Hi Everyone!

[Peter81]

Hi Everyone, last weekend I finally purchased my first SMB!! Now seems as good a time as any to say hello.

I've been a reader of the site for several months now and the abundance of solid advice and creativity on the forum is amazing.

I'll be living out of the rig starting this summer, with plans to begin in Montana and move toward Washington, then south along the coast. This winter I expect to be chasing snow throughout the western U.S. and Canada.

Thanks to everyone who provided some help along the way, and especially to Wheelie for all your knowledge throughout the process.

 

[TexGX]

Welcome. tell us about the rig.

TexGX

 

[MKRyan]

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you are a skier and have a fun and adventurous year coming up.

Mike

 

[gcvt-SMB]

Welcome! Very nice looking van - going for the same blacked out look myself. Would love to see more photos.

 

[86Scotty]

Welcome. :b5:

 

[Wheelie-SMB]

:d3:


Can't wait to watch the adventure unfold.

Congrats again.......damn I miss it already.

 

[Wheelie-SMB]

Pm, me if you need any time saving tips.

I'm doing the same thing to my tiger Cx as I did to the SMB.

 

[Peter81]

I added a few photos to my album.

The rig is a 2003 E250 RB40ish 5.4L V8. It has almost everything I wanted - walk through layout, Suburban propane heater, Atwood water heater, Norcold fridge, propane stove.

I say RB40ish because Wheelie (the second owner) removed the rear vanity/shower and closet, which left open the storage space in the back. This layout is ideal for me as it gives me room to store my snowboarding, kiteboarding, and mountain biking gear when needed.

Wheelie vinyl wrapped the original wood interior, and added a bunch of goodies including the Yakima rack, Bluetooth radio with rear facing camera, and new all terrain tires with alloy American racing rims. My near term projects include adding solar, a shower using the original plumbing, and (maybe) an underfloor storage box.

 

[rallypanam]

Wheelie vinyl wrapped the original wood interior

Wow, it looks fantastic!

 

[MountainBikeRoamer]

Great-looking RB!
Hey Peter81 --- can I ask you what size tire that you're running on there?

Gotta be at least a 245....but it almost looks like you've got 265's shoehorned on there?

With the blacked-out trim and those tires filling out the wheel wells nicely, the van looks pretty darn tough and capable (even at what I am guessing is still a non-lifted ride height.)

Way cool, love it. :d8:

 

[Peter81]

Thanks Mike! I'm pretty sure they're 245s, I'll have to check when I pull it out of storage.

Very curious to see how it performs in more challenging conditions. I'm planning to take some time before deciding to add a lift or some more significant upgrades.