Whitey Ford

[Nomadcat]

Okay, I'll post where I'm at, but I may be a bit brief because I'm tired. I have been working on it every day, but have not had time to post and, to tell the truth, was a bit down on posting because I saw a post somewhere else that brought up politics and it soured me on the forum temporarily. I hate it when either side of the spectrum brings that up in a dedicated forum. Just my own two bits. We are here because we share a common passion and, aside from that, we all have our opinions, which I completely respect, but which I also don't need to hear about. Anyway, enough on that. I realized that the SMB forum is way too meaningful to me to let a passing resentment get in the way, so onward.

I went to my friend's place in Brooklyn and it was not great. For whatever reason, I just seem to get more done when I'm quietly working alone somewhere than when I have help.

I did finish the ceiling insulation and panels and they look great. They look super great, in my humble opinion, when I finish them with multiple coats of Tung oil. I also got some wooden rails solidly in the sides as anchors for wall panels. The top one we ripped from a 2x4 and then beveled on side to form the correct angle due to the angle of the sheet metal I mounted it on. I also put 1 and 9/16ths square pine along the bottom between the floor and the metal lip and secured it to the lip and the floor, giving me three vertical ribs with which to work. That's when the trouble began. First, a photo, please bear in mind that I usually don't have such a sloppy workspace, but this photo looks pretty bad:


I then tried a sudden idea I had - to use 1/2" ply as wheel well wall paneling, something sturdy on which to affix future bed platform rails. Well, the unevenness of the walls, combined with my working kind of fast, just resulted in a disaster. I could not really get it flush to the wall, well shimmed, and solid enough to my liking without losing an unacceptable amount of wall space. I could have done it if I had squared it up straight, but I would have lost too much to the wall angle and I didn't like that.

So I went back to my original plan - just use the 1/4" birch plywood, bent to the curve of the walls, and deal with the bed later. The problem here was that the birch didn't bend well enough. In addition, I was using photo backdrop paper to make the templates and this had been on a roll and it was a nightmare keeping it flat while I traced them out and then cut them. I got it to work, but WV Van's advice on oaktag kept coming back to me.

Anyway, I went to smaller and smaller panels to avoid the continuous cracking - wishing I had a steam room to soften it up in, and then I just got sick of it and decided to re-evaluate. I think it's important in this life to be flexible and be able to say "my plan is not working - back to the drawing board."

So I started to finish the wall insulation in the meantime while I planned, brooded and schemed. That foil/jute is great stuff and it's extremely satisfying to lay it in there, then to use the foil tape to finish the seams. I could feel the van starting to get more thermally efficient as I went, no kidding.

So, I just continued that. Here are some photos from that day and from tonight, when I went back to my original workshop on the streets of Manhattan and got some more done:

[Nomadcat]

I'll add a couple of more photos here and tell my current plans.

I am going to now try 1/8 masonite, which should work fine. I plan on covering it with either ballistic nylon or kevlar fabric that I found on ebay.

I was half thinking - to save weight, space and sanity - of just gluing the fabric directly to the insulation, but I think I'll do the masonite panels (there was a William Mason, by the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonite) and glue the fabric to them. I'll try a test panel on Saturday, when I'll be back in the workshop on the street:

[Nomadcat]

I have made a lot of progress, but haven't been posting as I've been too busy.

Hitting the road tomorrow and, even though The more I do, the more I have to do, I"ll try to get some posts up while I am out there. the masonite panels are up, the bed platform is in, the storage is done. The trim on all these is not done yet, although the trim around the floor edges is done.

I have a temporary small rack to house the port a potty, but my most glaring need when I
Get the chance is to build the floor-to-ceiling cabinet on the driver side.

all that being said, it is coming along. My main dilemma now is whether or not to get an added leaf from Deaver, which I did with the Tacoma to great success, or to get some road master helper springs. John at Quadvan recommended the latter.

I will think on all of this as I drive.

