No really. I've been looking for a project AWD Cargo van for YEARS!!!! Now that i have it, i know i'm going to be broke for a long time. Due to upgrades and mods and service I just dont know how to do(welding).
And here it is!!!!!!!!!!
Towing with my RWD I went to the local truck stop, jumped onto the scales, and found my gross weight to be 11,160 lbs..... You can do the math about what weighs what...
I scanned a copy of the scale receipt but I didn't realize it was scanned as a PDF, and not a JPEG :doh:
All in all, this is going to get good. I'm going to steal a bunch of ideas from Lumpy and CargoCrawler :dance: :banana: :rockon: :cheers:
Once everything is said and done. If either of you make it towards Houston, i'll owe you guys a beer for doing the work and distributing the ideas
Get yourself a MIG and play with scraps. You'll never pay for welding again...besides, it's kinda fun
So what're you going to do first?
I didn't put it on the scales, but the weight of the Uhaul vehicle trailer and my Jeep Liberty added up to about 6,400 lbs on top of the weight of my '02 AWD (but I had no cargo in it and had removed the 3rd row seat). Ran damn good, considering the terrain and the weather (snow, 40+ mph crosswinds and elevations up to 6,600 ft).
Because of my lack of funds. I'm going to just do basic maintenance that the PO NEVER took care of. How ever, i've already removed the fan shrouds and air box for the e-fan mod. But i'm going to do something like DRZ has.. I'll have to look up the links, but he has a radiator hose adapter with a thermo-sensor/switch setup... Totally dig it. And he did it cheap with some Chinese ebay parts. That'll be my first mod for sure! After that, i'm HEAVILY looking into do the marine intake swap. Printed out the how to "booklet" today, just so I can know what im doing
We were among the first to get one. They asked for feedback, so my hubby gave it. They've utilized his suggestions to improve it, so they actually listened. Great little welder, has done an absolute TON of work on my vehicles, on the raceboats and around the house. It's paid for itself ten times over.
Steal the idea of getting a low cost, 120v MIG welder, as the others suggest. I too was blah'd because I'd never taken a welding class, could do most things mechanical except weld. Then I bought one and started melting together everything metal in my garage. Mine is Chinese (they all are) from Northern Tool. Same as the machines from Eastwood, Craftsman, HFreight, low end Lincoln/Miller etc.
You get good at it very fast. You can hang out on welding forums if you like and get a lot of good ideas but there's a lot of dick waving on those. Watch Jody on YouTube, he's good help.
Pretty soon you'll be making brackets and shop jigs and banana straighteners. Then you'll want a bigger machine to make bumpers and hitches.
My very first weld. Flux core out of doors. An hour after receiving the machine. Didn't have a clue what I was doing.
OK. I'm going to dig a little deeper on that topic. Could/Should I buy off craigslist? I've never been the, "buy it new" kind of guy. But I know there are times to just suck it up and spend the "big bucks".
Awesome! Leann, thank you for the suggestion. Lump, thanks for the insight.
I think I will go forward with the mig welder, BUT that's not going to happen for a while simply because that's like step 2,068 when I am still on step 1, (getting the title in my name). So with that going on the drawing board, I know what's going to EVENTUALLY happen, I have an idea of what I will do when I get close to crossing that bridge.
Right now basic maintenance(tune up), and a PROPER e-fan mod, then figuring out the ghetto mexican style alarm system. I pulled a relay out, thinking it was the alarm, but it was not. So I have some tracing to do this weekend...
Well it starts... Not really where I wanted to start but, its a start. The window motors are shot to $**t, so I bought some new ones. Started the door panel removal, different then my RWD van. But not by a lot. I'll get some pictures tomorrow, i didn't finish the assemble, its ridiculously humid out.
The day I picked up my Bravada, it was 25° out. The idiot PO had bypassed the heater core with 2 copper elbows soldered together because he'd damaged the new one (and everything you have to remove to get to it) installing it. Also, he'd spilled at least a litre of brown soda in the center console...the RKE module is mounted right under the cupholders and had burned a half dollar sized hole in itself. If the PWR ACC circuit breaker was installed, the power locks contantly clicked to lock. Of course, the power windows require that circuit breaker to work. Had to open the damn door at the toll booth to pay and it was already freezing in the truck. This was before I had EZ PASS
When I finally found an RKE module (and fob!) at the junkyard and installed it, I discovered that the front power window motors were toast anyway. Got to install them a week later when they arrived.in the meantime, I had the fun of replacing the essentially brand new heater core and super-gluing every screw hole back together (at least a little just to hold the cover in place) the moron messed up because he couldn't be bothered to actually read or follow the instructions.
