And now the moment you didn't know you've been waiting for...Atl-Atl's 4x4 Ford E350 RV documentation thread!!

[Atl-atl]

Man what a project! My only suggestion is a Magnetic knife holder in a moving van is a terrible idea! I assume you'll only put knives there when you are stopped?
As for the Starlink have you considered a 12v swap?

We will definitely only be using the knife holder while cooking, thanks for looking out though! As for the Starlink, I wired up an inverter that has been powering it correctly. When we get back from this weekends camping trip Ill have more details about it.

 

[Atl-atl]

Sooo after installing the Starlink and plugging it into my inverter I quickly realized I dont have the correct type of inverter to run a Starlink. My inverter is some old multiple sine wave thing and Starlinks require a pure sine wave. It took a little googling to find this out and sure enough I wound up on Renogys website because if you need an inverter you should be looking at a solar panel companies website, right?

So I wound up with 400 watts of solar.


These are the same panels I had on the Go Fast Camper on my Tacoma. They are super thin and lightweight and you only need to use 3M double sided tape to stick them to the roof. Less holes is better on an RV roof. I managed to connect all the wiring through Y connectors and then squeeze the wires through the same fitting as the Starlink cable. I wound up covering it with roof sealant just in case. Only downside is its not the tidiest wiring ever but this thing isnt exactly aerodynamic so who cares?


I wired the panels in parallel instead of series because I wanted to keep the setup simple and use a less expensive PWM controller. Ive got a generator at the flip of a switch so I dont need anything crazy. Once again same controller and bluetooth module as the GFC. Wires all came down into the cabinet above the dinette which made for a convenient place to install the controller.


Put the new inverter in the same spot as the old one. Its about twice the size but its not super intrusive and I didnt need to relocate the power wires or the wiring for the Starlink so it was the best location.


As evidenced by my previous post, the Starlink is working pretty well. We camped North of Flagstaff with minimal to no service and I was actually able to stream video on youtube and facetime with my mom for mothers day! Hopefully this level of service keeps up. I think as time goes by Starlink service continues to get better.

So backing up a bit here, I checked about 300 things off my list last week in order to try taking the truck out for a night to learn what we need/want ahead of the big trip. I installed a roll up shade on the big dinette window, sewed drapes for the windows in the bed area and also to divide the bed from the rest of the RV. Installed the track bar, adjusted the steering wheel some more, got the fridge up and running, installed and painted some shelving in the cabinets, made up the bed, picked up the rear bumper that was finally done at powdercoat, installed it, installed the bike racks (which thankfully I measured correctly and 3 bikes fit) installed the storage bin, spent an entire day figuring out what all I need and what all will will fit in this small amount of storage (truck tools, bike tools, electrical tools and gear, recovery gear, fresh/grey/black water equipment etc) installed the ******** pipe and endcap, installed the hitch extension, mounted the backup camera, is that everything? I cant actually believe this is all done. Anyway, here are some pictures.





By Saturday evening we made it camping and everything worked great.

 

[RVflyfish]

Man that thing has come so far since your first photos. And in a hurry too. You do not mess around! Looks great, kudos.

 

[Atl-atl]

Hey, really like what you've done. Couple few if I may...

- Was the CAT wt with driver ?

- Were you able to remove any notable heavy items from the orig build to gain payload (jump seat for eg) ?

- See you have integrated a dog crate in the refurb. That would be a big adjustment for our Windy Lab. But obviously he cant be floating around in the back making sandwiches and drinking beer while we drive. How's it working. Need lots of stops to move around or does dog just chill ?

- Do you see any need for sometimes temporarily covering the coach interior step well ? - thinking of dog again.

Many thx !

Thanks!

