Two new toys unimog 404

[joeblack5]

Thanks for all the comments..
Tennmogger,Bob, thanks...but the " brilliant " part was gleaning it of other people before I pulled the credit card out. I Read more about it now and other smart people figured out that some grease nipples and brake bleeding screws are M7x1... So a lot easier then what I did if I just had read a little more....

In this mog the electric pump feed the fuel tank selector valve and then the mechanical pump.... The second connection on the carburetor goes back to the front reserve tank... All fuel line is steel hard line.

The fuel drain screw on carb has a small hole in it to allow fuel to other sections...see pic.

And indeed these were owned by a friend of Kelly. Kelly was very helpful in getting this all sorted out. Thank you Kelly..

There is more to this ridgecrest,CA story where these truck are from. I will divert in the next post.

2many trucks, Jeff., thank you. I have figured it out on mine . it seems Bob's mog is different. Now that the electric pump is working it turns out to be a nice feature that enhances the start...or at least takes some guess work out if you have fuel in the carb or not.

In this pic you can see the side hole in the drain screw. I drilled on as well.. Above that the bulkhead fitting I used to make the adapter.

 

[joeblack5]

So Here our lovestory with Ridgecrest CA.
My Mom was dementing and came living with us in State College. She was 94 in the time and was in a wheel chair and loved camping. So i bought a low floor bus and converted it into a RV. We named her Dory because the bus was blue as is the fish in the Movie "Finding Nemo" The fish has memory loss as did my Mom. At 96 my Mom had to return to the Netherlands because of immigration complications and we were left with Dory. In december that year we decided to take Dory on a 4 month trip cross country, pulled the kids out of school..... and also visited Ridgecrest,CA, Trona, Death valley.
We actually camped at the Ridgecrest Walmart and got a fuel filter at the local NAPA.

Trona,..... this is a super low floor bus with a handicap ramp so dirt roads were a little bit of a challenge.


Death valley , intersection hunter mountain road and Saline valley road. We got kicked out after a jet fighter that came zipping over this ridge where we are camping probably did not like the radar signature of our aluminum bus perpendicular in his flight pass. The ranger did not want to explain,

On the saline valley road our 1987 factory 2.1 turbo diesel jeep toad tore the towbar out of the frame. We only missed it after the kids needed to take a leak and told us that the jeep was missing.



Jeep was OK, a little beaten up from some rock hits and exhaust ripped of. We welded new attachments for the jeep in Lone Pine. Anyhow, you can see we love that area and had a great time.

The conversion of the bus to RV and some trip with my Mom

Not a skoolie - School Bus Conversion Resources

Well, wise or not, I needed something. not cheap either..but i bought it. https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...24&acctid=1889

www.skoolie.net

start at post # 50 on page 3
at post 339 we are with My Mom on a trip to Wilmington North Carolina.

We made it in the local newspaper

What brings you here? A bus named ‘Dory’ brings family together at Fort Fisher | Port City Daily

FORT FISHER – Three generations of the Zwart family relax and play on the beach. Ranging in age from 6 to 96, they have come hundreds – and in some cases thousands – of miles to be here. “It’s…

portcitydaily.com

The second conversion after I had to bring Mom back to the Netherlands.

Dory transit a new start. - School Bus Conversion Resources

hello All, the first section of the conversion and purpose can be found under "Dory not a skoolie" in the skoolie conversion projects section. Dory never was a skoolie to begin with so the

www.skoolie.net

The whole cross country trip adventure is at skoolie.net Dec 2018 to May 2019

Dory transits cross country - School Bus Conversion Resources

Should have started this thread earlier because some posts are under Dory's build. To keep it all organized I will redo the first couple of posts. Essentially the idea of this trip started with a need

www.skoolie.net

While Mom was here with us in State College Mom and I bought a unimog FLU419 in the winter of 2017
Back in the Netherlands Mom had to go against her and my wishes in a nursing home, she died 4 weeks ago.
A week after her death I bought these two Unimogs 404.

Oh and by the way , was lucky and got the second unimog running. Next step will be brakes and get them running better.

tbc
Johan

 

[tennmogger]

Enjoyed learning more about your projects and family.

 

[Guyfang]

Glad to hear you and your family got to spend some real time together. And in a place that still makes my heart ache. I miss being able to go there so bad, I cant explain it.

