What did you do to your SMB today?

[arctictraveller]

Kibo, great job on the window covers, I look forward to future developments. Meanwhile I wonder about your failed spring bushings. I too have Alcan springs and have noticed some cracking of the bushings, but so far they seem to be ok after a couple years. How many miles did you get before they failed, and how did you notice the issue?

[BrianW]

Great job! I’d be interested in a set for a non-passenger van when you start making them.

And boy, that’s a big purple van! [emoji15] I loved your comment about stealth camping.

[SteelheadJones]

Love the window covers and the Juki. Definitely interested.

[Kibo]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

Meanwhile I wonder about your failed spring bushings. I too have Alcan springs and have noticed some cracking of the bushings, but so far they seem to be ok after a couple years. How many miles did you get before they failed, and how did you notice the issue?

I noticed the issue exactly 4 months (to the day!) and 2570mi after installing the springs. These miles included some off-road, but nothing extreme.

Alcan Springs switched hands during those 4 months; and to his credit, the new owner Lew agreed the bushings should have not failed in that timeframe and offered to fix the bushings at no cost if I drove out to Grand Junction. We were planning to do a trip to GJ in the spring (ha!), but in the end the timing didn't work out for us. The bushings weren't terribly expensive and I wanted to justify having these monstrous jackstands anyway.

[unreng]

updates have been slo-going due to the smoke from fires over the past 3 months...but here are some:

installed some CR Brophy 24-inch side steps on the van:

https://www.crbrophy.com/stairs.html
these make entering and exiting the van soooo much nicer than the stepstool we were using.
we added some glow-in-the-dark traction tape for nighttime help:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07GZH3B...roduct_details

installed some more l track atop the aluminess box with weld mount studs:


and a sneak peak into the next project:

[unreng]

part two of the upgrades:

finished the L track +seat install:




and relocated the air tank +foam extinguisher atop each wheelwell:

[Glippie]

Picked her up from the shop. New brake pads and power steering pump. Smooooth cruise now! Cut foam pipe insulation pieces to fit over the bed platform lifting hardware where I whack my head repeatedly. Created an apparatus out of PVC to place on top of a jack to easily lift the top. Drained the potable water tank. Lined the drawers. Cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. Two weeks until the first camping trip with my new to me SMB. Can't wait!!!

[unreng]

added drivers and passenger ladders for easier access to the roof and to hang/attach items while camped.

added an adapt 30-inch light bar to the front...and it's waaaaaaay better than expected.
a push of the button changes from fog to spot and should make night driving more enjoyable.

also found some uhaul wall brackets for creating a surface to attach wall panels in the future (picture borrowed from fb)

[BroncoHauler]

Interesting find with the U-Haul brackets. Keep us updated with how it works out.

Herb

[wanderers]

I got the door liners off of my side and rear doors in preparation for installing a pair of Thunderbolt locks. The van had a hard time starting after a few hours, so i realized it was time to replace the seven-year-old battery. After I replaced the battery and got a good look at the interior of the doors, I realized it wouldn't be as straight forward a job as in the Thunderbolt video.


The provided brackets were not long enough to bridge the gap in the door, so I had to cut a piece of channel to mount the main part of the lock.


You have to be very careful when selecting where to put the latch. My first pilot hole was hard against some metal in the door, so I moved it over a half inch. I was afraid it might interfere with the original lock actuator, but it cleared. You have to make sure that the latch will clear obstructions on both doors which left a much smaller target area than I expected.


The gum they include in the kit works well and I was able to use a center punch right through it. The gum is in a tiny square of waxed paper and I almost didn't find it.


The rear door is much tighter since the license plate holder intrudes into the door cavity. I had to make a template so I could position the Thunderbolt mechanism where it would have needed clearances while still hitting metal for mounting. I had to tie wiring in the door out of the way to slip the box into the bottom of the door.


It was hard to find a place to mount the manual actuator in the rear door I took it straight out about four inches above the floor so it would be easy to reach from the interior. For the side door I mounted the manual actuator on an L-bracket inside the storage compartment in the door. Some pop-rivets were provided but I think I will only use them on the strike plates. The instructions say to lubricate the cables with silicone spray when you change oil and I think that would be easier if I can slide the latch out of the door.

It wasn't an extremely hard job, but it did take a bit of thought. My wife would say that for me that makes it a hard job.

Roger