'95 e350 Campulance

Thanks! Yes this is what I used..

I may do another coat, but I haven't decided yet.

 

@Tanselow i learned a lesson on these ambos. If you’re going to switch to LED taillights, you have to run resistors in parallel with the brake light circuit. Otherwise you’ll end up with wonky shifting on the e4od. The lockup converter uses the brake light circuit and LEDs make the trans thing the brakes are on, so it won’t lock up.

 

9/11/22 update.

Haven't been able to work on the camper much the past couple months but completed a bit this week.

Got my fresh water system in for the most part.

This is fed by a 40 gallon tank in the living space.

Installed the countertops and built out most of the kitchen area. Also have the faucet and sink installed temporarily. They will clome out so I can stain the countertops.



Have a bunch of stuff ordered so will hopefully have some more updates soon!

 

Man! I really like this thing. As my life has evolved the last few years, I’ve been wondering what my ideal home away from home would be like. You may have put a new idea in my head!

 

^^^ Yes, this is important. ^^^

I have an old F-250 with an E4OD and did a bunch of reading about this issue.

My take away was that Ford used the brake light circuit to signal the torque converter clutch to unlock which would be perfectly normal and expected. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like that they thought the next bit out 100%...

When cruising, the transmission computer "checks" the resistance of the brake light circuit on some schedule to verify the integrity of the circuit. It is calibrated see the resistance of the incandescent bulbs, if the resistance is good it is satisfied the circuit is complete and no action is taken.

When LED brake lamps are installed and also when brake lights burn out the computer sees an incorrect resistance, it is then programmed to momentarily unlock the clutch and witness the corresponding rise in engine rpm vs output shaft rpm verifying that it can indeed unlock the clutch when needed.

There are other conditions that need to be met for this to happen, the amount of throttle input is one if I remember correctly, mostly it happens under cruising conditions, the driver won't notice the unlock/lock and it will not trigger a check engine light.

This unlocking/locking wears out the lining of the converter clutch finally allowing it to slip when locked. This condition will trigger a check engine light along with a flashing "overdrive off" light and the transmission will operate in limp mode.

A work around other than resistors is to put a small Bosch style relay (fog light kit relay) in parallel with each stop light using the relay coil as the resistance. The relay doesn't actually switch anything, it just provides a resistance similar to a incandescent lamp without any heating worries that sometimes come with resistor installations.

I have also read that driving at cruising speed with the hazard lights on will cause the converter to unlock/lock along with the flashing of the lights -- deadly to the converter clutch.

 

11/27 Update:
Haven't posted much the past couple months but the camper is progressing.

Installed new Bilstein Shocks all around and super spring coils. Also have new airbags for the rear.

Before:


After:




Fresh water fill:

 

Still need to move the batteries before I can finish the shower.

 

12/23 Update:

Finally got around to installing the air bags in the rear. Pretty easy install, but I ended up breaking the main brake line to the rear in the process. However the line was completely corroded so I'm glad it happened in the driveway! That was about a week setback.

Made a bunch of progress on the interior. Few spots to touch up with paint and still need to find a good spot for my fishing pole.

 

End of Year Update:
12/31/22

Knocked out the electrical systems today, minus the solar side of things. Put in a 30 amp shore power inlet, a 3000w 12v inverter, and a 200ah 12v lithium battery.



To my delight when I turned on the power I didn't blow any fuses, see any sparks, hear or smell anything suspicious and after running the system for a few hours it appears all is good to go for now! Couldn't be happier.



Still need to recalibrate the battery monitor to the correct size battery.



Filling the tank for the maiden voyage.



Watching the water tank fill.



Toilet stows away nicely in the rear compartment.



Roadside mechanic tools and will also be home to spare engine filters and belts and hoses.



Finished the seating area. This spot was kind of an afterthought as I wasn't sure how the space would work with the knee wall and water tank below. Cushion is an outdoor patio cushion with memory foam.

Still have a few punch list items inside to complete this weekend.

First trip is scheduled for next week. Stoked!

 

This thing is way cool. How much do you think you have into it? (Wrong question I know) haha

 

Looks AMAZING! Love the tiles.
Not to be a jerk, but water that has run through a hose will be contaminated for drinking and taste like a$$.

 

Lol no I'm always curious too! So I paid 12600 for the ambulance after auction fees and title stuff. Then I'd say I have around 10k in materials. The electrical system was pretty pricey buying the solar stuff, lithium battery, and inverter. I was able to take my time purchasing things and wait for different deals throughout the year.

 

1/6/23 Update:

Took the camper on its first trip this week. Everything worked great! Slept great all week in it with the wife and two dogs.



Still have some stuff to finish inside and inevitably change things the more I use it.




Photo of our campsite.

That's the last photo I have from the weekend. My phone died and of all things I forgot the cord. Oh well, didn't miss the thing one bit lol! My wife has more on hers I'll post when I get them. Could be weeks lol!

 

I think its filtered on the rear

 

I've drank out of enough contaminated water buffalo's lol we have separate drinking water. We just use the water for showering and hosing off the dogs.

 

Yes it is filtered also lol

 

I figured, never knowing where you can fill up it makes sense

 

You going to paint it or wrap it to get rid of the Ambulance look? But awesome work and cant wait to see the pics of your big trip!

 

Park it in the sun for awhile, use plastic razor blades to peel up the edges of the stripes and pull off as much as you can then use a 3M Stripe Off Wheel to rwmove the rest as well as the adhesive.

 

Wow not bad! - Your finish choices are very nice

Thanks for sharing the build