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Old 02-24-2016, 05:00 PM   #31
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Update after a long lull here with winter in MN.
The van go a nice new coat of white paint from the liner on up. It however was not without incident. The paint guys decided that instead of letting me know they got some overspray on the LineX, they did me the favor of painting over it with POR15. At first I was completely POed. I had the LineX done in a matte and now these yoyos go and paint it in a glossy black. I've settled down and will live with it. Overall, it looks good.
Next up, wheels, tires and a front bumper. The bumper is on order.
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Old 02-24-2016, 09:33 PM   #32
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You're in MN and you got a free spray of POR15? I'd say that's a win!

Looking good.
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Old 09-08-2016, 12:49 PM   #33
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Vantasi continued...

It's been a while since I last posted. A FEW things are new in the van department from wheels/tires to bumper to a complete interior gutting and a pop top. Yep, went for it. I am now in a full on ground up build...

In March Vantasi got a set of 285/75/16 BFG AT KO2s on 16x8 rims.

In April an HNC front bumper was added. Install here: http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...per-17222.html

Then, it was off to the Overland Expo to check things out.

I finally had a chance to test the Weld Tec stage 2 6" lift on a forest service road. And, I was pleasantly surprised. On open gravel with cattle guards and washboard I could do 70 and not worry about harsh hits or suspension hop. In the really technical rocky sections where I was in first the suspension soaked up rocks and rock ledges without complaint and in relative comfort. Thumbs up!
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Old 09-08-2016, 01:12 PM   #34
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After serious consideration, my girlfriend and I decided that we would go with a CCV mid-height pop top. Serious consideration for a serious chunk of money. And this leads us to a complete van makeover from moto van to full time camper van. Meaning, the entire interior, just finished less than a year ago, will be gutted. So is life. Not a bad position to be in...

Removing the interior was not as precise of a job as it was to install it. Unfortunately, the majority of it was scrapped being it was not built with disassembly in mind. Construction adhesive keeps things together... The result- a heap of scrap material. And a bare cargo van. Back to basics like when I bought it in 2001.

One thing I wanted to address before the pop top install was to tend to some rust in the rain gutter. While it was not terrible I thought I could remove all the old seam sealer, POR where needed and fill it in with new seam sealer. I went through the tedious and dirty work of grinding out all the old seal, removing rust and then attempted to refill the gutter with new seam sealer. Attempt I did. With the gutter and roof taped off I started laying a bead which would then have to be troweled smooth. Well, by the time I laid a bead front to back on one side, troweled it and went to pull the tape the seam sealer set to the point where it stuck to the tape just folding over itself creating the worst silly putty disaster you could hope for on your roof line.
A phone call to the manufacturer revealed the not so splendid answer to how to remove said seam sealer- wait for it to fully cure (24hrs) and grind it out. Gulp. Alright, no time to waste as the van had to roll to Colorado in a week. Long story not so short, I ground out all the seam sealer and had a local body shop fill the gutter with high quality, self leveling 3M seam sealer and paint it to match. Cost= PIA+$500
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Old 09-08-2016, 01:37 PM   #35
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I was headed to Colorado for an enduro race at the end of July so the plan to drop off Vantasi for a quick shave and pop top install was crafted. My girlfriend would drive the van out and I'd pick her up on the way home from the race. A company van comes in handy for this type of thing. The plan came together just great except for the fact that I ended up with a nice concision (edit- seems to still affect my ability to spell or is that the hand that affects typing?), broken ribs and a broken hand out of the deal. Add another injury to the list... The good news- I could somewhat recover while Vantasi was in the hands of Colorado Camper Van.

A bit over a month later, the old van dawned a new top complete with arctic canvas, one piece lifting bed, 2 100W Renogy solar panels, 20 amp MPPT controller, Maxxair fan and Yakima rack rails. Wow! Now it's getting serious.
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Old 09-08-2016, 03:17 PM   #36
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Vantasi Build

With one and a half hands and a helpful girlfriend we started to properly sound proof and insulate the van. While the front and all doors already got a good dose of sound deadening adhesive mat more had to be added to the rear walls. For door insulation I chose to go with reflectix followed by 3M Thinsulate SM600L. That meant removing all door panels previously attached with silicone. They won't be used again so I'll keep them as patterns. The door cubbies were also removed to get access to the full door interior. Then they got stuffed.

That wonderful door talon I ordered a while back was installed last weekend too.

Now, the plan is to add exterior accessories before completing the insulation in the rear.

Exterior accessories planned:
1. Porch light on both D and P side https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2. Sand ladders mounted on L-track on D side https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3. Exterior shower on the rear left (spendy but a nice small flush mount) Fast Disconnect External Shower - Adventure Trailers Store


Wall insulation planned:
1. Reflectix

2. UltraTouch radiant barrier UltraTouch 48 in. x 24 ft. Radiant Barrier-30000-11424 - The Home Depot

3. SilveRboard (where it will fit) SilveRboard 24 in. x 1 in. x 48 in. R5 Radiant Acoustic Insulation Kit - STC 19 (5-Piece)-SB12AKIT - The Home Depot

What do you guys think? Logical choices?
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DoorPanelRemove.jpg   doorinsulation2.jpg   DoorTalon.jpg   soundproofing1.jpg   shower mix 3.jpg  

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Old 09-08-2016, 03:57 PM   #37
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All looks good to me.. and unrecognizable from what you started with!
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Old 09-08-2016, 05:12 PM   #38
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How did you connect your shower? I have the same but not sure about the fittings. I've heard of Whale connectors but I've never seen them. Would be great if you could post some pictures where your water lines connect to the shower head, thanks!

Cheers
David

Edit****
Just saw those are your planned mods... Have fun with them!
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:19 PM   #39
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Great looking build, I like your insulation ideas
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Old 09-08-2016, 10:24 PM   #40
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Van is looking really good!

Ok, so you can't just say you got a concussion and put up pictures of an injured hand and not share the juicy details...
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