What did you do to your SMB today? - Page 321

Mikerson · 08-01-2021, 07:53 AM

Ok, here’s one where the van helped me finish my project for it.

Finally got my propane door replaced. I had some stainless sheet left over from a project. It was pretty thick and tough to bend and I don’t have the right tools for it anyway. You can’t see it in the photos, but I put a rod under the plate parallel to the square tubes. Then l dropped the front right on it! The bend turned out great and it’s not curved front to back as it looks in the third photo. Thanks van, couldn’t have done it without you!

unreng · 08-07-2021, 03:19 PM

The SMB we purchased three years ago had the amsoil remote filter system. Remote filters can be beneficial if the system is sized properly. Reading the forums and gathering knowledge led us to the conclusion that there is a better solution...and here's what we did.

This is an alternative to the BPD remote oil cooler, just not as good at cooling since the oil-to-coolant heat exchanger still exists. And we can use a 6.7 powerstroke filter (if the filter works better and needs to be changed sooner, we can install a new filter with 1.5 quarts of oil)

1. The amsoil system uses 8an hose, which is undersized. 10an is better, and we elected to go with 12an.

2. The amsoil system uses two filters...we elected for a system that uses one.

3. There is no information online showing that someone has utilized an oil cooler with the amsoil system...we elected to use an oil cooler to help the 6.0 temps.

4. On our amsoil system, someone actually used teflon tape on the JIC flare fittings. we had no leaks, but that's a no-no for that type of fitting.

Step 1: Buy the parts to replace the amsoil system
Improved racing remote filter adapter with thermostat = https://www.improvedracing.com/remot...t-env-170.html
3/4x16 to 1x16 adapter = https://www.ebay.com/itm/22302869214...wAAOSwpdBbLWiL
10an ORB to 12AN hose ends = https://www.summitracing.com/parts/irp-om-10-12
12AN push lock hose = https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-810012
12AN hose clamps = https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-999162
12AN hose ends = https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-200112-bl
10AN ORB to 12AN hose end-90-degree = https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-499213-bl
12AN x 1/2-NPT swivel fitting = https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-499113-bl
Derale 65840 cooler = https://derale.com/product-footer/fl...t/65840-detail
Davies Craig 0500 = https://daviescraig.com/product/digi...witch-kit-0500
Motorcraft FL2051S filter = https://www.summitracing.com/parts/MOF-FL2051S

Step 2: Remove the amsoil system.
This was easy, except for the 45-degree npt to jic fittings in the engine adapter. the outer fitting was overtorqued to get proper alignment.
we prefer straight npt to an fittings because you don't have to overtorque the fitting to achieve alignment.

Step 3: Install the replacement system
We used 12an fittings and hose. our design has one caveat...it requires a bit of grinding to make a 12an x 1/2-inch npt fit in the engine adapter. for a non-grinding solution, you would need a straight fitting and a 45-degree fitting or two 45-'s.

See, someone decided to make the engine adapter with 1/2-inch npt ports at 1.25-inch on center...which is the same size as the flats on a 12an fitting.

our solution was to grind the peaks between the flats of one fitting and grind the flat of the other fitting. if the holes were 1.3-inches on center, no issues.

The two 90-degree swivels were installed in the engine adapter, then 12an push lock hose to the remote filter adapter w/ custom aluminum bracket to attach the filter mount to the amsoil bracket (just some flat aluminum bent into shape and notched to fit), then 12an push lock hose to the oil cooler that is mounted to the front of the fuel tank.

The oil cooler is mounted with four 3/8 x 16 weld mounts with 8040 adhesive. The powder coating was removed and the surface was roughened for adhesion...it's not going anywhere.

Here are the photo's:

And the results:
A l'il history first --- We've done almost everything to decrease the engine heat for the 6.0: remote 65840 transmission cooler, remote H7B power steering cooler, mishimoto thermostat, ELC coolant, engine+FICM tuning, upgraded turbo, turbo blanket, ceramic coating up pipes, upsized exhaust, etc.
There are still things that will help - cold air intake, body lift, smaller a/c condensor, upgraded radiator (custom), upgraded intercooler (custom), BD exhaust manifolds (to install).

Driving 70mph on I-80 between Reno and Truckee in 82-92 degree weather and the highest spread was EOT ~5 degrees above ECT (when the thermostat opens, it drops the temp almost as fast as the fan on full blast). There were times when the ECT was higher than the EOT...going uphill.
This solution won't be as good as BPD because the coolant and oil flow through the same heat exchanger and affect each others temps, but now the engine coolant AND the engine oil have the same thermostat - 185-degrees - and each system has a cooler, which should help balance the systems.

After the test run, we installed an improved racing gauge block in the return hose to the engine to measure pressure and temp, but the temp sender needs to be grounded, which somehow effs up the pressure sender?!?

We tried three ways to sunday and the only thing that works is ungrounded and pressure works...or grounded and temp works...so we went with reading pressure.

Need more drive time to see how well the system functions, but with really crappy air quality for a 200-mile radius, it's difficult.

Twoxentrix · 08-07-2021, 03:47 PM

Chris, I for one would really appreciate a follow up after you've had a more thorough opportunity to "test" your new system(s) in different scenarios; more Long steep pavement grades & slow 4x4 crawls. This is certainly a different approach, and very interesting. I know you put a lot of thought & effort into this, so look forward to hearing if your creative design meets your expectations.

unreng · 08-10-2021, 09:50 PM

got tired of unbolting the battery negative to chassis, so we installed a bluesea 3000 switch instead.

now we can disconnect the house negative +starting negative with a 180-degree turn.

yes...the cable was originally created as a positive for another project as evident by the red heat-shrink. And since I didn't wanna remake a 4/0 cable with lugs, this fit the bill nicely.

