Project BigB... a 1977 Dodge Van 6x4!

[T.Low]

SWEEEET BABY JEZUS!!

i wanna see inside!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. It definitely rates a "wow"...and it's way cool...but beyond that, I'm not sure what to think.

My first impression is that I would prefer more motorhome-like headroom, if it's main purpose is to hang out at the beach. Like Derick said, make that top pop:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ad.php?t=23254


The Astro GT pop top camper has a shower that uses a curtain to cover the extended headroom area of the shower stall once the top is up. You can google image search it, I know i've seen it.

Of course, you must mean to hang out at the beaches in Baja. That could really be a cool southwest roamer.

[westyss]

great find and very unique, where did you find the combo toilet /shower? I am looking for something like that.

[kerry]

Holy mother of God! What a vehicle.
The grey tank is repairable using SuperMend epoxy. Add glass over the crack.

[Keyblazer]

Chet:
I knew it needs a vent, but what if I put a vent in the floor at the back, or that plus a vent pipe to the wall?

Westyss,
I found that pic here... Liked the compact style, but dont know who makes it yet...
http://rvtravel.com/blog/rvnow/labels/Bathroom.html

Kerry,
It will be way too small for use with the shower I have planned, so will trash it..
Need a bigger one!

[Keyblazer]

Pics and questions...

Heating is via 2 of these... Propane powered I assume... are they any good/safe or shall I find another way?


Burner unit is a mess, but maybe it would clean up?

[Photog]

Maybe a mild bead-blast would clean up the burner parts. They look like neglected stainless. If it is plated, there is no fixing it, unless it gets re-plated.

[Steel Walrus]

you can media blast that cook top and just have it powdercoated. should hold up just fine

[1leglance]

I would really like to feature this van as it is on the Disabled Explorers website. It goes to show that with some creative thinking folks have been getting themselves into the backcountry for a long time.

Great find and mega project.

Does the wheelchair lift currently work?

What an amazing story this rig has to tell. Thanks for taking on the project and keep the pics & ideas flowing.

[BaseCamp]

I would never use a catalytic heater, the safety always concerns me, propane is what fuels the heater, though there is no exhaust to rid of any gases emitted/remained. I think the forced fans work better anyways, I actually just picked up a new furnace for my rig, its the suburban nt16se, I got it for 400 at adventurerv.net, I would get one of those, I've had an nt16se in my past 2 campers(same one just switched over, the buyer of the pop up camper bargained his way into getting the furnace, thumbs down). They work really good, easy to set up, with the experiences I've had, I'd take a suburban over atwood. One of my campers was built into a 4runner, so instead of drilling holes, we built an insert for the window and rerouted the exhaust pipes to the insert, thus allowing me to sell the car without having holes or a suburban exhaust port on the side(I could only imagine the looks I would have gotten from the buyers, had I told them I lived in it from October to April at 10,000 ft in Colorado, but I never spent a cold night because of that furnace). Good luck, excited to see the rest of the build, you should think about lifting it a little more, maybe something like this?:
http://www.4x4offroads.com/south-pol...ld-record.html

[r_w]

Even if you have all the safeties for CO and low O2 on a vent-free/catalytic heater, they put a LOT of moisture in the air. Fine for heating a drafty house that needs the humidity in the winter, but really creates problems in a small airtight space.

But I don't think your van qualifies as small