Headache's Mobile Money Pit

[Headache]

Any plans for it? Nice sized van, can even tow!

Making it into a camper van and material hauler!

 

[Headache]

If you pass through Pahrump Nv, I can help you with the build out.
Last year I went to Jamie's build out party and had fun with it.

Thanks bunches!  I won't have the money for a build out(explanation in an upcoming post) but there is something I'd like to have done but I'm not sure how or if I should go about it since I'm not an engineer.

I'd like to put the spare tire up on a rack on the back door and use the space it was in for a battery compartment for house batteries.  However, I'm not sure regarding the weight back there.  Bob recommended I eventually get 4 batteries for a 600 watt system.  Is a battery compartment build possible?

 

[Headache]

Looks like a great project awaits.
I'm just guessing but the brake prob sounds like a flex line.

It's a misbehaving caliper and a warped rotor.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Thanks!  I can pick one up in town.  That will save me some money.  Were the bolts hard to break loose?

Yes, very hard. Some of the bolts are still in the floor... hoping the shop can remove them!

 

[DannyB1954]

I'd like to put the spare tire up on a rack on the back door and use the space it was in for a battery compartment for house batteries.  However, I'm not sure regarding the weight back there.  Bob recommended I eventually get 4 batteries for a 600 watt system.  Is a battery compartment build possible?

The tire carrier might be available from a wrecking yard. The battery box should be easy enough. Making it vented would take Some thinking.

 

[DannyB1954]

I'd like to put the spare tire up on a rack on the back door and use the space it was in for a battery compartment for house batteries.  However, I'm not sure regarding the weight back there.  Bob recommended I eventually get 4 batteries for a 600 watt system.  Is a battery compartment build possible?

The tire carrier might be available from a wrecking yard. You can buy them new on Amazon for about $130. I have one on my van. the problem being the door it is on does not open fully, (the tire hits the back of the van). Cargo racks that mount in your receiver hitch may be a better option. The battery box should be easy enough. Making it vented would take Some thinking.

 

[Headache]

I realized today I'm not going to have the money for a build on the van until later(about 3 months).  I was going over my bills and saw that if I pay for everything I need to I'm going to run into a deficit.  Not only that, it rains nearly every day.  That robs me of energy and motivation while getting little done.  Therefore I came up with a plan:

1) Get the least amount of mechanical work done possible for now.  Do the absolute essentials and leave the rest for the following months after I leave.  I don't need to do much to make it road worthy.  In fact the only thing really stopping it(literally) is the one brake locking up.  Oh and the serpentine belt squeal on start up but since there are tensioners on that motor I'll have to have that looked into as well.

2) Get the carpet and pad out asap so the interior can dry out and I can identify where the water is coming in and rectify it.  Thankfully the S.W. is much less soggy than the P.N.W. if I have to leave something be.

3) Go back to parking at the church which is free to do and not pay to stay at this RV park.  It will only be a for a few weeks anyway.

4) Use everything I'm using currently except the bed frame I'm using now.  I'm going to try and get a more suitable one built before I leave so that way I have more room for future build projects.

By doing the above I won't run out of money, especially because the cost of things as well as sales tax is much less elsewhere.  People don't realize that it is all too possible to become so broke you can't move and I want to escape here before that happens.  Between selling my current but soon to be ex-van and waiting until the first week of next month I'll have a little money to cover the less expensive unforeseen issues that may occur.

It's not a "perfect" plan but makes my escaping this state more possible.  Your thoughts are welcome.

 

[Headache]

The tire carrier might be available from a wrecking yard. You can buy them new on Amazon for about $130. I have one on my van. the problem being the door it is on does not open fully, (the tire hits the back of the van). Cargo racks that mount in your receiver hitch may be a better option. The battery box should be easy enough. Making it vented would take Some thinking.

I've been looking for one but no luck.  I want it to go on the left door as you look at the back.  I don't open that door as often. 

I have a carrier for a receiver hitch but the new van doesn't have a hitch.  I'm going to look into having this one taken off and put on the other van before I leave but it will come down to affording it before I have to sell this one and time.  I was going to put the generator and water jugs back there.

As far as vented I just figured to use some flat stock with holes in it that can slide open and closed. That way while I'm using it for storage they can be closed and when the batteries go in I can slide the holes open. I have some I'm using for the air intake on the ammo can wood stove. I'll have plenty I can bring with me.

 

[masterplumber]

That van should make a nice home. Carpet should come out fairly easy. I noticed it has rear ac and heat, that is then ducted to the ceiling vents. That's almost universal for those school vans. As others have mentioned in other builds, you can't just yank that out if it's in the way. It needs to be capped off properly. My advice would be to build around it if you can since money is tight right now, even if you remove all the plastic trim and leave it uncovered under the bed or something. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Sounds like you plan to head to the southwest, but if you happen to get to Colorado I'd be willing to help also.

 

[djkeev]

If it were my Van, Job #1 (after fixing the brakes) would be to remove that carpet and dry out the interior. Little is worse than sucking in mold and mildew as you drive.

Keep in mind, the carpet may not be trash and may need little more than a good steam cleaning and a week in the warm sunshine.

You will NOT be able to install a new carpet that fits the curves and odd shapes of the floor as well as the factory preformed carpet does.

Find a helper with a hose and have him/her spray portions of the Van while you are inside looking for leaks. The doors are always suspect as are the window seals. Bad body seams (such as rain gutters) have also been known to allow water in. Also antenna /washer nozzle/ wiper shaft/ etc perforations can leak.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Dave

 

[dr_nelson]

Congrats on your van!
Will you be installing your ammo can wood stove in your van?

I have a 2001 E350 Extended, too. My seat belt bolts were a T55 star bit. My spare tire is underneath the floor in the back. Since it is already on the outside, if you put your house batteries there, would venting still be required?


