Building Hank

[highdesertranger]

glad you got it worked out, finally. I knew it wasn't the valve. how they could button those brakes back up and call them good is beyond me. something happens when companies get big, they tend to loose what made them good. I have been by the LS family ranch in Powell Butte, OR. many times. may I say they don't need to be good any more, they have made their killing. highdesertranger

 

[masterplumber]

Man, this sort of thing really makes me mad! Because now, whether you consciously want to be or not, you and everyone that has read this thread will be less trusting of even the best mechanics out there. And there are good ones out there - some have been responding on this thread. Being a plumber all my life I see this happen in my trade all the time. There are many good professionals out there in all trades, but the scum bags give a bad name to all the rest. I'm so sorry you had to experience this first hand, and I hope the rest of your build and time in your van goes so much better. Hopefully we'll see you at RTR and you can share all the cool places you've seen and plan to see!

 

[GypsyDogs]

Thanks for all the support- everyone.

The Pro-Shop folks contacted their rebuilders and got my old brake shoe cores back (temporarily) so I have those and the springs/hardware (which they dug out of the scrap trailer..!) to take to LS when I speak with them next. Anybody ever find themselves in the Mid Willamette Valley of Oregon around the Eugene/Springfield area and need exceptional brake work- go to Kaiser Brake/Align.

I have Nothing but Good Things to say about these folks. They have been professional and skillful and were worth every penny I spent. Regardless of what LS claimed. They are the ones that service the emergency vehicles and tour buses in the area! I have seen in their shop. They also make it a point to Not Leave Client Vehicles Outside when they close. All vehicles are pulled into the big shop for the night. That alone is worth its weight in shop labor!

I have nothing against big-chain service providers. Many of them are quite good. And likely I will go back to LS in the future.. just not this particular location...

 

[Treehugger]

While waiting on brake resolution..
Refinished the kitchen-desk.
 
And firmly attached it to the floor with large L-brackets.

Built a battery box in the rear (for the 2 small AGM batteries), then rebuilt half of it because I attached the sides on the outside not the inside, and it wouldn't fit... and firmly attached it to the floor also.
Measured (again) for the replacement curtains I will be sewing soon.
Measured for the roof rack - welding on Monday (for the solar panels)
Finished covering the fiberglass-fluff insulation along the floorboards.
Re-attached the wheel well covers (insulation and sound dampening)
Attached sink plumbing and found the 5gal jug for gray water.  (still need to figure out how to secure it, because it is not flush to any surface but the floor..)
Added safety stops to the drawers in the kitchen-desk.
Put the original table flange back in the floor, for use with the pillar-table that came with the van.  I have replaced the ugly and fairly useless 'beverage holder' with a salvaged keyboard tray from a desk.  More surface for table, and easily stored behind the front seat.  Long rectangle, won't roll around.  
And of course, my helpers helped in their usual supervisory capacity.

Will be getting a screw in handle for the kitchen pull-out today.  The front stopper/trim piece has come loose, and I figure this would be a useful and functional way to reattach it.  lol
Got the 2 100w solar panels, charge controller, monitor, shunt, etc..  woooo!

I do a lot of woodworking and furniture restoration.  What type of finish did you end up using on the desk?

 

[GypsyDogs]

I settled on Formby's Tung oil finish. Durability, kitchen safe, and touchup-ability. Love how it turned out. Not quite glossy, but good finish and beads water readily.

 

[MikeRuth]

Glad to hear the brake system is fixed. I've been following along on and off and today went back through the entire thread looking for the description of LS. Who is LS?

Thanks

 

[highdesertranger]

mike, LS is Les Schwab, a huge tire dealer based in Oregon. Gypsy got a pic of that oil finish? highdesertranger

 

[GypsyDogs]

A: scored a bunch of retired milk crates yesterday !woooo!

B:  Oil finish- oops- going to have to get a good one..

 

[GypsyDogs]

Got the picture of the Re-Re-finish of the desk for my kitchen... (also, you can see I got Reflectix in the windows.)


And I fabbed some decent curtains. (white rubber-backed light-blocking fabric)
Still need to get some snaps and make new tie-backs.. yeah.. I'm that way. LOL

 

[akrvbob]

Super job!
Bob

 

[Canine]

I have dealt with a couple of Les Schwabs and have had great service.I guess each franchise is different.Good Luck.

 

[WriterMs]

Such care and deserved pride in your work --- hope to see you at RTR.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have also dealt with a few LS, I find them to be a little pushy with selling you stuff. I was also not impressed with their tire quality. however my sister swears by LS it's the only place she goes for tires for the last 30 years, but she knows nothing about cars. highdesertranger

 

[dhawktx]

I adore Discount Tires. Their work and products have always been top notch and their roadside warranty is the best!

 

[GypsyDogs]

Thank you everyone for the encouraging words and praise!

Was changing marker lights (safety first!) and found this gorgeous stuff.


And a friend of mine got me this-  Not huge, but will come in handy, I am sure.

So, (again, safety first..) because it looks nigh-on invisible out of the box, I put a bunch of reflective stickers on it..
Hank, being a conversion van, is already not 'stealth' in the truest sense, so why not?  

Really hoping to get my roof rack back from the welders.. ( hate relying on 2nd hand messaging ) because I would love to continue the solar phase of my build...  sigh.
Always something-  One person got sick, someone else had a birthday, they are moving their shop location...  sigh x 2

 

[Almost There]

Great job you're doing!!

Question for you - what is that flat thingie you're using for curtain rod on the new curtains. I like it and it's much better looking than what I was planning on using for the cargo door windows.

 

[GypsyDogs]

AT- they came with the van. They appear to be simple 1/2" wide thin metal bars, cut to fit the span, drilled and held in place with sheet metal screws (with simple hex nuts as spacers to hold them off the door panel - so the curtains slide).

I can get a closeup of the mounting, if you'd like

 

[Almost There]

AT- they came with the van.  They appear to be simple 1/2" wide thin metal bars, cut to fit the span, drilled and held in place with sheet metal screws (with simple hex nuts as spacers to hold them off the door panel - so the curtains slide).

I can get a closeup of the mounting, if you'd like

Thanks!

Off to find some flat metal.

And the use of washers to get the gap is ingenious.

Don't worry about closeups, your description was good enough for me to get the picture...

 

[dhawktx]

AT - watch out! She said hex nuts, not washers. You'd have to stack three or four washers to get the same gap. The hex nuts are a cleaner looking solution. However thick your curtain fabric is when sewn into a tube and shoved over to one side is how deep the gap needs to be at each end, or you won't be able to squeeze the fabric over.

 

[Almost There]

AT - watch out! She said hex nuts, not washers. You'd have to stack three or four washers to get the same gap. The hex nuts are a cleaner looking solution. However thick your curtain fabric is when sewn into a tube and shoved over to one side is how deep the gap needs to be at each end, or you won't be able to squeeze the fabric over.

Thanks, yeah, I'd have figured that one out while standing staring at the wall of nuts/bolts/washers/screws at the H/D....