AmboVan Restarted

hobietony

Explorer
No love for the reruns?

How about some new content then...

We'll call this post 'Places that Ambovan has been recently'

Early May - Puerto Penasco, MX, for a Hobie regatta

Waiting for the border to open
m_117.jpg


Setting up at the RV park
m_134.jpg

m_118.jpg

m_136.jpg


Happy to be here!
m_132.jpg

m_122.jpg

m_130.jpg

m_145.jpg


A little poking around in Cholla Bay
m_162.jpg

m_159.jpg


A local
m_160.jpg
 

hobietony

Explorer
Two weeks later, Expo

The woods outside of Mormon Lake, Sat am
m_P5190024.jpg

m_P5190022.jpg


There is a human in there too...
m_P5190020.jpg


Early Sat arrival
m_P5190026.jpg

m_P5190030.jpg

m_P5190041.jpg

m_P5190038.jpg

m_P5190034.jpg

m_P5190054.jpg

m_P5190058.jpg


Just to catch the ends of the spectrum...
m_P5190071.jpg

m_P5190094.jpg


Who is that good lookin' dude?
m_P5190085.jpg


After that Expo party on Sat night, I was a bit like this
m_P5190100.jpg


Set up in the far corner of the field on Sun am
m_P5200103.jpg


The boys
m_P5200107.jpg

m_P5200109.jpg


Clearly she had less tequila than I did...
m_P5200111.jpg


And of course, I HAD to stop and get a cup of coffee at this place
m_P5200133.jpg

m_P5200132.jpg


Old ambulances, so useful!
 

hobietony

Explorer
So this is how my updates go, a month or two total silence ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqIGiVLOY4E ), and then a flurry of pictures.

So, on the way back from Expo, on the long pull out of the Verde Valley, I started getting some overheating issues. Granted, it was hot, I was hammering with my foot to the floor, my EGTs were high, and I wanted to see what would happen, but still...

I have heard of people having some issues with the Aluminess bumper blocking airflow to a big chunk of the radiator, and seeing how much was actually blocked made me want to do something about it. So, I made a scoop for under the bumper.

Lots of cleaning, including acid prep, and carefull attention to positioning, has made my aluminum welds suck just a little less. Not quite ready to trust them in a structural application yet, but getting closer.
m_P5270146.jpg

m_P5270150.jpg


Placing for drilling the mounting holes
m_P5270137.jpg


Tucked up close to the radiator bottom
m_P5270138.jpg

m_P5270143.jpg


Paint
m_P5270152.jpg


Installed
m_P5280154.jpg

m_P5280153.jpg


Not sure how much of a difference it made, on the long desert hills crossing to San Diego, I still needed to be aware of EGTs, and not just hold my foot to the floor. Good to know where that limit is, and having the scoop can only help.
 
Last edited:

hobietony

Explorer
Thats a SCOOP. Have you replaced the coolant cap?

I think the cap is fine, but I pulled the one off the doner van in the alley to see if that makes a difference. Crossing out to Cali again this weekend, this time for a week-long regatta in Sausalito, so we will see how it does on the trip. Should be my last trip of the the Spring/Summer, so only van stuff after that.

Goal is to get the interior complete enough to register it as an RV before I take it down to Mexico again in October - I am fairly dramatically underinsured, especially for a > 15yo vehicle. (Max collision coverage for mex insurance is $5k) Having it registered as an RV gives the insurance companies a bit more leeway in valuation, and Progressive insurance will cover the full insured value in Mexico. So, got to get it registered as an RV.
 

ujoint

Supporting Sponsor
It sounds silly, but the caps are a common problem with holding pressure. Worth the $10 or less to replace.
 

hobietony

Explorer
Updated my for sale thread, got the engine/tranny available from the doner van.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-parts-99-Minnie-Winnie?p=1138123#post1138123

So, I have it posted in the Phoenix and Tucson craigslists, and here, any other suggestions? Thought the v-10 engine/tranny would go right away, but no takers yet.

In the meantime, racking up the miles, getting more and more confident of this on the road - Tucson to San Francisco, 15 hours each way, pulling my little sailboat, no probs, and got 12-14 MPG depending on the terrain. Also good to see diesel is back down to the same price as regular, at least around here. No further updates on actual work performed (since there hasn't been any...)
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,535
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top