Belafonte Reboot....Ambulance to 4x4 Camper Conversion
- Thread starter tgreening
- Start date
Took a trip to my tranny builder today to drop off my old torque converter. Don't know if it's good, bad, or indifferent, but I figure while it's apart I might as well. That mind-set kills me on projects but I never learn. Might as well this and might as well that, when all I wanted to do was brake pads or something, and next thing I know it's a frame off rebuild. 
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That's a neat little adapter on a standard engine stand that lets you mount a tranny instead. First thought was "slick, need to get me one of those", and then I saw this...
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I can't believe how much crap they stuffed into what was probably a pretty low tech OD tranny, compared to todays' versions. I've done manuals but never cracked an auto, and not sure I want to.
Just keeping track of where all those little check-balls and springs go in the valve body is bad enough. The next picture is just the xfer case adapter and some other pieces in the parts cleaner, which kind of reminds me of the industrial dishwasher I used to use when I was a cook/dishwasher.
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And my new torque converter. It's nothing special, just a stock type replacement. I told my builder it was never going to be a high horsepower race truck and the heaviest load it would ever see might be pulling itself, and maybe my car trailer with my Jeep on it. He figured the stock unit would suffice. And if in the long run it doesn't, pulling the tranny was really not that bad. Having access through the dog house made things pretty easy as far as unbolting, with the lack of a partner being the biggest time waster.
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Didn't get any work done on it today. I went and checked out that little Ford Ranger I had my eye on. It was in pretty good shape on the surface, but I could tell the previous owner liked mud boggin. Some of that stuff stains as bad as dye and you cant' get it out of the metal short of a steam cleaner or sand blaster. The dealer slapped on a cheap body lift and some chinese off-road tires, did a DuPont rebuild on the undercarriage, and a stuck a premium price tag on the window. I passed.
I went to my shop to pick up a small plasma cutter and checked out my axle. It's blasted and ready to come home for a rebuild, but I need to get some way to handle it over here, which is this...
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It's pneumatic and the cats pajamas for lifting an axle into place, or the entire rear end of a vehicle off the ground for something. It'll get something higher off the ground than you might be comfortable with. Not even close to maxed out below...
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I love our new neighborhood and the 1st rate school system, but man do I miss my old garages. The one pictured was 4,000 sq ft of insulated infrared heated goodness with a pair of lifts and an office. It wasn't just my man cave, it was a whole man-cave system. The national park of man-caves. I wish we'd had time to build when we decided to move, but it wasn't in the cards. I'm hoping to get close to half that sq footage back eventually but I'll have to do some sweet-talkin with zoning to get a variance.
Probably not much more than putzing about will get done from now till after the new year, but I should have most of my stuff together to start rockin. Getting to the point anyway where I can picture backing it out and hittin the asphalt. Woot!!
That's a neat little adapter on a standard engine stand that lets you mount a tranny instead. First thought was "slick, need to get me one of those", and then I saw this...
I can't believe how much crap they stuffed into what was probably a pretty low tech OD tranny, compared to todays' versions. I've done manuals but never cracked an auto, and not sure I want to.
Just keeping track of where all those little check-balls and springs go in the valve body is bad enough. The next picture is just the xfer case adapter and some other pieces in the parts cleaner, which kind of reminds me of the industrial dishwasher I used to use when I was a cook/dishwasher.
And my new torque converter. It's nothing special, just a stock type replacement. I told my builder it was never going to be a high horsepower race truck and the heaviest load it would ever see might be pulling itself, and maybe my car trailer with my Jeep on it. He figured the stock unit would suffice. And if in the long run it doesn't, pulling the tranny was really not that bad. Having access through the dog house made things pretty easy as far as unbolting, with the lack of a partner being the biggest time waster.
Didn't get any work done on it today. I went and checked out that little Ford Ranger I had my eye on. It was in pretty good shape on the surface, but I could tell the previous owner liked mud boggin. Some of that stuff stains as bad as dye and you cant' get it out of the metal short of a steam cleaner or sand blaster. The dealer slapped on a cheap body lift and some chinese off-road tires, did a DuPont rebuild on the undercarriage, and a stuck a premium price tag on the window. I passed.
