1989 IH/Nav UHaul Camper Conversion

87manche · Feb 15, 2012

irab88 said:
^ filtering and heating. just warm enough to keep the stuff from solidifying.

50/50 diesel/waste oil seems to be just fine.

and in fact may be better for the DB2 pump since all of the lubricants have been stripped from ULSD diesel.

It just needs to be filtered so you don't clog your fuel filter, and when I finally get that setup I plan to do another remote mount fuel filter in an easier to change location to protect my factory one.

mrstang01 · Feb 15, 2012

Thanks for the backup guys. Had seen it done, and as I stated, the fuel oil has NOTHING to do with with the lube oil.

Bustin Loose · Feb 15, 2012

Back up? I tell you what, come on over and check out all the seals that are leaking on my block due to the thinness of the synthetic over "regular" oil and the possibility of it happening inside my engine right now. If you don't think that would have any significance then I stand corrected. Otherwise I stand by my statement that it most certainly does.

mrstang01 · Feb 15, 2012

OK, that's NOT what we were talking about. We were talking about burning oil as fuel, nobody said that synth oil won't do a number on internal seals, that's a different and well known issue.

Bustin Loose · Feb 15, 2012

mrstang01 said:
OK, that's NOT what we were talking about. We were talking about burning oil as fuel, nobody said that synth oil won't do a number on internal seals, that's a different and well known issue.

That's why I brought it up initially that they'd have to play well together because I was. I'm having issues(that I don't have a finger on exactly yet) now but if part of that is internal seal seepage it's burning off.

87manche · Feb 15, 2012

Bustin Loose said:
That's why I brought it up initially that they'd have to play well together because I was. I'm having issues(that I don't have a finger on exactly yet) now but if part of that is internal seal seepage it's burning off.

have you tried some stop leak?
sometimes it swells the seals up just fine and they're good to go, sometimes it' 10 bucks wasted.

if it works you save a whole lot more than the $10 it costs for the gamble.

Do you have seeps and weeps or gushing oil?

angryblack · Feb 17, 2012

Have you settled on what type of wire your going to use for you high voltage?

Factor in the cost of outlets, outlet boxes and whatnot..If you putting up walls then its cheaper, if the electrical will be in conduit on the outside the costs go up..

Be sure to pigtail all your outlets..This way if there is a bad outlet you only loose that one..Try to stay away from fancy smancy switches and the like..Replacements that are cheap and easy are best..Household stuff isnt made to be vibrating down the road and can fail easy..

Since you have the room you can run incandescent lamps with cfl bulbs for shore power..Just be sure your not paying the bill

.. Id go led and keep all the lights on the 12volt side..

Bustin Loose · Feb 17, 2012

87manche said:
have you tried some stop leak?
sometimes it swells the seals up just fine and they're good to go, sometimes it' 10 bucks wasted.

Do you have seeps and weeps or gushing oil?

I hadn't considered it because of the relatively poor performance of those kinds of products.

When I bought the truck the PO said he'd added quite a bit of oil during the trip from Iowa to Mass which all of us attributed to the leaks. I just didn't put 2 and 2 together regarding it possibly being caused by the synthetic oil until after all the gaskets had been changed and it's still leaking in the same places.

It's not gushing out but it's significant enough on one corner of the compressor and plate that I should hang at least a soup can on that corner.

Bustin Loose · Feb 17, 2012

angryblack said:
Have you settled on what type of wire your going to use for you high voltage?

Factor in the cost of outlets, outlet boxes and whatnot..If you putting up walls then its cheaper, if the electrical will be in conduit on the outside the costs go up..

I have no idea, I really don't know much about electrical. That's why I hit you up about kindergarten level books I could read.

So far everyone I've talked to has told me that it's not the conduit that's expensive it's the copper wire. I've also been told that the best case scenario would be to use conduit. My "plan" is that living in the box is "temporary"(max 7-10 years) while I gather materials and money for the housetruck I plan on building. If Romex will be fine for that length of time I'm okay with it. Otherwise I was planning conduit in the walls with runways and access panels.

angryblack said:
Be sure to pigtail all your outlets..This way if there is a bad outlet you only loose that one..Try to stay away from fancy smancy switches and the like..Replacements that are cheap and easy are best..Household stuff isnt made to be vibrating down the road and can fail easy..

The only thing I understand is the last sentence. I'm seriously not kidding that I know virtually nothing about this. Most of what I know is about the different kinds of batteries(like wet, AGM, etc) and that AC and DC are Tesla and Edison. I wouldn't know the difference between a fancy or cheap switch unless you're talking about the cover plate.

angryblack said:
Since you have the room you can run incandescent lamps with cfl bulbs for shore power..Just be sure your not paying the bill.. Id go led and keep all the lights on the 12volt side..

