Recent content by North

I know this forum trends towards DIY, but I'm in a weird spot and am looking for reputable van builders that work on low roof cargo vans like the Express and Econoline. I previously owned a 2008 Express AWD that I converted myself (using a lot of info from this forum). This van was...

Hard to say. Insurance has offered $21k. Friend sold one last May with a similar, but slightly more complete build (I'd say mine was about 95%, needed trim), ~30k fewer miles, and cool guy lift and tires for $35k. So somewhere in between.

I tried posting this in the Van forum but didn't get any traction. If anybody here has recently sold or purchased a converted Express AWD and can help out please shoot me a DM. I'm the former owner of a 2008 Express AWD that I converted myself (using much of the info from this thread and others...

I tried posting this in the Van forum but didn't get any traction. If anybody here has recently sold or purchased a converted Express AWD and can help out please shoot me a DM. I'm the former owner of a 2008 Express AWD that I converted myself (using much of the info from this thread and...

Strange request, but here goes: My 2008 Express AWD that I converted myself (using much of the info from this thread and others on Expo) was destroyed in the Marshall Fire near Boulder, CO on Dec. 30th. I'm now in the process of dealing with insurance and trying to get fair value for the van...

Not for a camper van, it's for an industrial application. But I'm not a member of any industrial vehicle application forums so I figured I'd ask here. A pickup cab chassis will suffice, but I was curious if a van cab chassis w/PTO exists because in this case shorter = better, if not absolutely...

Not really a question for Expo per se, but I figured with all the van & truck enthusiasts here it'd be a good place to ask. Does anybody know where I can find a Box Truck with a PTO? A van chassis isn't absolutely necessary but would be nice for keeping the total length down (this vehicle will...

Coming back to to update for anybody else with door issues. Big win on the rear doors. I blasted the rear pivots with WD40 and they came back to life. Lots of gunk/came out of the DS door lower pivot. 5-6 rounds of high pressure blast and working the door back and forth freed it up nicely. The...

I played leap frog with this rig all the back to Boulder from Wolf Creek this past weekend. Looked great in person.

So what's the sales pitch for the average bear that can't intuitively differentiate the nuances between the different 4x4 conversion offerings? For dumb guys (me) I see $15K for a conversion that I need to do myself. Why would I choose the DIY route over a $15K solution from Quadvan or Quigley...

You might look up photos of the old Roadtrek campers. I remember seeing one with a curtain (for privacy) that extended into the cab to make the swivel seats usable. Basically the curtain track is some type of semi circle shape.

Any extra info on how you attached your rear pillar trim panels? I'm trying to hide as many fasteners as possible and it looks like you've achieved that on those pieces.

There are two Bilstein rear shock options listed on pg1 that fit. Seems like most people are running the 4600 series shock. What's different about the 5100 series and is there any reason to run it over the 4600?

It's pretty simple. You will need a gauge that reads in 1psi graduations or less, a can of refrigerant, a piercing valve, and possibly an adaptor to attach the hose/gauge to the refrigerant can: 1. Remove the faceplate on the controller to get access to screws that hold it in place. 2. Remove...

Similar to what has been recommended, I used 12mm (1/2") cabinet grade plywood with glued and pocket screwed joints. Plenty of time on bumpy and washboarded access roads including Baja, but no true wheeling (why anybody would want to do this with a built van, I have no idea). No issues. I...