UJOR Build Thread

[Lost...Again]

Thanks very much!

Recently had the opportunity to stop by UJOR and meet Chris and his crew, to include the mad scientist/designer/mechanical engineer. It was a great experience as they were installing a tire./wheel package with rear spacers, front journal bearings, and new rotors. The ride back to N.H. was exceedingly more stable with the Toyo Load Range E tires coupled with the alignment of the front and rear tires with the addition of the rear spacers.

Chris, a gracious and accommodating guy, is also very evil. Do not let him take you for a ride in V5!! You will quickly realize the potential of these vans and the inadequacies of the van you drive. I would never attempt some of the maneuvers Chris demonstrated. His V5 tracked straight and true, stopped unbelievably quick, and handled sharp avoidance maneuvers with no difficulty. I'm already thinking about selling my first born child to get the capital for the front end upgrade

It's obvious all the guys know their way around these vans and enjoy their work. They also have fun while doing it!

Thanks again Chris. It was a pleasure meeting you and your crew!!

Best,
Tom

 

[ujoint]

Glad we were able to help! Also glad I could be a "bad" influence. And glad for the delicious beer.

Thanks again & hope to see you back soon!

 

[ujoint]

V4 got some much needed love over the weekend. Building the new interior.



Black n Blue is back from Rhino, not sure if I've posted an intro for this rig. E350 6.0, really nice shape, getting EVERYTHING and some 37's! Next up is tint and we'll start the engine work next week.



New addition to the rear skid family, designed by Justin. Really nice battery hold down for the Deka 8A4D. It's a monster! I'll have pricing on the site soon.

 

[bknudtsen]

Can Justin make me a UJOR logo spotlight cover? That way when I need your help, I can just shine it into the sky...

 

[dcguillory]

HAHAHAHA! That would be so sweet. I want one.

When did V4 get a hood vent? Been there the whole time?

 

[bknudtsen]

When did V4 get a hood vent? Been there the whole time?

10-18-2012

 

[citizen72]

What should have been my first post...

So this has been a long time coming…

Several years ago a guy from Salt Lake City and I decided to meet in Pueblo, Colorado to trade motorcycles. The vehicle he arrived in, an EB E350 Sportsmobile with dirt bikes loaded on a hitch-mounted motorcycle carrier, completely blew me away and started me down the long road of 4x4 van conversion obsession…

Last July I picked up a '06 E350 6.0L cargo van with low miles, removed/sold the cargo shelving, bulkhead and running boards then started plotting the ultimate 4x4 camper van. At the time of purchase, I had yet to discover Chris's UJOR van conversions and, unbeknownst to me, most likely due to my tendency to dive head-long into big decisions without fully researching details, there would be a number of obstacles to overcome prior to conversion.

First issue I encountered, along with everyone else who owns a 6.0L PSD, was, well, the 6.0L PSD… Fortunately I avoided the major known issues, installed a monitor and EGT thermocouple, put in a DieselSite remote coolant filter, flushed the coolant, eventually had the EGR removed then tuned the thing.

Then came the fuel tank delamination… After clogging the upper fuel filter, blowing out the filter gasket and leaving the van hemorrhaging diesel all over a parking lot, the tank was pulled and taken to a shop to be dipped, stripped, resealed and reinstalled. Bad as it was, it could have been much worse (the injectors were spared).

The big push came after selling my house at the end of December and finally having the funds to have a Sportsmobile camper top put in as well as purchase the UJOR 6” package. A wizard of a mechanic friend of mine at a local Jeep/4x4 shop was not only willing to take on the conversion project, but he also had no problem allowing me to assist with the work. The only drawback to that approach was scheduling time on weekends to do the work…

SMB camper, pre-lift/solid axle swap


Step one was upgrading the stock 3.55 gearing to Yukon 3.73, which we knocked out one weekend afternoon. Hindsight being what it is, if I decide to build another van at some point, I'll wait until I can find a van with 4.10 gearing on a full-float rear axle to accommodate 37” tires.

Next came the front spring hangers. After spending several hours and breaking multiple drill bits, I felt compelled to mention to Chris how the 30 second portion of his install video set my expectations a bit high – drilling through the van frame is no small feat! Got the spring hangers and the bumper spacer in then planned the rest of the solid axle install.

The rest of the lift and solid axle swap was pretty much by the numbers, got the van lifted up on a F250 SD front end and rolling in 2x4 while sourcing a transfer case, which eventually came from a F350 and was installed just in time for our road trip through New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. UJOR fuel tank installed to accommodate the transfer case and Aluminess tire carrier added so the spare didn't have to sit on the roof rack, which makes the camper top to heavy to stay up... :yikes: Also FatMat'd the interior (per bknudtsen's van build thread), which made a HUGE difference both with sound deadening and insulation, and installed a Pioneer FH-X700BT receiver so we'd have auxiliary/iPod capability.

Lifted, axle in, still 2wd




Obligatory UJOR sticker shot, 4-wheelin' on the Utah side of the Four Corners area with girlfriend hanging out of the window...


Rest stop camping and morning coffee-making with the pooches just south of Moab, UT


Arches National Park north of Moab, we were the only ones on the 4-wheel trail out to Eye of the Whale and Towers Arch


Much more to come, including a UJOR front bumper and eventually an interior build out. And a huge thanks to Chris for the phenomenal customer service/support he continually provides - as big of a project as this has been, having someone who not only responds, but doesn't make you feel like a moron for asking what might seem like ridiculous questions, has made all the difference in the world.

 

[citizen72]

En route to Telluride, CO

Uravan, we're a van, wouldn't ya like to have a van too...


National forest road camping near Placerville/Sawpit between Norwood and Telluride, CO


East side, Telluride, below Bridal Veil Falls

 

[bknudtsen]

Very nice, Scott!!! Welcome! Brad

 

[ujoint]

Can Justin make me a UJOR logo spotlight cover? That way when I need your help, I can just shine it into the sky...

Yes, for a rigid light bar of course!

HAHAHAHA! That would be so sweet. I want one.

When did V4 get a hood vent? Been there the whole time?

They've been there the whole time! Blend in with the body color match.

 

[ujoint]

Thanks for posting the pics Scott! I'm stealing a couple for my site, hope you don't mind!

And.... Your bumper should be shipping early next week. Off to powder tomorrow.

 

[citizen72]

Thanks for posting the pics Scott! I'm stealing a couple for my site, hope you don't mind!

Don't mind at all! Should have a few more images from Ophir Pass as well. In Telluride we tried/failed to find the wooden house you took a picture of the van in front of - where was that? Up there you can't turn around without bumping into a Quiglified 4x4 van, but none of them got the kind of fist-pumpin' thumbs-up that the UJOR van got. The second we parked and my foot hit the ground, a local carpet cleaner (with two vans) wanted to know all about it. I'm thinking a UJOR Colorado franchise would do extremely well...

And.... Your bumper should be shipping early next week. Off to powder tomorrow.

Awesome, can't wait to get that thing on! I can finally get the winch my girlfriend keeps telling me we need...

 

[ujoint]

That house was on 145 west of town, right on the river. It's a vacation home, a friend knew the owner and hooked us up for the night.

On another note from your post earlier, my record for a spring hanger is 30 minutes start to finish.

Just got a text, bumpers are done and I'll grab them in the AM and head right to powder!

 

[LandyAndy]

Hi Chris,

Can you put up some more pic's of V4's interior. Working with the wife on planning our next camping truck (prob couple of years away but lots of details to decide upon) and she's starting to warm to a V4 style truck.... cheers !

 

[ujoint]

Will do. Trying to wrap it up tomorrow, we'll see how that goes!