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Hi, Ran the auxiliary alternator on a trip to VanFest earlier this month. Upped the voltage to make up for the 18 Amp draw that the fridge and freezer chew through on DC power. The big battery came out with perfect voltage and the fridge and freezer were cold. So it is possible to add a...

List of broken stuff: 2 worn out shocks, both way undersized. One lost its lower rubber isolator, rattled to beat the band, and was cut out and replaced in AZ. Both were leaking after the beating they took on the potholes we hit on the interstates. I found a Monroe RV shock and had 2...

The team at Hotwire in Mena, Arkansas posted a photo and some nice words about the Cubicle's recent visit.

The Cubicle made it home today from its inaugural trip to the southwest. About 5,000 miles total. A special shout out to Jerrell at the O'Reilly auto parts store in Toledo for helping me get the right transmission fluid for the A518 as I blew through town. More news on what needs fixing...

AZ and the fix Getting to our Arizona destination was great. A bit goofy speed wise with the pooched APPS, but liveable. Next issue the HOA or homeowners' association. Staying with family is great. This community used to let you park an RV in the main club parking lot while visiting. Not...

Sensor failure The heart of the system that gets the accelerator pedal position information to the engine computer is an accelerator pedal position sensor (APPS). These were mounted under the battery in the 2003 and 2004 Hemi trucks to convert the mechanical pedal motion into an electronic...

We're on the road to the southwest and loving the ease of driving the Cubicle with the 2007 hemi engine and the A518 transmission. I met Zack today. He has a 1977 Ford C class RV and was parked beside us at a truck stop. He recognized the license plate frame from the photo here and introduced...

A bit of engineering insight on frame stretching. Dry math talk until his conclusions at the end. https://youtu.be/mtwDvFTfBn8?si=LczAoUPIvQVM17TL

3 way propane equipment I first saw these portable propane 3 way chest freezers when I worked in the bush in the 1980s. I bought my first used Unique freezer in 2011. It was already 10 years old. It was built in South Africa. They used butane fired refrigeration in remote areas for years...

Looking a lot drier and a lot warmer. Fun working outdoors in winter, eh?

Still looking... January 2024

So thanks to you mystery readers for making this old truck world famous. Happy New Year! We hope to see you on the road

Leggs got me a great Christmas present based on the almost, as of today, 23,000 views this project has generated on this forgotten old forum:

The truck is a blast to drive. No stinky fumes, no cracked or waped exhaust manifolds, cool floors, and much less engine noise. Gonna have to install my new weatherstripping now.

I finally got out on the highway for a 150 mile run at speed. Mostly at speed because the traffic is so bad even on a Saturday afternoon. Of course strong headwinds had to interrupt a smooth day between traffic jams. I took the photo just as the Nissan 10.8 gallon tank went dry. That's 166.8...

Got the third gear to overdrive hunting issue solved. I bypassed the vacuum switch meant to drop the positive feed to the overdrive solenoid. No more hunting. It'll run to well over the highway speed limit in overdrive with no lugging. I suspect the switch has an intermittent issue. Can't...

Haven't done a long drive yet. Impressed by instant starting, no gas fumes, quick warm-up, smooth torque curve, plentiful charging amperage, no leaking exhaust, and no stinking exhaust thanks to catalytic converters. Welcome to 2007 old boy!

Test drive today with doghouse on. Wow! Full throttle with 4.10 gears and a tight PATC transmission is a blast. Even at 9000 lbs. This truck rocks. Perfect exhaust note. Overdrive working and can't wait to get out on the highway to see the improved mileage.

Built sheet metal air dam to force air from grill through the radiator. Front end back together. First test drive on the roads. Runs sweet.

Here's a short start up video. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NAK29nFoW2eX1Grr6

Ensuring max fresh air through the rad. Note bumper holes are offset from center like engine is. Making ducting to keep forcing the air through the radiator not around it. The license plate will get lowered to. There's almost 6 inches of radiator blocked by the bumper and trim with nothing...

Tuned the cooling fan to kick on at 192° same as the thermostat I put in. Re soldered the old rad inlet I capped off with the sacrificial anode as it was leaking. Made a funnel from a Gatorade bottle to help bleed the rad of air. Ran my Bluetooth OBDII dongle and checked temp, voltage...

First firing of motor in 18 months. It's a little rough initially, but it is now running smoothly. Still up on jackstands. Tires turn when it gets put in gear. Funny overheating issue like an air pocket. More after the weekend. Cheers!

Motor sat for so long the oil pump lost its prime. Would not produce any oil pressure while I cranked it over. I pulled the fuel pump relay to be sure it wouldn't start dry. Ended up draining the crankcase out into a modified pressure sprayer. Pulled the pressure sensor out and screwed in a...

Found 3 inch cold air intake tubing on Amazon. Had to cobble it to an old B van cold air pipe and the 2007 Aspen air box gasket yo match up with a K&N filter. Used aluminum HVAC tape to seal the joints and then covered them with black Gorilla tape for looks. Found a PCV filter with a 3/4" ID...