What did you do to your SMB today?

[DesertSMB]

One more project on the SMB. Today I tested out my spare tire davit to lift and lower a spare tire to and from the upper roof rack on our fixed top SMB. Here are two pictures of the spare tire almost all the way up to the top. I already had a spare tire up there (this was the one from the back Aluminess rack) so I did not pull it all the way on but pulled it partially onto the upper roof rack using the attached tag line. It takes a bit of effort but nothing like doing a deal lift on the entire weight of the spare tire which I have done in the past. Now I need to get the steel pieces galvanized since they will be stored up top when not in use.

[MauiSportsmobile]

Brilliant! Who built the rack and ladder system for your Cruiser Top?

[DesertSMB]

Originally Posted by MauiSportsmobile

Brilliant! Who built the rack and ladder system for your Cruiser Top?

Thanks. They were built by Aluminess. They were on the van when we bought from the original owner.

[MauiSportsmobile]

Thanks Chris. Nice rig. I appreciate the information.

[unreng]

a whole slew of projects for updating:

1. front sway bar reinstall +upgraded end links. the smb end links are decent if you never plan on modifying the suspension. to make these end links work on the 1/2-inch studs, we bought some 3/4-inch OD tubing from mcmaster ... the inner diameter of the bushings is 3/4-inch.



2. new deaver leaf springs from Oly11 +spring plate &u-bolts from wfoconcepts



3. new rear brake lines from absolute hose &fittings
while removing the old man emu springs and installing the deaver springs, we found some serious issues with the rear suspension configuration:

a. how the sway bar was installed created major binding in the suspension travel...the bar should be close to parallel with the ground. during the spring install, when the axle was allowed to droop, the sway bar prevented it, only allowing about 2 to 3-inches of axle droop. 😒


b. the axle bracket for the shock is installed too high, which requires a smaller shock, which limits the total travel...and in this case, the shock would limit the axle droop, not the suspension. ☹ the axle bracket is in the wrong spot. if the axle bracket was installed from the lower half of the axle (like OEM), a 4-inch longer shock could be used. 4 more inches for a shock with 9-inches of travel is...a lot.

c. the stock brake hoses were used for a lifted van, which is an issue.
when the sway bar was disconnected, the next link in the chain to prevent axle droop are the fox shocks. if the the shocks were to break offroad, then the brake line would be the last item limiting axle droop. 😶 to install the deaver springs required removing the t-block hold down bolt and letting the hose dangle. had a local shop fab all new flexible hoses - absolute hose &fitting
. not to mention that somewhere along the way, someone fubar'd the rear axle hard line threads...so i had to create a new one.



4. new sway bar end links for the rear axle.
the same end links as the front to make it easy to purchase and swap if necessary. the adapter for the frame is a Pro Comp 690002 with 5/8-inch stud.
the adapter for the bar is a Teraflex 1203800 with 3/4-inch stud and redrilled a hitch pin for a quick disconnect.

and lastly, anyone who wants a much smoother ride from their 5-6 ton van needs to consider one of the reputable aftermarket springs manufacturers. i've purchased deaver's for 4x4's before, but the difference between the SMB old man emu springs (crap) and the deaver springs is night and day...and is well worth the upgrade. 🤯

the next step is to replace the front brake hoses +the front leaf springs + the track bar +new remote reservoir shocks all around with better mounts.

[unreng]

couple more upgrades:
1. added dual fans with shroud to the transmission cooler with an adjustable fan thermostat
also added some speed holes to the bumper access plate




2. added a tool rack to the aluminess box...and it barely fits without touching the door.

[unreng]

added some l-track bling to both barn doors to make mounting various tools / apparatus easier


also added l-track to the aluminess box to attach the tire table


started going thru the process of flushing the gold coolant 🤮 from the 6.0

for reference, new water is on the left. this is after flushing the gold, then VC-1 + flushing, then VC-9 + flushing...still not done 😭🤯🤬😤
will be adding a mishimoto 185-F thermostat+housing.

next on the list...adding an oil cooler to the amsoil bypass system. have contacted amsoil for their advice on where to mount - before the filters or after the filters?

[Weebles]

Not an SMB (I have a 2000 E150 GTRV poptop), but built a slide-out box for rear van as outdoor kitchen. 40-inch Vandania locking glides rated at 300#; aluminum cradle supporting 1/2" birch plywood box.

Peter
Outside Colorado Spgs.

[unreng]

two more projects completed:

fender vents:




and here's the template before attacking the fenders on the van:



and the new sun visors (got the idea from Jimmy Cox on Sportsmobile Owners group on FB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/6302...58908671374961).

[Mikerson]

My backup camera angle was not quite right to see my hitch ball when backing up to a trailer, so I designed and 3D printed an extension to move the camera out past the curved rear doors and angle it down slightly compared the the plane of the SMB pop top. Now I don’t have to jump in and out of the van five times to hitch up!