Got a van

[gargoyle]

anyone know what's up with this thing, never seen this before

:huh:
I'll take a guess.
The roof rack mount was leaking and they patched it with what they had
or
A hole for a CB antenna cord?

 

[masterplumber]

I was going to say a CB antenna cable hole. They probably had a mirror mount clamped to the rack with the antenna on it. Cool that you got tires, and yeah, there always seems to be more days in the month than there is money. Working hard to make my wants line up with my means.

 

[highdesertranger]

alright real tires, looking good. I was going to say a feed for some type of antenna. highdesertranger

 

[Ballenxj]

i was just on summit racing clicking on all the parts i want,check my cart,it was at like $1700 and i have $180 in the bank

Doncha hate it when that happens? I love Summit! They usually have the parts you might need for your mechanical desires.

 

[Alcatraz]

I saw that, HDR, Firestone had a 17" AT for $165 per tire, or should I say Walmart had a Firestone AT tire for $165, just don't have the money right now and no way the dry rotted car tires on there now will pass inspection, I didn't really understand the Load index, as opposed to Load rating, but they gotta be better than the tires one there now, a Mastercraft touring that has a load index of 99

What's the minimum index to be a true LT tire?

Well Gary, if I hadn't already blown my wad on tires, the wheels in Houston might be tempting, but stock for my van is 15x7 I'm opretty sure
San Antonio I avoid like the plague, only time I ever went there I got so lost I couldn't get out lol

Hmmm, Dennis, the spare on my rear is a 205 75 15, wonder if the 235 I have will change things any, we shall see, I guess

One thing I have NOT found is the door tag for GVWR, tire requirements, GAWR, etc
a VIN check indicates it was sold as an 'incomplete' and gives very little info
original tires were 225/75/15, 5.7 liter, 4spd Auto, canada built
Still haven't tried crawling under tio look for a rear end tag

Look inside the driver door for a sticker that has the recommended tire size on it. It should be like a 225/75R15 or
235/75R15  in stock size.
 Is the 205 75 15 a donut tire?
I would list the 17's on craigslist you should be able to trade them for stock rims and some cash.

 

[ArtW]

Haha Gary I would be afraid of doing a wishlist on Summit
gargoyle, it looks like a short length of hose sticking up, I dunno
HDR, they are just regular Wranglers, s still passenger tires, but they're rated to over 2k lb each, so they'll do for now
Al, the stock size is 225/75/15, but I went with 235 to get the Wranglers, I do plan on CLing the 17s, if I can ever find out what they cost new, so I can set a reasonable price, but for now I had walmart take the Wranglers I had put on the ranger off, and put them on the wheels for the van, and Thursday i got the tags, so the van is now legal, and the Ranger is not

Did find the van to be almost a gallon low on coolant, no time to investigate atm
Also fount the dipstick to be rusty, hope that's not an omen

 

[Ballenxj]

Hey Art, how's your van coming along?

 

[ArtW]

It's not, ATM, I'm still strapped from tires
However, I have all the stuff from my dirtbag build on the ranger, so I could toss that in the van and go camping tomorrow
Plywood from ranger bed on top of foldout seat / bed with crappy mattress (already there, slept on it a few times)
single burner propane stove, headlight, totes to put stuff in, I have some milk crates, all I'd have to do is toss some water and clothes in it
could use a dishpan though
getting the wheels sold would help a lot lol

 

[Queen]

Your "dirtbag" build sounds about like any build I could accomplish.

 

[ArtW]

I can't even take credit for the idea, the dirtbag idea came from 'from desk to dirtbag' and was modified as i saw other setups, and was more primitive even than his, in the back of the ranger
Once I discovered that the seat / bed in the back worked, I just tossed the ply and mattress on top, and haven'y bothered with trying to get the seats out or anything yet

 

[Queen]

My honey thinks a cargo van with cots, our camping kitchen tote, and a porta potty and we'll be all done. I keep offering to build beds, but nope, "we're good to go".

