for the back doors for cooler sleeping temps.
The ambo cruised well at all speeds on the highway and averaged 12 mpg which I am stoked about. There was some heat issues with the IDI, I may have a sticky thermostat or a bad fan clutch. It would only heat up when pulling up hills, not the IDI's strong point. I'm thinking that a turbo is in the near future I've been looking at a Hypermax kit, they seem to be one of the few that offer a kit for the vans. It would make the drive so much easier if I didnt slow down to 45 mph on hills and could cruise up them at normal speeds.
It was a good trip, did some biking and came back with a list of upgrades, but camping out of it was a blast.
Mwilliamshs
Explorer
If your fan clutch is working you'll know. The temp gauge will rise (in my truck it's from the M in normal to the L, then the fan clutch will lock, you'll feel it in the pedal almost like shift, and you'll hear a freight-train under the hood and the gauge will drop back down, and the clutch will unlock, noise fades, etc. Ford IDI fan-clutches are LOUD. I can only imagine how this would sound in a van, as I've heard it a lot in a crew-cab truck and it's plenty audible. In a stock 7.3 5 speed manual crew-cab dually going on vacation and towing up to 21k I've never had overheating problems. I've crossed the Rockies doing it (not at 21k, more like 16k). I'd recommend a pyrometer. You'll be glad you invested in this. Either you'll find out you have an EGT issue and get it fixed before doing serious damage (like improper pump timing, over-fueling, stopped-up exhaust, etc), or you'll find out everything is fine and be able to relax and monitor things while driving. This will be even more important, vital even, if turbo-charging becomes a reality.
As for climbing hills, here's how that works with an IDI. Horsepower is just a mathematical extrapolation of torque. In the real world and in my experience towing, it's the ability of an engine to maintain RPM (same as MPH) under loads above the torque peak. This is not where IDI's shine. Torque is the ability of an engine to build RPM/MPH below the torque peak. IDI's weak horsepower figures (relatively speaking) mean they don't climb hills at high speed. Their strong torque figures mean they do climb hills, basically no matter what. If you want to climb hills at 60 mph you'll have to find a way to make 60 mph = 2000 rpm with some gears very close together above and below that point to keep the engine on the upslope of its torque curve. This is most visible in the 26' Uhauls running this motor with the Clark 5 speed. It's gears are too far apart to climb hills well but when they've been swapped to the 7-speed OD trans as done on pirate4x4 forums, they climb better, cruise faster, and drive easier. If uphill speed is what you want with an IDI, gears is what you need. I think a built C6 and gear-vendors OD would be perfect for this motor if an automatic were necessary. They're out there and they have very very good reputations in that combo. You get a nice low-rpm cruise then going uphill you downshift to 2nd-over, which is between 3rd and 2nd, then you drop the OD and go to 2nd...all with small rpm changes. Keeps that narrow power banded IDI cookin' all the way up the hill.
They're great engines. Cheap, durable, powerful (again, relatively speaking) and easy to work on. Nice rig!
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Shredface
New member
Thanks Mwilliamshs! I had not heard of the Gear vendors OD it sounds like it could give me a smoother ride up the hill I'm searching for. If the fan clutch is as load and obvious as I read then mine did not engage. I was riding 3rd on my E4OD up a hill the 2nd day out and I had a loud buzzing sensor scream at me halfway up the hill, I was just at into the A in NORMAL on the gauge as I was pulling over when the engine cut out. Guessing the aftermarket control panel has a safety shut off so I let it cool for a while and started it back up. I never had any more issues with the sensor, I proceeded to drive much easier up hills not ridding 3rd at high rpms on the uphills and had minor heat increases. What I would like to find is a solution that gives me some more power uphill, I'm not looking to rip 65-70 mph uphill I just want something that will not give me the 40-50 mph, 3rd to 4th(OD) struggle all the way up. I am not a diesel genius but starting to get a grasp on things, the GV vs. the turbo options are not cheap either way but if I could get some more info on either I would be more than grateful.
Bajablazer85
Member
I want an ambulance now
Mwilliamshs
Explorer
Sorry for the long post!
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You already have OD in your E4OD so a GV would be useful only as a gear-splitter, not for OD. Superfluous IMO. Yes, both "systems" (much more to either one than just a "part") are expensive. The best thing to do is make sure what you have now is working as well as possible, then evaluate any needs/wants for improvements. Most of my opinions/experience of the IDIs are towing, not in ambulances, but I think of ambulances as always "towing" with the wind-resistance of the big bodies and extra weights they always carry. An ambulance will never drive like an empty pickup; it's always loaded/towing.
