radin2son

Are you sleeping crosswise?

JEEP! Mall crawler? We can't let this slide, but we will... Hope you get a serious buyer and soon, so you can start your project.

Since you brought up Sportsmobile, the forum "for sale" formula is market value for the van and 1/2 the value of the conversion. Added value in this instance comes from the fact that the 4x4 conversion was done prior to sale by a Nissan dealership. So there shouldn't be any issues with service, warranty or insurance.

GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK This park, an uplifted (8379') tropical reef, is located in west Texas on the southern border with New Mexico and very close to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This is a park you really, really have to want to visit primarily because you love hiking. There are 2 campgrounds, Pine Springs and Dog Canyon. Pine Springs is more accessible and more crowded. It also is a paved parking lot for RVs, which put me off at first. Set up on the perimeters and you'll have a decent site. The parking in all but 3 sites is over 20' feet wide so you can park cross ways or if you are towing, you can easily fit both. The trails are worth the visit. You can hike to Dog Canyon but it is over 100 miles to drive from Pine Springs to Dog Canyon. Few visit. Hiking is excellent and it is very quiet. The 4 grassy RV sites are in the open, so we asked if we could set up in the tent parking area. (Both campgrounds keep tenters and RVs separate. No exceptions at Pine Springs.) The net result was split level camping; we appreciated the shaded tent area and when the thunder storm hit, we moved quickly into our NV. If you have a traveling dog, there are places they can walk on leash. $8 ($4 with a senior pass) a night to camp. No hookups or showers, but there are flush toilets, sinks for washing dishes and water spigots near the bathrooms.

I don't know if I'm surprised or not as I was never sure how your NV fit into your plans. Now knowing you have a motor home and a preference for trails rather than world touring, it makes sense. Enjoy your new project.

What impression did your NV have on other participants? Post some photos. (If your photos are on your computer, export them as jpeg, medium to desktop, then chose "file" from there. This should enable you to get the right orientation. I had to do this with iPhone photos before they upgraded photos. Now I try to remember to take horizontal photos or crop them square.)

KMG, Are you still out there after getting inspired by the Overland Society? Did they have containers at the ready to ship you and your NV to places where NVs are really unknown.

Thanks for taking us through the process. I see what you mean about the gap, but I doubt anyone will notice without you or Carfax mentioning it. Good luck with your diminished value claim. In some respects the gap may help you. It's a visual that will cost you at resale/trade.

Where are you storing your batteries? Ford makes or outsources a bracket that attaches to the frame. An electrician we know who lives in his van installed 3 this way.

Heated mirrors in AZ? You'll never miss them. Even in the Yukon, they went unused; same for NW in all the rain. Mostly, I forgot the option was there. Best mirrors we ever had on a vehicle...

$60k will get you the Armada/Patrol with the new V8 and 7 speed. www.trucktrend.com has a good preview and "walk around video." That 4x4 NV cargo conversion in AZ that KMG posted has the diesel in it. The Power Nation TV online video will be available on 10/2. Forget the walk around video. That was a "sponsored" ad for the 2017 Pathfinder.

Check your manual. It can be activated or not depending on your preference. This was addressed in a previous post, Alarms etc 4th post down. JB Halin found the fix.

Anyone place an order for 2017? Or are there plenty of 2016 NNs on lots?

Great workmanship and materials. Will your cabinets have latches to keep them closed as stuff shifts when driving? Our shelves have a felt like material covering them that helps keep things in place. We also use plastic trays to keep multiple small things in place. My wife has this down to a fine science; I just put things back where I found them, assuming I can find them. Cream and blue (?) looks good, not the usual shades of gray or gray and cherry in our van.

Paper work was at home as we were on a "car" trip. Nice getting 36+ mpg at 80+ mph. The reason for the trip wasn't. Codes for canister fix were p0441 (purge flow) and p0455 (gross leak - evap). $225.25 to glue the sensor in. In this case the warning light came on and stayed on. I couldn't find p0448 in any of my paperwork but I still recall this was the code cleared by the dealer in Fairbanks. The check engine light came on several times after that when we drove on wet, muddy or wet then dusty dirt roads. The warning light went away on its own after a set sequence of starts or days. By the time we got back to Tucson there was no code. We also had the gas cap warning come on when there was no reason. Eventually the gas cap was replaced. Don't know if this helps you, but the fix may be to just to clean the filter the best you can.

This may clear itself after so many starts The code sounds familiar and was an ongoing issue that was finally solved by fixing the canister, if it is the same one, ($225) vs replacing ($600). The sensor had to be glued in place. Fix common in Titans works 99% of the time. When we first started having problems in AK, the dealer blamed the placement of the canister and sensor. So it could be dust etc.

You are going to have to explain some of your photos. What is the antenna over rear door? Did you ever install an exterior flood light? Your conversion isn't odd. It's a good example of form = function.

Perfect RV size...right now. We have noticed the smaller the dog(s), the larger the RV. Mango eventually will seriously deminish interior space, but like our dogs, not a concern in their minds, nor is there anything wrong with wet dogs. I see Mango convincing you to go to monuments, forest service and BLM land. As Desert Dawg says, he doesn't do parks unless they are dog parks. Did you resolve the propane/insurance issue?

Mango will love your van and adventures: 24/7 of togetherness. You may not be aware that dogs are not particularly welcome in national parks and some monuments. They are welcome in campgrounds but not on trails... Desert Dawg, not our dogs, has a good blog post on this. Be sure to check out the video "man" made for Vasque boots. Beautiful area around Boulder, Utah. desertdawg.acekvale.com

Not much different from charging while idling, only much slower(?). If you are doing this as as a trickle charge, it should work to keep everything charged. We also have to use the adapter to charge the "house" batteries at home and some older campgrounds. It is a slow process, but maybe faster than the way you discovered. Time it if you can... Does your NV come with a starter button that uses the house batteries to start the engine if the battery won't? It was news to us that this is common in RVs.

As tent campers you were more exposed than you'll ever be in your NV. Take that skill and trust and you will be fine. Good luck on your build...

You misread my response. By "designed window space," I meant the existing rear windows you see on NVs. Unlike other taller vans, Nissan chose to use the same windows on both high and low tops. Check out Mahu's latest post and photo. It will give you some idea of how much light comes through the fantastic fan. I wouldn't mess with the floor in anyway. Properly sealed holes for wiring or plumbing is one thing but not an opening vent. It won't take long for road muck to cause problems. You are coming up way short of ventilation. The van space heats up fast and cools slowly even in 70-80* temps. Higher temps and you will cook. You will need more than cracked front windows. Why the fear about breakins, not just expressed by you. If I want in your van, it will be via the passenger door window. A bear will just rip off a door. Stealth camping can be a set up for trouble, same for dispersed camping but for different reasons: getting stuck, running battery down, injury and generally being in cellular dead zones.

That will look very strange. It looks like you do not have any windows which will create more of a ventilation problem than light problem. Go with a fantastic type fan and it will give you some light if you mount it toward the rear of your van. If you want windows, go with OEM intended for the designed window space. Eventually, you may want to sell your NV... SMB and Outside Van have added a small window over the slider door. OV's version may slide open. It looks ok as both have CRL windows in the slider. I would go with both on a high top. I think the optional OEM windows are a must. You can make or buy blackout curtains if you are concerned about stealth camping. Dispersed camping on public lands is legal so you don't need black out curtains.

and that 1/2" would decrease with every mile driven...

I wonder... if 245/75 vs 245/70 tires add some lift, this would be a cheap way to get a little more ground clearance. Thanks for taking the time to check this out.