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 😎

If I build it....A safety harness would be mandatory. Hint 😬😎

That's nice!

Being as you are a painter...

And have a Van...

is your name Vincent?










Vincent Van Go?

Sheesh..

between you


and that Alaska dude's "Joe King" humor this place is losing its touch.



And, before I finished reading your whole post, I figured you were referring to some serial killer I saw on the ID Channel's "dead people" shows (That's what my wife calls my true crime shows)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11879398/



Dang, after looking at the pic of the van you're done with and getting rid of, and the pic from the show.................


is there something you're not telling us Beav?

Nice job on the van, Beav.

I painted houses for 20+ years before I quit in 04' when the kids showed up. After all those years I came to the conclusion that painters, if they stick with it long enough, will follow one of three path's. They either become drunks/drug addicts from breathing fumes all day, go insane from the tedious work and crazy clients, or become enlightened mental giants through constant meditation whilst slinging a brush.

I'd say you have found the path to enlightenment unless you are a high functioning drunk but I doubt that's the case.
May the Kilz be with you.

I have an iron clad alibi...Candy falling outta my pocket and a puppy doesn’t make me culpable. 😂😎

Liquid joinery bro. hahaha

Nice job on the van it looks sharp inside and out. Unlike the old one, tell me you'll wash this one, at least once?

I can paint with either hand equally well....If I was painting a self portrait. I would keep all my face appendages and include a black dong like the picture Kingston keeps floating around, just to make my portrait authentic. 😬😎

Hey Salty,

Hope you’re doing good up North!

Yes Sir, I promise to do a better job washing the exterior of the new van. Need to clear a place inside the shop for it to sit during the fall and winter months while I’m hunting and fishing.

The salt water and moisture kills the work van. If you saw the undercarriage of the old van, you’d question how it hadn’t separated from the frame...It’s completely rusted out.

😎

He lives on the coast...............it gets washed by Ma Nature regularly. Quite frequently from October-March no doubt.

Stabbin cabin

Yeah I lived literally on the coast for quite a while. All that rain makes your rig look nice and clean all the time Till your roof rack starts dribbling rust tracks down the body and the frame and everything bolted to it starts to look like it just got pulled up from the bottom of the sea

Scrape off the rusty scale and paint paint paint every year. Whatever color "white" you have hangin' around. It works on tugs and fishing boats............no problem on a van.

Of course, until you get it in the yard for a rebuild and can sandblast it, your van will just gain a few pounds every year. Whatever solids are left after the volatiles are gone!

Good one!

Vehicles that live outside near the big briny are biodegradable that's all there is to it

I’m old...I like a bed with big fluffy pillows and not smelling like unleaded gas.

But, if the customer was smokin hot....I’d smash in the van. (If I was a single, I mean)

😬😎

All I know is if you buy a van or truck designated as a "Commercial Vehicle" the insurance is over the moon. My semi-retired electrician bought one a while back and found out the hard way. He found out he should have done what you did and bought a large van and converted it. He said he might have to go back to full time just to pay for his work van. I don't know if he got rid of it or not.

Rattle can white a few times a year to cover the rust streaks from the ladder rack. She’s ready to roll and make money. 😎

LOL!!!

Nice work rig Beav -

You should have seen my old 86 Toyota 2wd pick up. We bought in coastal Nor Cal in 1997 or 98. Moved to NW PA (salt on the roads) in 99, then to mountains in AZ, then eventually to Juneau (more salt air). By the time I got rid of it in 2011 or so the silver truck had 4-5 different shades of silver/gray on it, Krylon and off brands.

It was beautiful.

Sorry I sold it, the dude I sold it to must have let it die out. I saw it around town in WA for a year or so, then no more. Newish 4Wheel Parts suspension under it, maybe only 50K on a rebuild (+/-325K total). Sure wish I had it now for running to town for straw and chicken feed.

Can of corn Wally.

Nice rig, Beav.

But it is missing a creepy bubble window on each side! I will buy them if you promise to install...

“Buy it Now” on Amazon...79S is sending me his “Free Candy” stencil for each side of the kiddie buggy.

