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

[Bikersmurf]

Here's what's wrong with my spring install.

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See it? Maybe a close up.

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Of the 3 bolts used in installing a rear spring, only 2 of them go in this direction, and this isn't one of them. Big bummer for me, because it grinds on the mount big time and has to be turned around. Naturally there isn't enough room to just pull the bolt out because the walls of the compartments on each side prevent it. Not enough clearance. I totally did not see this when putting the springs in because it's kind of hidden when working from the wheel well, and I never thought to crawl around and check it from the back. Oopsie!

So the only question is just how much disassembly I have to do. Hopefully I can just unbolt them at the mount and jack the rear up high enough to drop that end of the spring low enough to clear the compartment walls. Haven't checked close enough yet, but I won't hold my breath.

I got to own this one. No where to point my finger and lay blame this time!

Gotta git this stuff done! Expo is coming quick.

On the drivers side I was able to put it in the other way by having the end of spring higher than the frame. On the passenger side I trimmed the extra length of bolt off a couple threads past the end of the nut. On the P/S their is a 'conduit' for the rear heater hoses above the shackle so it wont go above the frame.

 

[rlrenz]

I need to clarify: can you use a Sawsall to cut the end off the bolt where it is?

 

[tgreening]

I need to clarify: can you use a Sawsall to cut the end off the bolt where it is?

Gotcha. Not sure to be honest. I can take a look at that tomorrow and if it's doable I'd have to give it some thought. If access is good it would definitely be the easiest/fastest thing to do, but if I ever need to pull that stuff apart again I'd have to buy new bolts to get it back together. You see how the end is kind of pointy? That helps to get it started through the hole because the shackle hole and spring holes won't quite line up, and I'm pretty sure Ford is quite proud of those bolts from a cost standpoint.

Odds are though, if I can I will, because odds also say once it's back together I'll probably not own it/live long enough to ever need to take it apart again.

 

[Bikersmurf]

The bolt goes in fine even without the pointy tip... it might take a bit longer to line it up, but once every 5,10,15 years it doesn't really matter.

 

[tgreening]

Got the spring issue all sorted out. In the end I might have been able to do the sawzall thing but I elected to bite the bullet and do it the right way.

Pointy bolts: On a stock swap they might not be actually necessary but I'll tell you when swapping in these modified springs they're dang near mandatory, at least if working by yourself. The eye to eye length of these springs were quite a a bit shorter than even the "old" Ujoint springs, so with the shackle bolted to and the front of the spring bolted in, getting these things to stretch out enough to get the rear bolt in was interesting. Bottle jacks, floor jacks, mulitple prybars, and a whole bunch of holding the tongue just right were involved.

I bought one of those Harbor Freight air over hydraulic 20T bottle jacks and that sucker was the cats posterior, even though the bleed valve was a bit sketchy. It sure beat the snot out of pumping the bejeezus out of the manual version (which I have as well).

Still rides nice. I was a bit worried the ride would suffer but seems fine to me.


Alrighty then! Next up is how to mount my fat-as... uhm, fat-bike to the back. I'm trying to avoid the whole hitch mounted bike rack thingy. And I've got a short awning I'd like to mount across the back above the barn doors. I'm not sure how to go about that without having the usual roof rack to mount it from. Same goes for a side awning I have as well.

I'm wondering at what point this thing becomes "done".

 

[Bikersmurf]

Mine had an awning mounted across the back above the top rear lights. It is self supported and went out about 4'. I want to cut it down to the width of the box (88" vs the 96" it currently is). It was bolted through the upper curved section at the edge of the roof. The 1/8" skin seems to be plenty strond with the 4 bolts that mount it.

After I cut it down it'll be the roof over my campsite kitchen.

 

[FDM2012]

Tom,

Is it sitting level now?

I have the same clearance issue on my drivers side front bolt. You sure are convincing me to just go with a
high end helper spring of some sort.....or bags?

I am sagging just a tad now.(springs are noticeably de-arched) I will be adding 500lbs of batteries and
by the time I do a filled water system, propane tanks, and gear, it will be adding over 1000lbs to what it is now.

Obviously, some of that weight will be distributed to the front (which will raise a little after I do the Agile RIP kit)
but I know I will need to do something to gain a couple of inches and to just get the springs working again....

This will all be a "Next Year Project", as I am now trying to get it excursion ready for a detoured trip
to Dallas (Home Sweet Home) at Christmas. Plus, the existing tires are still around 75%, so no great hurry.
I want to get the weight all loaded in, and then evaluate the suspension.

Am I going at this correctly?

 

[tgreening]

My opinion is that a helper spring in an already shagged out spring pack is a temporary bandaid at best and won't last.

I like air bags for keeping a load level, but not leveling an already shagged out spring pack.


