Pics of your VAN! Post up!

[adi]

So, you are the guy that bought this rig from Fam Vans... I was in the process of talking to Maria about buying this van when you got it. Congrats! Funny that you drove it up to Seattle near where I live. Should be a great platform to start with. Wish that you still lived up here so that we could assist each other with our builds. Make sure that you keep us updated here at ExPo.

Brad

Hah, yeah, I was wondering why no one else picked it up, I was eyeing it for about a month. Once my LC had a solid buyer I put a hold on it.

FamVans has a few hundred vans, although most are Chevy express, and I bought one of their two diesel Econolines (other was a blue 07). They were great to deal with, picked me up from the airport as well.

 

[Railvan]

Probably could have used a full size van- we actually had a blue plastic kiddie pool stashed away inside the Astro.


http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee258/wannahuckmastinky/Chelan 2011/IMG_7566.jpg

Wow, the van is looking a little overwhelmed with your toys! Lol!... I think maybe an airport shuttle van might be big enough for you and the family and all the toys you love to take to play with! :wavey:

 

[Stroverlander]

Wow, too many cool van pics to try to comment on. Good stuff, guys.


We had a week long stay and a vacation home at a swanky gated community Wapato Lake on Lk Chelan where my Brother in Law and I rode enduros in the mountains every day. We were able to combine some nice overlanding and general touring on either end of the stay. Probably could have used a full size van- we actually had a blue plastic kiddie pool stashed away inside the Astro.




Hmm, been positng pics on here for years, now all the sudden I'm an idiot again.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee258/wannahuckmastinky/Chelan 2011/IMG_7566.jpg

T.Low, what rear tire is that on the Gas Gas? It looks almost trials-esque. I need to fab a hitch mount carrier for my Husqvarna and mountain bike so I don't have to put them in the van anymore. Does your stay pretty stable? Thx...

 

[ujoint]

Great van. A true score I must say!

 

[Warn Industries]

Love all the pics of all the vans! Thought I would share some of my syncro.

On ATS Cups, too? Sweet! One of my favorite wheels. Looks great.

- Andy

 

[T.Low]

T.Low, what rear tire is that on the Gas Gas? It looks almost trials-esque. I need to fab a hitch mount carrier for my Husqvarna and mountain bike so I don't have to put them in the van anymore. Does your stay pretty stable? Thx...

You are correct. It's a Pirelli MT 43 trials tire. Most of my riding is done on rocks and roots, and usually wet. That is exactly what the trials tire is made for. It easily outperforms a knobby on the trails I ride. Ride it @ 8-9 psi and it grips everything, wet or dry. A little slick in the grease, though.

I just welded a reciever on top of the motorcycle hitch carrier so i can slide the mtn bike carrier in and out as needed. It's very stable.

Which Husky do you ride?


RailBrian, you should have seen the inside of the van. :Wow1:

 

[ben2go]

Went from this:

to this:


1997 7.3 diesel RB E350 with 57k (when I bought it). Flew to Los Angeles from Tucson to pick it up, drove up to Seattle, got a trailer hitch installed and a Uhaul trailer, then packed up the last of my stuff in Seattle, and drove south back to Tucson, about 2700 miles on a van I never laid eyes on before I bought it.

There are a few maintenance items, like the thermostat is stuck open so it never fully warms up, but my first tank I got 19mpg. However once I got the trailer hooked up and drove between snow storms with snowy and icy mornings, that dropped to 15-16mpg Truck pulls amazingly well, even loaded up. I had no issues keeping 65-70 on all mountain grades.

Plans are:
Stage 1 - interior build. Insulation, replace crappy tint, build water (20g+)/sink unit, bed, storage, and eventually toilet. I have some ideas on making everything removable with aluminum tie down strips, working on how to insulate below those though. I want to be able to remove everything within 30 minutes and make it a cargo area easily, and easily shuffle "units" around as needed. I'm using my credit card points on lowes and home depot gift cards, so this should move somewhat quickly.

Stage 2 - Ujoint 4x4 kit 4", solar, roof kit for more storage.

Stage ? - Rear LSD before stage 2, time permitting. Figure out spare tire location (Wouldn't mind a swingout for it on rear bumper, but want to be able to open main door without doing anything extra). Gauges (trans temp, pyro, etc).

Talk about a clean slate.No demo required.Just start the fitting out.

 

[Herbie]

New Photos of the Astrolander

I realized I haven't posted pics of my van in forever. Time for a few shots from the ExPo SoCal Desert Rendezvous this past weekend:

Airing down prior to tackling the silt tracks (some hard-packed dirt and washboard road, but lots of deep silt ruts too - momentum is king):

And looking like a powdered doughnut afterwards:

All setup for glamping:

 

[T.Low]

Now that is a good lookiing van. :ylsmoke:

 

[Stroverlander]

Now that is a good lookiing van. :ylsmoke:

True, veddy nice.

 

[ihatemybike]

Very nice Herbie!

 

[Railvan]

Great to see some new pics, Herbie!

 

[T.Low]

I realized I haven't posted pics of my van in forever. Time for a few shots from the ExPo SoCal Desert Rendezvous this past weekend:

Airing down prior to tackling the silt tracks (some hard-packed dirt and washboard road, but lots of deep silt ruts too - momentum is king):

Hey Brian, if that SMB had an Aluminess front bumper, that picture would look strangely familiar, like one of those pics of us out at Douglas Creek Canyon or FS 17 or the route from Winthrop over the pass to Oroville or something, eh?

 

[suntinez]

Herbie - wow! Looking awesome, and love the aerial shot. Was that with your kite-camera thing?

It's been a long time since I posted here too, and there's a new kid on the block.

Needs love, which it's getting - but needs MORE love.

 

[loren85022]

Herbie, is that ariel shot taken from the top of a sportsmobile ?