The only incandescents I have been considering is a couple in the basement for heat in the winter. Otherwise the LEDs on the 12 volt is fine along with the water pump. I'll be plugged into shore power and paying for it probably 95% of the time.

I was going to try to learn as much as I could handle so that I could try and do most of the labor myself. Then have someone like you that actually knows what they are doing hook everything up if that makes sense. As far as the electrical that is most likely what will happen. You don't know how many times I've heard "You've got that dumb look on your face." as people try to explain it to me. Tell me where to put it and it's in. Tell me why it has to be there and how it works and it's instant :homer:.

46/71 Hybrid · Feb 18, 2012

I'm late to the game but I built a full RV out of my Uhaul and we took it on a 10K mile trip. We're actually on the last leg of the trip right now and have about 500 miles before it's over but I've got lots of tips, tricks, and know exactly what I would have done differently.

The build time was about 3 weeks and I ended up raising the interior floor, adding inside walls, lights, ceiling, etc.

I have to read back through your whole thread but if it helps, we're PCS'ing to Buffalo in the next couple weeks and if you wanted to bring your truck up there, we could knock out the majority of the build in probably 2 weeks.

46/71 Hybrid · Feb 18, 2012

87manche said:
50/50 diesel/waste oil seems to be just fine.

and in fact may be better for the DB2 pump since all of the lubricants have been stripped from ULSD diesel.

It just needs to be filtered so you don't clog your fuel filter, and when I finally get that setup I plan to do another remote mount fuel filter in an easier to change location to protect my factory one.

I ran about 600 gals of WMO on my trip, the majority of it as 85% WMO and 15% RUG. The truck ran great and the only reason I switched it up is because my oil ran out. No need to heat it, just have to filter it well, remove all the water, and away you go.

I learned on the fly and can tell you exactly what works/doesn't work...it's relatively simple once you make tons of mistakes and learn from them all

87manche · Feb 18, 2012

46/71 Hybrid said:
I'm late to the game but I built a full RV out of my Uhaul and we took it on a 10K mile trip. We're actually on the last leg of the trip right now and have about 500 miles before it's over but I've got lots of tips, tricks, and know exactly what I would have done differently.

The build time was about 3 weeks and I ended up raising the interior floor, adding inside walls, lights, ceiling, etc.

I have to read back through your whole thread but if it helps, we're PCS'ing to Buffalo in the next couple weeks and if you wanted to bring your truck up there, we could knock out the majority of the build in probably 2 weeks.

dude, we need pictures of yours.

Regarding the elctrical. The biggest issue with vibration is the loosening of terminals/screws.

I used regular romex and ran it in conduits above the counter, where someone might damage it. Under the counter, it's stapled to my cabinet sub structure. Time will tell how long it holds up, but I'm not really worried about the wire being a problem.

I used a regular service box, household outlets and all. Tightened up the terminals and called it good.

MT4Runner · Feb 18, 2012

angryblack said:
Have you settled on what type of wire your going to use for you high voltage?

Factor in the cost of outlets, outlet boxes and whatnot..If you putting up walls then its cheaper, if the electrical will be in conduit on the outside the costs go up..

Be sure to pigtail all your outlets..This way if there is a bad outlet you only loose that one..Try to stay away from fancy smancy switches and the like..Replacements that are cheap and easy are best..Household stuff isnt made to be vibrating down the road and can fail easy..

Since you have the room you can run incandescent lamps with cfl bulbs for shore power..Just be sure your not paying the bill.. Id go led and keep all the lights on the 12volt side..

I'd go PVC conduit for the major runs. Much easier to pull a circuit in the future.

x2 on 12vDC/LED for lights, but she'll inevitably want 110VAC for household appliances.

46/71 Hybrid said:
if it helps, we're PCS'ing to Buffalo in the next couple weeks and if you wanted to bring your truck up there, we could knock out the majority of the build in probably 2 weeks.

:smokin:

:beer:

87manche said:
dude, we need pictures of yours.

x2!!

Welcome to the jungle, 46/71. We'd absolutely love to see pics of your rig and hear your tips/tricks.

Bustin Loose · Feb 19, 2012

46/71 Hybrid said:
I have to read back through your whole thread but if it helps, we're PCS'ing to Buffalo in the next couple weeks and if you wanted to bring your truck up there, we could knock out the majority of the build in probably 2 weeks.

