Falkor: 1995 E350 Hightop

[TheVagabondMBA]

I have my hitches installed now. I talked U-haul into installing both front and class IV rear, with wiring harness and labor for $390 out the door. That's about how much it was for me to order them online and I still would need to install them. U-haul was super easy and it was way easier than me doing it by myself in the driveway.

Here's a couple photos from this last weekend in Painted Gorge. Forgot our shovels, but used the Max Trax to make a nice kicker! We're trying to enjoy the CA desert as much as possible before we migrate to the Springs in February.

[killacks]

Looks like an excellent time.

Pretty sure we thumbs-upped on I-8 East passing through the mountains Saturday afternoon.

We were on a family day-trip to Mexicali, ourselves

[TheVagabondMBA]

Originally Posted by killacks

Looks like an excellent time.

Pretty sure we thumbs-upped on I-8 East passing through the mountains Saturday afternoon.

We were on a family day-trip to Mexicali, ourselves

Yes, that made our day. Nothing better than a fellow van man giving you a thumbs up

[TheVagabondMBA]

Hello everyone! It's been a minute since I've been able to post. My lady and i decided to move out to Colorado full-time and have taken the last few months to travel around, play some shows and settle into our new place.

It's nice to have a garage again for tools and storage. It's also nice not having to work on the van while also living in it We are now in Old Colorado City and have been taking advantage of the mountains, pikes forest and endless forest roads around town.

As for the van, I made some adjustments to the interior to make it a little more user-friendly while not in "sleeping mode". I painted the Weldtec fenders to match the rest of the van (last photo), fixed the barn doors so they open again on the side, installed my spare carrier and installed some new Sylvania Silverstar headlights (I was looking to make the switch over to a set of sealed beam LED's but I ended up getting both of the Sylvania's for $15 total so I'm not complaining). Also, the bilsteins and moogs have settled in nicely and the van is driving great.

I currently have about 8k miles left on my Kelly Edge A/T's and am looking for some thoughts on tires. I have always been a huge fan of BFG's, but after running these Kelly's for the last year I've been beyond impressed with them and the quality of goodyear's service. The Kelly Edge has outstanding wet/snow traction, the wear has been minimal and very consistent, goodyear service is top notch and they always throw in some sort of free service when I have them rotate/inspect the tires. What's everyone's thoughts on the Goodyear Wrangler/Duratracs/Kevlars etc. I decided I'm sticking with 265/75/16 when I purchase the next set: bigger than stock, don't need to cut any bumpers or pinch welds, and MPG's.

And no post is complete w/o photos:

[TheVagabondMBA]

Just got back from 4100 mile month long trip. We'd been planning this trip since June and then left November 15-December 15. You can check out the trip report here if you want.

Prior to the trip I knew we would need to make some changes to van to ensure some comfort and sanity on the road. We re-did the bed set up, removed unnecessary shelves and our small kitchenette countertop. Since we use this van to transport our band gear while on tour (the purpose of this trip) we need to have as much free space as possible. The biggest improvement to the interior (besides replacing the full mattress with 2 folding mattress pads so the bed can flip up) was insulating and blocking out the windows. If you remember previously I had built some window inserts to throw in the windows while sleeping. This method was annoying and took up too much storage space. Instead, I placed them in the window space and then covered them with preprinted luan wood that also had some denim insulation on the back side. The result is a faux wood finish covering the windows that are now very insulated. The majority of this trip was in snow or sub-30 weather. The window coverings/insulation kept us warm the whole time.

I also realized that the cheap Sylvania headlights weren't cutting it. I ordered a set of eBay CREE LED lights for a Cherokee and they are wonderful. Direct replacement for the sealed beam Ford Vans. I also took the time to redo the grill and headlight bezels while they were out. The original bedliner wasn't chipped or anything, it was just starting to fade from a dark gloss black to a dull gray.

Let's see...I decided after going to the used tire shop that 265/75/16 wasn't big enough for me. They didn't look anything different than the 31x10's I have now. So I decided to trim the bumper, trim the pinch welds and save up for 285/75/17's. At this point I'm pretty content with Falkor. The only things I feel like we need for the beast are LSD and the larger tires.

Oh yeah, I bring that BMX with me everywhere. On our month long trip, even with snow and rain I managed to hit up 8 different skateparks and 5 famous streetspots When we go on weekend getaways in the trails I bring the MTB's. But for this tour we were mostly in cities, so BMX and skateboards.

[89srule]

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you guys are enjoying the van!

[TheVagabondMBA]

Originally Posted by 89srule

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you guys are enjoying the van!

Most definitely! Save for the harley it's the best vehicle we've had. And we've had some fun vehicles in our time:

69 c10 with a built 350
61 Ford galaxie
91 CRX Si w/ a Mini Me swap and fully tuned coilovers/sway bars/strut bars (It was about 150hp and under 1500lbs. Street legal go-kart )
2006 Mazda w/ a MS3 motor
The BROlander

Sorry for the non-van photos. I just love flipping a good project vehicle.

[TheVagabondMBA]

Been a minute since I posted. Just letting you know Falkor is still running strong. Just hit 60k miles. Not much to report other than new Pirelli Scorpion AT+ tires and I chased a CEL away that required a light tune up (plugs, wires, distributor, starter, starter solenoid, new fuel filter, new fuel line) and a new MAP sensor. The van is running great now (unless we decide to drive up above 12k feet) and the new Pirelli tires have been handling well since installed about 1000 miles ago.

Only thing I have left for this beast is the LSD on the Sterling 10.5 and a lot more adventures. Couldn't be happier with how this thing has turned out and how much fun we've had with it the last 3 years.

Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for LSD? This thing sees mostly highways and occasional dirt roads to the campsite. The LSD will be nice for the 15% off-road this van does, but mainly I want some added traction for winter in Colorado.

[86Scotty]

My son has a 2008 MS3. That's a seriously fun little car. More torque steer than anything I've ever driven though, which can be really fun or really not fun given the moment.

[TheVagabondMBA]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

My son has a 2008 MS3. That's a seriously fun little car. More torque steer than anything I've ever driven though, which can be really fun or really not fun given the moment.

I do miss the mazda from time to time. It's what I started car camping in Definitely a fun little car that suffered some FWD faults. Super fun grocery getter that loved freeway ramps and the one auto-x event it entered.