If it were me ( and it was!) I'd figure out where I wanted to be height wise and how much full time load I'm likely to carry, and have new springs made accordingly. This would be the point I'd decide if I wanted bags or not. If my daily load were not likely to change much I wouldn't worry about them. If my load were likely change often enough, and heavy enough to significantly alter the stance, I'd probably add bags.

I hate that butt-dragging-in-the-sand pre-runner look some guys go for. I like my vehicles level at all times. I've used bags on several vehicles, the last being the F-450 I pulled my camper with. That pickup was good for 5,100# of cargo in the bed, but my camper had a rolling pin weight of 4,300# and could get a pretty good sag going on. I put automatic adjusting airbags in the truck, set the height where I wanted it, and never adjusted it again.

If I put fuel in the truck they'd pump up to make it level, and bleed off air as I burned fuel back out. Hook up the camper, 30 seconds later a level truck and level again 30 seconds after unhooking. I love bags in something that hauls constantly changing loads.

I think in your case I'd plan on the new springs in conjunction with whatever you end up doing with the front end. I'd use the time between now and then to address any clearance issues you may have when it comes time to start R & R'ing stuff. If a compartment is obstructing your front bolt like mine was, hole-saw a hole in the compartment and make up a cover plate for it. They did that in both compartments for D and P side shackle bolt access, but didn't do it in the compartment that blocked my drivers side front bolt access. Who knows why.

 

[FDM2012]

Yeah. I reckon a 10 leaf setup with a 4'' block (currently 9 leafs and 3'' block) is probably where I am probably headed..........

It's a ways down the road, so hopefully by then, I will be more motivated to not be lazy and cheap about it!! lol

And I TOTALLY agree about being level. NOT a fan of that "Duner" look.

As always, Thank You for your input.

 

[patoz]

Eric,

I will be adding 500lbs of batteries and by the time I do a filled water system, propane tanks, and gear, it will be adding over 1000lbs to what it is now.

What size fresh water tank are you planning on, and will you have a gray water tank also?



Tom,

I put automatic adjusting airbags in the truck, set the height where I wanted it, and never adjusted it again.

Can you tell me more about what you used, or post a link to it?


Thanks guys!

 

[rlrenz]

One thought down the road might be to prowl through some junk yards and look for the bits and pieces for an automatic leveling air suspension package. One came standard on my Medic Master / Freightliner, and I really saw how well it worked when my son loaded nearly 1000 pounds of railroad air brake parts in one side compartment - and the truck stayed level.

Some air bags, an electric compressor, some leveling valves, and a few more bits and pieces would give you a lot of flexibility.

 

[tgreening]

Yeah. I reckon a 10 leaf setup with a 4'' block (currently 9 leafs and 3'' block) is probably where I am probably headed..........

It's a ways down the road, so hopefully by then, I will be more motivated to not be lazy and cheap about it!! lol

And I TOTALLY agree about being level. NOT a fan of that "Duner" look.

As always, Thank You for your input.

There's really nothing wrong with your plan. Four inch blocks are used all the time by the factory, but even so that's about where Id max out in blocks. No big deal in a grocery-getter but when you start going over that in something meant to haul load, and the ******** to do it, axle wrap can really start to be an issue. Tall blocks just exacerbate the problem.

I've seen lots of people stack blocks for cheap lift and it's a booty-fab solution at best. Shoot, one time I saw a Dodge with 3 stacked blocks in the back AND in the front.

He thought I was admiring his junk when in reality I was mesmerized by the shear stupidity on display.

 

[FDM2012]

@Pat: In my parts boat, I hae a water system that I will be pulling out. I believe it is a 30 gallon. and yes, I will do some sort of a gray water tank.

@Bob: Great idea. I will stay on the lookout. LOTS of wrecking yards in this part of Florida, but haven't seen much on Ambo's, yet.

@Tom: Yeah, NO MORE than 4'' on the blocks. Axle Wrap = NOT GOOD

 

[patoz]

Thanks Eric, looking forward to see how you mount them!

 

[tgreening]

Eric,



What size fresh water tank are you planning on, and will you have a gray water tank also?



Tom,



Can you tell me more about what you used, or post a link to it?


Thanks guys!

These were the bags I used on my F-450. These are a Firestone system. I used these because they mounted inboard of the spring on the axle instead of on top of the spring. The controller I used was from Airlift, and as far as I can tell has been discontinued, but the 2nd pic appears to be what replaced it. They also now have a dual-path automatic system, which they didn't have when I bought mine. At least I don't think so.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fip-2446?seid=srese1&cm_mmc=pla-google-_-shopping-_-srese1-_-firestone&gclid=Cj0KEQjw9vi-BRCx1_GZgN7N4voBEiQAaACKVsUxN4bdPoPDq00VK4RqKUdzMUuqvbdbDseJRGMOHEAaAuRB8P8HAQ


https://www.airliftcompany.com/shop/25490/