Twoxentrix · 08-11-2021, 07:43 AM

^^^^Ha, Mine is currently in the shop for new starter batteries (last ones lasted 6 years), as well as installing a battery cutoff.

Kibo · 08-16-2021, 10:18 PM

I recently completed a large amount of work on the front end of Puplguk. By recently, I mean two months ago; and by large amount, I mean I still haven't finished cleaning up the mess!

I've known for a while that my passenger ball joint was worn, but it took me a while to collect all the parts and muster the energy to take this project on. To begin with, the underside was quite rusty when we bought the vehicle:

I knew that once I dug into things I'd find more work, plus I wanted to remove the rust and paint/powdercoat things to prevent future rust. (In fact, removing rust, prep'ing for paint/powdercoat and waiting for the paint to dry were the worst parts of this whole project!)

I ended up doing the following:

Replaced ball joints with Dynatrac ball joints
Replaced passenger wheel bearing
Replaced axle u-joints
New axle seals
Powdercoated knuckles
Replaced tie rods
Removed excessive rust
Painted axle and steering assembly
DIY alignment

A few photos from the process:

Before greasing and reinstalling the u-joint (kidding!):

New axle u-joints and paint:

Powdercoating knuckles:

Dynatrac ball joints:

DIY alignment:

After paint:

You may notice the rust on the drag link--turns out I miscalculated when ordering parts and bought a drag link with the wrong (truck) taper. I ran out of time to fix that before this trip, but the plan is to either ream or replace the pitman arm so I can fit the new drag link.

As mentioned elsewhere, I also replaced the rear spring front bushings that had failed on my Alcan springs in under a year:

This was all done in preparation for a 2+ week, 3600+ mi road trip to NV/CA/OR/ID. I'm happy to say, the truck did great on the trip!

Kibo · 08-16-2021, 11:27 PM

In addition to the front end work above, we decided to finally tackle the window cover project. We've been using Reflectix cutouts for some time; and while they work, they're neither sexy nor convenient. This project has been a long time coming, and we've been working on it since February.

Step one: sewing machine shopping. After a great deal of research on what to get, and researching options new/used/low-end/high-end, we chose to go high-end with a new Juki DNU-1541S. I'm a sucker for good tools, and this thing delivers!

After doing a number of projects to practice and learn, buying more tools, sampling fabric and materials, and so on, we started with the front windows.

We selected waterproof fabric and PE foam insulation to ensure that the covers will handle condensation from cold-weather camping. Thread and fabric were also selected to endure UV exposure (because duh, window covers...)

Patterning:

Mid-process with baffling and most of the binding in place:

Money shot of the binding stitches--really impressed with the quality from this Juki!

Mounted using magnets embedded in binding:

With the front windows covered (ha!), we moved on to the rears--and with a passenger van, we're talking another 9 windows!

I won't bore you with the development effort, but a considerable amount of time and effort went into creating mounting solutions, selecting stiffeners, selecting magnets, selecting webbing, selecting binding, and developing and vetting the fabrication process.

Here are a few examples, starting with the barn door.

Closed:

Open:

"Peek-through" to allow light with some privacy:

And similar for one of the large rear windows:

Closed:

Open:

Light+Privacy:

As you can see, all of the window covers except the front door covers are attached to the van and roll up with magnetic latches to simplify storage. All of the covers use existing mounting points, no holes drilled nor adhesives used aside from the backing magnets attached to the plastics.

We added the light+privacy fold-down on all of the windows for consistency, but I could see a case for adding it to only a few of the windows instead of all of them. The covers are held closed with magnetic tabs--shown here with plastics, but we also tested one of the rear door windows without the plastic surround just to see how it would work.

Completing all the covers delayed our 3600mi 2wk road trip departure by a few days, but they were a HUGE success! Stealth camping is not a thing in a large purple van like ours, but it was great being able to park at rest areas and have privacy. During the day, the covers did a great job of reducing the interior temps and keeping things comfortable. The covers still allow for the vent windows to function, and with the Maxxair drawing air through the shaded vent windows it was quite pleasant.

We have a few minor tweaks we're going to make to the design based on using them on our trip, but I'm going to call this a win!

snomad · 08-17-2021, 05:12 AM

Your insulated window coverings are really impressive!

You know, all the development time, patterns, new machine could be monetized ... let us all know.

marret · 08-17-2021, 05:38 AM

Yeah Kibo, super well done on both the suspension and window covers. Love that Juki too.

Kibo · 08-17-2021, 07:30 AM

Thanks guys! We're definitely going to offer the covers to anyone interested--it was never our intent to go through this much work for just one set.

For anyone with a 92+ passenger van it should be practically a no-brainer, as we already have patterns. However, we've also devised a workstream for building user-patterned windows as well. (Sorry for the jargon, my day job is manufacturing engineering.)

This wasn't meant to be an advertisement, so I'll post something in the vendor classifieds. Feel free to PM me with any questions. I know that many of us are DIYers, and I'm happy to share our hard-earned knowledge for anyone brave enough to take this on themselves.