1985 6.9 turbodiesel homebuild!

[wanderer351]

well I found yall thru expedionportal and figured Id pop up (pun) over here and post!!

the inital build was to make her a pop-top...then I decided that would take a back seat to just geting her out to camp...(then discovered that 09 may be the last year for an oilburner in the vans and the pop-top is back on for next winter...)

I bought the 85 3 years ago after struggling to find a nice slide-in camper for my then crewcab 4x4 that got lousy (7.5L gasser...12mpg was the BEST I ever got!) fuel mileage..so I figured Id get a vanbody..throw a cummins in it...put a 44/60 front axle in it and just enjoy it..

then came a phone call from a friend...

"dude (not real first name)...ya know how yer lookin fer a diesel van?...I think I found one for ya..its over on Blah blah blah..(not real address)...go check it out!"

so I show up...and paid for it on the spot!!...

it was ugly..and needed some updates...but the rust was VERY minimal for an ohio van...and I jumped headfirst into owning my first diesel...

so I get it home..and get a real good look...first thing...needs diffrent tires and rims...the 16.5's were in good shape...but they were 100% roadslicks and we lived on 5miles of gravel roads...so after some searchin...I settled on the american racing nitros and BFG commercial Traction/TA's that came recomended...


(yes..thats walmart..they had the tires..and a good friend worked there and did a perfect job of doin them right!!)

after



so after that it was time for seats...my buddy that called (and put the tires on) had scrapped a van a few weeks previous and saved the 4capt chairs and fold down bed..same color interior as mine!!...so they got installed..

I drove it for a while...doing kingpins/brakes/bodywork/window seals and vent window replacement (cant get the seals so I got the whole assemblys)...

towed a bit with her..and not really thrilled...(more like a straight6 power vs the big V8 I had becomed acustomed too.)...so I got busy lightening my load...worked on my woods truck..got a lighter trailer...and bought a turbo for the van...



turbo partialy installed..

[wanderer351]

well as you can see I also had to replace all the heater/coolant hoses...so I threw the heater bypass in to help in the summer to keep hot coolant out of the passenger compartment....and added the hood scoops to let her vent heat from the engine when parked..all work very well!!!

at this point I have driven probably 15K on the van...and have HANDS DOWN decided NOT to make it 4x4...it rides wonderfull..fits in the garge..and I dont wanna mess that up...

I also discoverd WVO as a fuel...and run blends of it from time to time (smells like steaks on a gas grill!!)

full live gauges for oil/water and EGT and boost gauge to keep the engine from melting down or blowing up!!

so....its time to get current....

after getting the turbo on...and the 4in...I discoverd she needs new injectors and IP..(coming as soon as the taxes get back)...so I dove headfirst into making it quieter inside and getting it ready for camping/travel...

gutted all but the dashboard...weathertech asphalt roofing for sound deadener...and foil bubble insulation...fixed a few little rustspots on the floor..changed the rear heater coil that was leakin...new carpet...

child labor!

dont take my picture!! lol


front rust and turbo fully installed and headder wrapped

weathertech

insulation

[wanderer351]

the header panel is loose cus I was checking it for the westy GTRV style top..just unstiched it to take a peek)

carpet!


doghouse wrapped twice in deadener then in insulation then carpet...MUCHO QUIETER!!!! (cant hear the lifters tappin when it needs a quart of oil!)

seats in!!



I still need to rebuild the console tray for cups and pocket storage for junk...and now im in the stages of geting the rear gauncho designed..(spent the last 3 weeks changing my mind...and lastnight made it up and got it designed and material list!)

but I get the CUPHOLDERS installed for the middle seats!!!

[wanderer351]

alrighty....to the outside!!

Ive been an avid 4x4 offroader for the last decade...spent 2 seasons spotting/pit crew for a national rock crawl competiton team...so Im kinda knowledgable about what works..and what doesn't...

first order was the ability to air my tires back up...no problem..already had the setup...

vivair 350 and a scuba tank for storage...it went in just nice and easy (yes...I need to trim the bolt down...I know I know...)

airchuck infront of rear driver tire..


then I needed a winch...well...I needed a winch BUMPER for it....
template

finnished...almost


well then I needed a REAR bumper for it too huh?



but the front bumper bugged me...so I redid the outside edges..much better!

then I needed storage...for the rear bumper


finnished (still have to make the tire carrier!!)

winch installed and tested

[wanderer351]

and ya just gotta have an awning too dont ya??

jcwhittney had a nice one at a good price for a 10ftr...




the rear storage is for all the fuel filled lanterns/stoves...so I plan on using it as the kitchen platform too on short stops...the awning keeps the cook out of the sun/rain!! yea!! happy cook!!

I had planned on some sort of diesel heater..but it got SO cold in the garage this winter I got a little buddy heater....so we're gonna use that in the van to get her warmed up at night (if the vans engine is cold)..then shut her down and sleep save...then warm it up before we get up in the mornings!

then it was onto some fun stuff...lights!!

my old crewcab had this rediculously bright display..I didnt care much for it untill I discoverd at night I could see the kid (now kids) by it without turning the dome light on...so I go some LED's off ebay for accent lighting...and after many people have tripped while trying to find the stepdowns at the doors...I decided to clean them up..paint them..and lightem up for safety and just courtesy lighting...(which works SUPER well!!)






blue is accent (runs off dashlights..so they are dim-able)..white is courtesy (runs off domelights)

pass front footwell...I dont have any on the driver footwell so it doesnt distract me..I also have these in my 4dr wrangler and lovem!!

pass and sliding door

driver door

[wanderer351]

now its onto the bed...

the old config allowed me to spin the middle capt chairs and lay them down..lay the couch down and strech across the chair to the bed...ok comfy but you were pretty stuck on yer back..

new design will follow TLOW's super slick sliding bed (wow...how alliterative)..but on the passenger side of the van

hope this works...



I want to be able to lift the bottom cushion to get to the storage underneath...but also slide it down and be comfy..so access ports are being designed into the seat portion...also my 64qt fridge (yet to be ordered) will be set at the back of the couch so its just inside the back door..and accessable when driving and camped..

not too sure what cabinets and such will go on the other side...as its also the family truckster it probably wont have anything added to it so I can haul my 55's of WVO easily...and the rear floor is currently just insulation no carpet...I want to make it a nice piece of plywood thats stained and sealed for easy cleanup of spills (and a small "lip" all the way around to keep anything from getting under it and rusting the floor out/stinkin it up)

more pix of that as it happens!

[bettyford]

Nice job, Not fair though looks like you have a little helper.

Thanks for the Pictures Love the bed.


Ron

[wanderer351]

Originally Posted by bettyford

Nice job, Not fair though looks like you have a little helper.

Thanks for the Pictures Love the bed.


Ron

yup..my big helper is awsome...she's been my garage buddy since before she could walk..

the reason the delay is the arrival of my OTHER buddies (yes...buddies)...just 3 months old (and they were 6 weeks early..)..they are the reason not much has been done for the last few months...but they are great!!



and my other buddy...he helps keep me distracted in the garage...or holds down the couch while I measure..

[Ford_6L_E350]

Ohio must be different than California. Out here we have laws against child labor.

Seriously, lookin' good.

Take those guys camping before they know it they will be hooked.

Mike

[billwilson]

very cool buddy
or should i say Big Daddy?!