Big Van trashcan grill block

[mwilliamshs]

Mount the Kamback to the rear doors and leave its rear end open. When the doors swing open, the KB swings too.

Ford offered smaller mirrors but they're rare. That's because a vehicle this big NEEDS good mirrors or a camera setup. These mirrors will stay for now. I don't want holes in the doors and I like clean, subtle mods. I realize the KB will not be subtle but I'm playing with a couple designs to keep it as cleanly integrated as possible.

I'm WAY into the big van. It's SUPER convenient and only becoming more so as I add to it. A full camper interior is in the works with a propane stove and furnace, sink, 2 beds, a DC fridge, solar power...The plan is to hit the PanAm highway and see central and south America a year or so after I graduate

[The_Jed]

Nice.
Are you on Expedition Portal?

[mwilliamshs]

Yeah I am on expedition portal

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by mwilliamshs

Ford offered smaller mirrors but they're rare. That's because a vehicle this big NEEDS good mirrors or a camera setup.

I'd think about remaking the supports from aluminium reshaped into an aero foil, and new mirrors from something more modern, possibly a Jeep Wrangler or later Vanagon come to mind, both are reasonably big but have a fairly rounded front end.

[freebeard]

Mount the Kamback to the rear doors and leave its rear end open. When the doors swing open, the KB swings too.

I'd thought about suggesting that, but the hinge line in that picture you posted looks to be 4-6" in from the corner. Wouldn't it need overlapping plates or some other solution? My thought was to make a clamshell that replaced the doors with shelving inside each half, but then you'd have to seal an edge that's twice as long as the doors, so there wouldn't be a lot of dust and exhaust infiltrating.

How about a hinge-line from the bumper ends to a bracket on the drip-rail?

There's whole threads on rear-view mirrors. I like these:

[Otto]

I have a '92 E-150 conversion van, same basic model shown above, but with a high top cap.http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...=0CIEBEDMoXTBd

Its mirrors could be smaller, and the Corplast undertray idea is very promising since the stock belly of this van is an aerodynamic abortion. Or at least add a garden edging air dam. Pizza pan wheel covers would be s snap to install, nestled inside the aluminum wheel rim lips.

My brother has a Ford F-150 with the same 5.8 liter engine, so it's mechanically the same. He says he gets MUCH better highway fuel economy by changing the ignition timing, i.e., ~18-19 mpg vs. ~13-14 mpg previously, so look into that simple mod.

The E-150 van may have better (less bad) aerodynamics than the F-150 pickup truck.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by mwilliamshs

...The picture aerohead posted, is that just my wake as-is, or is that the shape a tail should have, etc? ...

It is the shape a tail would take, not the shape of your wake.

[The_Jed]

Found you on Expedition Portal. I didn't realize your van had the good ol' 300 six. That's probably one of my top 5 all time favorite engines.

Several years ago I happened to buy a '94 F150 with a 4.9, 5-speed combo with 200,000+ miles and it was buttery smooth. It ran better and more smoothly than the wife's 4 year old mini van.

I drove it like an 18 wheeler; never above 2,500 rpm at MOST and usually around 1,200-1,500. I miss that truck. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on your thread here and on E.P.

[The_Jed]

Originally Posted by mwilliamshs

Yeah I am on expedition portal

What about Grassroots Motorsports? The guys over there would LOVE this van and with your low buck repairs and upgrades you'd fit right in.

[elhigh]

I like the 300 and wouldn't change it even if I could, were it me making the decisions. I'm a sucker for old school tech, and a stout truck six like that is right in my wheelhouse. It isn't sophisticated and it isn't especially powerful, but it is dogged and relentless, and that appeals.

The big clunky hinges are an advantage in one way: they provide ready-made mounting points for your tail if you decide to add one. If you can get the hinge pins out, you could replace them with slightly longer ones and install tail panels on those hinges, making it so that you could fold the tail flush against the rear of the vehicle for in-city use or garaging. You could even feasibly still open the doors partway without disturbing the deployed tail.

The underside of your van is an aerodynamic mess and you will reap benefits either from an airdam as you've already discussed, or from adding a belly pan and skirts. It might also make the vehicle quieter, but I'm only guessing there.

I remember working under a 15-pass I used to drive for work, once I was under the vehicle it opened up and there was quite a bit of space in places, next to none in others. Very craggy and uneven.