Basement Yeti
Explorer
I think you've misinterpreted my post. There was nothing condescending about my reply. Sorry you took it that way. :/
Yeti and the Marshmallow
- Thread starter Basement Yeti
- Start date
MrBeast
Explorer
Maybe all we need is some ice cream and a hug.:coffeedrink:
Basement Yeti
Explorer
Yeah plus, I can't see when I'm backing up. So at least people can hear me. Haha.
Someone made me an offer on the bulkhead in my van. The thing has to weigh over 50lbs, so instead of trying to cut passageway to the cab through it I am going to sell it and make one from plywood.
MrBeast
Explorer
I wouldnt even worry so much about the bulkhead, I think you are going to find once you take it out that you have a lot more usable space, and you may even think about getting some captians chairs that can swivel around and face back giving you more use out of the van.
Chazz Layne
Administrator
I was just going to ask if he had those kind front seats. That, IMO, was the coolest feature ever created for a van.
Basement Yeti
Explorer
Well there were two reasons I wanted a bulkhead, one was for security. In case someone broke in the cab to keep them from looting the back, and two to keep stuff from becoming missiles in the event of a crash or sudden stop.
chasespeed
Explorer
6 lugs on an Astro??
MrBeast
Explorer
I hate to break it to you, but the door locks on the astro can be so easily defeated with out breaking the glass, having a bulkhead for that reason will be utterly futile.
For security you need to get a small safe or lock box. Do not think anything else will work.
I can tell you this from experince because currently I am in the towing and repo business, and we see cars that have been broken into all the time.
Locks on your doors will keep the honest people out. A lock box or safe will slow the dishonest ones down.
Your best bet is going to be having good insurance that will cover theft if it occurs.
S
Scenic WonderRunner
Guest
Is Somebody messing with my friend.....Joaquin Suave>?!!
I think you just got some of the best Advice expo has to offer!
Please Don't Mess with my Friend....Joaquin Suave!
He has an ExPo Heart of Gold! You Have No Idea!....:sombrero::costumed-smiley-007:ylsmoke:
Keep Posting My Friend!
To Save it.....before it does the ExPo....Evaporate!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joaquin Suave
Though I now adventure in Casa Azul & Mayahual, I previously did my adventuring in 3 Ford E250 van over about a 20 year period...So I have a little experience about modifing vans. I have a little advice for you...
Yeti, SLOW DOWN!!!!
I know you are excited, I would be too if I were to be undertaking your personal adventure! But, from experience I have found that charting too far in advance in a development project is an excellent way to end up with a project that dose not ultimatley suit your needs.
Why? Because you do not really know what your needs are! Sure you have read everything that people on Expo and other sites have to offer, probably 3 time...But they are not you, and the way they use their adventue vehicle is not the way you will probably use yours.
So with that out of the way. How about taking care of a couple of simple items, then go on a road trip for a couple of days. I keep a small ring binder notebook in each of my adventure vehicles that I record my fuel fills, notes on locations, and most importantly...Future modifications I want to make to my Rig. I have owned Casa Azul for 16 years and after every trip i have 3 or 4 pages of things i want to change or build. my point is that your relationship with your adventure vehicle is dynamic and will be constantly changing until the day you sell it and buy another one!
These are the first things that I would do...
* LEAVE the silcone goop alone! It is a protective coating and though it may look icky it serves a purpose, keeping your vehicle from rotting apart.
* Keep your headliner. It reduces noise, winter cold and summer heat. You might want to go to a detailer that has fabric "dry cleaning" equipment and have it and the seats done. Also, where paneling the walls in a van is easy...fabing a new headliner is a total PITA!
* Keep your rubber floor liner! Sure, pull it out and have it pressure washed. but then put it back in...Then get a nice throw rug for the back that can be pulled out and shaken out & vacuumed. The more off road adventuring you do, the less you will be wanting secured carpet. The more you make your rig so that it can be "hosed out" the better.
* Do not undercoat your van, It is not necessary and could potentally hide issues like body rot and cracking. Have it really well steam cleaned before your first road trip, then spend time under your van after the road trip to see what is leaking.
* Go to a marine fabric shop and have them make you a REALLY good set of "black out" curtins.
* I would be VERY careful about doing a fuel shut off. In some "systems" it can cause problems. I would go to an automotive security specialist and see what systems the have for disenabling the ECU correctly.
* Go to a fabricator and have a lock box / vault welded into your van in a discrete / non visable location. make sure it is big enough to take a laptop, cameras, documents, etc. .
* I personally would bail on the heated mirrors, back up camera, central locking system...Again the more you explore "deep" the less you want you be dependent on electronics. The only electronic device in Casa Azul is the stereo.
* Plan on setting up a dual battery system ASAP. Forgive me, i'm not trying to diss you here, but it is one of the first "green-horn" mistakes...camping in some cool remote place, listening to the stereo late into the night...And not be able to strart the van the next morning due to a dead battery.
* Also, disable the switches that turn on the overhead light when you open the doors!
* Forget about the dents and scratches! In this crowd..."Desert pin-striping" is considered vehicle up-grade! If your use your van "correctly", you'll be collecting more than what is already there. You might want to do a Line-X wainscoat.
* I agree with Mr.Beast, don't worry about the wheel locks! If anybody is going to steal anything it will be the whole van.
I hope my advice is helpfull. Good luck!
