Belafonte Reboot....Ambulance to 4x4 Camper Conversion

[rlrenz]

The current trend is to use bulk hose, and clamped fittings instead of crimped. Hoseline (www.hoseline.com) supplies AC equipment to most of the ambulance builders, and their catalog has pages of odd ball and unique fittings for specific applications. Hoseline will sell to individuals - but they are definitely not a cheap supplier.

In my case, I've been able to borrow a vacuum pump from a friend when I needed it, but I haven't needed one for my ambulance - I just work from a 30# canister of R134a using my gauge set. I topped off my buggy yesterday at a cost of less than $8. The cost for 134 in one of those fancy TV recharge kits is about $20 for a 12 oz replacement canister, or about $26 per pound. A regular 12 oz 134 canister (without anti-leak or dye) runs about $6, or $8 per pound. Working from a 30# canister the cost is about $3 per pound. The recharge I did didn't surprise me because I had no idea what the charge was when I bought it, and considering the size of the system, I realize that I'll need more 134 than if I was charging an SUV.

 

[Bikersmurf]

The ends are about $60 plus labour to install. A car recharge starts at about $175, and the Ambo likely uses 2-3 times the fluid. Add purging the system, the legally required pressure test, and before you know it it's up to $500.
I previously installed a new pump, replaced the hard lines, and most of the rest of the system. If I'd paid a shop to do all of it, I'd be broke for sure.

 

[Abitibi]

Oh dear, I'm in the same boat bikersmurf, my rear AC is useless (I actually disconnected power from it as I was considering a complete rear AC removal) and on my current trip to Southern California I realized my front AC isn't doing much either... I wonder if they have better/cheaper AC shops here in San Diego?

Sent from my SGP511 using Tapatalk

 

[Bikersmurf]

Probably... Our prices suck here.

 

[tgreening]

Probably... Our prices suck here.

Man I guess maybe. I don't think I've got $250 in the whole thing, including fixing the line.

 

[tgreening]

So I'm cruisin home from my shop today, windows down, hair (bald head) blowing in the breeze, enjoying the summer heat driving my beast. Turn down my road, stick my arm out the window doing that flying thing with my hand, and POW, something nails me between the thumb and index. That kinda stung methinks. Dayummm, that really stings! I looked at my hand and there was just a big blob of goo there that used to be a flying something, ands its stinger sticking out of my hand.

"from Hell's heart I stab at thee!"

It was good for a sympathy smooch from my wife though.

 

[patoz]

Hahaha, what are the chances of that? He must have been flying butt first, with his stinger out!

 

[rlrenz]

A comedian used to say "Moths are all on dope....... Why else would a boy moth tell his girl friend moth "Watch me knock this Chevy off the road!""?

With luck, it was a bee or a hornet, and not a humming bird!

 

[guidolyons]

You know the first thing that goes through a bee's mind when it hits tgreening in the hand?


It's a55.

:elkgrin:

 

[FDM2012]

Hey Tom, I have been reading through your thread and finally finished. Great stuff.
Since I have no intention of any REAL aggressive 4x4ing, I am glad I bought an already built Quigley.
I guess the PSD was my big bonus. While reading, I found myself crying from both the agony of your build, and the humor.

Not too long ago, you mentioned you still weren't quite happy with the stance. Any ideas yet of what you might change?

I plan to do some long distance travel in mine, and I'm not so sure that I want to go bigger than 35'' tires.
After I change out my rear rotors and pads, (and maybe add that trans cooler...) I am moving into Phase 2.
Which will be to make the box "Bug-Outable". Hmmm...... That might make a good name!! I have been struggling with a name...

Then, I will be lifting with Ujoints 2'' blocks, Agile's RIP kit (1'' lift in the front, and I figure that will be close enough to ending box weight,
so I will have my rear leafs rebuilt locally.

Sorry to ramble on YOUR thread, but I rarely see anyone talking about ride improvement and/or bump steer after all these mods. I am
trying to measure twice, and cut once.

How does your rig currently handle?


From The Land of Humid,

Eric

 

[tgreening]

Truth be told I probably wont change anything in the foreseeable future. It's just that it's a big enough beast a 37" tire doesn't really look all that big (to my eyes) and it would probably look more proportional with something around 40". BUT, that is getting to the point it's going to be putting a real strain on other parts of the drivetrain. Hydraulic assist steering is on the point of being a necessity, along with hydroboost brakes, and axle components start to get iffy even with a D60/D70.

Fender clearance up front, blah blah.


On your rig the 35s are probably a good choice from a size standpoint, but I'm not sure what fits with a Quigley kit.


It's a 10,500# building on wheels. Handling only gets so good. It steers well, tracks straight, has no bumpsteer, and brakes straight. The front end is tighter than any of the later generation Ford Super Dutys I've had. Chris has done his homework and put together a solid kit from a handling standpoint. As far as I can tell Ford steering kind of sucks. Prone to a bit of bump steer even brand new factory stock, and under the right conditions death wobble can be felt lurking in the shadows.