I went to my shop to pick up a small plasma cutter and checked out my axle. It's blasted and ready to come home for a rebuild, but I need to get some way to handle it over here, which is this...
It's pneumatic and the cats pajamas for lifting an axle into place, or the entire rear end of a vehicle off the ground for something. It'll get something higher off the ground than you might be comfortable with. Not even close to maxed out below...
I love our new neighborhood and the 1st rate school system, but man do I miss my old garages. The one pictured was 4,000 sq ft of insulated infrared heated goodness with a pair of lifts and an office. It wasn't just my man cave, it was a whole man-cave system. The national park of man-caves. I wish we'd had time to build when we decided to move, but it wasn't in the cards. I'm hoping to get close to half that sq footage back eventually but I'll have to do some sweet-talkin with zoning to get a variance.
Probably not much more than putzing about will get done from now till after the new year, but I should have most of my stuff together to start rockin. Getting to the point anyway where I can picture backing it out and hittin the asphalt. Woot!!
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Btw, I'm looking for some input (preferably graphic) on how to get from this.....
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back to something like this...
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Both the seats fold flat like you see, and I'm trying to figure out something that maybe folds up against that wall when stowed, and then folds out across the top of the seats when deployed. It would be great to keep the window visible in the process. I know that could most likely be handled by having a matching opening cut in the fold-out, with an insert to be placed in it for use, but the general design is eluding me at the moment. IOW, some photoshop or sketchup guru figure this out for me while I work on the mechanics of the 4x conversion. Hey, at least I'm honest.
back to something like this...
Both the seats fold flat like you see, and I'm trying to figure out something that maybe folds up against that wall when stowed, and then folds out across the top of the seats when deployed. It would be great to keep the window visible in the process. I know that could most likely be handled by having a matching opening cut in the fold-out, with an insert to be placed in it for use, but the general design is eluding me at the moment. IOW, some photoshop or sketchup guru figure this out for me while I work on the mechanics of the 4x conversion.
Hey, at least I'm honest.
patoz
Expedition Leader
I learned about automatic transmissions the hard ($$$) way. In the early 80's I was driving a 1978 Ford Bronco with a 351 Windsor engine and a C6 transmission. I pulled the engine and rebuilt it, and replaced the torque converter with a performance model, but when I tried to put it all back together the engine wouldn't mate up properly with the bell housing. I was working alone so after three days of messing with it, I finally 'forced' it to go together (we won't go into that ) using some longer bolts, nuts, and washers, to pull the two together.
That worked, but then the transmission wouldn't shift, so I finally called a repair shop and asked them about it. They suggested I had probably broken the thrust washers with the torque converter shaft when I forced it back together. He also stated, transmissions are designed to be assembled standing on their tail so the washers will stack and stay centered. In my case, they fell downward since the transmission was horizontal when the torque converter was pulled. I guess that's what that special alignment tool is for, you know, the one I don't have.
) using some longer bolts, nuts, and washers, to pull the two together. That worked, but then the transmission wouldn't shift, so I finally called a repair shop and asked them about it. They suggested I had probably broken the thrust washers with the torque converter shaft when I forced it back together. He also stated, transmissions are designed to be assembled standing on their tail so the washers will stack and stay centered. In my case, they fell downward since the transmission was horizontal when the torque converter was pulled. I guess that's what that special alignment tool is for, you know, the one I don't have.
Thought about the inflatable as well since I already have one, but I'm being stubborn (surprise). I want to fold it out, sleep, fold it back up, and go. Inflating and deflating would take like, MINUTES, and who has that much time laying around just to waste?
patoz
Expedition Leader
Gotcha! What's hurting you is the height of the bucket seats when folded. I don't see how you're going to be able to keep the seats there, and have room for a fold or slide out platform and mattress cushions both.