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IDI tuning is a more technical process than the newer, computer-controlled Diesels. Find a mechanic in your area that can check/adjust your pump timing. A small change there can alter your power curve and output significantly. It requires special and spendy tools like a Ferret pickup and digital timing light or a Luminosity probe and pickup. When a new pump was installed on my truck (stock pump was worn out) the timing was bumped a bit and it really made a difference in the trucks driveability. I'd owned it from ~5k (bought it a year old) to ~150k (sold at just over 200k) and believe me when I say it had never driven as powerfully or towed as comfortably as it did with that small change in timing. It never smoked unless you were really on the pedal hard or towing very heavy and uphill and even then it was a haze, not a cloud. The mileage was as good if not slightly better (too many mixed loads to calculate exactly, but the average didn't change). I always drove with the tach needle just under 2000
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If your Ambo has some mileage/hours on it, a fresh pump and injectors may be in order and you can replace them ALL for under a grand. There are hi-po versions of each available and the IDI's can make some strong, respectable power pretty cheaply through these mods.
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I've ridden in/worked out of some modded IDIs but never owned one, with the exception of the timing bump mentioned above. With an ATS turbo, "Moose pump" and bigger injectors, my buddy's single-cab, short-bed F250 play truck can really embarrass the "coal rollers" around here. It's the drivetrain from a totalled tow-rig that got rebuilt and dropped in a stripped work-truck (rubber floor mat, no stereo, etc) that lost a 351 and had its frame shortened to fit a parking-lot sweeper unit. Lightweight + Strong = FUN. Mine was on stock 200k+ mile injectors when sold and running very very well, but when the pump got tired it was obvious. The pump was replaced by a busy/popular local diesel shop that replaced it and retimed the motor but I was unhappy with the "tune". It just never seemed to settle down at speed and didn't run as smoothly as it had originally. I spent some time looking for a different shop and found a real "IDI guy". When I got the truck back and hauled that first load of hay I was grinning from ear to ear.
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Long story short, an IDI is never gonna be a modded Powerstroke for 70 mph hillclimbs but they can run very well, make plenty of power to move serious weights reliably, and get good mileage. The original turbo IDI's were of the non-wastegated, non-intercooled type and liked more RPM to build boost (at least ~2400 is where the ones I've driven like to pull) but they sure do tow nice, especially with automatics. It's possible to build a more modern wastegated system that builds boost and tows well at lower RPM (right below 2000) but I think that system would favor a manual transmission. Stock non-turbo engines are happy well below 2000 cruising with a dense load like rock or lumber, and need more than that for a high-drag load like a heavy 5th wheel camper but obviously want more RPM in either case when ya get to a hill.
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If I were in your shoes I would: 1. Get the timing checked and set by an IDI guy. Drive it hard and heavy and see what you think. Take the mechanic for a ride if you can and talk to him. Get the timing set where you like it. A pyrometer is essential for these changes. Melting pistons will never happen or even be a concern if you have a gauge and tune/drive accordingly. 2. Shop around for a turbo. There are used systems for the pickups available often but I don't know about the vans. They may use the same parts? I wish I'd turbo'd my truck when it was new. It would have had more power and gotten better mileage all that time I owned and used it. Those heavy 5th wheel campers and bulldozers and loads of hay would have been more manageable and I probably would have kept the truck a little longer. With an automatic and/or on a budget I'd probably find a non-wastegated system but with a manual I'd build for maximum low rpm grunt and get a small turbo to spool fast and a big wastegate. With the packaging hassles and low power/heat levels we're talking here I wouldn't bother with an intercooler. Just not enough room to fit one easily and not enough benefit to justify going to a lot of trouble fitting one at the power levels you're seeking. IF (big if) heat management became a concern with a turbo IDI (ESPECIALLY in a van) I'd do what works so well with 6.5 turbos: Water/methanol injection works great for charge cooling and is way easier to install than an intercooler. It's beautifully simple. Sure you have to fill the tank but with an ambulance body you can fit as big of a tank as you want (20 gallons would be way overkill and not take up that much room really) and put it some place easy to fill and water/meth is cheap. Filling water/meth is NO big deal in my experience. Use just enough alcohol for antifreeze properties and you'll see optimum cost/benefit. Snow Performance is the brand I know best. Lots more info on these options if you're interested. Just ask and I'll bore ya! LOL
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Oilburners.net is the best resource I've found for these engines.
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You already have OD in your E4OD so a GV would be useful only as a gear-splitter, not for OD. Superfluous IMO. Yes, both "systems" (much more to either one than just a "part") are expensive. The best thing to do is make sure what you have now is working as well as possible, then evaluate any needs/wants for improvements. Most of my opinions/experience of the IDIs are towing, not in ambulances, but I think of ambulances as always "towing" with the wind-resistance of the big bodies and extra weights they always carry. An ambulance will never drive like an empty pickup; it's always loaded/towing.