 

[joeblack5]

Had a long day playing around with these 404's. Got the fire truck cab one running good. checked compression 110,105,110,110,105,107. was pretty happy with that. Think that the bowl level is a little high but since the truck are not sitting on a flat surface I will leave it for now. generator works at 28.7 volt, No smoke, the transmission makes a not so good noise when I have it in neutral. clearly comes from the transmission, Oil level is good. sound like some big gear is turning and having some damaged teeth every revolution. guess I have to darin some oil and see if there is water in there that damaged one side of the gears.

the 1958 had two bad plugs but starts and runs now Ok.
Leaking water out of non original radiator and lower unmatched radiator hose. did a temporary fix so that I could fill with water and see where it all goes wrong. Radiator cap on non original radiator leaking and cap on expansion cap bad. Some white smoke so maybe head gasket??
generator om 28.6 Volt. All gears work, can not get it in 4x4 lock
Moved on to the brakes. Installed "new " tank with low fluid level switch from a lexus suv.
Lots of rain rest of the week so i will be waiting on brake parts and in the mean time clean the tank out.

My plan now is to use the fire truck as I intended to haul stuff thru a swap area.
The 1958 is nominated to become an "expedition" vehicle with a school bus body as a shell.

Question:

Do the extended cab 404 have the cab mount changed to next set of mount on the frame to allow for frame flex?
Meaning the original cab mounts in the rear of the cab are disconnected.

Stay safe, johan

 

[joeblack5]

Raining all day. Feel sorry for these desert dwellers exposed to this corrosive environment..
In the shop I took a good look in the front reserve tank. Tar in the bottom. Impossible to clean.. This mog had the mechanical fuel pump removed and the opening blocked of.
Decided to make an access hole for an electric in tank Pump that also would help as clean out. I will use a return line of the carburetor to the tank so that there is always fuel flowing and eliminate vapor lock. I doubt that is a real issue in Pennsylvania.

Used a hole saw for the hole and then carefully round the edge with a hammer to reinforce the metal... That also creates the shape where the o-ring lays
Not sure why displays them twice? Used 6 m4 stainless screws and some electrical ring because of the raised edge in the hope that I can pull the non flatness of the tank flat enough so that the o-ring can do its job.

TBC

Johan

 

[joeblack5]

This is a rendering of the plan with soft top
The bus is scaled using the known wheel base of both vehicles.. The plan is to make a hard connection between the cab and the bus with a swivel point in the rear. The section over the cab will be extended beyond the front window. The front seat changed into swivel.
The actual nus is 6" taller then the one used in image.

tbc johan

 

[joeblack5]

The hole I made in the tank was big enough for the hot water pressure washer to do its job. Tank got reasonably clean and is now drying out.
Replaced the short reach spark plugs with NGK 4111 and the 58. engine is running smooth. Water pump is leaking a lot out of the weep hole. To my surprise the water temp gauge still works.
Had some problems with the brake lines of both Mogs. Could not unscrew from the splitters. Finally I took the torch to it and heated them up without damage to the rubber lines. Waiting for new brake hoses in the front. NAPA has 6MM brake line with M12x1 connections so that makes life easier. Got one of the front wheels of to learn how these brakes work. Did not get the drum of. Tomorrow another try with a set of longer bolts. There was a big completely ink black spider on the rim....... probably not happy to be out of the desert..

tbc

Johan

 

[joeblack5]

Got a little more done. .. The radiator in the 58 is not original and the cooling system for the newer 404 mogs is different at least on these two.
I like the newer cooling system better but it is what it is. One of the PO's had changed the radiator and remodelled the cooling line routing using steel pipe with NPT. thread. Have to look for a better / radiator and or redo as the newer style.
Reinstalled the tank with the "new" in tank pump design and routed SS braided fuel line and return to the tank.
I guess i can do the rear tan the same way and just switch between tanks with an electrical switch. Need a 3 way valve for the return line to get the fuel back in the correct tank.

Took the drum of the newer one and removed the caliper. Stuck,,, not real bad . a 1-5/8" is real close the 41 MM so will go and pick some up and see if it fits. The brake lining looks pretty new and even worn, hope the passenger side is the same.
Then the big question ... how is the master cylinder.

Both dynamo's on the Mogs work, amazing, I read that the voltage regulation is not great so I like to install a voltmeter in one of the non used openings in the dash.

Bought a bus with a body good for modification as in my picture above.
Does any one know where inside the frame is the twist axis line . assume that the 4 point mount that Mercedes put on the full van body is on a certain location, Anybody?

tbc,
Johan

 

[joeblack5]

The 1-5/8 brake cylinders cups are available at Napa for $2/ piece. Bought a honing tool also since I figured they all need to be done.



Had some problems getting the cylinder out and of course problems on getting it back in. A little chamfer with file made it work smooth.

Then I started on the other wheel. Similar spider again. I am for sure no spider man..



