Interior work

Noticed some wood rot on the inside of the van around the two gull doors.   Decided to tear into it. I've been a boat owner for 14 years so a bit of wood rot isn't scary to me.  Happy to find the repairs will be easy.  Noticed some decent insulation which made me happy.   I'll hit home depot for supplies this week and ordered some automotive vinyl off of ebay.   Will have him looking spiffy in no time.

Automotive woes

OK I have to admit that the van broke down on me.  Thankfully my brother in law Steve was with me with transportation so I wasn't stranded.   I made an on the spot decision to tow the van to a Ford dealer that I kinda trusted.  I had wanted to have it checked out anyway so it wasn't too bad of a experience except for the 103.00 towing charge.


The Ford dealer found I had a bent valve cover and I was down 5 quarts of oil which made the engine shut down with no low oil light (odd)

The complete inspection yielded a mixed results of good/bad news.   The good news was that the engine and drive train were in good shape except for the valve cover.  Compression was good as well as the glow plugs and injectors.   Keep in mind the van has a 7.3 powerstroke diesel.

The bad news was that the front end was shot.  In the end I authorized 2600.00 in repairs including towing which included a long list of maintenance items.  I generally don't go to the dealer but I must admit they were extremely professional and I feel good about having OEM parts.   I anticipate further work being done at independent garages.

  I had anticipated money being spent when  I purchased the van but not quite that amount.   I had saved some money so I won't have any debt and I feel good that the van is now (or should be) sound.   That money buys me a lot of piece of mind.   My goal is 100,000 additional miles of dependable driving.

So I get to pick the van up tomorrow and look forward to checking it out.  Hopefully it will drive most excellent and I'll feel as my money was well spent?   Time will tell.

Atlanta Winter

Not much to report as it's been cold and rainy here in the south.  My van is in storage about 30 miles away but I think I will move it to my driveway this weekend.   It's new to me as I've owned it less than a month.  My first order of business will be to get it into the Ford dealer for a through check over and engine analysis. 

She  (I think its a she)  runs well but hasn't been used much in the last year or so.  I've saved some money and will insure that mechanically its sound before I attend to more comfort and convenience items.   I admit I've got to learn a few things about owning and operating a diesel.

I'm happy to report that its already equipped with a solar system and roof top heat/air.   The interior is in pretty good shape.  I'll customize it to my specifications but I really don't have a lot to do.  I'll nit pick over it and put a lot of thought into what and where to store my desired necessities.

One thing I LOVE is that I'm 6 foot 5 and I can stand in it.   Pretty much the deciding factor in the purchase.

Looking forward to the whole things.   Many thanks to my tribe at Vandwellers for all the help and inspiration.

 

My story

My name is Kenny and I'm a 52 yo single male living in the Atlanta area.   I'm a year or more away from starting to travel the roads of America full time.   My long career as a IT professional is coming to a close as I'm self employed and my current long term contract will be ending within the next 12 to 18 months.

I have a couple of dogs,  Bella and Gracie, both of which will be coming with me.  I've recently purchased a 1995 Ford E350 Cutaway Diesel Van and will be working towards making her roadworthy and livable in the next year.

I spend a lot of time studying the lifestyle of Van Dwellers.   I plan to migrate out west and basically follow the weather.  I was born in Cheyenne Wyoming and spend many happy years in Denver so I feel it's a home coming to me.


Couple of pics:

My wonderful dogs  Bella (white) and Gracie

My Van