OK. Just leaving the junkyard, a little disappointed. I didn't find the e-fans I went there for. BUT, I did find a NP233C. I couldn't pull the beast out. I was just under equipped for the task. I did pull the 3 button switch and the TCCM. So next trip(in two weeks) will be the harness and the actual t-case!! I'm to tired to go back and try to pull it. I need to do some reading on how to get it out of there before I just wing it.
... next trip(in two weeks) will be the harness and the actual t-case!! I'm to tired to go back and try to pull it. I need to do some reading on how to get it out of there before I just wing it.
Well, after 2 weeks the transfer case was still there. I try pulling the wiring harness first, well that was a greater challenge then I was ready for. While trying to get the transfer case out, I busted my 15 mm socket on one of the lower bolts of the case. For those of you that have done this in the past, you know the two bolts I'm talking about. So I had to leave it behind, and wait for another two weeks until I get time off from work. But i feel confident that the t-case will be there my next trip out. Just have to get those PITA lower bolts!!!
I did get some e-fans, from a Cadi with a Northstar motor. So i'm hoping they perform like my Mystique/Contour fans. But only one way to find out, and that wont be for a while, with the little time off that I get. I still have to order the new radiator, and modify the adapters for the temp sensors. Sucks not knowing someone with a drill press
Just a small update:
The transfer case I was after in the j/y, was pulled by another :crying:
OK, i'm over it... But I do have the computer for the NC233C, and the three button switch. Which makes it ok, because I still have to get a wiring harness.
The battery is junk :animals-deadhorse:
I think the culprit for not starting, is the fuel pump. So I am cutting up the floor, making a hatch, and even ordering the same one CargoCrawler used :banana:
I still need a angle grinder for the task however, I did drill into the floor and found the sending unit. So I know the area to cut, and that the start of that :happy-bouncyblue:
As for the cooling system, I bought some e-fans from the j/y, but they're two inches too long. BUT I THINK I CAN STILL MAKE IT WORK!! Once I get that angle grinder. Plus I still have to talk to someone/shop about using a drill press for the radiator hose adapters, to be bore out the sending unit ports. I have the adapters, and a drill bit, it is 1/32" small, but I think I can get away with it. If I use a shop(likely), hopefully they will have one with the preferred size.
Changed the cap, and rotor. Taking my time with the plug and wires.
Work is killing me, so free time is spent doing house upkeep and stuff like that.
Well, that's my update.
~Junior
Hey...go back to the start of your build thread and re-read your posts. I bet you'll be surprised at how many things you've knocked off your "to-do" list; probably more maintenance and repair than some people have done in 5 years. Lighten up on yourself! Any job goes better if you relax and take the gun away from your head!
As for the J/Y....next time bolts give you grief, consider doing something counter-intuitive and SNAP the S.O.B.'s off! Just sayin....
Hey...go back to the start of your build thread and re-read your posts. I bet you'll be surprised at how many things you've knocked off your "to-do" list; probably more maintenance and repair than some people have done in 5 years. Lighten up on yourself! Any job goes better if you relax and take the gun away from your head!
As for the J/Y....next time bolts give you grief, consider doing something counter-intuitive and SNAP the S.O.B.'s off! Just sayin....
Oh yea, for sure! I'm not really stressing on anything, except time. I know ive got tons to do, and what I will be doing, is not easy. So yea, im not getting all wound up on anything...... Well, that t-case at the j/y, busting my socket felt like salt on a cut.
But thanks for the kind words bud!!! :cheers:
~Junior
I made a cut in the floorboard, for the fuel pump access door. Had to cut access door down some also, it was to tall to fit. It was bottoming out on the top of the tank. Still have to order a new pump, but the tricky task of this job, is done. Have to figure out how to mount it still. I don't have a pop rivet gun like CargoCrawler, manly because I dealing with pop rivets in general. But im in no rush. I'm sure I'll get it figured out.
Also, donno if I want to keep the rubber mat, or toss it in the garbage.....
I do know, i've got year of dirt and rust to clean up from underneath it.... Yay.... A little POR 15 will patch that up
I didn't get a picture of it, but I finally modified(I.E. cut the shroud enough) the new e-fans, to fit along the radiator. Now I'm just waiting on the radiator hose adapters to get back from a co-worker, because I don't have a drill press. Then I will buy a new upper and lower rad hose, cut up the upper hose for the adapters, and replace the lower because it's REALLY soft.
Over all, a very accomplishing day,
~Junior
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