Falkor: 1995 Ford E350 Hightop Wheelchair Build

[TheVagabondMBA]

My wife and I play music across the country in The Whiskey Circle. We also run a crystal business and do a lot of rock hounding in between gigs. We used to drive a 2009 Toyota Highlander and tour/sleep in that, but it just got to be annoying towing our gear behind it. So 2 weeks ago we sold the "BROlander" and bought this 1995, 1-owner, 20k miles, rust-free, AZ-registered Hightop E350.

Sold this:



Right now we're staying in a guest house and I'm working a F/T job at ASU to pay for this build. The goal is to have it road ready for a band of 4 to tour in it full-time by July. We have a short tour set up at the beginning of March planned to test it out. So far I've installed a JVC bluetooth stereo and 6 JVC speakers throughout the interior (there was nothing in it when I bought it), installed 255/75/16 (31x10") Kelly Edge AT tires and installed black out curtains. I have ordered some Goal Zero power supplies and solar panels, Black Oak light bar, sand camo bedliner for the bumpers/wheels, insulation, some YETI coolers, a spare tire rack and jerry can. I'm waiting for that stuff to get in so I can start to build out the interior. The plan is to do a folding futon bed along the passenger side rear window and storage everywhere else. I also have my lime green MAXTRAX off of the BROlander and my Trasharoo.

Here are some photos from our first camping trip and then after we put on the new tires:



I don't plan on doing anything more than a leveling kit in the front, probably something like the Max-lift here. Right now I'm looking more for touring potential with the ability to do some extended boondocking in between gigs. Possibly a winch. And one day when this 20k mile beast starts acting funny I'll start to think about making a full 4x4.

 

[WVI]

That's a great looking rig!

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

That's a great looking rig!

Thank you.

Just did the insulation and plywood floor today. Doing the bed tomorrow and then taking it on a snowboard trip next weekend once the other goodies get in.

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

Here's some progress shots of the floor and bed pieces. My wife was picky about making sure we could fold up the bed and still walk through to the back doors. This was the easiest solution in my mind. Plus now there's plenty of storage space underneath. We used a combination of reflectix, denim and yoga mats for the insulation. Didn't really get any of the insulation pictures because once it was done I just wanted to get the floor and bed in. I invested $19 into a Kreg drill guide for this build and I'm glad I did. The pocket joints are super strong and make the bed frames extra sturdy. We're trying to decide on what fabric to lay over the plywood on the bed as well which floor material we want to use. My goal zero yeti came in as did our 5" memory foam mattress that we're going to be cutting in half for the futon cushions. Now I'm just waiting on my goal zero solar panels, coolers, and cooktop/kitchen to come in so I we can really start using this thing. The "kitchen" will be going on the passenger side up against the front of the futon, next to the rear side door facing the side. That way there's a view when we're cooking and cleaning Still got plenty to do, but I'm glad it's almost to the point to go camping comfortably and easily.

*Sorry for the sideways photos...*

View attachment 436006

 

[WVI]

Looking good!

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

Bed and futon are done. My 65q cooler came in on Friday so we decided to go out and camp this weekend. Since I'm not super comfortable with how this beast handles off-pavement and I am still not locked or winched, we decided to go to the Robbins Butte Wildlife Viewing/Hunting area. It's an easy 4 mile trail that has a decent amount of people on it with full rigs/winches in case we needed some help. The road is super mellow except a 1/2 mile patch of soft sand wash. When it rains it can create some 2ft drops at the entrance/exit of the wash. It hasn't rained in Phoenix for awhile so there were no drops to worry about. We aired down to 45 PSI (from our standard 70) and gave it a go. Falkor had absolutely no issues on the soft stuff. Made it all the way to the butte and we got to shoot some .22's at the targets out there. On the way back got to stop at the bike park and take my BMX out for a few hours while my lady played guitar in the van. Insulation helped keep the van warm both nights and the cooler kept the ice from Friday night til Sunday. Couldn't ask for a better weekend. I need to get my Nikon fixed so I can start to do some real photos. Iphones just aren't the same...

 

[KYC]

Thats a really good find.

What tires are you planning to run?

It should be first before the lockers or winch.

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

Thats a really good find.

What tires are you planning to run?

It should be first before the lockers or winch.

I just put on those Goodyear/Kelly All-Terrains the first week I bought it. They're 31x10 (255/75/16). I got them because I live in Goodyear, AZ and there is a Goodyear shop within 10 miles of every direction I drive and they're supposed to last at least 50k. I got all 5 tires with road hazard warranty, balance and alignment for under $700. Pretty happy with them so far. I know they aren't the best, but they are far better than the 12 year old 225/75/16 Firestones that were on there. Once I have it lifted I'll look into 33's. Probably BFG K02's since that's what I've always run on my yotas. I'm also a big fan of the Cooper Discovery's.

