I know, right?! Thanks for the kind words.
It's kind of like a Revel, but not.
- Thread starter rob cote
- Start date
I did a bunch of researching on suspension upgrades. This included weighing the van at the landfill, front and rear axles separately. I approximated a remaining additional weight to be added for people, gear, water, and the remainder of the build components to be installed. I ultimately got a set of adjustable shocks, struts, leaf springs, and bump stops on order from Van Compass. It was quite a long lead, so I had to do this in parallel in order to receive parts when I needed them.
Meanwhile I was researching, I got the rest of the ceiling pieces prepped. If you recall, I started with 3/4" thick maple tongue and groove flooring. I ripped these in half (thicknesswise) and planed them smooth, so they're about 1/4" thick. Then, I cut off the tongues and grooves, and cut them to length. Sanded them all. Then applied polyurethane.
They sat for a little bit but the last few days I've had some time to chip away at it here and there. I had to do some slight trimming to get some of them to fit, although the majority just slid right in. Mostly around the edges is where the slight tweaking was needed. I cut in a hole for a light by the sliding doorway, unfortunately it was after I took this picture:
I separated the ceiling lights, so the three over the bed are on their own switch, and dimmable. The three over the kitchen are just on/off. We're going to see if the shower needs one once it's done, but probably just find a battery powered waterproof one we can stick on the ceiling in there, so we don't have to make another hole in it. [Update: we've deemed the shower light unnecessary and never tried to install one]
I made up this stick of oak to fill the gap under the floor in the rear door opening:
I'm waiting for the polyurethane to dry, then you can see it installed.
I also added this angle aluminum trim piece to finish off the flooring in the sliding door opening:
Lots of miscellaneous, small tasks. We're getting so close. The shower frame is finished welding. I have to fill in the panels to make it an enclosure this week. Good luck.
Meanwhile I was researching, I got the rest of the ceiling pieces prepped. If you recall, I started with 3/4" thick maple tongue and groove flooring. I ripped these in half (thicknesswise) and planed them smooth, so they're about 1/4" thick. Then, I cut off the tongues and grooves, and cut them to length. Sanded them all. Then applied polyurethane.
They sat for a little bit but the last few days I've had some time to chip away at it here and there. I had to do some slight trimming to get some of them to fit, although the majority just slid right in. Mostly around the edges is where the slight tweaking was needed. I cut in a hole for a light by the sliding doorway, unfortunately it was after I took this picture:
I separated the ceiling lights, so the three over the bed are on their own switch, and dimmable. The three over the kitchen are just on/off. We're going to see if the shower needs one once it's done, but probably just find a battery powered waterproof one we can stick on the ceiling in there, so we don't have to make another hole in it. [Update: we've deemed the shower light unnecessary and never tried to install one]
I made up this stick of oak to fill the gap under the floor in the rear door opening:
I'm waiting for the polyurethane to dry, then you can see it installed.
I also added this angle aluminum trim piece to finish off the flooring in the sliding door opening:
Lots of miscellaneous, small tasks. We're getting so close. The shower frame is finished welding. I have to fill in the panels to make it an enclosure this week. Good luck.
[From 11/17/21:]26F outside this morning. And my back is basically broken. Not really. Just chronic pain from an old injury. Working the shower is not helping it any but we're making it work.
I'm doing the top half a little different than the bottom. I got the top half of the frame welded up by an awesome friend. After welding, I had to transport it in place since it doesn't really fit anywhere else. Ha!
I got to work ASAP on fitting the panels. One at a time. I cut sheet to fit each face and then adhered it with silicone and let it set overnight. I wasn't sure what product would be best to use. I'm thinking since the panels are fairly light and really only supporting themselves that I don't need an extreme bond. I considered automotive panel adhesive, but I think it's overkill. It's more important that the panels are well sealed, and I think the way silicone remains flexible will be a benefit over the road. Time will tell. [Update: so far, so good. This is a simple, yet effective strategy]
I've left the top panels long so they can overlap the bottom so water can run down the walls. Hope it works. [it does] I installed the oak trim piece in the rear door opening. I'm not crazy about how it fits but it's the best I could do without removing like, everything. The issue is the gap is taller than the opening if that makes sense. So, once I got it in there and screwed it in place, the height is too short. Oh well! It's better than without it.
