Ace Vantura! ALLLLLLLLLLLRIGHTY then

[ohpyramids]

The trip:
The plan was to drive up from Los Angeles to Big Sur and spend 2 days at prewitt ridge (a primitive campground), then come back into Big Sur proper for a day at a campground and shower, then hightail it to Pinnacles National Park for 2 more days before heading home to LA.

I was still finishing last minute van projects so we ended up leaving around 1pm, which meant that we would arrive at our campground in the dark. Big Sur doesn’t have cell service, which contributed to getting lost while trying to find Prewitt Ridge. We turned into the moutains too early and ended up ascending Plaskett Ridge Rd instead. Theoretically, according to google, we’d just skip across another mountain ridge to arrive at our final campsite. That was a lie. We ran into a locked gate after 45 minutes of driving on roads like this.

We were very happy to have the LED light bar in working order up front. The woods would have been a very different proposition without all this extra light. It was also raining on & off as we ascended Plaskett Ridge rd. There were some slippery rocks and wet switchbacks, so I was happy to have the ujoint 4x4 system.

We were frustrated to be locked out of our destination, and confused at where we actually were supposed to go, so we decided to cut our losses and navigate again when we were fresh in the morning. We headed down a smaller trail to setup camp on a fairly level and completely isolated site. Made a quick dinner and settled in for a wicked rain storm that kept me awake most of the night.

Not being able to sleep was a fair price to pay for the amazing view we had the next morning...

Van Porn

Our first breakfast in the van! So cool to be in the mountains while seeing the ocean.

Big smiles.

 

[villageidiot327]

Those trader joes bags are tough! Look at him using it for a wheel chock.


Paper or plastic? PAPER!

 

[ujoint]

Looking good!

 

[illking]

I love how this..

transitions to this..

 

[ohpyramids]

Nice set up. Why not using hinges on the bottom of the back boards, place shelves inside the back of the seat and use that space? You can use it for clothes, food or even a Hi-lift jack.

aw man yeah, i definitely want to use that space, but the benches were a speed move to help get me on the road in time for our trip. im not 100% sure that i will stick with the dual bench setup at this point.

these benches form a sleeping platform that is very wide and super luxurious for sleeping, but when you wake up, the hidden storage is not very easy to access.

for now- im not sure if im ready to take on a redesign so soon, but im kiiiiinda thinking about it.

Looking good!

thanks man! im just trying to keep **** from flying around inside while i go wheelin' (soon i hope)

 

[ohpyramids]

A shot coming back down plaskett ridge road after our wrong turn.

Enjoying the rocky and wild big sur coastline

Once we found our way to the top of Prewitt Ridge, we decided to have some fun at the campsite! Last nights rains left us some big puddles.

There were some weirdos in the popular campsites, so we drove around to the south side of the ridge and found some really isolated sites. Perfect. I start mixing some drinks and cooking breakfast while enjoying the view.

As we were cleaning up from our morning meal, the fog began to roll in pretty thick.

We decided to leave the van to take a hike in the cold fog. It was so cool.

Suddenly the winds picked back up and blew the fog over the mountain face.

After we watched the sun set- we just hung out in the van to stay warm.

Took a selfie on the way back down from the mountain.

Took a groupie? on the way back down as well.

Our lunchtime view on thanksgiving day.

 

[cjken]

Sweet photos. Looks like a great trip!!

 

[ohpyramids]

Thanks cjken!

We decided to spend thanksgiving day in a full service campground. It had been about 4 days since we showered. We wanted to get cleaned up for dinner.

This particular campground has a river running through it and was very peaceful.

After thanksgiving dinner we stopped at a nearby bar for some hot toddys. Then we headed back to the campground and made a toasty campfire fire to warm up before bed.

Heres a more detailed shot of our kitchen box. We ended up with frequent access stuff like bathroom and cleaning supplies up top. Slightly less frequent supplies below like propane, wine and coffee. I have been thinking about putting in two more shelves on the right side of the box- just to give me more room for utensils and counterspace while cooking.

Had to take the obligatory LaCroix shot. Love this stuff.

Heading out of the campground, we got to cruise across a cool little water crossing. I love little bridges like this.