Sorry for the typos, but I'm getting used to this virtual keyboard still.

[Nomadcat]

Five days across the country - not bad for a solo run. Usually it'll take me six. Spent two in Whitey and will do more now that I'm in good camping country. Will try to get some more photos up.

Going to Deaver tomorrow to add a leaf, then maybe by Expedition Exchange just for the hell of it. I'd also like Transferflow to take a look at my tank because it seems to overflow almost every time I fill it and that makes me think there's a minor fitting issue going on. Not sure I'll be able to see them on this trip, though.

If the weather permits, I may even make it up to Quadvan to have John give it the once-over after 10,000 miles. We shall see.

So far, so good, though. Either going to do the PCH thing the next few days or head for hot springs in Nevada. I'll decide in the morning or after Deaver.

[daveb]

Originally Posted by Nomadcat

I'd also like Transferflow to take a look at my tank because it seems to overflow almost every time I fill it and that makes me think there's a minor fitting issue going on.

My tank does the same thing. If I pump fast I get a back spash of diesel when it fills. If I pump slow it will force fuel out the overflow. There are some posts about fuel foaming and over flow on the site if I remember correctly (Geoff did one I think)

[WVvan]

I think it's important in this life to be flexible and be able to say "my plan is not working - back to the drawing board."

Truth.

[Zaskoda]

Originally Posted by WVvan

Truth.

+1

[Nomadcat]

I am in Northern CA tonight and heading to Portland tomorrow. Going to stop by Quadvan and say hi, but not get anything done. Don't have time.

I did have a leaf added at Deaver and I am kind of surprised at how much handling difference I feel. Less sway. I had had them add a leaf to my Tacoma five years ago and it helped the sag, but this is more noticeable. I'll post before and after photos when I get the chance. The improvement in handling is very pleasant, I must say.

Come Thursday, i'm going to angle down to SE Oregon to hit some hot springs, then spend the next week in NV, OR and CA deserts soaking. Then I head back east.

If anybody is out there and wants to say hi along the way, message me and maybe i'll be passing near you.

I'll get more photos up when I have a chance, and more build photos up when I return. I *really* have a much better idea now of how I want to build up the driver's side cabinets when I return. Also a thin ceiling/wall unit on the rear passenger side. The bed and storage system is working well, though, and I think I'll be able to finalize that when I return. I also need to make some sliding window covers.

[Nomadcat]

Well, I have been really lax in posting, but that should change soon. I just put on 11,000 miles in a little over three weeks and all went well, aside from a minor possible driveline vibration under very narrow conditions, along with a chipped windshield on a Texas highway.

I hate posting interior shots at the moment cause it's like showing someone a messy room, but I'll put up one that shows the bed/storage area. It's a bit fuzzy and the bed is unmade, but you can see from the photo the milk crate system - I can store two rows of up to four, accessible from either the rear doors or inside. I may eventually custom build some drawers on roller-bearing rails, but I'm happy with the modular aspect of this for now.

You can also see the temporary window covers I had to quickly make for this trip that are in place. This was after a night of camping at a casino parking lot near Albuquerque.

Also note that the masonite walls are temporary. I needed to get something in place for this trip and was having problems bending the plywood to the curve of the walls. I'm still working on that one. I need to duplicate what I have, though, because it gives me just enough room to lie crosswise, which is the premise upon which I am basing my plan for Phase Two of the build.


Here is a shot of the van at a hot spring in Nevada. Note the "parkway window" I needed to add. I also had to add a window on the "40" door on the other side, opting for that over two parkway portholes.

[Nomadcat]

Finally, two quick shots from Deaver. One before the extra leaf was added, one after. The leveling difference is subtle, but the ride difference was huge. I then went and weighed the rig at the nearby recycling center. Fully loaded, with water and supplies, it was 8700 pounds, more than enough leeway for me to mess around a bit more.

BEFORE the leaf


AFTER the leaf