Experimental Vehicle #4

I’m gathering the materials that I’ll need to convert my ambulance/camper project to run on waste veggie oil. This will be the fourth vehicle of mine that I’ve converted. The previous were two Mercedes diesels, a 240D with manual transmission and a 300D automatic. The third vehicle was a Ford F250 pickup truck.


The new vehicle is basically a 350 van with a 7.3 turbo powerstroke diesel. I’m going to repurpose parts salvaged from the Mercedes conversions. I’ve two fuel tanks to choose from, some copper pipe, filter heads, heater cores, clamps, hoses, and various bits and bobs. I salvaged a homemade filter heater from the 300D for use on the pickup, but the truck is still in service so I can’t use that right now. Instead, I’m using something from the 240D.

I thought long and hard about reusing the 6 port transfer valve. It gave great service on the 240D for 400,000 miles. My only concern was the fact that it does have so many miles on it. I decided a new one was in order, just for heighten reliability.

If I was rich, I’d use all new parts for everything. As it is, I’m going to be tearing things apart and getting greasy. It can be messy work. Oh well, that’s what soap is for. If I was afraid to get my hands dirty, I wouldn’t be doing this sort of thing in the first place. Come to think of it, if I was rich, I wouldn’t be messing around converting old diesels to run on alternative fuels.

-Sixbears