New Member and Owner

[GunniLuv]

Hi all,


Been a member for a few weeks in advance of my purchase last Thursday morning.

Details:

- 2006 E-350 6.0L PSD

- EB 50 build
- Quigley 4x4 3.55 ratio
- Warn 12,000 lb winch
- On-board air
- Aluminess front bumper w/ brush guard
- Tuner
- Starcool A/C - not currently working



Flew to Long Island for pickup and drove back to Colorado. I'm at a loss for words as to how excited I am to own this vehicle and be a part of this community. I'm giving myself one month of doing NOTHING and adding NOTHING to the vehicle. I can only afford so many impulse buys.


I've owned a 2002 VW Eurovan Weekender for the last ten years. My family and I have been around the country twice in it, and put on 110k miles. Going to be bittersweet to let it go but I'm liking the SMB after 4 nights.

[Twoxentrix]

That "I'm at a loss for words as to how excited I am to own this vehicle" doesn't go away! Took me 4 days to drive mine home from the West coast to the East coast...when I arrived home, I spent the next 3 nights in the Van (in the driveway) - came up with all kinds of projects i wanted to do. That's not the part that "cost' me...I blame the elixir sold by all the talented & creative people on this Forum for that.
Congrat's & Welcome!

[marret]

Congrats and welcome. Smart to wait and see how things work first.

[vandiesel]

Originally Posted by GunniLuv

Hi all,


Been a member for a few weeks in advance of my purchase last Thursday morning.

Details:

- 2006 E-350 6.0L PSD

- EB 50 build
- Quigley 4x4 3.55 ratio
- Warn 12,000 lb winch
- On-board air
- Aluminess front bumper w/ brush guard
- Tuner
- Starcool A/C - not currently working



Flew to Long Island for pickup and drove back to Colorado. I'm at a loss for words as to how excited I am to own this vehicle and be a part of this community. I'm giving myself one month of doing NOTHING and adding NOTHING to the vehicle. I can only afford so many impulse buys.


I've owned a 2002 VW Eurovan Weekender for the last ten years. My family and I have been around the country twice in it, and put on 110k miles. Going to be bittersweet to let it go but I'm liking the SMB after 4 nights.

The force is strong in this one!

[gahamby]

Welcome aboard!
There is constant posting about flying to and picking up to drive home.
How was your experience.

[GunniLuv]

Originally Posted by gahamby

Welcome aboard!
There is constant posting about flying to and picking up to drive home.
How was your experience.

I figured that my anticipation was so high that the trip would never live up to expectations, like many long awaited vacations. I was wrong!

Flew into Islip airport Wednesday night. PO, Chris, picked me up Thursday morning and I drove him back to his house. Spent about two hours going through all the systems and video-ing procedures; pop top raise/stow, awning, clean and gray water tank fill/drain, solar and electric operation, etc.

Getting from the middle of Long Island to the Verrazano bridge is not as simple as following google maps. Being a commercial vehicle, the parkways are all off limits. So to the LIE I went. No problem. Then the dreaded BQE and endless trucks and stopped traffic. But I survived.

Spent the first night in a Wally World parking lot in zanesville, oh. Then onto Louisville, KY on Friday to watch my daughter run in a track meet. She is a freshman at Butler.

From there made my way up to Huntington, IN for a visit to Sportsmobile North. The folks were extremely nice. I guess I was hoping for more specific info on the build of the van and level of effort required for specific projects. Sound deadening, insulation, norcold performance, etc. Side note; 18 vans in the lot awaiting conversion and three in the shop. All Sprinters, Transits, or ProMasters. Nary an Econoline in sight.

From there back to Indy for a run, campus tour, and lunch with my daughter. Well worth the backtrack. Left Indy around 2:30 and headed west. My goal was to get to KC before Arthur Bryant’s bbq closed at 9:00 pm. Didn’t make it, Q39 was open till 10:00. If you’re passing through, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The parking lot was busy while I was waiting for my takeout and the van was a prime conversation starter.

Spent the night at an I-70 rest area west of Topeka. Five other vans there. Again, no Econolines.

Sunday drive was uneventful home to Colorado. Much like the Eurovan, people want to talk to you. Expected, but still a little surprising. And a slightly different crowd. Quite a few hardcore Ford pickup owners.

Great experience. Looking forward to trips with the family this summer.

I know I’ll be reaching out to this community with questions. I’ll do my best to think things true and ask concise ones.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[kieronjoy]

Congrats on your purchase. They are awesome rigs. I drove mine from Florida to Colorado - not quite such a smooth journey - multiple stops because of fuel pump issues, but made it in the end. Its a 2003 so a constant project but it is made for Colorado and trips out to WY and UT.

My A/C is also not working. A hose blew off the compressor. Finally found a reliable garage to work on my truck who aren't put off by a modified vehicle. They have ordered a new compressor through Sportsmobile (SM had to customize the compressor) which they are waiting to fit. I needed to remove the side cupboard panel with the 4 rear A/C outlets so they can get to the hoses that enter through the floor and attach to the evaporator. I am hoping to have working A/C in the next couple of weeks. At present even the dash A/C is not working as it is one combined system. Just considering at this point whether to replace the Evaporator unit and the Condenser unit at the same time so the whole rear system is new.

Let me know if you need any advise on the A/C system. I am no expert but now know how to access all the parts.

Best of luck.

PS. The garage I use is Spruce Street Auto 4x4 in Boulder if that is local to you. They do good work. They fitted new Bilstein shocks front and rear and the ride quality is night and day - no more swaying! Definitely worth the upgrade.

[GunniLuv]

Thanks for the info, Kieronjoy! I’m going to reach out to Spruce St. re: the Starcool. I’m 10 miles away.

Will also reach out to you via PM. Thanks again.