2000 Ford 7.3L Motovan build (225's build cont'd)

CaptainBuilt

Well-known member
Sorry no updates. Been drinking and making beer and riding my bike.

With summer time here and my wife fussing about a A/C for the van so we can go camping, I broke down and bought a Dometic Penguin II. They're huge, and ugly, but oh well. Hopefully I'll build a rack one day around it to hide it.

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I picked it up on the way to the boat, so it will be a couple of weeks before I put it on.

I also bought a UJOR bumper. I've never finished the 4WD. The reason is, I haven't felt like doing it. So I'm gonna go ahead and knock that out too.
 

CaptainBuilt

Well-known member
Started out a good day today. Had the A/C running smooth, went to UJOR to pick up the new bumper and sPOD. As soon as I left, the rear end took a dump on me. Rob (Bbasso) was on the way back to the shop and stopped to help.

I limped back to the shop. Looks like I'll be getting a new locker and gears.

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luthj

Engineer In Residence
Just rebuilt mine, again. You did better than me, I only got 200 miles!

The lockers housing is scored, but are the internals bad? Might be salvageable...
 

CaptainBuilt

Well-known member
Just rebuilt mine, again. You did better than me, I only got 200 miles!

The lockers housing is scored, but are the internals bad? Might be salvageable...

I won't know until they tear into it. Chris said I should switch to a OX locker.

I was on the fence about going from a 4" lift to 6". If I did, and I was to get lower gears, I would have to get a new locker anyway. I guess the decision was made for me. It will be a while for them to get to me because of the amount of work they have lined up. I'm also gonna order 6" springs.
 

CaptainBuilt

Well-known member
Got the van back from UJOR.

They added a OX locker in the rear and a TrueTrac in front and 4.56 gears.

I also got the side steps and front bumper. Haven't installed the steps yet, and still waiting on 6" springs.

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I shortened a HF cargo carrier that will eventually carry my generator. I'll be adding a 5 gallon generator tank that will extend the fuel for the inverter generator.

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CaptainBuilt

Well-known member
I'm in the middle of a interior remodel. We have been on a few trips and found out what works and what doesn't.

Our biggest complaint was the bed was too high and the water tank kept freezing and it was too small. Also, the underbed storage was impossible to use when you wanted something all the way in the back.

What we're changing:

Lower the bed, and have full length pull out drawers like trucks have.
Larger water tank with tank heater.
Redesign the sink/fridge area.
Add overhead storage full length on driver side.

First thing I wanted to do was switch to PEX.

Water tank in place with tank heater:

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I put the water pump between the diesel heater and water tank. The pump has a tee so that the water goes to the sink and the rear spigot for the outdoor shower.

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On the passenger side, the rear spigot is recessed to clear the rear door. Everything will be painted. I'm also adding a water fill to the outside of the van.

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Driver's side. Originally, the RV style power center was located here. It will be moved forward of the bed.

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CaptainBuilt

Well-known member
Making progress. I deleted the drawers that were next to the sink. And I've rebuilt everything.

Wife wanted a box in front of the bed to sit on. And everything feels more comfy with the bed lowered.

Lots of filler putty and sanding before painting everything. Still lots left to do!

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CaptainBuilt

Well-known member
I finished the galley. I still need to trim around the windows, but I'm waiting on RV blinds to come in. The bed is in also.

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After 4 months of being laid off, I finally went back to work. The first spot I slept at was very beautiful. Behind a dumpster at a small truck stop in Alabama.

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Morning coffee.

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Now on to the good stuff.

I was planning on spending the day "near" the Yazoo River. Not as close as I got because trying to turn around, but I was in hard grass, then hit a soft spot. It all went to hell after that.

My air compressor wasn't working and I never got around to checking on it. But I got stuck in some soft mud. Tried to air down my tires and the valve core got stuck and let all the air out of a tire. Then I broke the line keeper on the winch. THEN, the locker quit working, probably due to a pinched cable. Doesn't matter, I was stuck.

I really need to finish 4WD, and traction boards, a new winch line are on the way.

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I had to replace the tire with a Toyo AT3. LOTS of lessons learned here. I wasn't being careless, things just happened. My next outing like this, I will be ready.
 

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