I spent some time polishing the exposed parts of the frame. I didn't go crazy, but there were some dirty spots and scratches from handling and stuff that I got rid of. And it removed a bit of haze. It's not a mirror finish and that's fine. It's like this:
I'm doing the top half a little different than the bottom. I got the top half of the frame welded up by an awesome friend. After welding, I had to transport it in place since it doesn't really fit anywhere else. Ha!
I got to work ASAP on fitting the panels. One at a time. I cut sheet to fit each face and then adhered it with silicone and let it set overnight. I wasn't sure what product would be best to use. I'm thinking since the panels are fairly light and really only supporting themselves that I don't need an extreme bond. I considered automotive panel adhesive, but I think it's overkill. It's more important that the panels are well sealed, and I think the way silicone remains flexible will be a benefit over the road. Time will tell. [Update: so far, so good. This is a simple, yet effective strategy]
I've left the top panels long so they can overlap the bottom so water can run down the walls. Hope it works. [it does] I installed the oak trim piece in the rear door opening. I'm not crazy about how it fits but it's the best I could do without removing like, everything. The issue is the gap is taller than the opening if that makes sense. So, once I got it in there and screwed it in place, the height is too short. Oh well! It's better than without it.
I spent some time polishing the exposed parts of the frame. I didn't go crazy, but there were some dirty spots and scratches from handling and stuff that I got rid of. And it removed a bit of haze. It's not a mirror finish and that's fine. It's like this:
Then I cut out the ceiling and rear wall panel. I figured I could try and bend them to install as one piece, and if it didn't work out, cut the bend. I took the panel to the local high school to have it bent in the shop class. I don't know why it took so long to think of that. Probably because they couldn't do it. But whatever, we tried for free dollars. The machine they have is for really thin material, and probably aluminum. I think it was for flashing or something. Not 20ga stainless.
So instead, I just clamped it between some 2x4s and used the panel itself as leverage to bend it. It worked decently but didn't give me enough bend angle. So, I leaned into it and persuaded it with a rubber mallet. I ended up with a decent radius, maybe 3/4" or so. It's not a hard crease like from a brake, which is actually better in this case.
I had some help to install the top half into position. I had to do it a few times. Of course. That's how everything goes in this build. It needed some trimming in a few areas to fit right. But we gotter done. It's still just clamped in place yet, bolting it is today's task. But that allowed us to glue the last panel in place. It took three of us to do the dance. Glue the frame, glue the panel, move the panel into place, then build the clamping fixture.
Holy crap it worked! I have to clean up the seams and then apply a uniform bead of caulking around everywhere; also on today's docket. But it didn't fall down when I removed the fixturing!
Off camera, I had to do some modification to the shower head to make it work better for this application, you'll see. Or you won't, actually. Because I'm good. But I can explain it once it's installed which may also be today, if things go good. But it's 26 degrees outside so...
So instead, I just clamped it between some 2x4s and used the panel itself as leverage to bend it. It worked decently but didn't give me enough bend angle. So, I leaned into it and persuaded it with a rubber mallet. I ended up with a decent radius, maybe 3/4" or so. It's not a hard crease like from a brake, which is actually better in this case.
I had some help to install the top half into position. I had to do it a few times. Of course. That's how everything goes in this build. It needed some trimming in a few areas to fit right. But we gotter done. It's still just clamped in place yet, bolting it is today's task. But that allowed us to glue the last panel in place. It took three of us to do the dance. Glue the frame, glue the panel, move the panel into place, then build the clamping fixture.
Holy crap it worked! I have to clean up the seams and then apply a uniform bead of caulking around everywhere; also on today's docket. But it didn't fall down when I removed the fixturing!
Off camera, I had to do some modification to the shower head to make it work better for this application, you'll see. Or you won't, actually. Because I'm good. But I can explain it once it's installed which may also be today, if things go good. But it's 26 degrees outside so...
It was a long ass workday. But I got a lot done. I think I can have an easy morning and then enjoy some dank turkey and a day off to digest from binging. [This was obviously just before Thanksgiving, last year]
I smoked so many drill bits today. I know you gotta drill slow in stainless but getting each hole started was the hardest part. I had to make (6) 3/8" holes through 1/4" of material to bolt the frame halves together. Here's the sink side assembled:
And the forward side:
Make sure you always use anti-seize with stainless hardware. If you don't, the metal can't tell itself apart and will literally weld together. It's called galling and it's wicked annoying but so cool. Look it up.
