1992 Dodge W250 Cummins / VW Vanagon Abomination *MAY CAUSE BLINDNESS*

[Karmann Vandiego]

Only a little progress today, but progress is progress!


Today's task was to weld in support bracing, to hold the body rigid as I split it in 2!


Tomorrow I will be adding more bracing to the A and B pillars, in preparation for the big cut! Then on to cutting the front suspension out of the van.

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

As promised, a video of the carnage...Enjoy!! ??

 

[Atl-atl]

Great video! I appreciate that you guys are wearing eye protection too, well except for the one dodo. Also, the kid (your kid?) knows what a Doka is, how cool!!!

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

Great video! I appreciate that you guys are wearing eye protection too, well except for the one dodo. Also, the kid (your kid?) knows what a Doka is, how cool!!!

I am a firm believer in eye protection...PPE in general. I make sure it is available, though I can't "make" somebody wear it. As for myself and my family, they know one of my common catch phrases is "You only get one pair of eyes.". Kids have no choice. No PPE, No Play.

My children (that is my son) are well versed in VW terminology. They can easily tell you the difference between the various T3 models, as well as correct you on your terminology. They also know the differences between the different generations of VW bus/van. They rock! ??

 

[vwhammer]

I looked at some of the ex-military rigs of the cab over variety but decided that I just don't need a giant 30,000 lb truck that can only go 55 or 60mph.
I wanted something smaller, faster and more maneuverable.
This got me thinking about using a Vanagon as a cab on a bigger (than a Vanagon) camper build.
Excited to have come across this build and pumped to see how it works out.

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

I looked at some of the ex-military rigs of the cab over variety but decided that I just don't need a giant 30,000 lb truck that can only go 55 or 60mph.
I wanted something smaller, faster and more maneuverable.
This got me thinking about using a Vanagon as a cab on a bigger (than a Vanagon) camper build.
Excited to have come across this build and pumped to see how it works out.

Stoked to have you following along! I had many of the same thoughts. We camp in my 1980 Vanagon tin top, but 5 people in a small van gets cramped.

In comes this monstrosity! I cant wait for it to all come together. I should be doing some more cutting tomorrow!

 

[zoomad75]

And to think 25+ years ago I worked at a VW repair shop and salvage yard where I chopped a hole in the roof of a couple of type 1 vans and many type 2 vans. Like you I stood on the roof with a sawzall and ripped a hole out. I would load it all on a flatbed trailer so I could take a skid steer and load all the scrap from the shop and yard through the hole I just cut. The overloaded vans would be taken over to the crusher to get the scrap value for the whole pile.

Seeing you sit on the roof as you cut reminded me of that.

Interested in seeing this monster come to life.

 

[BudgetEverything]

I have tried to imagine what this is going to look like and it’s given me a headache. Literally I’m going to lose sleep until it’s done, I can’t wait to see this. Oddball stuff like this is the coolest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

I'm glad I could get your imaginations working! Beware...that headache may be your brain liquefying due to shear awesomeness!

The overwhelming support has been great. I can't wait for it to live!

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

Some destruction was accomplished today as I fully removed the front suspension, including any cross members or supports of any kind. The goal is to have a body and a frame...and that is it!



The first step was to fully remove the suspension. This included the springs, upper control arms, lower control arms, radius rods, spindles, and rack.



These photos show the blank slate I have made with a Sawzall. More work needs to be done with a cutoff wheel, but the difference in space is excellent!





More tomorrow. I will be bracing the body, and hopefully making the second cut down the middle. Chop time is near friends! Stay funky!

 

[Mekcanix]

ok this is amazing! It's been a while since I was excited about someone else's build but damn this is soooo cool and full of awesomeness! And of course I too have memories of VW's from bugs to vans as my Opa loved all things VW
Keep on keeping on

 

[Hackopotomus]

As a long time hot rod builder and a fan of vans, this project is very appealing. Seams like an early Dodge or any full size van would be a lot easier but I guess you're a VW guy. My sister has a Westy and has been trying to get me into one but they are crazy expensive for what they are and woefully under powered. I guess you won't have any power issues with this!

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

Today went slow. Preparing for the next cut, I made changes to the way I braced the body. Welding the braces in the corners made the body feel much more rigid, and left me more room to make my cuts.


Some more bracing needs to be done tomorrow, and then we should be ready for the main event!

I have also decided to eliminate the front section of frame from the van, which I will cut out tomorrow. Since the body will be mounted to the truck frame, the front section of van frame only adds bulk to the front. Removing it makes more room for the front suspension components and steering box...more on that, tomorrow.

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

The lines are marked. All the bracing is in. Let's cut!

 

[Karmann Vandiego]

We have 2 halves! More updates to come...I'm beat!