It's a bit wallowy (is that a word?) when making turns, even with a front anti-sway bar but...see that part about it being a 10,500# building on wheels. I could probably add a rear sway bar and tighten it up a bit more, but I'm fine with it and just drive it within it's limits.

Shocks might be a bit under valved for something of this weight. A call to Agile for a discussion about shock tuning is on the list of things to do, but it's not a critical item at the moment.

I'm pretty much happy with the way it handles and rides and don't know that I'd change too much.

I'm not big on the name thing and doubt I'll ever give it an official one. Belafonte is a leftover from the PO which I left just for the folks that wanted to continue to follow it's progress.


Oh. No pictures, it didn't happen.

 

[FDM2012]

Thx for the reply. I have been going back and forth with John at Agile, and they are doing a conversion
on an ambulance right now.

Once it is done, I think he is going to be totally dialed in on the shock tuning. I am waiting to order mine until he
finishes it up.

I have been driving Ford vans 250's and 350's for YEARS, so I know what you mean. They can be sketchy and self minded. Just like
a few of my ex-girlfriends..... One reason I am still single at 46 and able to do a project such as this! lol

Thx for the feedback. I am really diggin' this whole experience. Not just the build, but slowly becoming a member of this community
of Ambo Fans.

One more thing. On your turbo. Did Hypermax say how much boost you should see? Obviously, it will be lower than a PSD, but with
my Wicked Wheel 2, and fuel/exhaust mods, I am pegging my 30psi gauge. I think I need to get a different housing, so that I can
have a waste gate....

Considered putting an aggressive wheel inside that sucker? It might get you into the 20's....???
Can the IDI handle that? Headbolts, valves, and whatnot. I have no idea.

I did find this in another forum:

"Turning up the power is really easy, but BE SURE to have gauges on there before you do anything. If you turn up the fuel too much, the result is cracked pistons later on down the line. The ATS turbo is OK, not as good as the Sidewinder system, but much better than a NA 7.3. As for locations to get EGT and boost, its really easy. Drill & tap the driver's side exhaust manifold, just above the oil filter. You'll see a good spot to do it when you get under the truck. If I remember correctly, you can just tap into the wastegate signal line for your boost gauge. I do not think there is a port in the plenum for a boost gauge... Stock, it will probably make about 7-8 psi boost, and around 1,150-1,200 degrees in the manifold. Do not exceed 12 psi and 1,300 degrees.

To improve airflow in & out of the engine, get a good air filter and lose the muffler. The turbocharged 7.3L sounds really good without a muff. The factory muffler is really restricitive.

Now for the good stuff... Turning up the fuel. Looking at the engine from the front, find the injection pump. On the left side there will be a small plate with two small bolts holding it on. I think they are 7mm. Before you remove this plate, remove the access cover on the front of the timing case that covers the injection pump bolts. Rotate the engine until the alignment pin is at the 12 o'clock position. You'll see it when you remove the access cover on the gear case. Once you get it to the 12 o'clock position, remove the plate on the side of the injection pump. Inside there, you will see a small hex screw. This is the main fuel adjustment. I think it is 5/32." Rotate this screw about ONE flat on the allen driver. This should be enough, and you'll still be in the safe range, as long as the stock EGT is not too high. You also may need to adjust the wastegate for a maximum of 12 psi boost. Anything higher than 12 psi will give you head gasket problems later down the line.

One thing to keep in mind... The 7.3IDI has a bad reputation of building heat. Not necessarily excessive EGT, but its the engine temp you'll want to keep an eye on. The 7.3 has relatively thin cylinder wall, which do not dissipate heat well. I have seen so many problems with cooling issues on these things... Be sure your fan clutch works, and your cooling system is full of good coolant with the right amount of DCA in it."

 

[cjken]

FDM
35's will fit on the quigley no problem. I had 37's which required some fender hacking. The 35 will probably just require a bit of bumper trimming. Maybe a tiny bit of fender adjustment. You will need to swap your dually front hubs out if you want to run a regular rim. Also the SRW front hubs will not have the provision for the tone ring to retain the quigley ABS functionality

 

[FDM2012]

I am pretty sure I am going to run BFG KO2's https://tiresize.com/ 315/75 R16

I already have some 10'' steel rims with a 2'' offset, and I will just have my current DRW hubs machined like this:


From my rudimentary measurements, it will be REAL be real close as to whether I need to break out some saw blades.

I am hoping to change out my rear rotors this week, and I will slide on the empty rims and see how they look.

 

[FDM2012]

Tom, this is something you might be interested in, when you need spares.

http://orlando.craigslist.org/wto/5642834687.html