So, about the shower head mod. We got a Moen Nebia shower. It looks kind of like the picture below, except the curved tube that holds the halo shower head is longer out of the box. It put the halo about right over the toilet. Not ideal. I chopped it back by about 6" to pull it in tighter to the rear wall (the sink side). This is just a mock up obviously:
I cut the hole for the supply line to the shower head and connected it to the line by the sink that I already ran weeks ago. I had to shorten that just a bit, no big deal; it's Pex. So, it's all hooked up. I just want to leak check the two crimps when Mandy's available because I can't insert the water pump fuse and look at the plumbing at the same time. That's an easy one for tomorrow.
Oh yeah. So. Then I drilled 5 holes across the back wall. Side wall? The driver's side of the van. What are we calling that wrt the shower? This was for some coarse sheet metal screws to squeeze the top and bottom panels together. The welding on the bottom made it get all out of shape, so I had to deform the top to match it. Did I say this already: don't subcontract work on your van build unless you want it done crappy.
So THEN I cleaned all the excess silicone from gluing the panels into place. And all the dirt, wool fibers, etc. From every panel seam. It's a small shower but Jesus. That kinda sucked. Maybe I was just hangry. Feels like there's 10 miles of seams. I alcoholed all of them, and then blue taped both sides of every seam. All that so I could caulk the whole thing with more silicone.
I pulled the tape immediately after shmearing the caulk and then guzzled a beer because that was like a 10 hour day.
It looks dope. I just hope the hoses to the shower head chill out over time. [Update: they did]
I smoked so many drill bits today. I know you gotta drill slow in stainless but getting each hole started was the hardest part. I had to make (6) 3/8" holes through 1/4" of material to bolt the frame halves together. Here's the sink side assembled:
And the forward side:
Make sure you always use anti-seize with stainless hardware. If you don't, the metal can't tell itself apart and will literally weld together. It's called galling and it's wicked annoying but so cool. Look it up.
So, about the shower head mod. We got a Moen Nebia shower. It looks kind of like the picture below, except the curved tube that holds the halo shower head is longer out of the box. It put the halo about right over the toilet. Not ideal. I chopped it back by about 6" to pull it in tighter to the rear wall (the sink side). This is just a mock up obviously:
I cut the hole for the supply line to the shower head and connected it to the line by the sink that I already ran weeks ago. I had to shorten that just a bit, no big deal; it's Pex. So, it's all hooked up. I just want to leak check the two crimps when Mandy's available because I can't insert the water pump fuse and look at the plumbing at the same time. That's an easy one for tomorrow.
Oh yeah. So. Then I drilled 5 holes across the back wall. Side wall? The driver's side of the van. What are we calling that wrt the shower? This was for some coarse sheet metal screws to squeeze the top and bottom panels together. The welding on the bottom made it get all out of shape, so I had to deform the top to match it. Did I say this already: don't subcontract work on your van build unless you want it done crappy.
So THEN I cleaned all the excess silicone from gluing the panels into place. And all the dirt, wool fibers, etc. From every panel seam. It's a small shower but Jesus. That kinda sucked. Maybe I was just hangry. Feels like there's 10 miles of seams. I alcoholed all of them, and then blue taped both sides of every seam. All that so I could caulk the whole thing with more silicone.
I pulled the tape immediately after shmearing the caulk and then guzzled a beer because that was like a 10 hour day.
It looks dope. I just hope the hoses to the shower head chill out over time. [Update: they did]
When we leak checked the shower, we realized that the valve was 180 degrees off, so when the handle was off, the shower sprayed down our whole kitchen. I fixed that today. Nothing to really show for it.
When we installed the door, we put the latch piece in the wrong spot. I had to remove and reinstall it over by one half inch. So now the door shuts. We lost a small plastic piece of the assembly sometime over the course of the build, so I submitted an inquiry for a replacement. The door works now, but it's not 100% complete.
I finished installing the ceiling pieces around the top of the shower.
I thought all the suspension was coming today, but no shocks arrived. We're still going to install what arrived tomorrow. I'll just have to toss the shocks in at a future date. Then Sunday is move in day. Mandy just found the missing piece of the door, so that's complete. Shower test was flawless. I'll just put the suspension part into a separate post. Hang on.
