Bustin Loose
Registered User
Hello all, new member here. I came by way of this site from reading posts from those who have done it before me; converting the ubiquitous moving truck into living space. I will be full timing in it and I'll be insulating it for cold weather. I will not be parking a car inside or towing one.
It's been a loooooooooooong time since I've worked on anything and I'm disabled now, so much of the mechanical things will have to be done by a mechanic. I don't know much of anything about MDT's, all I have is 15 years of driving semi's. At least I can handle a lot of the interior/conversion work.
Sometime this week(I think tomorrow) I'm going to look at a 24' I "think"(can't see any orange in the pics) was a U-Haul at one time. It's a 24' box with a standard Nav 7.3(212k miles on it), 5 speed, air ride box and Hydroboost brakes. So far it looks as if everything is still stock with no replacements or rebuilds(aside from the normal wear and tear items) except that the a/c that was converted to R134a and the carrier bearing(bearing done last year). So far it "reads" okay but I'll know better once I see it.
I want to be able to rock the highway at the speed limit and climb hills without clipping my toenails on the fan. I'm not afraid to change things out to make this happen, I just have to watch the budget because I still have to make it liveable. I just don't want to have to listen to Screaming Jimmy Jr and exhaust myself in the process. I'm having difficulty prioritizing what I should do but I think the transmission will be the start.
1) I have to admit that I have never been able to shift that kind of transmission with anything resembling "skill" so it must be replaced. I would like to know if there are transmissions that would work without the swap becoming too much of a hassle. I'm interested in chucking that bench seat, installing some swivel captains chairs and putting in an Eaton/Fuller Roadmaster 10 speed if that would work.
Would the compressor for the air ride also be able to handle the shifting requirements too? I considered an automatic(my arthritic knees would thank me for that) with a floor shifter but that seems like it would become a real pain to convert and I can't justify the cost at this time. Would any changes have to be made to the clutch and it's workings?
2) I'm assuming I'd need another rear end for this. What should I be looking for? The current owner said it's "low geared" whatever that means to him, and it's max speed is 65 mph.
3) I'll be having the fuel tank pulled and cleaned out and inner parts replaced regardless of what I do to the engine.
4) The engine: I've been reading the cautionary warnings about turning up the screws, pyrometers and turbos. Short of a complete rebuild I'm pretty much open to any of it as long as I'm not destroying the engine in doing these things. From what I understand Mobil 1 synthetic oil has been used in this engine for quite some time so I'm not sure how that might affect any considerations to boost performance such as installing a turbo.
5) I'd like to get more air into the engine compartment as well as help the aerodynamics a bit. Is a hood swap possible to one of those newer ones that are vented and curved rather than what's on it now? How difficult would this be to do?
I guess that's it for a start. I didn't mean for my first post to be such a long one. I'm open to any suggestions, links and ideas. I'm in Springfield, MA if that makes a difference. Thanks!
It's been a loooooooooooong time since I've worked on anything and I'm disabled now, so much of the mechanical things will have to be done by a mechanic. I don't know much of anything about MDT's, all I have is 15 years of driving semi's. At least I can handle a lot of the interior/conversion work.
Sometime this week(I think tomorrow) I'm going to look at a 24' I "think"(can't see any orange in the pics) was a U-Haul at one time. It's a 24' box with a standard Nav 7.3(212k miles on it), 5 speed, air ride box and Hydroboost brakes. So far it looks as if everything is still stock with no replacements or rebuilds(aside from the normal wear and tear items) except that the a/c that was converted to R134a and the carrier bearing(bearing done last year). So far it "reads" okay but I'll know better once I see it.
I want to be able to rock the highway at the speed limit and climb hills without clipping my toenails on the fan. I'm not afraid to change things out to make this happen, I just have to watch the budget because I still have to make it liveable. I just don't want to have to listen to Screaming Jimmy Jr and exhaust myself in the process. I'm having difficulty prioritizing what I should do but I think the transmission will be the start.
1) I have to admit that I have never been able to shift that kind of transmission with anything resembling "skill" so it must be replaced. I would like to know if there are transmissions that would work without the swap becoming too much of a hassle. I'm interested in chucking that bench seat, installing some swivel captains chairs and putting in an Eaton/Fuller Roadmaster 10 speed if that would work.
Would the compressor for the air ride also be able to handle the shifting requirements too? I considered an automatic(my arthritic knees would thank me for that) with a floor shifter but that seems like it would become a real pain to convert and I can't justify the cost at this time. Would any changes have to be made to the clutch and it's workings?
2) I'm assuming I'd need another rear end for this. What should I be looking for? The current owner said it's "low geared" whatever that means to him, and it's max speed is 65 mph.
3) I'll be having the fuel tank pulled and cleaned out and inner parts replaced regardless of what I do to the engine.
4) The engine: I've been reading the cautionary warnings about turning up the screws, pyrometers and turbos. Short of a complete rebuild I'm pretty much open to any of it as long as I'm not destroying the engine in doing these things. From what I understand Mobil 1 synthetic oil has been used in this engine for quite some time so I'm not sure how that might affect any considerations to boost performance such as installing a turbo.
5) I'd like to get more air into the engine compartment as well as help the aerodynamics a bit. Is a hood swap possible to one of those newer ones that are vented and curved rather than what's on it now? How difficult would this be to do?
I guess that's it for a start. I didn't mean for my first post to be such a long one. I'm open to any suggestions, links and ideas. I'm in Springfield, MA if that makes a difference. Thanks!
