Dookie - Page 3

**WVvan** · 03-04-2011, 05:02 PM

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Did I mention how fortunate I am to have some great facilities and tools to work with for the time being?

I know I'm green with envy.

Zaskoda · 03-05-2011, 11:59 AM

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Originally Posted by WVvan

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Did I mention how fortunate I am to have some great facilities and tools to work with for the time being?

I know I'm green with envy.

+1

I envy your overdrive and turbo diesel. I landed with an i6 and it's great for riding around town or creeping down a rough trail... but paired with the c6, it's not so awesome cruising down the highway.

I dig your custom bumper too.

TroySmith80 · 03-05-2011, 12:50 PM

Yeah, the bumpers are very cool! Some nice fab work there.

(ps - Sold my truck yesterday and my van today... time to start shopping for real)

rockbender · 03-07-2011, 01:50 PM

Troy - that's awesome that your westy sold! The new owner should be stoked with all you've done. Can't wait to see what will follow in the VW's footsteps.

Z - I'll admit I paid a bit of a premium finding a van with the combo of diesel, turbo kit AND gear vendor OD but in my short period of ownership have been happy with it so far. I've got a handful of old-van leaks to take care of but am hoping like you that once the bugs get worked out that it will be a fairly bulletproof rig and something that can actually be worked on if it breaks down. Fingers crossed, and time will tell. Oddly enough I was kind of looking for something with the 300-6 before finding the diesel. They might not always get you there the fastest but they just keep going and going. One day we'll have to do the old van home build meet up and see who has the noisiest rig - I'll bet my cabin noise with the old IDI diesel is going to be hard to beat! I too wish there was a better option than the C6 - even a lockable torque converter would help. Love the progress you've been making, btw.

Nothing much new with the build as of late. My borrowed shop space got re-appropriated for a few days so I decided to take the van home. My hope is to have the floorplan somewhat laid out and established after spending a few evenings drinking beer in the 'van cave' and pondering.

The good news?
After installing the penthouse the van still fits in the garage...

barely! That is about 1/2" of light you see. It should squat a little more once the interior is built out, but only if I keep the air bags at minimum pressure. I suppose its time to start thinking about a quick disconnect solar panel mount.

Zaskoda · 03-07-2011, 03:11 PM

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Originally Posted by rockbender

but am hoping like you that once the bugs get worked out that it will be a fairly bulletproof rig

That made me smile this morning... because my entire gauge cluster and heater fan were out this morning due to the freeze... I've had no problems in negative temps and then recently this started happening. I would need to go around the van with a volt meter to track down where it's happening... and that's hard because I can only do it while the van is freezing cold! I don't wanna touch it!!! Heh.. there's always something to fix, but when push comes to shove, the van seems to always start and get me from point A to point B.

blupaddler · 03-10-2011, 09:52 AM

Wow! You have a nice platform.
I, unfortunately have the 460, ughhh... But the price was right. So I guess I will be spending that savings in gas.

I am curious about your front bumper. Do you have anymore upclose pictures? I would ask who made it, but I am sure it is probably a custom job.

I want to start rebuilding my interior, so I will be following your build with interest.

rockbender · 03-10-2011, 11:31 AM

BP - I was just reading about your rig yesterday on EP! It sounds like you're getting it dialed in nicely. Yes, the 460 is a bit of a gas hog but you'll always have plenty of power. Glad to see another member of the old school van club!

The bumper is definitely a custom job and was made I think two owners ago. From what the previous owner told me, the guy owned/worked in a plasma cutting shop and had access to all sorts of sweet equipment. The bumper is modeled after an H2 Hummer bumper I believe. The metal is all pretty light gauge (1/8"-ish) so they aren't too much of a weight burden even though they look good and beefy. No extra photos right now, but I'll try to get some soon.

I think I'm going to start on the interior next week, so hopefully I'll have some progress to share!

rockbender · 03-27-2011, 10:35 PM

Now that the van is in the garage it has been much easier to spend a few hours here and there working on things. I must admit I've also been spending more than a few hours drinking beers with a couple buddies in the van discussing the layout. Good planning is key, right?

On to the progress:
I picked up a used inverter/charger and decided to mount it behind the drivers seat. This location is mostly a function of wiring convenience. I plan to build a battery box attached to the frame just under this location and already have a marine switch for the vehicle batteries nearby which should (theoretically) make for an easy install of the separator and keep high amp wire runs short.

In anticipation of wiring in the near future, I've also acquired a nice assortment of electrical goodies, some used, some new.

I can only hope that when it comes time to executing the installation that I put it together relatively clean. I plan to have all the electrical on one panel behind the driver seat, with the exception of an extra outlet or two (12v and 110v). Our primary goal for the rig is to be out in nature, so having power ports everywhere and multimedia access isn't a priority. This should keep it pretty simple yet still provide power to charge camera's or power a laptop here and there.

rockbender · 03-27-2011, 10:56 PM

The last couple weeks have been pretty slow at work, so I was able to put a few extra hours towards the van interior. We are shooting for a 50-ish layout with the option to have a third captains chair. After establishing a general seat layout I started making a few templates for the cabinets.

After making my templates from the old skin that was the headliner, I traced the pattern onto 3/16" underlayment plywood that I got at Home Depot and is pretty much what I plan to make all the cabinets out of.

I've subscribed to the 'light is right' frame of mind for my interior pieces. I'll admit that I typically shun the thought of using staples for joinery, but it seemed very appropriate in this circumstance so I've proceeded ahead with lots of staples, glue, and small rips of pine to reinforce the corners.

My methodology is also relying on having the face frames acting as shear panels to add strength to the structure, though I probably won't get a lot out of this one as it looks like it came from Victoria's Secret.

rockbender · 03-28-2011, 12:06 AM

Face frames by daddy, blue painter's tape by 16 month old daughter

This is about where I'm at present time.

I'm super excited about how these are turning out and like I indicated before I can only hope that the lighter weight material will hold up adequately to its new life in a van. Taking the cabinets in and out of the van is getting old - we're shooting to have them completed, finished, and installed by the end of next weekend. It will be soooo exciting to have a permanent fixture in the van!