When we installed the door, we put the latch piece in the wrong spot. I had to remove and reinstall it over by one half inch. So now the door shuts. We lost a small plastic piece of the assembly sometime over the course of the build, so I submitted an inquiry for a replacement. The door works now, but it's not 100% complete.
I finished installing the ceiling pieces around the top of the shower.
I thought all the suspension was coming today, but no shocks arrived. We're still going to install what arrived tomorrow. I'll just have to toss the shocks in at a future date. Then Sunday is move in day. Mandy just found the missing piece of the door, so that's complete. Shower test was flawless. I'll just put the suspension part into a separate post. Hang on.
I don't think I've detailed here what we ordered for suspension components. For those who are familiar, it's a Stage 4.3 kit from Van Compass. For those of you who are not, I'll break down what that means because I realize that staging increments is not really descriptive. First, you might want to understand the suspension configuration. The rear of the van suspension configuration is a standard leaf spring setup. The OEM Mercedes-Benz leaf packs use two thick leafs, and that's it. These are paired with a monotube shock. Pretty basic, and probably cheap to manufacture stuff. The front is a suspension design I'm not entirely familiar with from any other vehicle, so I'm not sure what it's called. It uses a shock with a single lower control arm. The load is carried by a single leaf spring that passes through the subframe and terminates inside each control arm. So the leaf spring is mounted perpendicular to the rear leafs; it runs left to right instead of fore and aft. So whatever that's called is what we have.
The rear suspension components we ordered from Van Compass are adjustable reservoir shocks made by Falcon with valving input from Van Compass. So they're dual-branded. And an additional three leafs to be added to the OEM leaf packs. This supports the additional ~500lbs of water weight over the rear axle, and of course the rest of the interior we've added. The shocks add versatility and comfort for the rough terrain we hope to encounter. I suspect they'll last a great deal longer both in terms of shock fade as well as their overall lifespan. Time would tell if I didn't throw away the original shocks. Oopsy.
The front suspension components are a bit more complicated. The kit we ordered included Sumo Springs, which are essentially just replacement bump stops. But these are designed to be in constant contact with the stop. In this case, that's the subframe. They compress much more than a traditional bump stop, though, so the suspension does not bind. These help add a marginal amount of load carrying capacity. It's not a lift in the ordinary sense, but it does raise the ride height a tad. There are also replacement shocks for the OEM ones, made by Bilstein. I've had great experiences with Bilstein in the past, so this was an easy decision. I don't know how the Mercedes shocks may have held up over rough terrain, so maybe they'd have been fine. Or maybe not. I don't have to think twice with the Bilstein shocks, however. So the peace of mind is wonderful. Finally, we added additional front shocks which match the rears; Falcon branded, with Van Compass help. They're manually adjustable as well. This means adding brackets to the body and the control arm in order to mount them. It's pretty straightforward, but a bit new for me. I have only ever had one shock per wheel in the past. Now our van will have 6 shocks total. 4 of which are adjustable.
Note that the shocks were backordered, so I only installed the Sumo Springs bump stops, the front replacement shocks from Bilstein, and the rear leaf springs. Install was super easy, and only took me about 3 hours. I used our old neighbor's garage since it was super cold out, and his overhead is the only one I know of that clears the van. The suspension upgrades raised the van about 1/2" in the front by adding Sumo springs. The rear sits about 1-1/2" higher now, after adding the helper leafs from Van Compass. The van sits level within 1/4" front to rear, measured from the edge of the body trim piece.
It rides way smoother over bumps already, and we haven't installed the Falcon shocks yet. It's much quieter inside now though, with even less rattling. I think dog will be impressed.
I can't really tell much difference visually. But here's how it sits now:
The rear suspension components we ordered from Van Compass are adjustable reservoir shocks made by Falcon with valving input from Van Compass. So they're dual-branded. And an additional three leafs to be added to the OEM leaf packs. This supports the additional ~500lbs of water weight over the rear axle, and of course the rest of the interior we've added. The shocks add versatility and comfort for the rough terrain we hope to encounter. I suspect they'll last a great deal longer both in terms of shock fade as well as their overall lifespan. Time would tell if I didn't throw away the original shocks. Oopsy.
