Photography by Richard Giordano
During the summer of 2017, Candice Ciesla and Jordan Schilling summited Wyoming’s Grand Teton to exchange wedding vows. With a headpiece made of taffeta and feathers, Candice looped a climbing rope through Jordan’s harness, and he tied the knot, literally, to hers. The ceremony was officiated by a guide who took them to the top. In addition to wedding vows, the couple decided to embark on an additional journey: driving their 1997 Mitsubishi Delica L400 from Vancouver, Canada, past the Arctic Circle to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, and all the way south to Ushuaia, Argentina.
The Pan-American Highway route wasn’t always the plan, Candice tells me from her home in Nelson, British Columbia. She and Jordan previously lived in New Zealand, enjoying road trips in their first van, a dope Nissan Largo named Manny. Before that, they took a super-tight Subaru Outback through the United States, their home country, to explore the national parks. Jordan’s work as a visual effects artist and Candice’s illustrator talents brought them to Vancouver, where they started looking for a campervan suitable for month- or week-long road trips.
Once in the market, they browsed four-wheel drive Sportsmobile models; however, the vans came with a hefty price tag. The couple preferred the size of the L300 or L400 Delica vans, so Jordan took an L400 for a drive. The L400 had more power, and the overall vibe suited them better. “We looked at a couple online, just from marketplace kind of places, and they all looked a little crappy,” Jordan says. “You could definitely find some on Craigslist at that point in Vancouver, but they weren’t as popular. Now, if you look for a Delica, they’re a dime a dozen.”
They ended up at Rising Sun, an outfit in New Westminster, British Columbia, which specializes in Delica imports from Japan. With a powertrain warranty and off-the-boat maintenance included, Candice and Jordan took the leap, signed the deal, and were joined by their new adventuremobile, “Bagheera,” a 1997 Mitsubishi Delica L400 Space Gear with a Chamonix package. Inspired by the Project Dino Evo build, they camperized the van with a sleeping platform and integrated storage systems. “We lived right across the street from a collaborative wood and metal shop. We were members there, so after work, I would spend hours on the van, building the sleeping platform and cutting the hole in the roof for the fan,” Jordan says. “Being able to use the tools was super clutch. It would have been so hard to do it without that.”
Exterior modifications included a 2-inch lift with fresh American Racing alloy wheels and BFGoodrich tires. “We have BFGs because, overlanding,” Jordan laughs. The tires proved themselves along the lengthy Pan-American Highway, returning to Canada with zero flats. The couple recently switched to General Grabber ATX tires, which suit the snow and icy conditions found in British Columbia’s Southern Interior.
Larger BFGoodrich tires meant the spare didn’t fit under the vehicle, so as part of the initial build process, Jordan talked to Coastal Offroad in Delta, British Columbia, a shop that built custom Toyota bumpers but was up for the challenge of the Delica. “They did front and rear bumpers for us, and we had lots of issues with the rear because it was their first unibody prototype, so it was a bit squiggly,” Candice notes. “We had to weld some pieces to get it secure, but it was finally legit.”
Most of the van’s modifications were complete when Jordan and Candice decided to drive to Ushuaia. The MaxxAir fan allowed them to “live without dying” and they were grateful to have chosen the model with a cover that could run in the rain. “We ran that thing every time we were in the van,” Jordan says. “If it was cold or hot out, when we were sleeping, no matter what, because we don’t have air-conditioning.” Candice made custom window covers out of Reflectix and fabric, which helped with privacy and regulating the indoor air temperature.
To power their electronics, Jordan installed a Battle Born lithium battery, a Renogy solar panel, Victron Energy MPPT and monitoring unit, and a Sterling battery-to-battery charger. He learned how to put together the electrical system by watching YouTube videos and sketching a diagram. “Six years later and it still works 100 percent of the time. We have 130 watts of solar on the roof and a 100Ah battery and it does well—unless it’s in British Columbia in the winter.”