• Im not sure what your first question is asking, please rephrase.
• Yes, The jump seat behind the passenger front seat was removed which probably was ~50lbs. The metal structure was incredibly heavy. I also removed the microwave which was probably ~30lbs with everything that was holding it in place. I definitely added more than I removed though building the structure for the dog crate and the dresser above it and also adding the oven. The 4x4 conversion adds approximately 800lbs in total. I havent weighed it yet with everything done and loaded up with our belongings and full tanks but I will once we're on the road and stop at a truck stop with a scale. Im planning to still be under the GVWR considering it had seat belts for 7 and we are only traveling with 2 and one 45lb dog. We also spec'd the new springs for much more weight. To say it handles better than stock is a huge understatement.
• Our dog is crate trained, she really only goes in there to sleep or lay down when we're stopped and hanging inside. When we are traveling she is on a leash that is attached to one of the front seat bases and she has a big bed to lay on. She does get up and move around a lot but she cant roam the RV freely while traveling because she isn't the most stable or coordinated dog hahaha.
• I have not yet seen a need to cover the coach step well. It's an interesting idea but I think we wouldn't use it very often. Time will tell since we have only spent one night/day in it so far.

 

[ujoint]

Epic, love seeing it out being used!

 

[Atl-atl]

@Atl-atl , sorry I mean CAT scale weight posted early in this tread. Did it include driver ? If you are posting wts later, no worries.

I dont want to obsess on weights but Im seriously thinking about converting one of these, just dont want to be over again on the next rig. And figure it will be super close with these chasiss.

Thanks on the dog info. Our guy can be unsteady on his feet (meds side affect) so I prob would cover steps. Dont know tho, never had a dog before, or an RV...

Other thing giving me pause is waiting for an off rental 7.3 Have read the fuel consumption is a bit less than the 6.2 Im in Canada and near a rental outlet so may wait till this winter /next spring

Thx again !!

That was with me in it, Im about 200 when dressed and shoes on ha. Also I think the water tank was about half full, cant remember the gas level and the grey/black were empty. Ill try to get it weighed at its absolute max when we set off. Im also curious about this.

What meds is your dog on? Ours has epilepsy and shes on crazy meds that sometimes make her incredibly unstable.

I specifically chose to not get diesel because it seems like a hassle, more expensive fuel and maintenance nightmare. If I could have I would have gotten a 2020 or newer rig with the new 7.3 gas engine.

 

[Atl-atl]

Thx. No rush.

Same deal with our Lab. Idiopathic epilepsy in his case, since ~15 months. Now almost 3 yo. Still a work in progress on the cocktail but currently on Kepra, Pheno, Potassium Bromide. All at once. Whole nine yards.?.

Still gets the grand mals (2-4 wks recently). It's the temperary loss of vision during the post ictal that concerns me with the stairs, sharp corners, etc

Good dog tho. Heartbreaking at times but we have a special kind of bond I think, what with the situation. As you will know.

Only detail all this because its not something you hear about often yet it is a quiet reality for some pets and their owners.

No way! Ours is also idiopathic but we suspect it occurred around the time she had surgery for a wound she got at a dog park. There is some evidence to show that anesthesia can cause Epilepsy in dogs. Happened at 2 years old, she is now 7. Shes a 45lb mutt. For years she would have seizures every 6-8 weeks and they would be clustered about 3 in a short time frame and typically not more than 30-40 seconds in length. After seemingly endless attempts at tweaking her cocktail she has finally made great progress. Shes on the same mix of Keppra, Pheno and Bromide, not sure the exact doses right now, my wife has spreadsheets for everything. She handles everything since she had the dog before we met so she has a much better grasp on the situation than I. She also gets a 3 day regimen of Clorazepate immediately following a seizure. She recently went 18 months without a seizure which was incredible but unfortunately had one a few weeks ago. She doesnt know and doesnt care and still has puppy like energy at 7 but its sometimes a nightmare dealing with her meds. Getting enough in reserves for our extended trip has been like pulling teeth with the neurologist and pharmacies, especially the pheno since its a class C control substance. If you have facebook the canine epilepsy group has been a huge help. https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineEpilepsy/

 

[b. rock]

Looks sweet. Nice taste on the Revel too. My single biggest holdback from going this direction...is the external bike storage. CO is absolutely brutal with bike theft, and that cable lock on there would be gone in ~15 seconds, and I see you're not using the 1up lock either (granted those just attach to the wheels anyway). I don't see a good way to wiggle the bikes inside without redoing almost the entire interior though. Any thoughts now that you've had it out and camped with it? Oh yeah, and how's the mpg?