She the red hourglass on her belly.. Moved her away ..

Wife has approved. Vehicle is useful... Little hard on her as she tore her acl a couple of years ago. It healed with surgery but it stays a weak point.

 

[tennmogger]

You are making great progress!

 

[joeblack5]

Tennmogger, Just noticed that you have a 404 with radio box. Do you have by any chance pics of how the box is mounted to the frame. Not a whole lot of good images around where and how the mounts are.

Johan

 

[joeblack5]

Just to follow up, these are the pics I was able to glean from the web.. Are there two of those? How do the other two points
look?
What is the vertical height relative to the top of the frame and center of pivot point. Is it welded to the frame or bolted?
Does anybody have them laying around for $$?
Thanks Johan

 

[Ferretboy]

Hello Johan...you are doing very well on rebuid of parts....that spider ....i hope you know thats a dangerous critter....was bitten by one....sick for a while....black widows are no fun.....i rebilt my wheel cylinders on the 404 last year and also replaced the 4 rubber brake lines....2 were swollen shut....enjoy your posts very much....keep up the great work.

 

[joeblack5]

Thank you Ferretboy, I had an inkling that this was not a pleasant spider. Indeed Google confirmed my fear, Going to wonder if the rear wheel have similar darlings. The front brake lines to the wheels are indeed shot, The other open to the extend that I can see thru when I straighten the hose.
To be less dependent on the suppliers I decided to change from the original M12x1 towards M10x1 mercedes W123/ W124 front hoses. I have cut the original ends of the broken Mog hoses and will weld them to the ends of old Mercedes w123 series hoses. Essentially making adapters from M12x1 to m10x1. Probably hurting some purists now but I am sure they are shaking their heads already by putting a bus on a Mog.

Anyhow the W123 hoses are 1-1/2" shorter but the conversion pieces will make up for that space. At the wheel side the space between the banjo and the clamp is 3" so the converter piece will fit there. On the axle side the brake line support bracket can move to the other side of the "knuckle" flange. In that way the length and location of the bending and stress on the brake hose will be the same as with the original construction. Also the W123 / W124 and many others brake hose parts are very readily available an cheap. Not to mention I have several w123 and W124 MB's so standardization will pay of.
Will post some picture when I get them.

tbc.
Johan

 

[Ferretboy]

I hope you did well today johan...that photo of the spider did not help me sleep last night....i was biten by a black widow many years ago ....was very sick for about a week....lost 8 pounds....couldnt eat anything...bad...bad ...please be very careful to stay away from them...kill em...saftey comes first in restoration work....your doing a great job....take the best of care....David

 

[joeblack5]

Thank you Ferretboy, only did prep work today, cleaned brake cylinder, removed the rear brake hoses from an old 300D I had sitting around. Needed those to make the M12x1 to M10x1 adapters. What were you digging into when you encountered the black widow.
You are to kind .. restoring... it is more trying to making it work on the cheap. Had a little encounter with the grinder when the disk bit into the rubber hose while I was laying half under the 300D . I was lucky, just a skin wound.

 

[Ferretboy]

Well first off when i got the black widow bite i was out picking black berrys...had a camo bdu jacket on ...stuck my hand in the pocket....oh my felt like i was stabbed with a red hot needle....just thought it was a thorn.....a few hours later got sick as a dog.....for about a week. couldnt keep anything down...lost about 8 lbs...still have a small scare on my finger where it bit me...found many of them where i use to live....now i know what to look out for....but more positive things....do you have some older mb cars?...i used a distributor from a 1960s mb on my mog....worked great...and can use parts easier to find....the brake lines i found on ebay...from Argentina...they are still making them.love the bus body idea....somewhere i have a video of a mog tour van...same kind of thing....i think it was on a beach in Australia....great to hear from you....take care.

 

[Guyfang]

Joe, Ferretboy,

We had Black Widows everywhere in California. Lots of kids got bit when I was in school. If you grow up someplace like that, you know what to watch for. I hated them. Would gladly go out of my way to kill them. And burn the nests!!

 

[joeblack5]

Good evening folks. Wow. Ferretboy , that is scary.. All my other MB stuff is diesel but i am contemplating going without distributor or points.. The bad weather and business around the purchase of another FLU419 kept me busy today. The good thing was that to make space for the new machine that I had to move the 58 mog. Of course no brakes but it made its first 50 yards on its own power.
The buspart for the conversion should come in tomorrow afternoon . in anticipation our daughter made an artist rendering. The PO of the bus was so kind to take a perpendicular picture of the bus so that she could work on it.
Picked up the brake hoses from Napa.
TBC
Johan