.
.
.
IDI tuning is a more technical process than the newer, computer-controlled Diesels. Find a mechanic in your area that can check/adjust your pump timing. A small change there can alter your power curve and output significantly. It requires special and spendy tools like a Ferret pickup and digital timing light or a Luminosity probe and pickup. When a new pump was installed on my truck (stock pump was worn out) the timing was bumped a bit and it really made a difference in the trucks driveability. I'd owned it from ~5k (bought it a year old) to ~150k (sold at just over 200k) and believe me when I say it had never driven as powerfully or towed as comfortably as it did with that small change in timing. It never smoked unless you were really on the pedal hard or towing very heavy and uphill and even then it was a haze, not a cloud. The mileage was as good if not slightly better (too many mixed loads to calculate exactly, but the average didn't change). I always drove with the tach needle just under 2000
.
.
.
If your Ambo has some mileage/hours on it, a fresh pump and injectors may be in order and you can replace them ALL for under a grand. There are hi-po versions of each available and the IDI's can make some strong, respectable power pretty cheaply through these mods.
.
.
.
I've ridden in/worked out of some modded IDIs but never owned one, with the exception of the timing bump mentioned above. With an ATS turbo, "Moose pump" and bigger injectors, my buddy's single-cab, short-bed F250 play truck can really embarrass the "coal rollers" around here. It's the drivetrain from a totalled tow-rig that got rebuilt and dropped in a stripped work-truck (rubber floor mat, no stereo, etc) that lost a 351 and had its frame shortened to fit a parking-lot sweeper unit. Lightweight + Strong = FUN. Mine was on stock 200k+ mile injectors when sold and running very very well, but when the pump got tired it was obvious. The pump was replaced by a busy/popular local diesel shop that replaced it and retimed the motor but I was unhappy with the "tune". It just never seemed to settle down at speed and didn't run as smoothly as it had originally. I spent some time looking for a different shop and found a real "IDI guy". When I got the truck back and hauled that first load of hay I was grinning from ear to ear.
.
.
.
Long story short, an IDI is never gonna be a modded Powerstroke for 70 mph hillclimbs but they can run very well, make plenty of power to move serious weights reliably, and get good mileage. The original turbo IDI's were of the non-wastegated, non-intercooled type and liked more RPM to build boost (at least ~2400 is where the ones I've driven like to pull) but they sure do tow nice, especially with automatics. It's possible to build a more modern wastegated system that builds boost and tows well at lower RPM (right below 2000) but I think that system would favor a manual transmission. Stock non-turbo engines are happy well below 2000 cruising with a dense load like rock or lumber, and need more than that for a high-drag load like a heavy 5th wheel camper but obviously want more RPM in either case when ya get to a hill.
.
.
.
If I were in your shoes I would: 1. Get the timing checked and set by an IDI guy. Drive it hard and heavy and see what you think. Take the mechanic for a ride if you can and talk to him. Get the timing set where you like it. A pyrometer is essential for these changes. Melting pistons will never happen or even be a concern if you have a gauge and tune/drive accordingly. 2. Shop around for a turbo. There are used systems for the pickups available often but I don't know about the vans. They may use the same parts? I wish I'd turbo'd my truck when it was new. It would have had more power and gotten better mileage all that time I owned and used it. Those heavy 5th wheel campers and bulldozers and loads of hay would have been more manageable and I probably would have kept the truck a little longer. With an automatic and/or on a budget I'd probably find a non-wastegated system but with a manual I'd build for maximum low rpm grunt and get a small turbo to spool fast and a big wastegate. With the packaging hassles and low power/heat levels we're talking here I wouldn't bother with an intercooler. Just not enough room to fit one easily and not enough benefit to justify going to a lot of trouble fitting one at the power levels you're seeking. IF (big if) heat management became a concern with a turbo IDI (ESPECIALLY in a van) I'd do what works so well with 6.5 turbos: Water/methanol injection works great for charge cooling and is way easier to install than an intercooler. It's beautifully simple. Sure you have to fill the tank but with an ambulance body you can fit as big of a tank as you want (20 gallons would be way overkill and not take up that much room really) and put it some place easy to fill and water/meth is cheap. Filling water/meth is NO big deal in my experience. Use just enough alcohol for antifreeze properties and you'll see optimum cost/benefit. Snow Performance is the brand I know best. Lots more info on these options if you're interested. Just ask and I'll bore ya! LOL
.
Oilburners.net is the best resource I've found for these engines.
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