😬😎

That was a boat, Beav don’t do boats!

Leveling kit and dual it out .

Put an ice cream PA system on it.

I’d put a set of 35x12.50 mud terrains on there just for the optics. Can you make the front set up about 3” higher Than the back too ??

Looks great. Don't worry. You built it tough to take a beating.. Like, you know it will. Lol.

Maybe a fake (or not) 50 cal rotating turret out the top, for the handful of Oregon patriots left in the state?

Beav, this is a MOBILE BILLBOARD for your business.

Make it count.

“Beaver’s Boutique Painting”

Get a chain link steering wheel and some fuzzy dice for your rear view mirror

Fact, or water.

Beaver is a land lover.

😟😎

Looks good and sturdy! 2x12's for drawer sides ought to last you about 30 years. You are bringing back memories for me.....

I started out in construction in Utah as a laborer in 1972 doing mostly concrete and pipe laying work. Decided I wanted to move up out of the dirt and mud, and save my knees, so took a job with my BIL framing houses and learning carpentry.

Then I worked for a cabinet maker for a year or so, and an architect building tilt up concrete molds. I decided I could make more money if I worked for myself so I got a carpentry and remodeling license in 1978 , followed by a GC license in 1983.
I had a red Ford Econoline as a work truck and it was great for the job. I welded up the roof rack and built it out myself as you have done.

In 1990 we moved to Henderson; work was slow in Utah and Nevada was having a building boom. I took a temporary job with the City while I waited for my Contractors license to come through. The city job was as a "Carpenter/Painter" (ever hear of that trade designation?). My dad taught my brother and I rudimentary painting skills growing up.

I did the painting on all of my remodeling jobs, if the owners didn't want to do it themselves. We did everything on my jobs from the ground up, except for plumbing, electrical, and hvac.; so concrete, framing carpentry, roofing, drywall, painting and finish carpentry were in-house.

The temp job with Henderson City turned out to be permanent and I worked my way up from the Carpenter/Painter position to Superintendent of Facilities and then moved to the Construction Management division for the last few years of my career.

After putting on the shirt and tie for the later years and managing people, what I missed most was just what you are doing; driving around in my own truck full of tools and being self employed.

Haven't dumped like that for awhile, take it for what it's worth and I hope you're very successful with your painting buisness.

P.S. I always favored Purdy or Wooster brushes. I haven't seen any of those Proform brushes around here; they any good?

Militant Painting shouldn’t offend people, no?

😎

Need a good musical sound to attract...Suggestions?

😎

One exterior paint job and it’s broke in with hand marks from paint. Need to run the 32’ft extension through a back window to make it perfect. In time, this will happen.

😎

No

Bearver Bruh,

Dudes around here got it all wrong. Gun turrets and mudder tires. WTF?

No way Jose.

Slam that bitch. You ain't takin' it off road are you? Good set of hydraulics on it, some purple flake paint, dingle balls around the windshield, picture of a beautiful chiquita on the sides, and a La Cucaracha horn.

Similar to what I'm talkin' bout (NSFW, explixit musik) :



Thank me later,

Geno

PS, the chain steering wheel ain't a bad idea

Well, not what i was expecting.

Thought the was gonna be Beav’s Rolling Pimp Show.
Boom boom room on wheels.

Crushed red velvet seats. Shag carpet. Hand sanitizer dispenser by the sliding door.

The candy van goes live tomorrow on it’s first job.



The entire process from van purchase through buildout then flipping and organizing gear from the old van to new chariot took about 6 days.

I’m not one that enjoys these endeavors. I’ve always been more of a turn-key person - buy something already done and ready to roll.

But, when it comes to work equipment, like a van, I’m a believer in paying cash, get it fixed up right in the beginning and go to work.




Overall cost, I’m in the neighborhood of $6500 with lumber. That’s a better price point than $18k for a new already built work van that I will have trashed with paint mishaps within a month.




Time to make money 💰

😎

👍

#dollardollarbillyo

Looks good Mark! Now go make some money.

They don;'t sell Ram Promasters in Oregon?