Betty Sue, the Motovan.

[225]

Cheap eBay awning. It works, kinda:



Roof vent:



Time for 4WD:

[225]

Working on the ceiling after installing solar:



Still lots of trim work left:



"camping"



Solar:



I still need to install the T case and ARB locker and 4.10 gears.

I have all the parts, just haven't had time to get to it yet.

[225]

The rear is still sagging. I've put brand newish spring and a add a leaf, and a 3" block.

Still sags. I'm going to use the Jsweesy method and do a rear shackle flip with a 4.5 shackle when I swap out the rear gears and locker.

The butt sag:

[Twoxentrix]

Think its commendable you are doing the majority of this yourself, sometimes wish I had the same tallents... or guts & commitment to try. My only challenge is the speed in which I draw my AE card from my wallet.
I like the black on the back.

[225]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

Think its commendable you are doing the majority of this yourself, sometimes wish I had the same tallents... or guts & commitment to try. My only challenge is the speed in which I draw my AE card from my wallet.
I like the black on the back.

Thanks!

Everything has been done 100% by me.

The only thing I paid for was to get the ball joints pressed out.

I'm rebuilding the transmission myself. It's just summer time and I like to spend my time doing stuff like riding my motorcycle and mountain biking. But I'm gonna make time to try to finish everything soon.

[225]

I have a Pitbull trailer restraint for my bike:



Fat man on a little bike:





I bought a 2 piece bed frame from Ikea that I plan on making it where the bed folds up so I can put my bike in:





Bluetooth solar controller and Pd4045 RV 110v breaker panel / 12v converter / charger. It's made for RV's but work great when you're on shore power. I still need to add batteries, which I have, just need to build the box for them.

Lots of loose ends I need to tie up lol.

[motovanman]

Dude! This is the thread I have been looking for! Finding other 7.3 van owners has been damn near impossible. Can't believe you found an extended. I picked up a 2000 standard length 7.3 recently to make into a motocross van.
Would loved to do some power adders like you did once I get some of the other mechanical issues handled. Did you add an intake? My airbox is cracked and I can't find an aftermarket intake specific to the vans. Not sure if a truck one would work.
Also, any plans for an aftermarket AC unit? I'm limited on space so trying to avoid the portable free-standing type. The only roof mounted RV style ones I can find are 13,500 BTU which I think will be overkill for the space and my generator.

[225]

Originally Posted by motovanman

Dude! This is the thread I have been looking for! Finding other 7.3 van owners has been damn near impossible. Can't believe you found an extended. I picked up a 2000 standard length 7.3 recently to make into a motocross van.
Would loved to do some power adders like you did once I get some of the other mechanical issues handled. Did you add an intake? My airbox is cracked and I can't find an aftermarket intake specific to the vans. Not sure if a truck one would work.
Also, any plans for an aftermarket AC unit? I'm limited on space so trying to avoid the portable free-standing type. The only roof mounted RV style ones I can find are 13,500 BTU which I think will be overkill for the space and my generator.

Thanks!

I have a stock intake. I've been told that it's basically just as good as a cold air intake because how it's setup to intake air right in front like it does. I would check junkyards for a new one. A lot of old ambo's were 7.3's.

I have a AC for camping. It's ghetto. But it works like a dream.

Here's my setup:

I put a window unit in. Ran the power cord down to my RV breaker so the door can open and close without the wire being an issue.





Inside the PD4045. I have more 12v to hook up. The PD4045 instructions aren't very clear for the 120v side. This is my 3rd one. The other two were in teardrop trailers. If anyone plans on using one, I can give you detailed instructions on how to make it work.



Outside of the van. It's really not that noticable with painting it black with black rear doors.





In the wild. Can't even see it. Also, when I build a rear tire carrier, it will cover it even more.





100ah house battery. This is temporary. I'll be adding a couple more and moving them where the old spare tire was.

[225]

I have the ARB air locker and new 4.10's. Haven't installed them yet. After doing the conversion, I haven't had the mental capacity to crawl under my van again. Especially since I know how much it's gonna suck.

I need to sack up and get it done.



Lights are working! Just need to finish the trim.



I want to hurry up and finish the exterior. I'm putting a 08+ front clip on and spraying the rest of the van white. I have the 08+ radiator tie bar, header panels, headlight bezels, and fenders. I just need a grille and a hood.





I also ordered LED taillights:



Thanks for reading.

[motovanman]

Originally Posted by 225

Thanks!

I have a stock intake. I've been told that it's basically just as good as a cold air intake because how it's setup to intake air right in front like it does. I would check junkyards for a new one. A lot of old ambo's were 7.3's.

I have a AC for camping. It's ghetto. But it works like a dream.

Here's my setup:

I put a window unit in. Ran the power cord down to my RV breaker so the door can open and close without the wire being an issue.





Inside the PD4045. I have more 12v to hook up. The PD4045 instructions aren't very clear for the 120v side. This is my 3rd one. The other two were in teardrop trailers. If anyone plans on using one, I can give you detailed instructions on how to make it work.



Outside of the van. It's really not that noticable with painting it black with black rear doors.





In the wild. Can't even see it. Also, when I build a rear tire carrier, it will cover it even more.





100ah house battery. This is temporary. I'll be adding a couple more and moving them where the old spare tire was.

I've been trying to avoid the window AC unit but it's seeming more and more logical. Especially since I have one just sitting in the garage lol. Not worth $700+ to get a roof mounted setup.
I'm trying to keep things simple electric wise for now until I decide how much money I want to dump into it. I just have some battery powered LED lights I got at Northern Tool for like $2 and planning on running the AC unit off of a Honda EU2000i.