Van Makeover - Vantasi

[B350]

My '99 Ford E350 EB is getting it's 3rd makeover. I started a build thread on the Sportsmobile forum too. Here is a link to what the was and is transforming into. http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f24/the-making-of-vantasi-16327.html

I'll start from it's latest stages started in the spring this year.

New in the van department from wheels/tires to bumper to a complete interior gutting and a pop top. Yep, went for it. I am now in a full on ground up build...

In March Vantasi got a set of 285/75/16 BFG AT KO2s on 16x8 rims.

In April an HNC front bumper was added. Install here: http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...per-17222.html

Then, it was off to the Overland Expo to check things out.

I finally had a chance to test the Weld Tec stage 2 6" lift on a forest service road. And, I was pleasantly surprised. On open gravel with cattle guards and washboard I could do 70 and not worry about harsh hits or suspension hop. In the really technical rocky sections where I was in first the suspension soaked up rocks and rock ledges without complaint and in relative comfort. Thumbs up!

 

[B350]

After serious consideration, my girlfriend and I decided that we would go with a CCV mid-height pop top. Serious consideration for a serious chunk of money. And this leads us to a complete van makeover from moto van to full time camper van. Meaning, the entire interior, just finished less than a year ago, will be gutted. So is life. Not a bad position to be in...

Removing the interior was not as precise of a job as it was to install it. Unfortunately, the majority of it was scrapped being it was not built with disassembly in mind. Construction adhesive keeps things together... The result- a heap of scrap material. And a bare cargo van. Back to basics like when I bought it in 2001.

One thing I wanted to address before the pop top install was to tend to some rust in the rain gutter. While it was not terrible I thought I could remove all the old seam sealer, POR where needed and fill it in with new seam sealer. I went through the tedious and dirty work of grinding out all the old seal, removing rust and then attempted to refill the gutter with new seam sealer. Attempt I did. With the gutter and roof taped off I started laying a bead which would then have to be troweled smooth. Well, by the time I laid a bead front to back on one side, troweled it and went to pull the tape the seam sealer set to the point where it stuck to the tape just folding over itself creating the worst silly putty disaster you could hope for on your roof line.
A phone call to the manufacturer revealed the not so splendid answer to how to remove said seam sealer- wait for it to fully cure (24hrs) and grind it out. Gulp. Alright, no time to waste as the van had to roll to Colorado in a week. Long story not so short, I ground out all the seam sealer and had a local body shop fill the gutter with high quality, self leveling 3M seam sealer and paint it to match. Cost= PIA+$500

And, a scrap pile...

 

[B350]

I was headed to Colorado for an enduro race at the end of July so the plan to drop off Vantasi for a quick shave and pop top install was crafted. My girlfriend would drive the van out and I'd pick her up on the way home from the race. A company van comes in handy for this type of thing. The plan came together just great except for the fact that I ended up with a nice concusion, broken ribs and a broken hand out of the deal. Add another injury to the list... The good news- I could somewhat recover while Vantasi was in the hands of Colorado Camper Van.

A bit over a month later, the old van dawned a new top complete with arctic canvas, one piece lifting bed, 2 100W Renogy solar panels, 20 amp MPPT controller, Maxxair fan and Yakima rack rails. Wow! Now it's getting serious.

 

[B350]

In the last month we started to properly sound proof and insulate the van. While the front and all doors already got a good dose of sound deadening adhesive mat more had to be added to the rear walls. For door insulation I chose to go with reflectix followed by 3M Thinsulate SM600L. That meant removing all door panels previously attached with silicone. They won't be used again so I'll keep them as patterns. The door cubbies were also removed to get access to the full door interior. Then they got stuffed.

That wonderful door talon I ordered a while back was installed last weekend too.

Now, the plan is to add exterior accessories before completing the insulation in the rear.

Exterior accessories planned:
1. Porch light on both D and P side https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2. Sand ladders mounted on L-track on D side https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3. Exterior shower on the rear left (spendy but a nice small flush mount) Fast Disconnect External Shower - Adventure Trailers Store


Wall insulation planned:
1. Reflectix

2. UltraTouch radiant barrier UltraTouch 48 in. x 24 ft. Radiant Barrier-30000-11424 - The Home Depot

3. SilveRboard (where it will fit) SilveRboard 24 in. x 1 in. x 48 in. R5 Radiant Acoustic Insulation Kit - STC 19 (5-Piece)-SB12AKIT - The Home Depot

 

[B350]

2 weekends ago exterior accessories were tended to so that the interior insulation can get wrapped up. Being the holes were rather small and not too numerous I wasn't all that nervous going forward with a hole saw and drill to the body. Vantasi got a porch light on each side, a shower on the rear passenger side, aluminum L track to mount sand ladders to over the driver's side rear wheel, and mounts for a portable or detachable aluminum table on the passenger's side rear.

