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Old 05-24-2017, 12:54 PM   #11
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"One Piece At A Time" Build - Page 3 - Expedition Portal

I like his bed deign. The bulkhead one is cool too.

Is the PitBull restraint system really worth it? Seems like it would be hard putting it in the van with the bracket connected to the bike already, unless you didn't put the part on the bike until it was in the van already.

What kind of bike do you have? I was a supermoto guy forever, then I got this:

From my experience in transporting bikes, it's the most secure, easiest, and least-cumbersome way to take bikes anywhere. After using them with several race teams for whom I've worked, I swear by them (and pretty much all of Pit-Bull's stuff).

Sweet Ape! I'm racing a Ducati 899 and a Ninja 250 (with a Zuma 50/70 scooter along for pit bike duty).






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Old 05-24-2017, 01:01 PM   #12
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Until we get the bed design firmed up, I found a contingency: $50 hammock from REI, suspended from the driver's seat belt hanger and the rearmost passenger side seat belt hanger.

Goose and I hung out in the van for about an hour, testing it out. Happy to report that it supported a 170 lb dude and a 120ish lb German Shepherd with no problems.

Issue #1: The previous owner removed all the floor seat brackets. . .except one where he obviously rounded out one bolts (I think it USED to be a torx) and said "Eff it." So I have a random steel bracket on my van floor, looking to ruin my pretty toes. Any ideas?

Issue #2: The exterior door handle on the rear barn doors doesn't work. It doesn't feel locked/frozen/etc, but it feels like it's just not connected to anything. The interior handle works fine, but I don't want to crawl over bikes to open the door. Is this a common thing with these vans?

Issue #3: The tag light bulb/socket had been cut off. I got a generic 12v 194-style bulb socket and will be wiring it up this weekend. Is there any reason you can fathom for cutting the tag light?

Issue #4: This thing needs the tires rotated and balanced bigger than hell. An alignment couldn't hurt, either. I've never owned anything this big; will a normal shop/lift be able to handle it?

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Ed
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Old 05-24-2017, 01:08 PM   #13
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As you might imagine, I have a million questions.

Would it be better to start a post for each one, and risk spamming the forum, or pose them in this thread?
1. Use search.. many of the questions you have other folks have had.. probably several other folks.

2. I'd say use your build thread, keep everything in one place.
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Old 05-25-2017, 07:34 PM   #14
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Installed the drop hitch tonight - no sweat. Was getting myself psyched up to wire up a trailer light adapter, and then I found the factory 4-post tucked into the rear bumper. Life's all about the tiny victories.

Was feeling pretty good about myself, so I pulled the cargo mat out. There's some light surface rust, a ton of old loose fasteners (I'm guessing it was a work van) and two house keys. Jimmy Hoffa is still missing. What's the best way to seal/stop the rust before hitting the floor with liner?

Also pulled the seatbelt anchors (I KNEW those Torx bits in my toolbox would come in handy) from the floor and the side ceiling, EXCEPT for the rearmost passenger side that I'm using as a temporary hammock hanger.

Saturday is going to be all about installing the new head unit, speakers, and running the wire for the backup cam.

Now I'm going to have a beer and research whether my tetanus shot is up to date. Night!
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Old 05-25-2017, 08:52 PM   #15
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...Sweet Ape! I'm racing a Ducati 899 and a Ninja 250 (with a Zuma 50/70 scooter along for pit bike duty).
Oh I miss my Ducati. Just a sport tourer ('91 907ie), but a fun bike to ride and it sounded so good with Termignoni carbon fiber exhaust.


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Old 05-25-2017, 08:54 PM   #16
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Rear latch is common. It should be self explanatory when you open it up. There is also a few threads on beefing that area up to prevent Ducati 899 thieves from poking around. Great build happening!
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:26 AM   #17
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Oh I miss my Ducati. Just a sport tourer ('91 907ie), but a fun bike to ride and it sounded so good with Termignoni carbon fiber exhaust.


Herb
I maintain that there is no mechanical sound sweeter than a big desmo twin with Termis. I have them on my old 748 and the 899. Really the only choice for a Duc.
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:30 AM   #18
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Rear latch is common. It should be self explanatory when you open it up. There is also a few threads on beefing that area up to prevent Ducati 899 thieves from poking around. Great build happening!
Hey, thanks! I'm going to try to get after it tonight, after I finish cleaning up the floor for the liner guy.
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Old 05-26-2017, 08:09 AM   #19
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I found a contingency: $50 hammock from REI, suspended from the driver's seat belt hanger and the rearmost passenger side seat belt hanger.

Goose and I hung out in the van for about an hour, testing it out. Happy to report that it supported a 170 lb dude and a 120ish lb German Shepherd with no problems.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Ed
Post the build in one place.....here works.....

For the rear door, it's somewhat common that the plastic cable end thingy crumbles...my side barn door did that and wouldn't open. There are loads of aftermarket aluminum cable end thingies on ebay if that's your issue.

92-14 Door Cable Repair Kit Front and Rear for Ford Van F-series(8 Ends) | eBay

Did you pick up an ENO singlenest/doublenest hammock? I have one of each.....work great and pack down small.
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Old 05-26-2017, 09:49 PM   #20
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Goose and I hung out in the van for about an hour, testing it out. Happy to report that it supported a 170 lb dude and a 120ish lb German Shepherd with no problems.
That dog could probably even gain a few pounds before you need to step up to a v10.

Quote:
Issue #1: The previous owner removed all the floor seat brackets. . .except one where he obviously rounded out one bolts (I think it USED to be a torx) and said "Eff it." So I have a random steel bracket on my van floor, looking to ruin my pretty toes. Any ideas?
Get an easy out set. In this case you'll use one of the larger ones. You have a van and bikes, you might as well pick up a set now and learn how to use it.

Quote:
Issue #3: The tag light bulb/socket had been cut off. I got a generic 12v 194-style bulb socket and will be wiring it up this weekend. Is there any reason you can fathom for cutting the tag light?
Mine was all melted and half detached when I got the van second hand years ago. It may be something that just self destroyed with incandescent bulbs. IIRC, I epoxied it, and have an LED in there now. No issues since then.

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Issue #4: This thing needs the tires rotated and balanced bigger than hell. An alignment couldn't hurt, either. I've never owned anything this big; will a normal shop/lift be able to handle it?
Standard vans are very common and most places will know if they can deal with them or not. Fully loaded 4x4 campers can be 8-12k lbs and are a different story. If you're likely to keep the bikes and gear in there, it might be smart to know that total weight, so you can mention it to a shop. (I'm on the SF peninsula and mostly have to deal with tiny shops.)
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