Oh ********!!! Mistakes you have made

[boardrider247]

We all know that planning will eliminate any mistakes but.........

I would like to dedicate this thread to all the foul ups we have made when building our vans:Wow1:
Or problems we have found in van's that were purchased from a pro builder or a previous home builder.
Professionals would call this "lessons learned" :elkgrin:

I was reading another thread and saw mention of some quality problems from pro conversion vendors and thought it would be good to be able to see these so as not to repeat them.
Which got me thinking that if we all shared our mistakes we could learn from one another and maybe keep someone else from repeating the same.
And hopefully we can get a good laugh at ourselves in the process.

I really don't want this to turn into a thread bashing each other so let's keep it fun and help each other out.



A couple of my foul ups to start.



This plastic.
Untitled by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr

I love the look. Nice and clean.
Untitled by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr

The problem is it changes size much more then the wood it is laminated to. So the temperature extremes between negative temps to over 100 has caused it to start peeling and delaminating
Maybe a different glue would have held up better but I doubt it. So now I'm left with trying to figure out how to replace it with something more temperature stable.....

Second up. This shock adapter
IMG_20140920_141746 by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr

Caused this.
IMG_20140928_165314 by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr

Problem was the length of the adapter changed the stress on the shock mounts from compression to an angular shear tearing the mounting holes out.
This was a relatively simple fix of getting shocks with the proper upper mount.


There are a couple of my foul ups. Let's see what you have done or had to redo.......

 

[naterry]

Too many to list but...

If your van feels a little loose in the rear it may not be that awesome torque you think you have, may be a flat in the works, that may lead to a pinched tire, and ultimately this:

 

[arpisme]

Only 1 mistake so far... selling my van

 

[89s rule]

Love the thread idea.

Mine is not taking the time or $ to just get things done now vs. waiting to save $. I'm all about budget builds but at some point you want to enjoy the vehicle. This is why my van has been sitting over a year. It's time to man up and get it done or at a minimum road and daily driver worthy!

 

[verdesardog]

When changing ball joints on my Dodge 2500 I had the press set up wrong and was trying to take the joints out the wrong way, ended up breaking the ball joint press! When pressed out the correct way they came right out. Duh.....

 

[GR8ADV]

Long and somewhat painful list when I start to think about it. So just one, to spare myself some of the memories.
.
I was replacing the torsion bar suspension on an older Porsche I was setting up for the track. I attempted to install the bars from the wrong direction. Hmmm, they should fit; I KNOW they should fit. So what should I do? Get a bigger hammer of course. Suffice it to say that I made a damn fine mess of the splines on both the torsion bars and on the car. Nothing a big chunk of money and time from my mechanic could not solve...

 

[philos]

Ohhh, I play this game ALL the time! Where ever to begin?



Sent via flux capacitor

 

[86scotty]

The one that comes to mind first is when I was screwing down plywood to the floor of my first van. I shot a screw right through the rear ac freon line. Boy I was pissed!!!

 

[boardrider247]

Glad everyone is getting a kick out of this
Now let's see some "****** was the PO thinking" pics:sombrero:

 

[volcomsurfer]

Running out of beer halfway through a day.

Another one is assuming 'plug and play' or 'bolts right into oem hardware/spots' is correct.

Making an unrealistic timeline

 

[Cummins_expo]

Assuming the factory understanding square and true ... never build both sides without measuring

 

[dar395]

Not understanding the small space vs to much stuff wanting in the start of the build, best thing is it was removable and most of the build was re-useable.

Now after three try's we're able to stay out 6 days without needing to add any water and our space is all very much used, but not over used!



But all in all it was an amazing year of travel and we were able to do it our way:rally_guys:



Going places and seeing things that others just dream of, even if we sometimes get it wrong:victory:

 

[86scotty]

Assuming the factory understanding square and true ... never build both sides without measuring

Lol, nothing on a van is square. Nothing. On mine, not even the stuff I've added!

 

[KMG]

Once in a while a mistake can lead to a great outcome. I bought a new Mitsubishi Fuso FG140 to build into an expedition vehicle. After too many issues the dealer bought it back and made me whole for the accessories I built and purchased. Changed my plan and purchased a Nissan NV3500 with Quigley 4x4. One of my all time favorite vehicles I've owned!

 

[Accrete]

I would like to dedicate this thread to all the foul ups we have made when building our vans...

Nothing negative to say about the van or conversion...but do have a never-do-this-at-home-kids memory.

Whenever you are utilizing 3M77 spray adhesive in your build process, make sure anyone with _hair_ has a shower cap or similar on.

The cost of a shower cap is much less than a make-up dinner date with roses ; )

Thom