For bolts that are tough to loosen, I use PB Blaster ($4 at Walmart) and a pipe to get some leverage/force on the wrench.

Sorry to hear about your situation, but I see you are making the best of it. Wish you all the best for your plans and some warm and dry weather!

 

[closeanuf]

If you have an electric impact getting the bolts out would be a lot easier.  They are cheap at harbor freight or you might rent one.  Get some ear protection.

 

[ArtW]

^^This, impact wrenches just make life easier any time you work on a vehicle

 

[Headache]

Busy busy!  I'm tardy on updates but I have been taking pics!  I'll post them soon I hope!  I'll try to comment/answer everyone in this post.

I already knew that Ford likes to make things difficult on the home repair person but this really takes the cake; there are at least 5 different star bit sockets for seat belt bolts!  The one for the van I just bought was a T47.  The one for the van I'm in now is a T50.  I'll find out how hard they are to get out soon because I have to remove 3 rows of them.  I would have liked to have removed the plastic already...  

An impact wrench is not going to make my life easier right now because I have no way to power it.  I have to think outside the box until I get south or to someone's place where I can do these things.

I won't be doing anything to the rear a/c and they aren't just common on buses, they are common on vans like mine too.  There's nothing special about this van other than who owned it(a kids recreation club http://www.samena.com/).  It doesn't have a bus designation from the factory.  Anyway, when the plastic comes out I'm just going to Red Green things until I figure out where the leaks are coming from.  Everything will be in tent camping mode until then.  No sense in installing a new floor or anything permanent just for it to get wet.

Speaking of leaks; I had it parked overnight at a shop to address what I thought was a belt squeal(turns out it's the starter gear retracting, probably because it sat for 5 years) and I stopped by this morning to look for leaks after a night of pouring rain and wind.

BONE DRY!  Even on the floor next to the barn doors!

I don't get it.  There is obvious water staining in the headliner above some of the windows.  The carpet was soaked and the cardboard and padding had mildew from front to back the day I looked at it indicating it's been getting wet for awhile.  When I went to tear out the carpet and it was dry except around the seats but the padding all over was damp.  I pulled all of it up I could and cut away as much as I could from around the seats(I can't take the seats out).  Other than the dampness in the corner where the jack is and under the seats the entire floor was dry.  While the floor itself had the familiar bubbles under the paint and some rust it's really not bad at all.  There might be some slight pitting but it's so insignificant from the patches I've really looked at.

When the leaks are addressed a nice flat floor will be going in.  I haven't decided on what will be going on the plywood but it has to be durable enough for me to slide lumber on it.

I talked to someone today and my putting a battery bank where the spare is now is not going to mess with the weight distribution any so that's good.  However, I'm not liking the spare tire holders I've found online mostly because I have to drill holes for the 8 lug.  I can't/don't want to drill holes.  Then I thought no biggie, I'll mount it on the front bumper.  It shouldn't affect the cooling too much being I won't be pulling trailers.  However, being I have an E4oDEAD transmission I might not want to do that.  This decision will be tabled for now.

That's it as far as the build that's not a build yet.  On the mechanical front things just keep getting better and better.  The guy who did the front brakes said they were new all around but since it had been sitting for so long in a damp environment one caliper got fubared but the rear drums were in fantastic shape.  My bus driver buddy seconded regarding the caliper and told me that there wasn't a Ford built E350 chassis he's driven where one DIDN'T lock up.

Right now it's in the shop because I heard a squeal and assumed it was the serpentine belt.  It's the starter gear as I mentioned above.  I also hear air when I press on the brakes so they are going to check the vacuum booster.  I'm awaiting their call now.  Otherwise it looks like I'll be heading out sometime next month!

 

[Gunny]

Take a couple of trips through a high pressure car wash and look for leaks. Good Luck with the build.

Rob

 

[Headache]

Someone asked about the ammo can stove and yes at some point it will be installed in the van.

Right now I'm sweating the bed. I'll have to figure out the frame so it fits around the wheel well and filler tube. I'm just going to make it from 2x4s and nail it together right there in Lowe's parking lot so I can have it all done in one go. I'm going to cut the width of my current mattress down by a foot and use that as the back pad OR if I'm lazy enough I'll take a binder strap and crank it till it pulls the mattress in so it looks like a big couch.

I did buy a folding metal frame that allows for storage underneath but the height is trashing my knees. I need shorter. The height is going to drop by about 5 inches.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

It's all progress!!! YAY!

 

[highdesertranger]

get a garden hose and flood everything that could be a source of the leak. this works best with two people one on the hose and the other on the inside looking for leaks. highdesertranger

 

[Dennis]

Have you checked your heater core to see if it might be source of a leak around your seats? Other possibilities are areas on the firewall where there may be old seal(s) that have dried out....if not the windshield.

Check your third brake light seal at the roof line. Wouldn't hurt to check seals around rear brake/tail lights. My 93 Chevy van had water coming in there around the jack. The original municipal owner had sealed around with silicone.

A gap between the barn doors at the top is a very likely suspect for water inside. I think it all depends on which direction the rain is coming from and wind speed. I have adjusted mine and really needs a seal kit all around but for now just gets on the inside steps sometimes.


About the wet headliner. I had same issue on a 1995 Ford van. Wet around the edges at side windows. Got tired of that and sealed top of windows real well. Never could get that to stop but never saw water coming in. Still a mystery to me. Wanted to blame it on condensation but it didn't start that until I drove it for several years.

I know you know all this but may be something you have overlooked.

 

[Headache]

I don't have access to a garden hose that I can use.  They don't even allow washing RVs at the campground.

I forgot to add this link to more pics and such.  It's where I'll be posting extra info and such as I git er done: 

My Money Pit!