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

Just got back from 6 days in the van with the band. It was good...um...shall we say R&D time to see what's going to work and what is a waste of time. Gear wise we had 4 guitars, 2 basses, 1 2x12 Vox guitar amp, 1x12 fender amp, 2x15 Bass amp, a full drum kit, 2 suitcases full of merch, a PA system, recovery gear (shovel, maxxtraxx, recovery straps, tools, etc.), 4 people and a dog. Falkor was able to store all the music and recovery gear under the bed and the sleeping bags and clothes stayed on top. My wife and I slept in the bed and our drummer and bass player slept on the floor on their rock climbing crash pads.

First night my wife drove from Phoenix to Pinyon Flats and camped out there with our dog:


From there we drove out to San Diego through Santa Ysabel and Julian to pick up the rest of the band. The van does not handle the twisties quite as well as I would hope, but then again it's a 10 foot tall bus, so I don't know what I was hoping for. After we got the rest of the guys and dropped off our dog with the babysitter we headed to our first show in Long Beach. After we played we drove out to Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura and camped there for the evening. It was pretty amazing waking up to not only the sound of the waves, but the actual waves hitting the side of the van:



After we woke up we made our way north up Highway 33 and into Ojai. We played the Ojai Deer Lodge that night and then camped out in Camp Comfort Campsite. Nothing special at the campsite, but here's a shot of my Old Lady at Ojai Deer Lodge:



After waking up in Ojai, we made our way through the mountains and out to the 15 to head north to Vegas. I wanted to stop in Death Valley and walk around, but everyone else's hangover kept us on the pavement and North towards Las Vegas. We decided to stay at Circus Circus for the night so I could park Falkor at the RV lot and see what the RV park life is all about. We ended meeting another group travelling in a Vanagon who had the same idea as us:



After we played Double Down we strolled around the strip for a bit before making it back to the hotel. The dudes slept in the hotel while my wife and I slept in the van. The dudes had originally planned to go to Red Rocks and climb for a bit the next day (that's why they brought their crash pads), but after a night out in Vegas, no one was down to go climbing on Sunday. Instead we opted for the Seven Magic Mountains painted rocks. Way too many people for a close-up so we went for the far away van shot instead:



From there we drove the dudes back to San Diego, dropped them off, picked up our dog and headed north for the final night of camping. My wife and I drove northeast til we hit Oak Grove campsite outside of Palm Desert. Then we drove back towards Phoenix and stopped at our local hiking trails just in time for this Sunset:





Things I've learned from this trip:

1. Forget windows I need to cover and insulate them because it's still cold in there when the temps start to drop.
2. I need to be smart about my overhead space and build cabinets that maximize storage without taking away head room.
3. I need to finish the kitchen/sink/fold out table.
4. I need to build another seating/sleeping option for a third person.
5. Weldtec lift
6. ARB Locker
7. Lights for when we pull up to camp in the darkness.
8. 4X4 Conversion is not going to be necessary for most of the spots this will see. Thinking I might just keep it 2wd and tow my off-road toys when I want to get out there.

 

[brushogger]

For the third person sleeping option, you might check out the stretcher style beds they use in the top area of Flippac campers. They’re comfortable , come down easily when not needed, and shouldn’t be too expensive. You have plenty of room in the roof to use one. Stretcher bed may be the wrong term. Maybe one more knowledgeable can chime in.

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

For the third person sleeping option, you might check out the stretcher style beds they use in the top area of Flippac campers. They're comfortable , come down easily when not needed, and shouldn't be too expensive. You have plenty of room in the roof to use one. Stretcher bed may be the wrong term. Maybe one more knowledgeable can chime in.

I'm not sure what that is, but I'll look into it. My thought right now is to make a 24"x 72" storage space along the driver side wall above where I plan to put the "closet" and the sink. Can be used for storage as needed and when we bring the extra person it could be used to sleep in. It'd be kinda like an RV bunk bed, but only the top one. There's so much room in this thing it opens up a lot of options. So many options it's hard to know which one to go with.

 

[brushogger]

Here's a video of one. It's shown at the 1 minute 20 sec mark. Depending on the persons height, you may be able to do it cross ways instead of lengthwise.
https://youtu.be/nTZ2-o5kmKE

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

Here's a video of one. It's shown at the 1 minute 20 sec mark. Depending on the persons height, you may be able to do it cross ways instead of lengthwise.
https://youtu.be/nTZ2-o5kmKE

Thanks for that Brushogger.