.
I think you just got some of the best Advice expo has to offer!
Please Don't Mess with my Friend....Joaquin Suave!
He has an ExPo Heart of Gold! You Have No Idea!....:sombrero::costumed-smiley-007:ylsmoke:
Keep Posting My Friend!
To Save it.....before it does the ExPo....Evaporate!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joaquin Suave
Though I now adventure in Casa Azul & Mayahual, I previously did my adventuring in 3 Ford E250 van over about a 20 year period...So I have a little experience about modifing vans. I have a little advice for you...
Yeti, SLOW DOWN!!!!
I know you are excited, I would be too if I were to be undertaking your personal adventure! But, from experience I have found that charting too far in advance in a development project is an excellent way to end up with a project that dose not ultimatley suit your needs.
Why? Because you do not really know what your needs are! Sure you have read everything that people on Expo and other sites have to offer, probably 3 time...But they are not you, and the way they use their adventue vehicle is not the way you will probably use yours.
So with that out of the way. How about taking care of a couple of simple items, then go on a road trip for a couple of days. I keep a small ring binder notebook in each of my adventure vehicles that I record my fuel fills, notes on locations, and most importantly...Future modifications I want to make to my Rig. I have owned Casa Azul for 16 years and after every trip i have 3 or 4 pages of things i want to change or build. my point is that your relationship with your adventure vehicle is dynamic and will be constantly changing until the day you sell it and buy another one!
These are the first things that I would do...
* LEAVE the silcone goop alone! It is a protective coating and though it may look icky it serves a purpose, keeping your vehicle from rotting apart.
* Keep your headliner. It reduces noise, winter cold and summer heat. You might want to go to a detailer that has fabric "dry cleaning" equipment and have it and the seats done. Also, where paneling the walls in a van is easy...fabing a new headliner is a total PITA!
* Keep your rubber floor liner! Sure, pull it out and have it pressure washed. but then put it back in...Then get a nice throw rug for the back that can be pulled out and shaken out & vacuumed. The more off road adventuring you do, the less you will be wanting secured carpet. The more you make your rig so that it can be "hosed out" the better.
* Do not undercoat your van, It is not necessary and could potentally hide issues like body rot and cracking. Have it really well steam cleaned before your first road trip, then spend time under your van after the road trip to see what is leaking.
* Go to a marine fabric shop and have them make you a REALLY good set of "black out" curtins.
* I would be VERY careful about doing a fuel shut off. In some "systems" it can cause problems. I would go to an automotive security specialist and see what systems the have for disenabling the ECU correctly.
* Go to a fabricator and have a lock box / vault welded into your van in a discrete / non visable location. make sure it is big enough to take a laptop, cameras, documents, etc. .
* I personally would bail on the heated mirrors, back up camera, central locking system...Again the more you explore "deep" the less you want you be dependent on electronics. The only electronic device in Casa Azul is the stereo.
* Plan on setting up a dual battery system ASAP. Forgive me, i'm not trying to diss you here, but it is one of the first "green-horn" mistakes...camping in some cool remote place, listening to the stereo late into the night...And not be able to strart the van the next morning due to a dead battery.
* Also, disable the switches that turn on the overhead light when you open the doors!
* Forget about the dents and scratches! In this crowd..."Desert pin-striping" is considered vehicle up-grade! If your use your van "correctly", you'll be collecting more than what is already there. You might want to do a Line-X wainscoat.
* I agree with Mr.Beast, don't worry about the wheel locks! If anybody is going to steal anything it will be the whole van.
I hope my advice is helpfull. Good luck!
.
Basement Yeti
Explorer
Good point. Even those locking bulkheads are no good?
I was planning on having a lock box installed for some stuff too. I guess I can work it out. The bulkhead really does take up a lot of space. I will probably put something behind the driver seat to keep missiles from nailing me in a crash.
I wasn't messing with anyone. My comment was taken the wrong way.
I was planning on having a lock box installed for some stuff too. I guess I can work it out. The bulkhead really does take up a lot of space. I will probably put something behind the driver seat to keep missiles from nailing me in a crash.
I wasn't messing with anyone. My comment was taken the wrong way.
MrBeast
Explorer
no good.
what a bulkhead is good for is if you have a van where the back is full of tools and parts and you get in a wreck, it will keep everything from slamming into you.
In your case everything you have is going to be able to be secured.
There is a good reason why 95% of the vans you see where people live out of them do not have a bulkhead, it just kills the space avalable.
The locking bulkhead will do you no good because all some one has to do is take a screwdriver and pry the handle out of your side door and unlock it, and they are in.
No broken glass, very little noise, very little time.
What you want to invest in is an alarm with a pager, an alarm alone does not good, most people view them as a nusiance.
This is why on my truck when I build it, it will have an alarm with a pager, but no audible siren. This means I have a better chance of catching some one in the act. If there is an alarm going off, it will give them a sense of urgency to do what they are doing and get gone, no alarm going off and they will be more inclined to take thier time.
Basement Yeti
Explorer
Ok, cool. I was doing a bit of research on those a while ago. I'll look around.
Once I get rid of that bulkhead I can start some work on the interior.
Another thing that is nagging me are the door handles and window handles. Those will need to be replaced eventually. 8 year old van, they're just worn out.
TroySmith80
Adventurer
Was there ever an extended version of the astro van?