Looking at a 4wd van, need some advice

E

ert01

Adventurer
It's been a while since I did any sort of update but I found something interesting this past weekend...

Quigley told me I had a 30gal tank so that's how I had my scangaugeII programmed... But whenever I filled up the tank, I would usually only fit in 25gal. The dash gauge showed me as Empty but the ScanGauge would say I had over 150-200km range left in the tank.

I did a test to see what gauge was more accurate... Filled up a Jerry before I left and hit the open road determined to run the van dry. (I know it's not smart with the 7.3 but I would rather test it on a weekend when its planned than out in the backcountry when it's dark and rainy or snowy).

The van sputtered and died with 100km left showing on the scangauge.

With the Jerry and a full tank of fuel, I could only fit in 28gal. So maybe my tank is 30gal but realistic useable size is only 28gal. I readjusted my scangauge and now I can drive with a little more peace of mind.

I went a full 100km further than the E on the dash gauge, but also nearly a full 100km shy of what the scangauge range remaining showed. Now it should be a lot more accurate.



Also, I picked up a brand new in box Warn VTC compressor for $100!!! I'm quite happy to be finally upgrading from my trusty old MV-50. It has done its duty for years filling up my 35's on my jeep but I'm happy to have a newer and bigger compressor now! Can't wait to give it a workout! 8cfm @ 90psi and 100% duty cycle is going to be awesome.
 
M

MikeCG

Adventurer
Your girls might be small enough that you could get away with putting a pull out drawer system in the back with padding on top for them to sleep sideways on. That might get you a year or two out of your Jeep, but we the grow some more you'll be in the same boat again. I was considering the Van option too, but The prices are up there pretty high, because they have to be converted. I use to use a K5 Blazer with a full size mattress in the back and put all my gear on a roof rack. That only gave me seating for two however and I was getting about 12MPG everywhere I went. I realized that a Suburban would give me the room for a pull out drawer system in the back with a mattress on top with an extra row of seats. Best of all, up true 1999 they are available in a diesel. I'm currently planning to purchase one in a few months. I'm currently traveling for a work project, but plan to buy after that. You could move your RTT to a Suburban and you have yourself a 2 room cabin on wheels. The pull out draws and a small rack you have plenty of storage and the center seats are still there for the kids to be strapped in. Don't get me wrong, the vans are great and I would rather have one of them, but for a used diesel they are $15K plus. I can find Diesel Suburbans on Craigslist for between $3000 and $8000 depending on condition and options. I may have to do a wide search and drive a good ways to get them, but the same is true for the vans.


Edit. Wow. Sorry. Didn't realize how long ago this thread was started. Note to self, check original posting date before responding.
 
E

ert01

Adventurer
Haha no problem... I've already purchased the diesel 4x4 van and I'm still using this old thread to post random updates once in a while.

I did give Expeditions and Suburbans a fair shake and just decided that the EB350 van simply has much more space inside and we are loving the huge open space. I am not even sure if I will build any cooking facilities inside... I want to keep it big and open and versatile. Probably will just do a small bed at the back for the girls and my wife and I will sleep on the floor for now until we get a hard top or pop top.
 
E

ert01

Adventurer
A few small updates...

Picked up a factory folding bench seat/bed from a chateau and I'll be mounting it in the van probably early next week when I have some time off.

Also added the Ford OEM keyless entry pad to the van. I got it all programmed and working tonight.

And I ordered a whole bunch of goodies!
-Moog CC880S variable rate coil springs to help out the front end
-Ouku double din touchscreen android headunit with backup camera
-kenwood under seat subwoofer

We added a cheap rooftop vent for now. I might go to a fantastic or maxxair fan in the future but this one at least will work for this summer.

Oh! And I almost forgot one major item... An aluminess rear bumper! Got it for a steal from a local wrecker who had a rolled sportsmobile in his yard. Bumper was a little dinged but nothing serious. Mostly front end damage on the van.

I'll post up some pics later this week.
 
E

ert01

Adventurer
Update:
I've done a lot to the van over the summer but it still has a long ways to go.


Dorman up-pipes and thermal wrap. The stock pipes had a bad leak. These pipes and the wrap are noticeably quieter and I have much less black smoke out the tailpipe now when I'm hard on the pedal. The whole van seems to run smoother. Well worth it IMHO.

f91a25109dc9b1269cb829a1ff109279.jpg



Added an Ouku 6.2" touchscreen deck and backup camera. And some Kicker speakers. And a Kenwood "tune-up" sub under the drivers seat. Was a nice addition until the deck died after a couple days of use. I've since returned it on warranty and I plan to get a different replacement. Probably still an Ouku, but I'd like the pure android version rather than the Windows one...

b4d7422a1f81f4d7be04c46fadb4dfb8.jpg



I towed my XJ around BC for a few weeks for some wheeling with my brother. I won't be doing it again soon... Flat towing is not anything I enjoy. I will get a car hauler for the next trip.

5070ac80604755e039ce64df1df11358.jpg


Here you can see a few of the new additions... Like my new chrome grill. I might still swap it back to the black one... I'm undecided for now.

