VANsanity

tonga

Observer
I'm excited to say that I am going to be the owner of a 2004 ford e350 6.0 diesel one week from today. The van was a former shuttle vehicle used in Northern BC in a heli skiing operation. It was converted to 4wd by a local mechanic. At this point I'm not sure how it was done but it has been in commercial use for over 4 years. My thinking is that a company dependent on a vehicle to shuttle rich clients around has to be somewhat reliable. 147k km on the engine and from the records, looks to be well maintained.

6 inch lift with 37 inch tall BFG all terrains. Roof rack and ladder. I think the EGR valve has been taken card of.

The plan for VANsanity is to convert it into a minimalist camping/mountain bike rig. We have a 2011 ram sport as well so I'm hoping that VANsanity will be able to offer something that the ram can't.

The wife is totally on board with the van except the lift kit and tires. She says that she wants a 10 inch lift with at least 37's. I love my wife!

Here is a picture the current owner sent me. I should be getting more when I pick it up this coming Friday. It's a 1300km drive home so I'll try and snap some on the drive back.

Andy

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tonga

Observer
HAHAHA! I totally agree! I think she wants this more than me!

If we do end up going up in the lift, I'll definitely be giving you a call, Chris. I love your kit and the fact you made it so DIY friendly! I look through every one of the builds on your site to see how the one I purchased measures up!
 

k9lestat

Expedition Leader
ive been on sidelines here for a few months, im drooling over the van. i wisj i had the buck, skill and time to do some of what is represented here. i agree about the wife being a keeper and love the van.
 

tonga

Observer
So being overly excited about getting the van this week, I decided to start building part of the interior. I saw a chuck box like this in the camping equipment forum and had to build one! I still need to add some drawers to organize stuff so it doesn't all come crashing out when I open the doors and some side handles to make moving in and out of the van easier. Here are some pics.

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Unfolded the table top is 48x24 inches and folder up the box is 2x2x2ft. I think it's going to be WAY TOO BIG! I'll have to wait and see when I get this van but most likely, I'll have to take this one apart and cut it down. Ideally I'd like it to fit underneath the sleeping platform I'm going to make but that might be too small. Maybe make it fit beside one of the bench seats? Also need to figure out a place for the fridge. Would a sleeping platform 18-20 inches high leave much headroom if sitting on the bed?
 

tonga

Observer
So after a 4 hour flight and a 18 hour drive, VANdsanity is here. It's getting inspected so I can register the van in my home province. Had a bit of a scare when the first place I took the van to said lifted vehicles can pass inspections! I almost poo'd myself thinkin I was stuck with a van I couldn't drive. Luckily I found another place and they were more willin to help! I did have to slap on some mud flaps (provincial rule) but no biggie. Once I get the ok from the shop I'll take some pics. Needs a bit of work but I'm looking forward to it.

I was pretty surprised how the can handled. Cornered great. The only issue were the ruts on the road. As soon as the tire got into a rut the van would be pulled to one side. Same thing happened with my 4runner but obviously muchore exaggerated with 6 inch lift and 37 inch talk tires.

Hoping van passes without extra cost...
 

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