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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Mar 24, 2008 - 09:50pm PT
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Jeeeezzz, I can't believe no one has said a word about the Makers Mark...if the rest of the conversion was a failure at least ya had the right drink! I'll be knockin on yer door with my glass if I see yer van at the local crags! Maple looks really cool.
Peace
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adventurewagen
Trad climber
Seattle
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Mar 24, 2008 - 10:05pm PT
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Thats some nice work man. I've done a similar bit of work to my VW. Insulation, spray foam, vapor barier and new wood, etc... Yours is really top notch though, a step above for sure. I like he inverter batter setup. You should toss in a vent for the batteries but it's probably ok.
All in all, I'd most definitely stay in that rig. It's not a VW but you can't beat quality!
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Gobie
Trad climber
Northern, Ca.
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Mar 25, 2008 - 12:27am PT
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You are craftsman!!!
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Mar 25, 2008 - 12:27am PT
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Excellent and wonderful.
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J. Werlin
climber
Cedaredge
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Mar 25, 2008 - 12:38am PT
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Holy shizzle! A dirtbag with motivation.
Exceptional work Mr. E.
Is the reflectex on the rear windows part of the stealth system?
I like your insulation on your H2O res. as well.
Did you pirate the floor plan or??? I like your layout in there--
not to crowded like most U.S. van conversions.
When in the valley I used to have red lenses I put on my little
halogen lights as part of my stealth deal.
I've always wanted to start with a blank slate like that
(a Sprinter would be sweet, except for the $$$) and
make a custom road rig in the style of nice sailboats.
You beat me to it. Again, very well done.
I don't think your thread is OT at all.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Mar 25, 2008 - 01:04am PT
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RE:
"Exceptional work Mr. E. "
ditto.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 25, 2008 - 01:07am PT
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Nice work (understatement) Mr E
Ed, what's the word? 510 OW to the batholith?
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Sherri
climber
WA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 02:16am PT
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TradIsGood said: "Nice detail with the decal. :-)
About the only thing that would make it any stealthier looking would be a rack on top the usual trade stuff that does not fit inside, and a business logo and phone number on the outside."
Werd.
I once passed by a van with "MOM'S HOMEBAKED COOKIES" innocently advertised on the side. On the way home, I saw it again but with its doors open this time...it was full of tools and construction equip. Stealth, indeed.
Love your rig, E!
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WanderlustMD
Trad climber
Lanham MD
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Mar 25, 2008 - 08:58am PT
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Excellent work!!
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MisterE
Social climber
My Inner Nut
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 09:29am PT
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Thanks for the props!
OK, to answer some questions:
The battery box IS vented
I blew an inverter because of grounding issues. It was during start-up, though, and I have not had any trouble as long as I turn off the inverter before start-up.
The walls are insulated with R-19, so I don't get quite the oven effect I would if it weren't insulated.
The Maker's Mark ran out, eventually.
The futon is much more comfortable than a crash pad. I have storage for crash-pad in the back. It doubles as back-rest for reading in bed.
Next time I would do an inverter/converter set-up, as the batteries do not get fully charged without generator/solar to top them off.
Wish I could stand up - next time it's the Sprinter, for sure.
I have secret storage for stereo/laptop under drawer of clothing closet (d'oh! Not secret any more!)
Cheers, Erik
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Mar 25, 2008 - 10:44am PT
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Awesome job, Mister E
Looks like you had a good time doing it.
Zander
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Double D
climber
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Mar 25, 2008 - 10:51am PT
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MisterE: That's just way too cool! I remember many such conversions but none as techie as yours.
Speaking of which, Dale Bard took some serious time off from climbing and lived in Oakland while he converted his truck/camper. If I remember right he lived out by the Buttermilks for a while in this rig. I never got to see the end product but I know he poured his heart and soul into the thing.
Anyone out there in tacoland have pictures???
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TitaniumTendons
Sport climber
LA, CA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 01:00pm PT
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Awesome van!!! I have a Toyota Previa that I love but damn you got one sweet rig there. I wish I had the know how to customize something like that. Very nice work and thanks for all the pics.
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wildone
climber
Where you want to be
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Mar 25, 2008 - 01:28pm PT
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As for a logo on the side to make it look like a working van, I keep remembering from some spoof movie, an fbi van doing surveillance, and the side said, in big letters,
Flowers
By
Irene
With the first leeters of the words in bold.
So funny
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Mar 25, 2008 - 01:37pm PT
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I'm in love w/ that van. Awesome craftsmanship.
Are you a carpenter by trade? Was this your first conversion?
I'd love to try something like this, but know that I'd end up a pile of wood in the backyard for about 2 years.
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TradIsGood
Chalkless climber
the Gunks end of the country
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Mar 25, 2008 - 01:45pm PT
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If you want to raise the roof a bit, try finding a local hot-rod club. They usually chop tops to lower the roof, but the same skill could probably take a roof out of your local junkyard in some desirable size and raise yours with some nice welding, bondo, and paint and glass or fiberglass as desired.
Or auto-body shop...
Bus conversions often increase the ceiling height as well.
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scuffy b
climber
up the coast from Woodson
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Mar 25, 2008 - 02:58pm PT
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It's great to see all the insulation in this conversion.
Without that, your obviously beautiful, wonderful and
creative work would have something of a Potemkin Village effect
on me.
I have a question, though: how do you get a figure of R-19
for your walls?
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Fletcher
Trad climber
Varied locales along the time and space continuum
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Mar 25, 2008 - 03:06pm PT
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Yes, nice touch with the Maker's Mark. It definitely stood out on my first viewing. Good stuff. I found a giant bottle of it at my mother-in-law's recently that my wife said has been there since she was a kid. Very smooth!
Fletch
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Ricardo Cabeza
climber
Meyers,CA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 03:08pm PT
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Was just at South Shore Motors today. MSRP on a new E-2(3?)50 4wd is 39,600. Steep! That said, I would love to be able to trick out a van as you did, E. Very nice craftmanship in there!
Strong work, B-
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 25, 2008 - 06:57pm PT
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Sweet rig! One assumes the Marker's Mark has a hidden velcro base, otherwise it's gonna be gone on your first sharp left turn.
Love the carpet, or as Charles de Gaulle said,
"Vive le Quebec libre!"
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