9f3affc34c30c48bd57efc6eafdd9ebf.jpg



Hiding behind the chrome grill is a set of Hella horns (painted black). The new black bumper has a Noco receptacle cut into it for the block heater. No more dangly cord for me! I also added a Noco on-board battery tender that also runs off that plug. In the winter when I plug in, my block will be toasty warm and the batteries will be topped up. You can also see my new single row LED bar, my front receiver and tow hooks, my new headlights...

381731cfa7ba2323c5c1185c002e8421.jpg



I also added tow mirrors (local kijiji score for $50!). I don't know if I ever posted an installed pic of my CRL window but it's in there and the girls love it!

1a424da49c02acadad350d444d27feac.jpg



I added a remote entry key pad on the barn doors. Thanks EBay!

4efae2c019eaa9eaf7b4252068a4d979.jpg



Since I'm still undecided on what sort of top I want, I didn't get too crazy doing anything for ventilation but it did need SOMETHING... So I added a cheap roof vent and I put a 200mm computer case fan in it to help with circulation. You can also see that I riveted some anchor points on the roof... Those are for my poor-mans "awning". (Consisting of a tarp and some poles). It actually worked quite well but I will still do something fancier once I get a top installed on the van.

cdb777aa46a38a454435206278bc2563.jpg


bbf750c74f314672d1e389ff144591ce.jpg



And I added an Aluminess rear bumper! Another local kijiji score... I paid less than 30% of new price for it! The guy didn't really know what he had. He got a wrecked van and pulled the engine and tranny from it and was parting out the rest. He said he had no need for a fancy bumper on his work van.

7176ead9117654cf69aeae2ad2e28c2b.jpg


We started a bit of the interior build... Just to get it functional for the summer. We ditched the 2 rear captains chairs and got this tri-folding rear bench/bed for $80. My wife and I slept comfortably on it while the girls slept on the floor in front of the bench on a small folding foam mattress that we store below the bench. Also added an ikea cabinet as a dresser, some vinyl glue-down flooring and starting re-doing the interior panelling. Didn't bother doing the ceiling though because it'll get ripped out as soon as we get a top done.

c0c9ea249a0ac4ef8545f677858df5d8.jpg



Another view inside the rear. We added window coverings. Oh and I replaced all the fixed windows on the side and rear doors with the opening ones from the junkyard. The original windows were clear and these have a slight mirrored tint to them. I really like them a lot. Good visibility from inside but it cuts out on the solar heat coming into the van.

11b205e8a6e8e7f4ee9d23bc086ba237.jpg


Here you can barely see my 2 rotary switches and the 4wd light... The top switch is my Dfuser high-idle controller and the lower switch is the TS chip. And on the left I added a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller.

3edd8153dd8f7da41c44c0710b2eaeaa.jpg




I think that's it for now... Oh except I've purchased a 1500W pure sine wave inverter to wire in. I've also fab Ed up another battery rack to mount to the drivers side frame rail that will hold 2 more batteries.

For now I will have all 4 batteries in parallel (no isolation) but as funds are freed up, I will have a house bank of 2 and a starting bank of 2.
 
R

radorsch

Adventurer
Wow. Busy summer. Nice! And some sweet scores (like the rear bumper).
How does that 200mm computer fan work for ventilation? Is is enough? I'm considering temporary ventilation solution, while mulling over top options, and that may be a good budget solution... and more opening windows (need to keep trolling the local junk yards).
 
E

ert01

Adventurer
I used the Bitfenix Spectre Pro 200mm fan and it worked well enough. Rated at 150cfm it was just enough to pull the hotter air out from the top of the van and draw a bit of cooler air in through the windows. It's not a crazy amount of airflow but the fan is deadly silent and draws next to no power.

It's better than nothing but if I were going to spend more time camping in very hot areas, I'd want more airflow, or AC.
 
Pinnacle Campers

Pinnacle Campers

Chateau spotter
E

ert01

Adventurer
Update:
Pics will follow...

Been digging into the front axle to do a bunch of preventative maintenance. What started as pads and rotors became:

Pads
Rotors
Calipers
Brake lines
Hubs (new mile markers are in the mail to me now)
Hub bearings
Stub shaft bearings
Ujoints
Complete upper and lower kingpins
Shocks (bilsteins on all 4 corners)

Still waiting on some parts to arrive before I can complete it all but I'm already excited! The Ujoints were pretty crusty, the lockouts were packed with nasty muddy grease, the hub bearings were rusty... It'll be like a whole new van! Haha

I'm learning a LOT about these kingpin 60's in the process... I'm glad to do this all in one shot and not have to do it again, but if I DO ever have to do it again I'll be so much faster at it all!
 
E

ert01

Adventurer
Well I'm done my front axle refresher. And the van feels AWESOME! Steering is smooth and tight, no wobble or vibrations. Everything feels really good. Brakes are WAY better!

I really came to appreciate Billavista's Dana 60 tech over on Pirate4x4... I read it through multiple times during this work and his attention to detail is phenomenal. He lists all the part numbers and cross references them to the other manufacturers... It's truly a gem of information.


Between the front end rebuild and the moog cc880s springs and my new bilstein shocks, it's like a totally new van!

Just gotta find time to install my timbren SES's sometime... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
189,984
Messages
2,922,859
Members
233,209
Latest member
Goldenbora

Members online

Total: 735 (members: 32, guests: 703)
Top