The front suspension components are a bit more complicated. The kit we ordered included Sumo Springs, which are essentially just replacement bump stops. But these are designed to be in constant contact with the stop. In this case, that's the subframe. They compress much more than a traditional bump stop, though, so the suspension does not bind. These help add a marginal amount of load carrying capacity. It's not a lift in the ordinary sense, but it does raise the ride height a tad. There are also replacement shocks for the OEM ones, made by Bilstein. I've had great experiences with Bilstein in the past, so this was an easy decision. I don't know how the Mercedes shocks may have held up over rough terrain, so maybe they'd have been fine. Or maybe not. I don't have to think twice with the Bilstein shocks, however. So the peace of mind is wonderful. Finally, we added additional front shocks which match the rears; Falcon branded, with Van Compass help. They're manually adjustable as well. This means adding brackets to the body and the control arm in order to mount them. It's pretty straightforward, but a bit new for me. I have only ever had one shock per wheel in the past. Now our van will have 6 shocks total. 4 of which are adjustable.
Note that the shocks were backordered, so I only installed the Sumo Springs bump stops, the front replacement shocks from Bilstein, and the rear leaf springs. Install was super easy, and only took me about 3 hours. I used our old neighbor's garage since it was super cold out, and his overhead is the only one I know of that clears the van. The suspension upgrades raised the van about 1/2" in the front by adding Sumo springs. The rear sits about 1-1/2" higher now, after adding the helper leafs from Van Compass. The van sits level within 1/4" front to rear, measured from the edge of the body trim piece.
It rides way smoother over bumps already, and we haven't installed the Falcon shocks yet. It's much quieter inside now though, with even less rattling. I think dog will be impressed.
I can't really tell much difference visually. But here's how it sits now:
Now we began to kind of wind down from the build. There were still finishing touches, which I'll show you momentarily. But in the between times, we were also working on getting rid of everything that wouldn't fit inside. We had a whole house-worth of stuff. Granted, we weren't living super large - our house was under 1000 square feet - but it's still a mountain of work to rehome everything. We did our best to not throw away anything that could be used. We sold some things that were worth the effort to sell. We gifted a lot of things to friends and family. We donated some things. The rest, which is just my toolboxes and two small storage bins, we left with family to be reclaimed someday. So, while it wasn't really work on the van in the direct sense, it was a necessary part of the build.
We covered the pipe insulation on the shower head supply line. We used the same tweed as the wall panels. It looks much nicer now, I think.
Then, we covered the top half of the shower wall that faces forward. Same tweed. I folded back a half inch of fabric and glued it to make a sort of trim/edge whatever thing. Working with tweed on a rectangular shape is sweet because it has a grid built in so it's wicked easy to keep it perfectly straight and whatnot. Then we covered the bottom half. Same deal. It looks so much more homey Mandy said. I would agree. It do.
We have an issue with dog. He likes to sleep in the big bed. Although, Mandy made his bed bigger so it fills the gap between the seats now. The first draft used measurements I took and somehow ended up way too narrow. It's fixed now:
I measured wrong the first time so it was too skinny. Anyways. Sometimes he doesn't want to stay downstairs all night. It's not a big deal to lift him. Because he helps. But as soon as either of us moves in the morning he starts staging to jump down. It's a big jump and probably not ideal for his old shoulders. Plus once he bumped into the shower getting down. The floor is slippery for him.
So we have an idea to hopefully train him to take the long way around. If we flip the passengers seat backwards, he should be able to climb into it. From there, the hardest part will be getting onto the refrigerator but I think he can do it. Then he can easily walk over the counter to the bed. That way he can get up and down at his leisure. So I made this cover for the cooktop so he doesn't break or or scratch it:
It's just hardwood flooring and I removed the back side so it sits over the top of the cooktop. So it holds itself in place over the road. But over the last two days it's cupped SEVERE so I'm not sure if it's going to last or if I need to make something else. I'm not sure why it's doing that. It's almost a half inch off the counter in the middle. I don't think it's gotten wet, but perhaps just from moisture in the air? I'm gonna try and sand it and oil it see if it lays flat again. [This is hilarious. I forgot about this piece. Mandy came up with something way better]
We covered the pipe insulation on the shower head supply line. We used the same tweed as the wall panels. It looks much nicer now, I think.
Then, we covered the top half of the shower wall that faces forward. Same tweed. I folded back a half inch of fabric and glued it to make a sort of trim/edge whatever thing. Working with tweed on a rectangular shape is sweet because it has a grid built in so it's wicked easy to keep it perfectly straight and whatnot. Then we covered the bottom half. Same deal. It looks so much more homey Mandy said. I would agree. It do.