I would love to have a couple of swivel Captain's Chairs with a table or stand in between sitting there, but having a comfortable bed is much higher on my priority list. I'm thinking about doing the slat thing, which will slide out to make a singe, double, tipple, or anything in between bed.
Here are some pictures I got from another build on here, but I can't remember which one, so my apologies to the owner/builder.
1. Two sections open as one or separately to the storage underneath.
2. Two sections slide out to make a three section platform.
3. Seat cushions become bed mattress.
But, no place for the bucket seats to go when all this happens.
This guy goes into more detail on how to make the sliding slats.
http://deepredmotorhome.com/bed.php
What's hurting you is the height of the bucket seats when folded. I don't see how you're going to be able to keep the seats there, and have room for a fold or slide out platform and mattress cushions both. I would love to have a couple of swivel Captain's Chairs with a table or stand in between sitting there, but having a comfortable bed is much higher on my priority list. I'm thinking about doing the slat thing, which will slide out to make a singe, double, tipple, or anything in between bed.
Here are some pictures I got from another build on here, but I can't remember which one, so my apologies to the owner/builder.
1. Two sections open as one or separately to the storage underneath.
2. Two sections slide out to make a three section platform.
3. Seat cushions become bed mattress.
But, no place for the bucket seats to go when all this happens.
This guy goes into more detail on how to make the sliding slats.
http://deepredmotorhome.com/bed.php
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Not a boatload at the moment. I got the tranny out of the back of the truck and on the tranny jack. I had bought some ebay "superduty" mirrors that were supposed to fit a 1992 but they don't, by any stretch, so I didn't bother with any photos. Need to get those sent back. Been doing some honey-do work in the house to get the wife back to her happy place. Bought a ratty-*** old Ford Ranger as a winter beater so I didn't have to drive my F-450 for the winter. I hate rust and salt so I dont drive my truck in the winter when it's sloppy out. Dry sunny weather only! But mostly I dont drive it winter time. Decided I liked driving around a little truck so decided to find a bit newer, better shape Ranger, and then decided it was just a little bit too small. Settled on a Toyota Tacoma of all things so been huntin down one of those. Found one I liked, and had it sold out from under me. Found another and drove 2 hrs to go jump on it, and arrived 15 minutes too late. Strike 2. Found another tonight, put a deposit down, and will head back tomorrow to have a daytime look-see to see if I'm as interested in good light as I was in the dark and 20 degrees.
Anyway, zero-degree weather is not much of a motivator to get out in the garage. The torpedo heater gets it liveable but it takes awhile, and in the meantime motivation takes a hit. But, once I get my truck situation rectified I'll get back at it.
Anyway, zero-degree weather is not much of a motivator to get out in the garage. The torpedo heater gets it liveable but it takes awhile, and in the meantime motivation takes a hit. But, once I get my truck situation rectified I'll get back at it.
flightcancled
Explorer
Tacomas are the best! I have a set of actual Ford oem superduty mirrors on the way to swap out the stock Ford tow mirrors. I'll post a.writeup.
patoz
Expedition Leader
I'm at a standstill on mine also. I decided to sell my 2001 Toyota Sequoia to a friend of mine, so I'm trying to get it ready to go. It's the SUV version of the Tacoma, and has every option available for that year.
It has a few minor non-critical electrical things that need to be repaired, some of which I can probably fix myself.
I don't really want to sell it, but just don't have any place to keep it out of the weather. Since I bought the F250, I don't drive it much and trying to keep it up is getting to be a pain. I'm just getting too old and tired, and have too many other projects going on to deal with it. So, rather than watch it sit there and deteriorate, I decided to sell it before that happens.
It has a few minor non-critical electrical things that need to be repaired, some of which I can probably fix myself.
I don't really want to sell it, but just don't have any place to keep it out of the weather. Since I bought the F250, I don't drive it much and trying to keep it up is getting to be a pain. I'm just getting too old and tired, and have too many other projects going on to deal with it. So, rather than watch it sit there and deteriorate, I decided to sell it before that happens.