After measuring everything 13 times off various body lines holes were drilled, painted and accessories mounted with butyl tape applied to the back of everything. The butyl tape did squeeze out from behind all the mounting surfaces which was trimmed by using a plastic putty knife.
In order for the aluminum L track to mount vertically it had to be slightly bent to follow the body contour. Luckily we had a pipe bender on hand for another related van project. More on that later.

On the passenger side I opted to mount two plates that are typically used for motorcycle wheel chocks in trailers. These will serve as the attachment points for an aluminum table with two posts (stainless bolts with a round head) off the back which will slide into the wheel chock mounts. Depending on how much of a lip I end up putting on the aluminum table I may not need any guy wires as additional support. I did put backing plates on the inside of the van which made the whole thing really solid. We'll see what happens with the additional leverage of a 14-16" deep table.

 

[MorrieSugg]

Looks sweet.

I wasn't smart enough to address my rusting gutters before getting my CCV top installed, but I need to. I've never done any kind of body work, but the estimate I got from a body shop was over $2k, so I'm going to have to give it a go. What kind of wheel did you use on your grinder?

 

[B350]

Looks sweet.

I wasn't smart enough to address my rusting gutters before getting my CCV top installed, but I need to. I've never done any kind of body work, but the estimate I got from a body shop was over $2k, so I'm going to have to give it a go. What kind of wheel did you use on your grinder?

You can remove all the old seam sealer and rust with a stiff wire wheel. If you plan on painting any of the roof line just be careful not to get carried away with the wire wheel. Definitely make sure you go with self leveling 3M seam sealer.

I had Maaco do the finish work. The result was satisfactory and not too expensive IMO.

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

The exterior mounted L track is beautifully simple. Depending on mounting distance you could hang everything from a surfboard to a clothes line. Well done.

 

[MorrieSugg]

You can remove all the old seam sealer and rust with a stiff wire wheel. If you plan on painting any of the roof line just be careful not to get carried away with the wire wheel. Definitely make sure you go with self leveling 3M seam sealer.

I had Maaco do the finish work. The result was satisfactory and not too expensive IMO.

Thanks. I was thinking of just POR and a coat of bedliner. Do you know if you have to do the seam sealer/filler?

 

[B350]

I was told POR is not the right product for this application unless you go through the whole process of prepping and etching the bare metal after cleaning out the entire gutter. It's probably not a must but there is seam sealer in the gutter for a reason. Filling the gutter aids in allowing dirt and water to more easily escape the gutter and, in the case of a pop top, makes for a better seal around the roof line. I'd still use the 3M seam sealer and then a coat of bed liner. The 3M seam sealer is a corrosion inhibitor as well. Look it up on 3M's website.

Thanks. I was thinking of just POR and a coat of bedliner. Do you know if you have to do the seam sealer/filler?

 

[MorrieSugg]

Thanks!

I'll stop hijacking your thread now.

 

[B350]

Sparks and Sliders

My brother has been a great help in making my build a reality. I make the demands and he when he feels like it he makes the product. In all seriousness, he does great fabrication and welding with fairly minimal tools. A huge thanks to him. Alright, enough of the sap...

Rock sliders were on the list for a while. While there are lots of options for trucks there are few for vans and fewer for a set that is frame mounted and removable. With three mounting points on each side and stout 2x4" rectangular tubing these things are heavy duty but not actually that heavy. They may way around 40-50 lbs maybe.

Aligning the main slider tube to the brackets welded to the frame. We did have to remove and relocate the e-brake cable brackets as far up on the frame as they could go to get them out of the rock slider attachments. It worked out well in that it is now tucked up and out of the way.



Finished product. Now the will get a quick sand blast and then Rhino lining to match the body.



While we were at it we added an air tank mount located on the driver's side tucked up between the frame rail and body.



One more thing we addressed was to properly weld the front and rear frame horns to the frame. From the factory they only have a small weld on one side only or just the top and bottom and was the case for the front. Now if the bumpers get a hard tug they are staying put.



Everything got painted and now it's on to water tank and house battery tray between the rear frame rails where the spare tire used to sit. We already cut out the original tire carrier and frame rail to make room for both trays and a new frame brace. Onward!

 

[B350]

Lots of build progress! But, I've decided to just keep one build thread check it out - http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f24/the-making-of-vantasi-16327.html