 

[Todd780]

Looks sweet. Nice taste on the Revel too. My single biggest holdback from going this direction...is the external bike storage. CO is absolutely brutal with bike theft, and that cable lock on there would be gone in ~15 seconds, and I see you're not using the 1up lock either (granted those just attach to the wheels anyway). I don't see a good way to wiggle the bikes inside without redoing almost the entire interior though. Any thoughts now that you've had it out and camped with it? Oh yeah, and how's the mpg?

What about a class C toyhauler with a 4x4 conversion?

 

[b. rock]

Ha, no. More like an E350 version of the Ekko but with actual 4x4.

 

[Atl-atl]

Apologies for leaving y'all hangin. Time to play catch up. The trans is fixed!!

This tiny plug was missing. There is a decent possibility I would have figured it out on my own by pulling the t-case but this is a situation where I want and need to have 100% confidence in the vehicle so I decided to have a shop with 50+ years of auto transmission experience figure it out and fix it. Im slightly sad I didnt do it myself but Im more confident for the trip and now I know what the problem was. And you know what they say, knowing is half the battle.

This little guy was missing.


In the mean time Ive been working tirelessly tightening up all the loose ends. I wired up the Anderson plug in the front bumper and converted the alligator clips on my air compressor to an Anderson. Now I dont have to pop the hood to air up or jump start someone. I wanted to hard mount the compressor and run hose to the air line in the bumper but I simply ran out of time.




Also got a cover and mesh bungee for the bikes, window shades that work extremely well at keeping temps down but also keeping out prying eyes.




Then I filled up all the tanks, we put all our gear in for a test run and ran over to the scale...drum roll...SHES FAT If you recall it was about 8500 pre 4x4 and empty.


So we decided to go for 3 nights in Patagonia Arizona which if you arent familiar is a tiny town in far Southern Arizona that has become a mecca for gravel cycling but also is a riparian corridor with a man made lake at the end. Its beautiful, about 10-15 degrees cooler than Phoenix and Tucson but is still tiny and relatively unknown so you can show up and camp on a creek on memorial day weekend and dont need a reservation. Maybe I should be saying this. We did 3 totally different nights; one remote camping night, one state park camp ground that was basically an RV park and one "RV park" in town that is really just someones yard who caters to cyclists and hikers on the Arizona Trail. We learned a ton about the rig and this trip helped immensely with our prep for the real deal.


Had a couple casualties along the way but hey, thats why you do a shakedown run. Had a brake line that wasnt secured well enough and the tire rubbed off the rubber coating. Thankfully I caught it before becoming a catastrophic failure. Also must have snagged a valve stem on a rock or log and wound up with one tire at 15psi. Didnt figure that one out until we were back in Phoenix. That could have been bad. I since have gotten all the valve stems replaced with TPMS units. I didnt previously know the truck had TPMS until the light came on one day after putting on the new wheels.


Lots more coming over the next few days. Im typing this via Starlink from the shore of the Gila River in Western New Mexico so Im going to finish my Coors, enjoy the sounds and go to bed.

 

[Atl-atl]

One of the last pieces of the puzzle was getting the vinyl wrap graphics created, made and installed. Our original plan was to wrap or repaint the whole truck, which was going to be done by a professional. As we ran out of time and over budget we decided on a simpler but potentially cooler and more painstaking vinyl option, self-installed graphics. Since there are no more new ideas for literally anything on earth, I hopped online to get some "inspo." Tapped a friend who does graphics to make a cooler version of some things I found and then had another friend print the graphics. Which I would be installing myself.