 

[ArtW]

Sounds like my kind of build, honestly, cheap, easy, and no major investment
If I'd gotten a cargo, I'd likely have done something like that. Of course everyone has their own ideas of how to set up, and traveling and living in are two different things
I'm really sort of a minimalist, partly through laziness, partly from haying clutter, and having seen military Barracks in my youth and thought 'perfect' I'd probably be okay full timng like that lol

 

[Queen]

Yeah, I think the idea that we could use it for multiple things appeals, taking the kayaks and bikes with us when we go camping, pull the camping stuff out and use it to haul stuff.

 

[ArtW]

There is that, folding cots might not be the best for sleeping (actually I've had a few I really liked) but they move out of the way easily

 

[Queen]

Figure once we're back in FL a while, she'll be okay with getting the cargo trailer, then we can use it as a hardsided tent. If we decide to go out longer or for good, we'll probably do a more purpose focused build.

 

[ArtW]

sounds like a plan

 

[XFILE36]

Finally a friend spotted a van in my area that I like and was in my reach...with a little help from the bank
It's a 1988 GMC G2500 Vandura Tra-tech Regatta conversion

Congratulations Art!  Are you selling your old van?  I may soon be able to pay cash for one

 

[ArtW]

I don't have an old van, Xfile, I have a Ford Ranger. although truth to tell at this point I'm tempted to keep the Ranger and sell this van lol, I like the way the Ranger drives better
If I did have an old van it would for sure be available, and I wouldn't rule out selling this one if we found it a mutually beneficial arrangement

 

[XFILE36]

I don't have an old van, Xfile, I have a Ford Ranger. although truth to tell at this point I'm tempted to keep the Ranger and sell this van lol, I like the way the Ranger drives better
If I did have an old van it would for sure be available, and I wouldn't rule out selling this one if we found it a mutually beneficial arrangement

Art,

Okay, well, you enjoy either one and let me know, okay.  I may be in a better financial situation very soon, but what area of the country do you live?  Keep me on your list of potential first-time buyers. P.S.  Hope you are feeling better soon.

 

[ArtW]

XFile, Id be glad to sell it to you, but it may not be a good fit for you
That's one reason I mentioned mutual benefit: I live deep into Texas so the mere act of traveling might be eat too  much of your valuable resources, as IIRC you live farther north?
Also, I don't believe in taking advantage of people, especially not a tribe member, so I'll not guild the lilly

This van has some rust issues, a few areas beyond surface rust, so that's bodywork unless you want a disposable van

I am not positive, but it may also be leaking some anti freeze, although I've yet to see a drip. I haven't gotten around to pressure testing the system as of yet

it's throwing a code for the EGR circuit

It's a conversion van, so there's quite a bit of interior to tear out

It has rear AC and heat, so that unit takes up some headroom in the back, and the AC doesn't seem to be working, though I've not tried charging it

on the plus side:
It runs and drives well now, though it did hiccup a few times when I first bought it, I'm thinking it just needed to get the kinks out

It has brand new tires in the front, and near new tires in the rear

the interior is fairly decent

it's a conversion,. so there's a rear 'seat / bed' combo that isn't horrible for sleeping

Now, I haven't been driving this van but for a couple weeks, so I can't remark on it's probable reliability

i suspect a reasonable estimate of it's value would be maybe $1500, maybe a bit less

if there were a disinterested 3rd party tribe member nearby who is well versed in appraising vehicle worth, I'd be happy to get a 2nd opinion

I haven't much cared for driving it, probably just because I'm used to a Ranger, and i really don't want to strip the interior, as there's a lot of interior, so if you wanted a 'forever' or long term vehicle, and you want a custom build, this might not be the van for you
As much as I'm having second thoughts re what i really want, I don't want to drop a problem on someoen else who might not be as well equiped to handle it

Myself, I've got a line on a Kompact Camper,

and I'm leaning toward simpler, lighter, cheaper living when I get on the road