GhettoBago
Observer
BaseCamp is rolling!
Finally getting near done with the exterior/mechanical build & made a maiden voyage so thought I'd post a few pics up... tons more work to come in interior... I challenged myself years ago to build a mini-sportsmobile that I could travel & camp in during downhill bike race seasons that would also get me on the beaches for the bonfires & timberline for fresh powder. For under $6k. This is the second version. I sold the original one & regretted it for years so this one got some nice upgrades as I plan to be buried in it! Even found a great donor van with a 80k mile motor & tranny so when the day comes, I don't miss a road trip! This van is pretty much a Subaru on steroids. It wasn't built to rock crawl or be beaten on, merely a rig that could get me into the backcountry without fail, and that could sleep two adults & three mutts comfortably in & that is also cheap to repair. The ultimate plan is a full 4 month Pan American highway expedition, so knowing AC delco parts are plentiful in S. America, this rig gives me the confidence to take on the journey. I've had the Jeeps, had the trucks.. these rigs can fit full sheets of plywood inside laying down, has the running gear of a 1/2 ton truck & tows like a dream & hasn't once ever left me stuck on some nasty trails... for me it's the ultimate escape pod when I need to duck out of real life into the hills...
The basics..
- 03' Chevy Astro AWD, vortec v6, auto,loaded & cleanest one I could find after 6 months of searching
- Overland Vans 4" leaf pack/subframe & key lift kit
- 30" Kenda Klever M/t's
(had BFG TKO's at first but had no idea they changed to a 6 lug hub in 2003 & bigger 1/2 ton calipers, learned it the day i finished the lift & went to go mount the brand new tire & wheel set up.. costly mistake but am impressed with the Kendas so far!) (chevy discontinued this in 2005 so instead of producing 5 lug hubs, they just started pulling 1/2 ton running gear from their trucks)
- Can't remember the brand/model right now,but the bull/light bar is actually for a specific winch bumper, measured up perfect, powdercoated to match
- Anzo HID 7" rounds connected to a old school foot pedal high beam switch on the drivers floor wired down through the bull bar for a clean install
- Kensun 5000k xenon conversion headlights (worth every penny, no need for high beams anymore)
- Two 3" 230w LED square work lights mounted in rear bumper wired to back up wiring, no blind backing down cliffside trails no more
- Three 230w LED square work lights mounted to the sideways mounted Rhino Rack cargo basket, basket was mounted to 2 additionally added factory roof rack crossbars, each lamp operates on their own mini toggle switch mounted in the overhead console for quick road/trailside lighting or to set up camp with...or to blind the fook out of tailgaters on the highway...
- Optima yellow top battery to fund the juice for the lights.. (I plan on doing a 2 auxiliary yellow top set up with isolator mounted in a custom battery box where the spare tire is now.. to power the interior power needs down the line (12v galley pump for a sink, power converter etc)
- Rear jerry can mounts, one can is fuel, the other is the Rampage Jerry Can Toolbox (great product!)
Both cans secured with Thule steel core lockable kayak straps riveted to can holders, another awesome anti-theft product
- Rear door Pelican case to stow snow chains, receiver hitch, collapsible army shovel & other dirty/greasy stuff
- Custom 2" receiver hitch extension with a 12" wide piece of channel iron welded to the top to act as a step as well as a place to sit with a coffee & check out the vistas!
- Set of Maxxtrax mounted inside the Rhino cargo rack.. plan to add locking mechanism some how but am stoked it only eats up like 5" of height in the basket so basket still has tons of cargo space
- Thule cargo box
- Yakima fairing mounted to it's own cross bar
- Stripped & repainted the front grill to match, trimmed the "chevrolet" off the door & rear emblems leaving only the AWD part.. I get approached constantly with nice comments about this van & half the time people ask "what is this?"... mission accomplished
I think that's about all of it... the only additional exterior mod I think I'm going for since i have a spare pair of the 3" LED work lights just laying around, is mounting that set to the outer edges of the front bumper.. don't really "need" them with the 7" anzos but they will offer more close up lighting versus long range & I personally just think they'll look bad ***
First $12k buys this van.. everything has a price tag in life right? Sometimes the real joy is in the building itself.
BaseCamp.. I likely don't need to explain it to the kids in this forum.. but it keeps a double meaning as I make my living dealing in outdoor equipment & clothing & BaseCamp Bargains is the name of my business, which I proudly get to write this rig off as a company vehicle
Cheers!