Alpine nuptials sealed, the couple stopped by Rising Sun for some mechanical work and told Steven, the owner, about their travel plans and what they wanted to do with the van. Candice recalls Steven’s reaction. “He said, ‘That is not a good idea. This is not the car. You won’t make it.’” She figures his tune has changed since their return, however. “I’m sure he’s like, ‘The car I sold did the entire Pan-American Highway!” Steven came to the rescue when the pair reached Alaska and were delayed with a defunct head gasket. The van started blowing white smoke, so Jordan tried Googling for solutions in grocery store parking lots. Once he figured the head gasket was the issue, it took additional problem-solving to find a shop that would work on a right-hand-drive, diesel-powered import. Finally, locating a garage that would take it on, they shipped parts from Rising Sun and lived out of backpacks for two weeks while the head and gasket were replaced. “That was a lot of our budget [blown] right at the beginning,” Candice says. “We were like, what are we doing?”
More surprising news came during a van convention in Lake Tahoe on their way south. “Bob [Wohlers]—he teaches how to [use] a jack and winch at the Expos—told us we wouldn’t be able to go to Costa Rica because the van is a right-hand drive,” Candice says. “What’s that, Bob? We thought it was El Salvador. And he says, ‘No, I’m pretty sure it’s Costa Rica.’ I thought, maybe we should look into this a little bit.” She laughs. “It was legit.” In 2013, Costa Rica outlawed the import of right-hand drive vehicles, so they shipped Bagheera from Guatemala to Colombia.
Fortunately, the van continued to run smoothly until the couple reached Bolivia, where they rebuilt the suspension system at a campsite in La Paz. Jordan remembers the owner, Marcos, taking them into the city, visiting one automotive shop after another, searching for suitable components. “We found a couple of sketchy suspension parts but kind of cut them up and put it together, but other than that, the van ran pretty well the whole time. It was just about maintenance and oil changes.”
For the most part, Candice says they’re happy with how the build turned out. It functioned nicely and offered effective storage for their mountain climbing stuff and other gear. “We couldn’t sit or have people inside comfortably, though,” she notes. “There are others who’ve done Delicas differently where you can go in and turn the bed into a chair or something, but it was too heavy for us to do that. Aluminum would have been better, but we didn’t know [at the time]. This was how we wanted to do it.”
The interior of the L400 is just plain fun to look at. There are stickers galore and an homage to their much-loved and greatly missed pup, Nugget, in the form of a portraited pillow. Brightly colored hats hang from blue rope, and a small chunk of wood displays engraved GPS coordinates near Ushuaia, Argentina. Spanning the headliner, their sizable patch collection is the coolest I’ve seen. In essence, the vehicle oozes playfulness and fun, an extension of its owners.
There’s one personal touch, however, that has withstood the test of time, continuing to bring meaning to the journey’s origins. After several design mock-ups, Candice replaced the silver “gangster-looking” Chamonix decals with a Be Old Later logo and two mountains with a heart underneath—the same design as their wedding rings.
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To learn more about Jordan and Candice of Be Old Later, please enjoy Episode #98 of the Overland Journal podcast and visit their website, Instagram, or YouTube channel.
Specifications: Mitsubishi Delica L400
1997 Mitsubishi Delica L400 Space Gear with Chamonix package
Power
2.8-liter, 4-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine
Suspension and Drive
Mitsubishi Super Select four-wheel drive
Bilstein shocks
Two-inch lift with rear airbags for load leveling
Wheels and Tires
American Racing alloy wheels with 31 x 10.5-inch General Grabber ATX tires
Electrical
Battle Born 100 amp-hour lithium batteries
Renogy 130-watt solar panel
Victron Energy MPPT charge controller
Sterling battery to battery charger
Lighting
KC HiLites LED Daylighters
KC HiLites Flex Era singles
KC HiLites Cyclone turn signals
KC HiLites C-Series reverse light
Recovery and Armor
Coastal Offroad front and rear high-clearance steel bumpers
MaxTrax recovery boards
Tow strap
Shovel
Axe
Accessories
Snorkel
Dometic 35-liter fridge
MaxxAir fan
Tepui awning and mosquito net room
Revel Gear Trail Hound string lights
LifeSaver 18.5-liter water jerry can
Yakima RoadShower
Thule roof bars
Yakima Space Booster roof box
Garmin inReach Explorer+
Pretty solid sticker and patch collection
Good luck charms acquired from around the Americas
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