I would very much like to discuss this further with you as soon as you can. I am working on building the back wall(to replace the garage door) this week. Due to some shady business practices that recently came to light I have to move my truck from where it's parked now so I won't be able to get as much done as I wanted before having to move myself and my cat to it. My truck will no longer be indoors and there's no power at the lot I'll be moving it to so I'll have to rely on the generator. Western Mass has almost nothing accessible for me and I fear the jump in fuel prices this summer. Then I can put up an actual build thread aside from this "school me" thread.

I'd also very much like to see pics of your rig!

Oh and my former box truck is now titled as an auto home. =)

mattamd_xp · Feb 20, 2012

I meant to ask you in my PM, but do you already have bolts for the new seats?

Bustin Loose · Feb 20, 2012

mattamd_xp said:
I meant to ask you in my PM, but do you already have bolts for the new seats?

If I remember correctly the former mechanic had used some of the bolts from removing the bench seat but I don't remember for sure so I can't even tell you the size. There's only two bolts holding the passenger seat down and I have no others so I'll have to say no to having any bolts. I didn't want to buy any until I knew exactly what size was needed.

Tbh I don't think there are any nuts on the two bolts holding the seat down but we can look tomorrow. Bring a working flashlight.

46/71 Hybrid · Feb 20, 2012

That's shady, at least you are able to get out before it affects your truck. missing parts, missing tools, uncertainty, it is no fun. we arrive in buffalo tonight, pm me your number and I will give you a call. as far as the power, I use 4 house batteries and I have enough for a week. that includes my drill, miter saw, fluorescent lights, excetera. when I recharge, I sometimes use a 900 watt generator from northern tool that I bought for 80 bucks.

Typing on my phone sucks so I will write more when I'm in front of a desktop. 1 last tip, on the diesel I would recommend that you buy a tote and fill it up now to avoid the summer prices. I have 250 gals in my truck now that I bought $.30 cheaper than what it's going for now.

46/71 Hybrid · Feb 20, 2012

Have you thought about keeping the roll up door and building the back wall only on the interior? This would let you keep a "garage" that's sealed off from the rest of the truck. That is what I did so I could carry my totes and it's been great. Once the totes are out of there it'll be a great space to carry parts, building supplies, dirty crap, etc. My space is 4ft deep but even just a 1ft deep space would be nice....

MT4Runner · Feb 20, 2012

Bustin Loose said:
Oh and my former box truck is now titled as an auto home. =)

:bounce:

:bounce2:

46/71 Hybrid said:
Have you thought about keeping the roll up door and building the back wall only on the interior? This would let you keep a "garage" that's sealed off from the rest of the truck. That is what I did so I could carry my totes and it's been great. Once the totes are out of there it'll be a great space to carry parts, building supplies, dirty crap, etc. My space is 4ft deep but even just a 1ft deep space would be nice....

x2--or ~2-2.5' with shelves, just deep enough for the totes.

Bustin Loose · Feb 20, 2012

Pm sent Hybrid and when you have rested please go through this thread a bit so you have an idea of what's been happening and what I'm trying to accomplish. I have a floor plan posted I think on the page before this one.

Since I'll be full timing most of the time I'll be plugged in somewhere unless I'm taking my Dad fishing. So unless I find somewhere through here or elsewhere to park where I have hookups and interwebs access I'll be plugged in at a low rent RV park with high speed internet.

The garage door has to come down as it's having some issues(broken wheel, coming out of the track, worn parts all over) and will cost more to replace than building the wall. I have the materials to replace it, it's now a matter of being very uncomfortable at the warehouse by myself after the recent shenanigans of the owner, like trying to double my rent. He said it was because he didn't know I would be working on my truck. Sure, like I haven't been working on it since I parked it there in September....

I like the tote idea but unfortunately I don't think I'll have the room or the money to buy it. If I had the money I'd at least buy another fuel tank since I'll need one for the diesel heater.

I eventually want to put in a 4 battery set up in conjunction to having the 50 amp service. I have a 6000 watt generator I bought from Harbor Freight and it's going to come in handy when I get my truck parked over at the lot.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to store most anything under the floor since I'm raising it 14", as well as up in the attic, in various cabinets and other creative spaces.

I agree on the typing on the phone being a pain. As much as I may want to know something I wait til I get home to the craptop.

1989 IH/Nav UHaul Camper Conversion

87manche

mrstang01

Bustin Loose

mrstang01

Bustin Loose

87manche

angryblack

Bustin Loose

Bustin Loose

46/71 Hybrid

46/71 Hybrid

87manche

MT4Runner

Bustin Loose

mattamd_xp

Bustin Loose

46/71 Hybrid

46/71 Hybrid

MT4Runner

Bustin Loose

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities