brodyl
New member
SOLD
Mileage: 90,000
Price: $29,800
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Who woulda guessed that a vehicle can cause so many smiles and thumbs-ups. The best part of ownership is how happy it makes people.
Enjoy this van tour: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3FM_-_le1X/
You may have noticed that it’s pretty easy to find a Delica between $7k and $19k. I bought one of those, from one of those sketchy dealerships in Canada, after it’d been imported from Japan. It had 79000 miles as verified by the Japanese import paperwork shared with me. Immediately, everything went wrong, typical of these. My $15k Delica turned into a $34k project over the course of 15 months. And I like projects.
Please learn from my mistake instead of risking having to do the same thing.
I spared no expense in turning that very stock, boring Delica into what you see today. I am a project person, and this has been a consuming one. Where an OEM or aftermarket product didn’t exist, I had one fabricated. Parts are, however, readily available for these, either at your local auto parts store or online. I poured myself into creating an ideal off-road, 4x4, overland, camper van. The thing is, I’m not into off-roading, overlanding, or really even vehicles in general. I just like projects. And I’m proud to say that this project is done and ready for someone to enjoy.
It currently sits at 90000 miles. It doesn’t blow black smoke from the exhaust like many imported vans do. It can reach 80mph on flat highway but prefers to cruise at 65mph. Big hills can bog it down, so taking them slowly while checking the gauges is the best way to ensure longevity. I have never run the EGT over 1200* and the water temp has never gone over 2/3.
It is a 4wd 4x4 right-hand drive turbo diesel off-road capable camper van. Driving on the right side of the van takes about 30 seconds to get used to.
The best owner of this vehicle will be an enthusiast with a desire to join the forums, participate in the facebook groups, meet a good diesel mechanic, and is friendly to strangers. Owning this van will likely take a little more time, effort, and money than a traditional car. But maybe not, given I’ve done pretty much all of that work for you. Regardless, it is very worth it.
This is a highroof Chamonix model. It has two batteries, 7” more headroom than the low roof model, some insulation in the panels, and apparently a limited slip differential. The front hubs lock automatically when using the easy 4H or 4L 4WD options. This van is far from stock and is one of a kind. The engine has been worked on only by JDM, diesel, and Delica specialists. I did none of the engine work myself. I spared no expense in turning this into what it is.
It would cost you more if you wanted to replicate this, not only in money but in time and emotional energy. I got deals and discounts on many of the products and services. I don’t even want to think how much I’d have into this thing otherwise. And that isn’t even accounting for the endless time and energy researching parts, driving to various shops, and going literally months at a time without my van.
I am including prices below simply to give you an idea what you’re getting.
AUDIO has been upgraded with a Pioneer headunit that ties into the factory radio antenna, dims with the headlights, has Apple CarPlay, and connects to your phone either via USB or bluetooth, offering a microphone by the driver’s face for hands-free calling. I literally paid extra for the model that doesn’t include a CD player. If you haven’t used CarPlay, it’s awesome, and it’s set up with Google Maps showing the satellite view of the terrain over which you’re driving. The front speakers have been replaced with Pioneer’s high-end model that fit in the small existing mounts. ($375)
WHEELS AND SUSPENSION have been upgraded not only for an aftermarket lift, but for preventative maintenance. Five brand new, matte black, lightweight alloy rims wrapped in BFG KO2 replaced the stock wheels. The lift kit is from Canada and was installed at an offroad speciality shop here in Utah. They also trimmed and painted the fenders and wheel wells and removed the front mudflaps to allow the larger tires, before mounting and balancing the tires and installing the new wheels. New front and rear shocks in addition to OEM inner and outer tie rods were also installed at this time. When this was all finished, an alignment was done by an alignment shop specializing in 4x4. ($4127)
BREATHING has been increased through a snorkel with a custom-fabricated air filter welded and installed by a diesel tuning shop in Utah. A custom 2.5” side exit flex-pipe-back exhaust and muffler with a black 3” tip finishes the breathing. ($889)
EXTERIOR has been modernized by sandblasting and powder coating the front bull bar, changing it from chrome to matte black. The sideview mirrors were painted to match. The middle and rear windows were tinted 5% and the front windows 50% with the highest quality, Suntek Ceramic CR. New smoked OEM wind deflectors were ordered from Japan and replaced the previous cracked deflectors. A cheap but awesome 23” LED lightbar is mounted to the front bullbar and wired with its own fuse. A discrete factory-looking switch is installed in the dash to illuminate the lights. There is a two-piece bash guard/skid plate. An aluminum ladder from Japan is securely on the rear hatch. ($672)
BOOST was improved by installing a new t04-09b OEM turbo and gasket from Japan. A manual boost controller was installed and tuned to 13PSI. ($1046)
BED AND INTERIOR is an entirely custom designed and fabricated system by an overland upfitter in SLC. The floating bed frame is made of extruded aluminum and vented birch ply. To avoid support legs, it is mounted to and supported entirely by black L-track mounted on the interior walls and trimmed with existing panels. The bed can be removed with just a few bolts and replaced with the factory middle and rear rows of seats and seatbelts, all in excellent condition. A custom 4” foam mattress was locally-made and wrapped in a custom-sewn waterproof Sunbrella cushion cover fits perfectly. Twin XL sheets fit it, but it’s bigger than that. Two people and a dog slept on it without issue. When the L-track was installed, the walls were insulated with wool, deadening both sound and temperature swings. ($3010)
REAR BUMPER is designed and fabricated entirely by a local automotive fabricator. It is a one-off design that I came up with after realizing I wanted a lightweight rear bumper that 1) could be used as a surface to jack from in order to change my rear tires if necessary, 2) needed to hold my oversized spare tire securely, but swing out of the way in order for me to open the rear hatch, 3) allowed a 1-UP USA bike rack to be mountable to a secure 2” receiver that swings out of the way with the spare tire when accessing the rear hatch, 4) has reinforced D-rings to be used for recovery. The rear bumper is powder coated to match the front bull bar. It is my favorite part of the van. It has a gas strut to help the tire swing out of the way with minimal effort, a rubber bushing to stop it from opening into a neighboring car, and the standard 4x4 aftermarket latch system. ($3107)
OVERLAND from the roof! It has a full length FrontRunner roof rack, camp table (mounted between roof and roof rack), side-mount ski racks, MaxTrax mounts. There is a Road Shower 4 that was used once (a $400 rinse after a California bike ride just doesn’t quite seem worth the investment). There are 2 Rotopax water containers on the roof with a custom mount that Rotopax HQ put together for me. There are 2 FrontRunner Wolf Pack waterproof boxes on the roof for holding firewood, tools, etc. These containers are held down with FrontRunner Stratchits. There is a solar panel and fridge and FrontRunner awning. A really nice Front Runner aluminum camp table slides in/out on a track beneath the rack from the rear. It’s a nice cooking cable, and is stored and locked between the roof and the roof rack when traveling. It’s a huge bonus, not having to store table in the van. ($3750)
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Mileage: 90,000
Price: $29,800
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Who woulda guessed that a vehicle can cause so many smiles and thumbs-ups. The best part of ownership is how happy it makes people.
Enjoy this van tour: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3FM_-_le1X/
You may have noticed that it’s pretty easy to find a Delica between $7k and $19k. I bought one of those, from one of those sketchy dealerships in Canada, after it’d been imported from Japan. It had 79000 miles as verified by the Japanese import paperwork shared with me. Immediately, everything went wrong, typical of these. My $15k Delica turned into a $34k project over the course of 15 months. And I like projects.
Please learn from my mistake instead of risking having to do the same thing.
I spared no expense in turning that very stock, boring Delica into what you see today. I am a project person, and this has been a consuming one. Where an OEM or aftermarket product didn’t exist, I had one fabricated. Parts are, however, readily available for these, either at your local auto parts store or online. I poured myself into creating an ideal off-road, 4x4, overland, camper van. The thing is, I’m not into off-roading, overlanding, or really even vehicles in general. I just like projects. And I’m proud to say that this project is done and ready for someone to enjoy.
It currently sits at 90000 miles. It doesn’t blow black smoke from the exhaust like many imported vans do. It can reach 80mph on flat highway but prefers to cruise at 65mph. Big hills can bog it down, so taking them slowly while checking the gauges is the best way to ensure longevity. I have never run the EGT over 1200* and the water temp has never gone over 2/3.
It is a 4wd 4x4 right-hand drive turbo diesel off-road capable camper van. Driving on the right side of the van takes about 30 seconds to get used to.
The best owner of this vehicle will be an enthusiast with a desire to join the forums, participate in the facebook groups, meet a good diesel mechanic, and is friendly to strangers. Owning this van will likely take a little more time, effort, and money than a traditional car. But maybe not, given I’ve done pretty much all of that work for you. Regardless, it is very worth it.
This is a highroof Chamonix model. It has two batteries, 7” more headroom than the low roof model, some insulation in the panels, and apparently a limited slip differential. The front hubs lock automatically when using the easy 4H or 4L 4WD options. This van is far from stock and is one of a kind. The engine has been worked on only by JDM, diesel, and Delica specialists. I did none of the engine work myself. I spared no expense in turning this into what it is.
It would cost you more if you wanted to replicate this, not only in money but in time and emotional energy. I got deals and discounts on many of the products and services. I don’t even want to think how much I’d have into this thing otherwise. And that isn’t even accounting for the endless time and energy researching parts, driving to various shops, and going literally months at a time without my van.
I am including prices below simply to give you an idea what you’re getting.
AUDIO has been upgraded with a Pioneer headunit that ties into the factory radio antenna, dims with the headlights, has Apple CarPlay, and connects to your phone either via USB or bluetooth, offering a microphone by the driver’s face for hands-free calling. I literally paid extra for the model that doesn’t include a CD player. If you haven’t used CarPlay, it’s awesome, and it’s set up with Google Maps showing the satellite view of the terrain over which you’re driving. The front speakers have been replaced with Pioneer’s high-end model that fit in the small existing mounts. ($375)
WHEELS AND SUSPENSION have been upgraded not only for an aftermarket lift, but for preventative maintenance. Five brand new, matte black, lightweight alloy rims wrapped in BFG KO2 replaced the stock wheels. The lift kit is from Canada and was installed at an offroad speciality shop here in Utah. They also trimmed and painted the fenders and wheel wells and removed the front mudflaps to allow the larger tires, before mounting and balancing the tires and installing the new wheels. New front and rear shocks in addition to OEM inner and outer tie rods were also installed at this time. When this was all finished, an alignment was done by an alignment shop specializing in 4x4. ($4127)
BREATHING has been increased through a snorkel with a custom-fabricated air filter welded and installed by a diesel tuning shop in Utah. A custom 2.5” side exit flex-pipe-back exhaust and muffler with a black 3” tip finishes the breathing. ($889)
EXTERIOR has been modernized by sandblasting and powder coating the front bull bar, changing it from chrome to matte black. The sideview mirrors were painted to match. The middle and rear windows were tinted 5% and the front windows 50% with the highest quality, Suntek Ceramic CR. New smoked OEM wind deflectors were ordered from Japan and replaced the previous cracked deflectors. A cheap but awesome 23” LED lightbar is mounted to the front bullbar and wired with its own fuse. A discrete factory-looking switch is installed in the dash to illuminate the lights. There is a two-piece bash guard/skid plate. An aluminum ladder from Japan is securely on the rear hatch. ($672)
BOOST was improved by installing a new t04-09b OEM turbo and gasket from Japan. A manual boost controller was installed and tuned to 13PSI. ($1046)
BED AND INTERIOR is an entirely custom designed and fabricated system by an overland upfitter in SLC. The floating bed frame is made of extruded aluminum and vented birch ply. To avoid support legs, it is mounted to and supported entirely by black L-track mounted on the interior walls and trimmed with existing panels. The bed can be removed with just a few bolts and replaced with the factory middle and rear rows of seats and seatbelts, all in excellent condition. A custom 4” foam mattress was locally-made and wrapped in a custom-sewn waterproof Sunbrella cushion cover fits perfectly. Twin XL sheets fit it, but it’s bigger than that. Two people and a dog slept on it without issue. When the L-track was installed, the walls were insulated with wool, deadening both sound and temperature swings. ($3010)
REAR BUMPER is designed and fabricated entirely by a local automotive fabricator. It is a one-off design that I came up with after realizing I wanted a lightweight rear bumper that 1) could be used as a surface to jack from in order to change my rear tires if necessary, 2) needed to hold my oversized spare tire securely, but swing out of the way in order for me to open the rear hatch, 3) allowed a 1-UP USA bike rack to be mountable to a secure 2” receiver that swings out of the way with the spare tire when accessing the rear hatch, 4) has reinforced D-rings to be used for recovery. The rear bumper is powder coated to match the front bull bar. It is my favorite part of the van. It has a gas strut to help the tire swing out of the way with minimal effort, a rubber bushing to stop it from opening into a neighboring car, and the standard 4x4 aftermarket latch system. ($3107)
OVERLAND from the roof! It has a full length FrontRunner roof rack, camp table (mounted between roof and roof rack), side-mount ski racks, MaxTrax mounts. There is a Road Shower 4 that was used once (a $400 rinse after a California bike ride just doesn’t quite seem worth the investment). There are 2 Rotopax water containers on the roof with a custom mount that Rotopax HQ put together for me. There are 2 FrontRunner Wolf Pack waterproof boxes on the roof for holding firewood, tools, etc. These containers are held down with FrontRunner Stratchits. There is a solar panel and fridge and FrontRunner awning. A really nice Front Runner aluminum camp table slides in/out on a track beneath the rack from the rear. It’s a nice cooking cable, and is stored and locked between the roof and the roof rack when traveling. It’s a huge bonus, not having to store table in the van. ($3750)
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