97 E350 Crestline Ambo Build/Mod

[Bikersmurf]

Sold the 1908 Union Special and recovered the cash I’d put into it… + a few extra $$$ towards the time I spent making it all work right.

The school doesn’t have space in the classroom for the 1938 Singer. I spent some time and got it working right. It will sew very thin material without distorting it. So I’ve decided to keep it for the time being. It’ll sew paper thin to moderately thick materials.

The Seiko walking foot was moderately thick to heavy (3/8”+) and tough materials. I’ve got a few more replacement parts on the way to replace worn parts. At this time it doesn’t sew thin material without bunching it up. I’ve got a servo motor coming for it. Likely it’ll be just for denim, canvas, vinyl, and leather. I believe that is where it’ll shine. I’m so used to old machines… it seems odd to have one that is still in production and being sold in North America.

I’d love to have the time to make a soft-top and reupholster the 40s seats… maybe some time in the next couple years or so.

 

[Bikersmurf]

The Seiko came with a roll of thick vinyl and upholstery fabric. I’d like to use this material to create a prototype (reproduction) soft top. We’ll have to see… the floor repairs should come first.

 

[Bikersmurf]

The 2004 Am/Fm/CD/MP3, I previously swapped in, was dead in the “water”. At first I thought a fuse was blown, but the multimeter told me otherwise. Reinstalling the basic factory AM/FM radio confirmed it was an issue inside the ‘04 unit.



On close examination I found that the copper inductor had one pin broken off. A friend who builds electronics for a living said that heavy components like it should have external supports to prevent metal fatigue which leads to failures like this.

I removed the inductor, added a jumper where the wire broke off, scraped the green coating off the circuit board, and soldered it back in. The jumper is now soldered to the top side of the circuit board and the other pin is soldered to the rear. The inductor in pressed firmly into the circle of double sided adhesive foam beneath it.

It’s now working perfectly. Since it lasted 21 years, and an unknown number of miles, I didn’t try to secure it beyond the adhesive beneath it. I suspect that the new connections will outlive the rest of the car stereo.,, time will tell.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Front ‘01 rotors are too thin to turn. Once the pads are worn a bit more, I’ll likely replace them with ‘08 rotors, ‘08 callipers, and ‘08 pads.

Anyone in BC or Alberta have ‘08 or newer components they’ve pulled off for a 4x4 conversion?

The way prices are here, it’ll likely be $1500 (about $1200 USD). I’d like to save a couple bucks if possible. That said, I’d be happy to have upgraded brakes and all new components and lines in the front. I’ve already replaced all of the rear brakes, and upgraded to an ‘01 master cylinder.

 

[Bikersmurf]

The stock brakes on my ‘97 are uninspiring. Especially compared to the disc brakes I have on my “1974” Fj40. I have “” because 90%+ of the original truck has been replaced.

The front discs are 4 piston callipers on the front and the rear are 1.25”+ thick vented rotors that use a massive single piston. They were originally front brakes from a ‘77 Chevy Blazer (also 3/4” ton pickups, Suburban, and other six bolt Chevy vehicles). It’ll stop on a dime. The first set of pads on the front lasted 20 years and 95k miles about 150k kms.

The brakes on the ambulance work well enough, but they only last 20-30k kms. I have replaced the pads twice in 60k kms and the new rotors are worn away in about 50k kms. It wouldn’t be so bad if a pair of rotors weren’t $600-1000 dollars.

 

[iggi]

The stock brakes on my ‘97 are uninspiring. Especially compared to the disc brakes I have on my “1974” Fj40. I have “” because 90%+ of the original truck has been replaced.
The front discs are 4 piston callipers on the front and the rear are 1.25”+ thick vented rotors that use a massive single piston. They were originally front brakes from a ‘77 Chevy Blazer (also 3/4” ton pickups, Suburban, and other six bolt Chevy vehicles).

No coo or

The brakes on my 2009 are surprisingly good.

 

[keane]

I'm needing to upgrade my front brakes in 99 ambo as well. Just put new pads in the front again. Never thought of going to newer year brakes. Will have to look into that.

 

[Bikersmurf]

I'm needing to upgrade my front brakes in 99 ambo as well. Just put new pads in the front again. Never thought of going to newer year brakes. Will have to look into that.

I have another thread on the topic here. The spindles are the same P/N, and Chris @ujoint says he has done the swap a few times. The pistons in the callipers are larger, and the rotor is thicker & 1/2” larger in diameter.

I already have a 2001 master cylinder & booster that has a larger bore. I haven’t checked if they changed between 2001 and 2008.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Had some fool cut in front of me on the highway (60 mph) and he then slammed on his brakes. It’s a good thing my brakes are all in good shape and I had recently adjusted the rear drums as well.

He still would have been road kill if I wasn’t paying close attention. 10,000 lb+ Ambulance vs 4000 lb pickup will never end well. You don’t need to know much physics to know the pickup will loose. Makes me want to get on modifying the Iron Cross bumper I picked up for $100 to fit it.

I’m also considering swapping the rear Dana 70 axle for a Sterling 10.5 axle with disc brakes, and upgrading the front discs to 2008+ Discs and Callipers. I’ve been very careful to avoid overheating the front rotors, but the paint is still pealing off the hub near the rotors.