We have an issue with dog. He likes to sleep in the big bed. Although, Mandy made his bed bigger so it fills the gap between the seats now. The first draft used measurements I took and somehow ended up way too narrow. It's fixed now:
I measured wrong the first time so it was too skinny. Anyways. Sometimes he doesn't want to stay downstairs all night. It's not a big deal to lift him. Because he helps. But as soon as either of us moves in the morning he starts staging to jump down. It's a big jump and probably not ideal for his old shoulders. Plus once he bumped into the shower getting down. The floor is slippery for him.
So we have an idea to hopefully train him to take the long way around. If we flip the passengers seat backwards, he should be able to climb into it. From there, the hardest part will be getting onto the refrigerator but I think he can do it. Then he can easily walk over the counter to the bed. That way he can get up and down at his leisure. So I made this cover for the cooktop so he doesn't break or or scratch it:
It's just hardwood flooring and I removed the back side so it sits over the top of the cooktop. So it holds itself in place over the road. But over the last two days it's cupped SEVERE so I'm not sure if it's going to last or if I need to make something else. I'm not sure why it's doing that. It's almost a half inch off the counter in the middle. I don't think it's gotten wet, but perhaps just from moisture in the air? I'm gonna try and sand it and oil it see if it lays flat again. [This is hilarious. I forgot about this piece. Mandy came up with something way better]
Another piece of tangentially-related work that was ongoing behind the scenes was all carried out by Mandy. She's a pharmacist. So travelling work is more difficult for her than her nursing peers. But she worked hard at passing the Colorado law exam in order to be able to pick up work there for a time. That didn't work out, but she also worked at obtaining a job at the VA, which only requires a license from ANY state, because it's for the federal government. The states are more strict, I guess, so as long as you are good enough for a state, you're good enough for the country, kind of thing. I don't know. I'm just a bum with no job. The point is, that part DID work out. So she put in her notice and not a moment too soon. Especially according to the VA, who wanted her to start immediately. Well, that wasn't going to happen. But she was able to push back and get us a full week to get to Prescott, Arizona, for a 3-month contract.
That all sounds like a lot of effort for someone who already has a job. But the thing is, it gets really frickin' cold in New England in the winter. Too cold to be enjoyable. And that's where we were at. I was finished working on the van, but I didn't feel like I could leave Loki inside the van all day to pick up work somewhere. So he and I were hanging out inside the van outside the hospital she was working at all day. Except he didn't want to just chill inside the van all day. He was still adapting. He wanted to constantly walk around outside. Which; I like a good winter hike. But maybe not every day, you know? So it was kind of a struggle. We could have left him with friends or family, probably, but another factor was that we'd sold all the other cars. So I had to at least be available to drop Mandy off and pick her up for each shift at the hospital. So I'd have had to find something to fit the hours in the in-between time. It was a whole big thing for us, and this was the solution we reached. So that's what we did. I just wanted to pull back the curtain a bit so you get the bigger picture. It wasn't like we were spontaneously like, "You know what? Arizona."
But first, we had a few more things to do. First and foremost, I called Van Compass. I explained our situation; how we're moving across the country, and the shocks were still delayed, but would be shipping to this New Hampshire address. That wouldn't be a major problem, because we still have family at this address. But it would be crummy to have to pay to ship them to myself in Arizona, you know? I got a tracking number shortly after the phone call, and a few days later, they arrived. They must have pulled some strings, but we were SO GRATEFUL.
These shocks are FANCY! You know when you can just tell a product has been crafted at a higher level? These are definitely like that.
I'll get better pictures. The paint is flawless. The labels seem very heavy duty and durable. They're each labeled with part number, vehicle fitment, and position, which I've never seen before on a shock. All the outside parts are machined rather than stamped, and the machine marks are barely there. The adjustment knobs have a very satisfying click into each position. I'm stoked to get them installed.
I also got a heat tape to install on the drain pipe to help keep it from freezing. We've been with family since the van's running water is effectively useless because it freezes in the drain. But I'm going to try and install that today so we can move back in. Mandy's got 1 more week of work. No pressure.
