Post your ride thread

That's awesome. Having a van for surfing is a game-changer. I bought my van (1991 E350 Super Wagon) last January and it completely changed my routine. Just having some space to get out of the wind while you pull on your wetsuit is such a luxury. My van is nowhere near as nice as yours but it gets the job done haha

I thought about doing a conversion but my rig is already where I want it for my needs: hauling longboards to the beach and towing my boat. The plan is to upgrade to something 4x4 with a higher roof eventually.

 

that is one suite ride. Square body trucks are going up in value now

 

Too true, Headhigh! My van has allowed me to pull off and enjoy beaches I’d never been too. Up north of SF there are tons of spots you’re allowed to van camp at, right off of highway 1. Just went up to mendocino and drove off-road to southern Lost Coast. Here are a few shots.

 

Did you forget to stop near Jenner on your way north? Damn dude, you’re missing some key CA spots.

 

Actually started the coast drive from Jenner and continued up to Usal Beach. Stayed in Pt Arena, Usal and Westport.

 

Picked this sucker up a few months ago. pretty happy with it so far. Handles everything I've thrown at it so far to include a couple trail rides and quite a bit of Hatteras beach driving.

 

Dang fellas. Had to drop my van off at the mechanic this morning.

It started a few months ago when I got my boat. It's pretty heavy, and my 30y/o brakes felt like they needed a tune-up. So, not wanting to leave my safety and that of my fellow drivers to my mediocre at best mechanic skills, I dropped the van off for a brake diagnostic at a highly recommended local garage.

I get it back a couple days later with $800 worth of pads and rotors and labor, but it's OK because "she'll be right" and I won't go careening off the highway with my boat when I try to stop. That evening i'm heading to the beach for an after work surf and my wife says "your van smells like s*it, like even worse than usual". At the next traffic light I smell it too, and see a cloud of smoke coming up from the brakes. Back to the mechanic I go!

I call them the next morning, hoping that they'll offer some kind of assistance considering they just worked on it, but no. They give me an estimate for $300 to replace a frozen brake caliper. Why didn't they test drive it before releasing back to me??!! Anyway, I'm now in for over a grand but at least my brakes are fixed.

Fast forward a couple months to a few days ago. I drive across town to a super fancy pre planned type neighborhood to buy a miter saw off FB marketplace. Everything is fine on the way over but as soon as I leave the seller's house, my brake pedal drops to the floor. I have no brakes except for the rear drums at the bottom of the pedal for my 3 ton van. Also, I must have left a puddle of brake fluid in front of that fancy house. OOPS.

I limp it the 30 minute drive home, it was terrifying. This morning I carefully drove it to a different mechanic. I know my rig is 30 years old but for over $1k you should be able to button up a job that is really just maintenance. Just waiting on the estimate now. Looks like some surf this weekend and I really don't want to have to strap boards on my Honda.

Tater Tots and Pears for my van.

 

HH... they are taking you for a ride alright... brakes are pretty simple and it sounds like they have not done a good job especially if after 800 dollars you still have drum brakes in the rear... for 800 bucks you should have disc all around.. unless they had to get into the master cylinder which can be pretty pricey... do some research and ask them some more questions. Make them sweat a little. Information is the best ammunition.

 

You're right. I did do a ton of research and this was supposed to be one of the more reputable places in town. I figured I would spend the money at a reputable shop so that I know it's right. I'll mess around with my motor and body but not my brakes or suspension. Most important parts of the vehicle IMO. My problem is that the van is so huge and heavy that I can't pull the wheels off at my house so I'm sort of stuck taking it somewhere.

All that said, even after the $1k brake job I still have less than $3k in the van including what I paid for it so I'm not in too crazy deep. Also it's a 30 year old van, s*it is going to fail, I was just hoping that it wouldn't be the same s*it over and over.

edit: it's currently at a different shop that I have some history with. I took it to the first place because they specialize in domestic, while the place I have it now does more import work.

 

right on - yeah, just hate to hear about people getting takin advantage of. hopefully this new place does the trick, or at least gives you some ammo to go over to the other shop and say WTF.

 

I actually just got a call from shop#2. Apparently some of the brake hard-lines have corroded where they connect to the brake distributor, and they are telling me it will cost $1200 - $1500 to fix. No thanks.

I'm going to pick it up after work today and take a look for myself.

 

That Jeep is sick, Lonesome. One of my buddies has a regular Cherokee Trailhawk and that thing is so nice. Leather everywhere including that dash. Super lux. Has a great sound system too.

 

Not really

 

My two favorite rides were a 1976 Jeep CJ7 with the original V8 and 3 speed. Id strip it down bare in the summer, no top or doors (island living). It was a poon magnet.
Then my 89 white Bronco, exact same as OJ's. Took that thing across the country twice.

I just got rid of my soccer mom van, and graduated to a little 4 barrel economy suv. WTF. I hate being responsible. It's almost time for my mid life crisis.

 

dude I dig cj’s, especially 3’s and 5’s.

I owned a white Bronco for over 20 years, easily my favorite ride...but it was a ‘69. I actually drove that thing all over the country.

Sold it for a nice profit and bought a classic Porsche lol

 

Old Bronco's are my favorite.
Must have been hard to part with, but an old school Porsche sounds fun as hell.

 

I whipped the piss out of that 911 for 7 years and 70k miles lol, my 2nd most favorite ride.

my current ride is low key and nothing to brag about lol. Just the way I like it now

 

Update on my rig. I filled up the brake fluid, pumped the brakes til the pedal felt solid, and the brakes seems to be working perfect again. I didn't do a singe thing except top off the fluid and the brakes fixed themselves?

I went for a test drive which turned into a hundred mile "let's see if the brakes keep working" trip and they worked flawlessly. Not a single drip of fluid leaked out. I have no idea what's going on but I'm afraid to tow the boat until I know the brakes are right.

Advise?

 

That's tough, I'd be a little worried towing a boat. Is the brake fluid dark and discolored?

 

Not sure but I'll run and check the reservoir when the rain lets up.