 

[TheVagabondMBA]

This weekend's project was purely cosmetic: bedliner bumpers and black out the OEM steelies. I had lofty goals of getting everything done Saturday afternoon and camping Saturday night, but Mother Nature decided to change my plans and rained all day Saturday causing some serious delays in dry time between coats. So instead I had to wait for everything to finish curing Saturday night, woke up super early on Sunday to put everything back on and then we drove out to Lake Pleasant/Castle Hot Springs/Morristown in Arizona before Sunrise. Woke up around 11, started a fire, cooked some breakfast, drank some Irish coffee, played some music and then took our time do the 26 mile trail from Lake Pleasant to Morristown, AZ.

I started doing all the prep work Friday night after work by removing the bumpers, grill and headlight bezels. Then I brought the wife and laptop out to garage to help me sand and clean everything. I've rattle-canned a lot of vehicles in my lifetime, and I would like to say I've gotten it down to a pretty good science at this point. I've also learned that the high heat engine enamel from Rustoleum is very chip resistant, looks good and lasts awhile if you're patient and do the prep work. Especially if you use it as a top coat over the rubber undercoat or spray on bedliner. I painted some of the things on my Harley over 4 years ago and the engine enamel has held up well. Particularly, the front forks that see a lot of rocks, bugs and other grime on a daily basis. I also found that the spray on bedliner works really well if you take the time to let it coat and dry properly. It also helps if you use a tumbler overnight to let the contents of the bedliner mix properly. I used our lapidary tumbler that we use for rock hounding treasures.

Here's my general step by step process:
1. Remove everything you want to cover
2. Open case of beer, choose a new Netflix to binge (We chose season 2 of Jessica Jones)
3. Start with Medium grit sand paper then clean with soap and water
4. Move to fine grade sanding block then clean with Acetone
5. Open more beer and start the next episode of Jessica Jones
6. Move to extra fine steel wool then clean with Acetone
7. Primer everything with Rustoleum Self Etching Primer
8. Open another beer and watch more Jessica Jones while the paint dries
9. Steel wool the primer and clean with Acetone
10. Do another coat of primer
11. Repeat step 8
12. Repeat Step 9
13. Spray 2 coats of Rustoleum Spray on Bedliner
14. Repeat step 8
15. Cover the bedliner with Rustoleum High Heat engine enamel
16. Finish the beer and Jessica Jones while the paint dries
17. Put everything back on
18. Enjoy your hard work

I was able to get through steps 1-6 on Friday night, steps 7-16 on Saturday and 17 and 18 on Sunday morning. Usually to paint the wheels I would remove them 2 at a time (put on jack stands remove both front wheels, then do the same in the rear), but because the lugs on these wheels are completely outside of the wheel it was easier to just tape off the lugs and keep everything on the van. Just know that if you do it this way, make sure you use cardboard to prevent overspray from getting on the van and also move the van after each coat so you can get a different angle to spray the wheels. Otherwise, you'll probably end up missing some hard-to-reach spots on the wheels or the paint will all run and pool into one spot (if you apply too much). I follow all of the same steps as above for the wheels except for the bedliner. Instead it's just primer and then 4-5 coats per wheel of the engine enamel.

I also tried to install some “universal” Husky Liner 2.75” fender flares to complete the SMB look, but unfortunately they did not work with E-series fenders. I picked them up from Amazon because they had 2 used sets for a grand total of $60 with shipping. I figured I would try them out and see if they worked. If they did than cool I saved a lot compared to the Bushwackers. If not, I could return them and use the money towards something else. Oh well, Bushwackers will be going on down the line instead.

My next goal is trying to figure out a front mount system for my Harley. I'd prefer to have it up front so I can keep an eye on it and so I don't back it into anything. But that's another project...

Because of Saturday's rain the usually really easy Canyon Hot Springs trail was made a little more interesting. I don't know if it's the bumpers and wheels or the mud, but I'm liking the way it looks right now. This thing is so much fun.

Enjoy the photos (even the sideways ones)!

 

[Raul]

I also tried to install some “universal” Husky Liner 2.75” fender flares to complete the SMB look, but unfortunately they did not work with E-series fenders. I picked them up from Amazon because they had 2 used sets for a grand total of $60 with shipping. I figured I would try them out and see if they worked. If they did than cool I saved a lot compared to the Bushwackers. If not, I could return them and use the money towards something else. Oh well, Bushwackers will be going on down the line instead.

I've used something similar on my two vans and I was pleased with the results. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Y0OS4U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Of course Bushwakers are nicer, but the difference in price is significant.