As I was driving in a snowstorm we got Monday to go skiing at Mount Snow (21"!!!) I got a notification on the dash to replace air filter. It showed up again, I forget if it was after we stopped for fuel, or on the way home, but I know it came up multiple times. Although I drove yesterday and didn't see it. We're just shy of 15,000 miles. I received a replacement filter yesterday. I don't know if it was a fluke because of snow in the intake, perhaps, or if it needed to be replaced, but I just did it anyways.
That all sounds like a lot of effort for someone who already has a job. But the thing is, it gets really frickin' cold in New England in the winter. Too cold to be enjoyable. And that's where we were at. I was finished working on the van, but I didn't feel like I could leave Loki inside the van all day to pick up work somewhere. So he and I were hanging out inside the van outside the hospital she was working at all day. Except he didn't want to just chill inside the van all day. He was still adapting. He wanted to constantly walk around outside. Which; I like a good winter hike. But maybe not every day, you know? So it was kind of a struggle. We could have left him with friends or family, probably, but another factor was that we'd sold all the other cars. So I had to at least be available to drop Mandy off and pick her up for each shift at the hospital. So I'd have had to find something to fit the hours in the in-between time. It was a whole big thing for us, and this was the solution we reached. So that's what we did. I just wanted to pull back the curtain a bit so you get the bigger picture. It wasn't like we were spontaneously like, "You know what? Arizona."
But first, we had a few more things to do. First and foremost, I called Van Compass. I explained our situation; how we're moving across the country, and the shocks were still delayed, but would be shipping to this New Hampshire address. That wouldn't be a major problem, because we still have family at this address. But it would be crummy to have to pay to ship them to myself in Arizona, you know? I got a tracking number shortly after the phone call, and a few days later, they arrived. They must have pulled some strings, but we were SO GRATEFUL.
These shocks are FANCY! You know when you can just tell a product has been crafted at a higher level? These are definitely like that.
I'll get better pictures. The paint is flawless. The labels seem very heavy duty and durable. They're each labeled with part number, vehicle fitment, and position, which I've never seen before on a shock. All the outside parts are machined rather than stamped, and the machine marks are barely there. The adjustment knobs have a very satisfying click into each position. I'm stoked to get them installed.
I also got a heat tape to install on the drain pipe to help keep it from freezing. We've been with family since the van's running water is effectively useless because it freezes in the drain. But I'm going to try and install that today so we can move back in. Mandy's got 1 more week of work. No pressure.
As I was driving in a snowstorm we got Monday to go skiing at Mount Snow (21"!!!) I got a notification on the dash to replace air filter. It showed up again, I forget if it was after we stopped for fuel, or on the way home, but I know it came up multiple times. Although I drove yesterday and didn't see it. We're just shy of 15,000 miles. I received a replacement filter yesterday. I don't know if it was a fluke because of snow in the intake, perhaps, or if it needed to be replaced, but I just did it anyways.
I have no idea if anyone's reading this anymore, but if you are, I apologize for the lack of updates. I got super busy on Hot Rod Power Tour, and visiting with friends and family on both ends of that. But I'm back in my groove for now. So let's see, where were we? Oh right. The shocks. So we received them, and it was the frickin' middle of winter. I'd already leaned on our old neighbor for installing the other half of the suspension components and I didn't want to be greedy. There was a somewhat warm-ish day, so I just said screw it, and I bundled up and dealt with it. Of course, the ground was a bit wet, but it was otherwise tolerable. You get what you get and you don't get upset. The rear shocks were a cake-walk to install. I don't think I've ever done a cake walk. I'm not even sure what it is. Is it like walking on cake? No idea, but it's supposed to mean easy. They were easy to install. The fronts are a bit more involved, because I had to install brackets as well. Remember the fronts are an additional, or auxiliary, shock. The instructions from Van Compass were great, the hardware fit with ease, and there's really not much to say about the install other than that.
So, we've been trying out various shock settings over the past few days. We started with the floppiest, setting number 1 all the way around, then slowly worked our way up. But we've been doing pretty much all highway drives. I was honestly unimpressed, but withholding judgement. I knew #1 was for rough roads, but I thought it would make the bridge joints smoother. It's a good thing I don't design shocks.
Last night we got to setting number 3, coming back from Freeport, ME to Nashua, NH. It was night and day. Well, no. Well, actually yes. Ha! On the ride up, it was day time, on the way down it was night. But what I meant was the difference in driving. The van hasn't been so quiet...really ever. Even when it was empty the suspension was loud. What a difference! I'm seriously impressed, and I think I'm pretty critical of things in general. Not to be offensive, just to be open and honest. As an example, the other night Mandy made a soup for us and some friends and as we were eating it I said it's not her best work. She knew what I meant; the bar is so high because she makes such good food. She agreed. Our friends were so mortified on her behalf. It was hilarious.
