"One Piece At A Time" Build
- Thread starter Corneilius
- Start date
Corneilius
Adventurer
I took the van and the bike out to Brown Mountain for a little riding, then drove up to Boone to meet my brother for some camping in Pisgah. Had a great trip, the van makes trips like this fun and easy. Did a little fishing and boating too.
Corneilius
Adventurer
Well what I've got in it and what it would cost Joe 6 Pack are 2 very different numbers. Ive spent a huge number of man hours designing and building it, which add up quick. To buy, camperize, and 4wd swap a van similar to this would cost 20-30k depending on a lot of variables. I won't bore y'all with what I've got in it 
Edit: the 4wd swap being the largest part of the budget, but INDISPENSABLE in being able to enjoy the van. The load capacity, braking and steering all dwarf the factory components. It would be white knuckle at 60mph if stock.
Edit: the 4wd swap being the largest part of the budget, but INDISPENSABLE in being able to enjoy the van. The load capacity, braking and steering all dwarf the factory components. It would be white knuckle at 60mph if stock.
Corneilius
Adventurer
Our folding camp table was always a cumbersome item to pack and store. I meant to design a dedicated slot for it to fit in, but that never happened. I had also been looking for a good way to utilize the dead space behind our couch back. Glad to get 2 birds stoned at once!
Just had to trim a few inches off the side.
Excited about the use of dead space, not excited about the ends of the table being open. Currently thinking of an alternate table top that I can attach these legs to. Any ideas? Nice plywood? Sheet of plastic?
Also, this is hilarious and describes my bike pretty well.
Just had to trim a few inches off the side.
Excited about the use of dead space, not excited about the ends of the table being open. Currently thinking of an alternate table top that I can attach these legs to. Any ideas? Nice plywood? Sheet of plastic?
Also, this is hilarious and describes my bike pretty well.
How about this cheap folder from Home Depot? Same construction as your current setup, but half the space.
Corneilius
Adventurer
That would be perfect except its 30" wide and my window casing is only 25" tall. The smaller tables (24") fit. Thanks for the link though
Corneilius
Adventurer
Thanks, the rack is working really well hauling boats and as an awesome breakfast/sunset hangout spot. Thinking about installing a couple quick release boat seats lol (I had to eat my words on this feature)
Im still finishing out little trim and functionality projects. Finally got around to redoing the old TV VCR cabinet above our heads. We use this as our dry goods storage and pantry. Was dark and hard to access before. The revamp should help, going to paint the interior a light color to help as well.
Old and Busted
Template traced and cut out
Gear retention
Needs paint still
Next up is to add shock cord/ gear nets on the high top interior to hold pillows and random bits. Also working on dish storage. Really want something that holds them all without rattling AND doubles as a drying rack.
Edit: Going to try the shock cord for a few trips and see if its enough to keep stuff inside. There is a 3" lip along the bottom as well. If we have rouge pasta go flying then ill switch it out for netting
Corneilius
Adventurer
Still have it! I let the tags expire so she's trail-only for now. Hoping to get a trailer or dolly to tow her behind my van to some of the offroad parks in the area.
Oh hell ya, a tow dolly would be money....
Travelin _man
HEY HEY HOCKEYTOWN!!
Cool van!! Any thing done to the Hardbody?
Corneilius
Adventurer
2wd to 4wd conversion, Dana 44 SAS, Isuzu 12 bolt rear, 4.56s, square tube front driveshaft, custom tube bumpers and rack, Nissan factory winch, 300k miles and 10 years of seat time. She was our boating and camp rig for the last several years, got to be too small and underpowered. Now that the van is getting dialed in she will be getting some love. Swapping the rear LSD for a welded diff, removing sway bar and limit straps, probably pull camper shell and rack to save weight.