Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire New Work Van Build Out....

Beav’s been busy the last few days...I finally retired my old 97 Ford e250 extended van with 247k miles for a new 1997 Ford e250 standard length work van with 51k miles.

I’ve been looking for a year to replace my old war horse van. Last week I found the same van, same year, same solid TritonV8 engine, but with only 51k miles on it, in excellent condition, with new brakes and tires. Service records indicated maintenance done at a Ford dealership like clockwork.

I had passed on several newer vans that came with interior cabinets and drawers already installed, preferring to build out the inside to fit my painting needs.

Van was listed at $7995, I bought it for $5980. I have $570 dollars in timber and miscellaneous do-dads to complete the interior.

Let’s take a look.

The Van



The ladder rack from my older van...Had to take the grinder and steel bristled head to clean up some light rust spots on the tubing and brackets. Gave everything a good coat of primer, then attacked everything with oil based, marine paint. Back to original condition.




The interior build consisted of eight 2x12x8’ Doug Fir. One 2x4x8’. Six 1x4x8’ and six sheets of 1/2” standard grade plywood. Sheet metal screws-various lengths, and torqx head 3.5 inch deck screws. I had a few sticks of 1x4” cedar I used for making drawer dividers.

The plan was to lay out a new plywood floor, covering the rubber floor coating that was already installed. Then build 3 drawers. Two 5’ ft long drawers in the rear, and one 4’ ft long drawer that would be reached from the side sliding door.





My thought was to use the huge drawers to carry brushes, roller cages/roller heads, masking tape and house prep equipment, getting it out of the way and cutting down on the number of shelves I had in my old van.

I use the top of the drawers that are covered in 1/2 plywood to load all my smaller ladders, drop sheets, sprayers, and paint for a project. I still needed a couple of shelves for items, so I built in two 10.5 wide x 7’ft long shelves on the left side of the van.



I left openings on the right and left side for 5 gallon buckets and additional items that just need a spot. My long poles will be placed in brackets on the interior roof. Broom and sprayer hose will find a home on hooks and the right side of the van.





More...😎

Crazy building skills there.

You'll fit right in with the "men who can do everything" on the other thread!

Probably glad you got the V8 instead of that gas guzzling V10?

And how in hell do you find a van that's older than some of the youngsters here with only 51K on it? It might even last you a couple of years on the coast.

Starting moving gear and equipment from the old van...Holy Shît! The stuff I’ve accumulated over the years in that old girl. Think I needed the extra 3’ft I lost going to a standard length van.



Just brushes alone...Who needs a paint brush? LoL





Ladder rack reinstalled on the new van...Had to make a couple of changes to make it fit, but with all new stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts, it’s golden and ready for the coastal weather.



Tomorrow, I’m back to finishing up adding some racking, hangers, and moving gear over, and figuring where it should go.

I’m an Journeyman house painter. I learned from my dad who was a Master Painter, back when the painting trade included the art of installing wallpaper, faux painting, and doing gold leaf work. I’m a hack compared to the skill the old fugger had...

But, I’m not a carpenter, framer, or finishing carpenter, obviously... Where’s JackMountain when I could have used his help.

Painting is a skilled trade, but it’s clearly not carpentry. I wish I had the finish skills some tradesman have. My van would have looked incredible.

Jack this is for you, bro 😬😎

A guy had it as a delivery van for his family’s cleaners. They sold the business, he kept the van for household use which it saw limited use. It was stored under a carport, outside, but protected enough that there was only a few spots where paint was peeling. No rust!