On to a huge water crossing. This is a super famous bridge that I forget the name of. It was a total cluster-f with all the thanksgiving holiday traffic coming south from SF. Luckily we were sneaking in the opposite direction.

After a few hours to get out of Big Sur and down the highway, we were treated to some AMAZING scenery on the way in to Pinnacles National Park to camp for 2 days.

We had just seen a baby bobcat running across the road!

Pinnacles is the newest national park and it has lots of cool geological features.

A field and flock of Quail from our evening hike.

COLDER THAN ADVERTISED!!! Wow Pinnacles really got cold overnight! It got down to about 20. We were super happy to have the propane heater at this point. Check out the ice on the inside of the window!

As we stirred and made coffee inside using the jetboil, we started to hear flapping and cooing outside. I rolled down the window to see a giant flock of Quail pecking all around our campsite! Notice the thick layer of frost covering our rear view mirror.

After a short and very cold hike- we decide to pack up and head back to la!

 

[IPB]

Awesome trip and great looking rig! I've looked at it several times and it has given me some motivation to find my van and get started!!

 

[TheWooginator]

Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. I think you have me sold on starting with a blank canvas and running the UJOR kit. Chris.... if your listening you have my attention and I'm serious...

 

[ohpyramids]

Damn guys, thanks for the kind words!

Awesome trip and great looking rig! I've looked at it several times and it has given me some motivation to find my van and get started!!

Having transitioned from hatchbacks, to trucks, to finally- big vans, my fiance and I are really happy. This writeup helps me to remember everything we did and to keep the 4x4 diy van love going. Get after it!

Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. I think you have me sold on starting with a blank canvas and running the UJOR kit. Chris.... if your listening you have my attention and I'm serious...

Totally man! Between sporadic funds, and a seriously demanding job, it's taken me about 3 years to get to this point. Gotta say though- it's been worth it.

The first day I locked into 4 Low on a trail was so damn cool.

 

[ohpyramids]

Wow. I haven't posted in a long time! I've been very busy with work, and saving money to continue with the build over the last 16 months. But there are some cool things on the horizon! My goal is to have the van together by the end of the year, interior and exterior totally done. Patience is not one of my virtues, so looking back on this build and seeing the evolution makes me proud. It's hard to remember a 2wd van leaking oil, full of loud cargo shelves with Virginia plates.

I'll start with some recent events, and fill in some blanks. My goal is to start/finish dealing with the interior build again. I had no idea how tall of an order this project would be.

Since I made the two bench configuration, I realized that it's not nearly as space efficient as I hoped. The new plan is to scrap it, and go with an Rb50 style layout. I think it'll triple my cargo space.

Today I built the first part if that new layout- a cabinet that will house the Engel Marine Fridge. It's made from baltic birch plywood, with 1/2" sides and a 3/4" top and back that both nest together with a dado joint.

I decided to leave most of the back open to give the fridge room to circulate air. You can see the 500lb. lock in/ lock out Accuride drawer slides at the bottom. They are super super beefy. I've still got to clear coat the cabinet, make a slider tray, and attach everything to the floor with cleats.

There will be a small drawer and countertop above this, but they'll be offset towards the rear of the van a few inches due to the driver seat.

 

[ohpyramids]

About a year ago, I found a craigslist guy who was willing to swap my cargo doors for his pop window doors. After swapping my cargo doors, I realized that I'd have to remount my door kitchen, so I decided to do it the way I always wanted to....

So I started on a new door kitchen. I needed more shelves to increase usable space when doing meal and food prep. Aaand wanted to make it a bit lighter weight overall.

Building the frame out of 1/2" square stock tubing.

Skinning the sides with thin steel and attaching with plug welds.

Back from powder coat and ready for initial fitment. Made a nice door panel with a cutout so I can reach though to bolt it all down.

1/2" baltic birch doors with southco M1 latches. The latches are almost the perfect depth to just catch on the steel frame. Love when it works out like that.

Closed.

Open.

Food.

Drink!

 

[SirMrManGuy]

If you think that camp chef stove is good, they sell a full blown oven which is one of our favorite van accessories. Can't argue with roasts and fresh baked treats in the middle of nowhere. An 11lb BBQ bottle and the adapter hose is much cheaper than the little bottles in the long run and lasts forever.

 

[villageidiot327]

lookin good buddy!!