Anyway. We've had a somewhat unique experience with this suspension kit from Van Compass, I think. Probably a lot of people install the full thing in one go. We installed the rear leafs, front Sumo springs, and front Bilstein struts. Then we drove it for a while. That was a marked improvement. Not insane, but definitely quieter and more composed. Then we finally received the shocks just the other day, so we finished off the kit by installing those on their own. Then we slowly crept up on the proper shock setting. So it's been incremental changes again and again. Even still, now that we're here, it's noticeably improved.
The point is, the whole point WAS to improve the ride for us, but also for Loki. He didn't ride with us last night, so we don't know how he's going to feel about it. But I hope, and I really do think that this is going to be a game changer for him. It'll obviously take some learning I think, but once he feels it out, I bet he'll be more content not standing on top of the passenger all the time. It's been a little frustrating that we did all this work and the passenger never gets to enjoy the ride unless they're sitting way in the back on the couch. Really hoping this changes that for us.
We're about to find out either way! At the end of this week, we're driving to the Midwest where we'll be stationed for at least 3 months with no real network of friends or family to fall back on. I'm sure we'll find friends, we're generally like normal, nice people and our dog is adorable ****** so. I just mean, like, we're going to be forced to full-time it, even through any issues that may arise.
Like when our second alternator wasn't charging our house batteries yesterday...
So, we've been trying out various shock settings over the past few days. We started with the floppiest, setting number 1 all the way around, then slowly worked our way up. But we've been doing pretty much all highway drives. I was honestly unimpressed, but withholding judgement. I knew #1 was for rough roads, but I thought it would make the bridge joints smoother. It's a good thing I don't design shocks.
Last night we got to setting number 3, coming back from Freeport, ME to Nashua, NH. It was night and day. Well, no. Well, actually yes. Ha! On the ride up, it was day time, on the way down it was night. But what I meant was the difference in driving. The van hasn't been so quiet...really ever. Even when it was empty the suspension was loud. What a difference! I'm seriously impressed, and I think I'm pretty critical of things in general. Not to be offensive, just to be open and honest. As an example, the other night Mandy made a soup for us and some friends and as we were eating it I said it's not her best work. She knew what I meant; the bar is so high because she makes such good food. She agreed. Our friends were so mortified on her behalf. It was hilarious.
Anyway. We've had a somewhat unique experience with this suspension kit from Van Compass, I think. Probably a lot of people install the full thing in one go. We installed the rear leafs, front Sumo springs, and front Bilstein struts. Then we drove it for a while. That was a marked improvement. Not insane, but definitely quieter and more composed. Then we finally received the shocks just the other day, so we finished off the kit by installing those on their own. Then we slowly crept up on the proper shock setting. So it's been incremental changes again and again. Even still, now that we're here, it's noticeably improved.
The point is, the whole point WAS to improve the ride for us, but also for Loki. He didn't ride with us last night, so we don't know how he's going to feel about it. But I hope, and I really do think that this is going to be a game changer for him. It'll obviously take some learning I think, but once he feels it out, I bet he'll be more content not standing on top of the passenger all the time. It's been a little frustrating that we did all this work and the passenger never gets to enjoy the ride unless they're sitting way in the back on the couch. Really hoping this changes that for us.
We're about to find out either way! At the end of this week, we're driving to the Midwest where we'll be stationed for at least 3 months with no real network of friends or family to fall back on. I'm sure we'll find friends, we're generally like normal, nice people and our dog is adorable ****** so. I just mean, like, we're going to be forced to full-time it, even through any issues that may arise.
Like when our second alternator wasn't charging our house batteries yesterday...
Hey I haven't updated this in a while. That's mainly because we've just been living in it, not building it. But we have made a few minor adjustments and whatnot. I'd like to make a more comprehensive update soon for all the little things. For now, I've captured our most-involved recent project in a video. I made an onboard air setup using a Smittybilt 2781 portable air compressor. Check it out and let me know if you think it's stupid or what.
Awesome!! Love to hear it. Holler if you need any kind of assistance that I can provide remotely!