New Member - Roadtrek Xform

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Talcabin

New member
I've been trolling for awhile now and just signed up! I've done a 8 month Florida to Mexico to Alaska trip in a SUV and a ground tent , it was great! Now I have a wife and dog & I bought a 2006 Chevy 3500 Express Roadtrek van with about 80k miles, 6.0l V8. Runs like a champ. De-badged it - Spent some time removing all the pinstripes and logos, replaced all bulbs and lights with LEDs, adding a second coach battery,solar panel, larger inverter & put one of those Scangauges in. Thought long and hard about a Pickup truck camper for months but decided on the van for long term security. Decided that with the wife concerns, etc, that if anything happened it would be better to not have to leave the camper and just jump in the drivers seat. Plus overall it was a lot cheaper to go this way. I got a great deal on the van!

We are 90% ready for our trip to CA/SA this Winter. Probably going to get the 4x4 conversion done soon. I've looked in to Boulder off road and Advanced 4x4. Advanced seems to be the most experienced for Chevys and a bit cheaper than Boulder.

Just wanted to say hello and will probably post a build thread as I get going on the conversion.
 
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Talcabin

New member
Thanks! This is a great forum, can't believe how much info is available and how many members there are!
 
T

Talcabin

New member
starting point pic

I have to take some more pics, and downsize the ones I have in order to post them I guess.


IMG_2931.jpg



I'll post more soon - lots more projects to do!
 
CSG

CSG

Explorer
Welcome and I'm envious. I'd really like to upgrade my PW Traverse for a PW or RT Chevy van with all the comforts. I'd be giving up a number of things (like the roads I can travel on with the Traverse (which has a little over 8" of clearance) and MPG but having an onboard marine toilet and shower would be really nice.
 
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Gtdad

Adventurer
CSG said:
Welcome and I'm envious. I'd really like to upgrade my PW Traverse for a PW or RT Chevy van with all the comforts. I'd be giving up a number of things (like the roads I can travel on with the Traverse (which has a little over 8" of clearance) and MPG but having an onboard marine toilet and shower would be really nice.
Click to expand...

Im with you CSG... My wife would love a shower...
But I love my traverse.. But damn those RT's have everything
 
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Talcabin

New member
Those Traverses are nice! I would have bought one if I had found a deal.
I really wasn't planning on an RT but the price grabbed my attention so I checked it out. It drives great, everything works good, and the interior is in decent shape except for the curtains. There was no rust, even underneath, even in a spot where the paint chipped to bare metal - it must be galvanized. I checked it out and sealed the deal before the dealer even had cleaned it up, he didn't know what he had. By the time I picked it up, he offered to buy it back from me!

It actually has more than I wanted. I didn't want an on board toilet or shower. I don't plan on using them because of worries over interior moisture and the pain of flushing a black tank, but I have a wife with me so plans will prob change :)

I hadn't really noticed before but there are lots of dump stations everywhere in the US! I even saw some hwy rest stops that have them, and the big trucker gas stations. Not many dump stations outside the USA as we head South so not planning on getting much use out of the toilet once we go South.
The outside shower will gets lots of use though!

I got 15mpg on a 1000 mile Hwy drive, but with 4WD I guess that will change, though a couple of guys I talked to said they only saw a 1-2mpg change after 4WD. Got to enjoy these lower gas prices around here while we can, right?!

I think I'll be about 9 1/2 ft tall after the 4WD with 5-6 inch lift so I guess that will limit me off road. But even the small dirt road villages down South get deliveries by truck so I don't think that will be a problem. In the US we are all about the National Forests and National Recreation areas - free back country camping! But I prob will be limited in where I can go at that height in some of those places.

Too many project ideas for the time I have so I think I will just jump in and go and determine what I need while on board instead of what I think I want now.
But now I am looking for rear and side cameras with a 4 input monitor. Also looking for a replacement light for that flat weak one on the exterior passenger side. It fills with rain water and is weak light. I'd like to find something that is not the typical plastic RV type that sticks out too far. A motion sensor operated LED type that can't be ripped off too easy. I have to think about that for everything - Can't have anything that can be easily removed or they will prob go missing the first time I leave the van alone in some places down South. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
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ober27

Adventurer
What was the process for removing the stripes? I'm assuming the adhesive must be difficult to remove.
 
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Talcabin

New member
pin stripe remover

ober27 said:
What was the process for removing the stripes? I'm assuming the adhesive must be difficult to remove.
Click to expand...

I tried spray on adhesive remover, another spray bottle supposedly specifically meant for removing pinstripes, and just a scraper with elbow grease. None of it worked until I got this:

IMG_3076.jpgIMG_3075.jpg

Came off really fast and easy. Went through 3 of them for the whole van. Found on Amazon.
 
keko_jones

keko_jones

New member
Welcome mi Hermano !
I'm waiting to do the same trip soon with a Ford E 150 4x4 next year !
Good Luck in your trip . :smiley_drive: :wings: :victory:
 
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