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Finally getting near done with the exterior/mechanical build & made a maiden voyage so thought I'd post a few pics up... tons more work to come in interior... I challenged myself years ago to build a mini-sportsmobile that I could travel & camp in during downhill bike race seasons that would also get me on the beaches for the bonfires & timberline for fresh powder. For under $6k. This is the second version. I sold the original one & regretted it for years so this one got some nice upgrades as I plan to be buried in it! Even found a great donor van with a 80k mile motor & tranny so when the day comes, I don't miss a road trip! This van is pretty much a Subaru on steroids. It wasn't built to rock crawl or be beaten on, merely a rig that could get me into the backcountry without fail, and that could sleep two adults & three mutts comfortably in & that is also cheap to repair. The ultimate plan is a full 4 month Pan American highway expedition, so knowing AC delco parts are plentiful in S. America, this rig gives me the confidence to take on the journey. I've had the Jeeps, had the trucks.. these rigs can fit full sheets of plywood inside laying down, has the running gear of a 1/2 ton truck & tows like a dream & hasn't once ever left me stuck on some nasty trails... for me it's the ultimate escape pod when I need to duck out of real life into the hills...
The basics..
- 03' Chevy Astro AWD, vortec v6, auto,loaded & cleanest one I could find after 6 months of searching
- Overland Vans 4" leaf pack/subframe & key lift kit
- 30" Kenda Klever M/t's
(had BFG TKO's at first but had no idea they changed to a 6 lug hub in 2003 & bigger 1/2 ton calipers, learned it the day i finished the lift & went to go mount the brand new tire & wheel set up.. costly mistake but am impressed with the Kendas so far!) (chevy discontinued this in 2005 so instead of producing 5 lug hubs, they just started pulling 1/2 ton running gear from their trucks)
- Can't remember the brand/model right now,but the bull/light bar is actually for a specific winch bumper, measured up perfect, powdercoated to match
- Anzo HID 7" rounds connected to a old school foot pedal high beam switch on the drivers floor wired down through the bull bar for a clean install
- Kensun 5000k xenon conversion headlights (worth every penny, no need for high beams anymore)
- Two 3" 230w LED square work lights mounted in rear bumper wired to back up wiring, no blind backing down cliffside trails no more
- Three 230w LED square work lights mounted to the sideways mounted Rhino Rack cargo basket, basket was mounted to 2 additionally added factory roof rack crossbars, each lamp operates on their own mini toggle switch mounted in the overhead console for quick road/trailside lighting or to set up camp with...or to blind the fook out of tailgaters on the highway...
- Optima yellow top battery to fund the juice for the lights.. (I plan on doing a 2 auxiliary yellow top set up with isolator mounted in a custom battery box where the spare tire is now.. to power the interior power needs down the line (12v galley pump for a sink, power converter etc)
- Rear jerry can mounts, one can is fuel, the other is the Rampage Jerry Can Toolbox (great product!)
Both cans secured with Thule steel core lockable kayak straps riveted to can holders, another awesome anti-theft product
- Rear door Pelican case to stow snow chains, receiver hitch, collapsible army shovel & other dirty/greasy stuff
- Custom 2" receiver hitch extension with a 12" wide piece of channel iron welded to the top to act as a step as well as a place to sit with a coffee & check out the vistas!
- Set of Maxxtrax mounted inside the Rhino cargo rack.. plan to add locking mechanism some how but am stoked it only eats up like 5" of height in the basket so basket still has tons of cargo space
- Thule cargo box
- Yakima fairing mounted to it's own cross bar
- Stripped & repainted the front grill to match, trimmed the "chevrolet" off the door & rear emblems leaving only the AWD part.. I get approached constantly with nice comments about this van & half the time people ask "what is this?"... mission accomplished
I think that's about all of it... the only additional exterior mod I think I'm going for since i have a spare pair of the 3" LED work lights just laying around, is mounting that set to the outer edges of the front bumper.. don't really "need" them with the 7" anzos but they will offer more close up lighting versus long range & I personally just think they'll look bad ***
First $12k buys this van.. everything has a price tag in life right? Sometimes the real joy is in the building itself.
BaseCamp.. I likely don't need to explain it to the kids in this forum.. but it keeps a double meaning as I make my living dealing in outdoor equipment & clothing & BaseCamp Bargains is the name of my business, which I proudly get to write this rig off as a company vehicle
Cheers!
pic upload
print screen windows 7
how do you print screen
image upload no compression
image uploader
image share
adult image upload
Last edited:
