2001 7.3 4" Ujoint to Overland America's Adventure Vehicle

[JohnandMandi]

A small update...

We have hit a snag with getting a local shop to take a hard pass at going through the 7.3 and making sure it is tip top for the trip we will be taking. There are several reputable guys here but they just don't want to take on a van. A hundred emails later, sorry about that Chris, we have a plan to get it to Ujoint Offroad in the future to get her checked out and upgraded. This pushes our dates out a bit so we're probably going to miss the window to head South this year. We're OK with that knowing the van will be done up right and ready to tackle the great adventure ahead of us, a fortunate "problem" to have.

So... while she's there she will be undergoing 4x4 surgery.

We're excited and freaking out a bit to get all of the little things done before we drive it to NC and deliver it to the shop we should have gone to in the first place.

[Pschitt]

Good choice to bring it to U-Joint, you won't be desappointed. ;-)

[JWA]

I'm hard pressed to understand why the van body/chassis is such a scary prospect for so many--good gravy man grow a pair!

I'll admit it might be a tad more difficult servicing a van but not that much more of a challenge. With some of the crowded engine bays I've seen on F-Series pick ups it's all a hassle, IMHO anyway.

Then again a good shop with high reputation can probably pick and choose its work load.

Oh well----the joys of owning a van.

[JohnandMandi]

Yeah. I think if we decided to drag race it then we'd get a little bit more attention.

The biggest issue with our build so far has been outsourcing. I jokingly say we can't throw enough money at shops to get anything done. We guess the work to profit ratio must be to small or something. We hear all of this talk about the economy but we keep getting turned away. RV shops wouldn't even install the windows, they would swap them if they were the same size, but no cutting. We had even sourced the windows ourselves so the shops didn't have to worry about getting them, got a template too. It kind of blew our minds. Of all the issues we have expected that was not one of them. We hit a point where we laughed it off then transferred most of the projects we wanted to hire out to our schedule. We figured we'd get it done or ultimately drive to Sportsmobile Texas to save our butts. Worst case is a road trip, we figure practice for when something goes wrong on the road that we can't handle.

Now that we're going to Chris' shop we've moved several of the mini projects to him and he's gonna outsource others for us. That's better than what we were trying to do. They'll be able to overlap many more items and get them done simultaneously. He knows what we want to do and has made some solid suggestions to help us get there. I think we've only spoken twice on the phone, the second time was a deposit, but through emails we have gained immense confidence on what they are going to be able to do for us. Van people with the necessary skills to help other van people, great stuff. We're lucky we are only a couple states away and we're kicking our own butts for not just taking the van there in the first place. Now we're thinking of adding a couple more things to their list, even though we can do them, because they should be able to get a much better deal on the parts so the cost would be a wash to us. We always rather good people get a cut then all of it going to a big conglomerate.

In the end we'll work several more months to cover some of the "additions" that weren't in the original budget but in return we'll get one bad @ss van and good people will make some money. That's definitely worth our time and energy... how we see it anyway. When we started this project we were focused on when we "wanted" to leave instead of getting there when we do. A lesson we hope to carry out the door and to the first turn of the ignition when we finally head off.

Oh, when I say we I mean we. Mandi has been right beside we working the saws, turning the wrenches... triumphs and disappointments. I'm a very lucky man!

-John

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by JohnandMandi

Yeah. I think if we decided to drag race it then we'd get a little bit more attention.

Oh, when I say we I mean we. Mandi has been right beside we working the saws, turning the wrenches... triumphs and disappointments. I'm a very lucky man!

-John

Yes you are. My wife will drive it, but that's about it!

I don't understand the 'mindset' of a lot of shops in this part of the country either. I have had the best luck with the old-school types that work on bigger equipment for mechanical stuff. My favorite place is a Farmer's Co-Op nearby. As for van builders to do anything else (windows, etc.), I think it's just where we are. Chris is a great resource on the east side of the Mississippi.

[JohnandMandi]

Mandi drives too but I'm getting the feeling that once we leave the US the [s:1nhnz1aq]Captains Chair[/s:1nhnz1aq] driver's seat is mostly all mine. This is really due to my wonderful lack of competence when it comes to navigation. I suffer from "Turn Now!" syndrome so she's learned to have me drive when we have no clue.

I do see myself having to relinquish the chair when there's a cool obstacle ahead that she wants to try but that is also a big part of my luck. If there is any danger of the van receiving even just a scratch it will be my duty to be the driver for such things. I loathe the day I actually do real damage to the van. The tears will just be too much so I won't be able to handle her crying too.

-John

[JohnandMandi]

Meant to add...

Chris (Ujoint), Sportsmobile - especially Paul in Texas, Derek (Colorado Camper Van) and everyone else we emailed while doing research have been awesome. When we are traveling we won't hesitate to do what it takes to get to one of the van shops if need be. Once we leave the States we'll be sh!t out of luck but maybe some sweet talking, begging, hiccup crying, free trip to some third world country deal might work .

[JohnandMandi]

Ok, we've neglected this thread so here are links to some of the things we have accomplished:

Installed Frameless Windows

Prepped the Cargo Floor

Added Pop Out Rear Windows

Refreshed Penthouse Hardware

Insulated and Covered Cargo and Barn Doors


Our Floor Plan (Overall Design Concept):


How It Looks Today:



We've completed the cab except for new seat belts and a broken mirror switch bezel. Eric can attest that we've added color, lots of it. We also got a birch floor installed so we will be starting on the electrical and walls next. Our house closes soon so it'll be a few weeks until we get back to it.

[Pschitt]

What an evolution! I like the color and the "full black" accessories, bumpers, etc. it even have the same rims as VivaLaVida (I guess)!

I saw some picture of your van on U-Joint's FB but didn't realise it was yours... :-)

Hope to meet you somewhere to share some campfires...

[JohnandMandi]

Originally Posted by Pschitt

What an evolution! I like the color and the "full black" accessories, bumpers, etc. it even have the same rims as VivaLaVida (I guess)!

I saw some picture of your van on U-Joint's FB but didn't realise it was yours... :-)

Hope to meet you somewhere to share some campfires...

Thanks. Chris and company did a fantastic job of re-building the 7.3, tranny re-build, swapping 4x4 systems, getting the exterior sprayed in our desired Tangerine (the first attempt was a disaster but quite funny), getting the seats re-covered and many more little things. The rims are probably the same, the Pro Comps most of us get.

We're hoping to run into you sometime. We'll be at Expo West in May then we'll follow the weather to Alaska then turn around and start the journey South. This time next year we should be in Baja or mainland Mexico. You're a bit ahead of us but it seems like your slow travel is slower than ours so we expect to catch you at some point.

-John