I like the old TritonV8 and V10’s. IMO they were a solid motor from Ford - mileage be dammed. Grins 😬😎

My wife nephew moved up here few yrs back. Bought a similar van like yours. He left it here and moved to Juneau with promises he would come a get it and left the heaping pile of chit at our house. It started off on the side of the house then in the back yard.. I needed it gone, wife had it sold to some Samoans for $1000 bucks but her nephew being the die hard Rez Indian thought thing was a block of gold and wanted more money. Samoans walked and guess what was a lawn ornament at my house. You guessed the white rape van.
So my bud has a place kind of has collage of wrecked cars asked him to keep over there. He said sure, so I fire this pile up, which was a miracle. I take off down the road I get over 40 ph ucking thing starts to shake like the ph ucking space shuttle on re-entry. When you stop at stop signs or lights thing barely runs. So we make it my buds and leave it. My wife gets ahold of her nephew, this is where it gets good. He says him and his brother applied for passports and are going to drive this ph ucking thing through canada. I told the wife that pile of chit won’t make it to glennallen 160 miles away.
Well my bud goes and falls in love moves to anchorage, decides to rent his place asked me to move it. So I get one of my buds to help me I get it started and begin the cross town adventure. Same thing shakes real bad idle gotten worse, transmission slipping like like retard at a water park.
I park in front of the house and this past Halloween me and the wife decorated it.



The ph ucking thing still in the front yard, I need to make this thing disappear or give it to a Samoan family let them deal with the title

LMFAO!!!

I gave my old van away to the local landscaper. He’s coming Saturday to drive her out....I’ll take a pic of the beat up thang. It looks worse then your lawn ornament....I’m still Laffin - Free Candy 😂😎

Cool job.

Don't sell yourself short on your tradesmanship. Maybe you can't do all those things your dad did, but there's not much of a market for them anyway. However, if you really wanted to learn them..................you'd have to give up your playtime here and do something productive, like take a gold leaf class!

No one ever asks me to help them paint, at least not after I explain to them my idea of painting. You live near the coast, maybe have been to one of the harbors and have seen some of the old working boats? The ones who get painted by the deck crew every year to keep the rust down. Chip off some of the loose (lose? ) flaking paint and get the rollers and brushes out. Slop paint on. Until the thing goes into the yard for a rebuild or something, it just gets thicker and thicker.

I paint somewhat like that.............cover scheidt up so it doesn't rust, or get weathered, or sunburnt. I cannot "stay in the lines" or paint trim without slopping it onto the wall. Even bought some Purdey brushes to try as a painter told me good brushes help...............well buster, they don't help me much.

Wife wanted the master bdrm painted this past year. I hired a friend who's been at it for 30 years or so. Way less frustration and a way happier wife and I got to stimulate the local economy, right.

Not sure about the V8 but that V 10 critter had some torque for a gas engine. I guess they had a decent rep for durability too.

It was pretty popular during Halloween a lot families took pictures with there kids by it...

79s

that is pretty friggen hilarious.

Any Mormons up your way? They love them vans.

Witnesses too, they can get a good dozen in there for proselytizing on the weekend.

I drive it to big lake or meadows lake and ditch it. But thing is a death trap and I might end up a casualty of pos.

G,
I appreciate the sentiment that I could learn...Maybe?

I’ve always felt a solid, finish contractor, was the shît in construction of new or remodeling of a home.

Here’s a picture of both actual gold and silver leaf pop gave to me many moons ago. Guessing, it’s easily 70 years old stuff. Extremely fragile due to the thinness of each sheet.

I’ve seen dad take raw sheet metal, hand paint it, then lay leaf onto it making it look exactly like fine marble. You wouldn’t know you were looking at sheet metal unless you hit it with a stick.

Artisan skills...He tried to show me how to do it. I was like - hell no pop. Hand me the spray gun. Grins. 😎

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s very nice!

Looks good Beav, ya missed a little spot on the draws though..........

Good idea on the draws, good storage and ya still have a bed for dates.

The retired van found a new home as a landscapers hauler.

😎

I need some deer stands built. Call me

Nice job on the interior!

It about time you got a work van that can make it to Michigan. I’ll buy the paint.

Congrats on the new van and awesome work, Beave!

Nice touch giving the old one to the landscaper.

Deal...Except I will fly with my painting grip. See you when duck hunting opens. LoL 😝😎

Thanks LD...Rough cutting and screwing timber together is a close as I can get to finish carpentry. The rest gets caulked in and painted. Laffin 😎