In the meantime I was checking off another 100 things from a list that never seems to end or even get shorter. Got the truck aligned which had to happen at a commercial shop because of the size(namely, height) of this stupid thing. Get the windows tinted. Find an RV park locally where I paid to make a fool out of myself learning how to empty the grey/black water tanks and fill the fresh water and propane. Go to the hardware store for the 10,000th time to get freshwater fill hoses, black water flush hoses, a variety of fittings for the hoses, disposable gloves, baggies, disinfectant, you name it and I didnt think about needing it. This doesnt even include fitting everything inside the RV for the kitchen, bathroom, bedding, blankets and pillows, clean clothes storage, dirty clothes storage, shoe storage, dry food storage, cleaning supplies, bike tools, electrical and plumbing supplies, regular tools, recovery gear for offroading, camping equipment like a tree saw, hatchet, firewood carrying bag, leveling blocks for wonky parking situations, tarps for who knows what and misc. everything that you need to live in a vehicle full time that nobody ever tells you about. Its cramming an entire house(and then some) into 150 square feet.

Anyway, the graphics are done, finally. For anyone that has installed vinyl its incredibly hard. It took me two full days of at least 8 hours apiece and it still looks terrible. Its a ten-footer for sure. Looks great in pictures and standing back but up close its full of wrinkles and zippers and blemishes. I did my best and that will have to do. I also added some cheesy stuff like our instagram handle @darlington.adventures, some misc. funny things like "one less sprinter" stickers and one of those maps with the state flag stickers for every state. I think its fun and dont care if the locals in Marfa balk at it...

50% of this job required being on a ladder since the graphics start 12 feet in the air. No pics of that for better or worse.




Unfortunately the graphics didnt turn out correctly. The inset trees that appear purple were supposed to be a medium gray. They look a little better in person but still not what the original rendering looked like. The graphics were created by a trusted friend that is a pro and they were printed by a trusted friend that is a pro and somehow they didnt turn out correctly. Im out of time and needed to just get them installed so we can leave on our trip. Im not mad but it cost me $1800 to have them designed and printed so Im kind of mad. Oh well.



Anyway. I finished up yet another 100 things before, like the narcissists we apparently are, throwing ourselves a going away party hahaha. Added a pinboard map of the lower 48 and hung it on the wall, added some other art, got a rug, trimmed and installed a teak floor for the bathroom put the final kitchen stuff and bedding in place, drained and filled the tanks one more time etc.





All loaded up and ready to go, showing off the bikes, which will be covered 99% of the time.

 

[Todd780]

Wow! That looks really good! Enjoy it!

 

[RVflyfish]

I know $1,800 isn’t chump change, but in the scheme of things, purple trees don’t take away from you turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse in record time.

I’m OCD too, but if I accomplished what you did, I’d grab a beer, pull up a chair, and pat myself on the back. Kudos.

 

[Atl-atl]

Quick recap of our first week.

Gila Forest NM (abso-fukin-lutely beautiful place thats on nobodys radar) Camped next to a river and a mile from the Gila Cliff Dwellings.




White Sands NM




Marfa, TX (this "art installation" is actually about 30 miles outside of Marfa but whatever, instagram ruins everything.) Marfa is 100% overrated and literally a trash cow-town in the middle of nowhere Texas. In all seriousness, dont go, its a waste of time that deserves curse words this forum doesnt allow. (for a close second see the earlier pictures of White Sands, worth all of 12 minutes of your time and $0 but its costs like $30. If you want to see cool dunes that dont beloong in the middle of the country please go to Great Sand Dunes in Colorado instead.)


Mexico, USA, sure.


This is a Rhino at a winery in Fredericksburg TX called Rhinory. It has nothing to do with the RV but its cool. Yes its an actual Rhinoceros(of the Northern White Rhino variety) and its quite friendly, you can pet it while you drink wine. He is 7 years old and weighs over 4000lbs. He will be over 6000lbs when fully grown. Nearly as much as an overland rig but he's less than 10 feet long.