What are these people thinking!

[A Duke]

My apologies again I meant CEOs, if I had meant Geologists I would have said so and not GEOs.

[kiwigeo]

My apologies again I meant CEOs, if I had meant Geologists I would have said so and not GEOs.

ROFL......no worries. I'm in full agreement with you on CEO's fat pay packets....100 times that of their workers that's not right. My post edited accordingly.

Cheers Martin

[BobL]

Just a final sequel to this saga. The accident happened on 11 Nov, 6 weeks later (yesterday) I got the $ in my bank account, so I am at the insurance company for taking so long and won't be going with them again. Admittedly they did give me a fair payout and by adding another 40% to the payout sum I was able to pick up a reasonable replacement vehicle.

Attachment 156711
2008 turbo diesel, with 62k kms on the clock, still has 3 months warrantee on it, and a new set of good tyres, and the mobile auto inspector gave it a "very good condition" rating. Overall it's a better deal than my previous van purchase, with the new one being slightly better cosmetically, and a fuel consumption of 8.6 v 9.6 L/100km. Also the turbo pulls on the new van like a mule compared to the old van and it's a bit quieter and more comfortable as well. Downside is lower ground clearance, so have to be more careful on bush tracks, and 50 mm taller so have to be more careful in undercover car parks.

The reason I like vans is so I can carry my chainsaw mills and woodworking gear in a big secure compartment.
Attachment 156712

Now I have to back fit all the extras I took off the old van.

[Woodwould]

Congratulations!

It looks like you've already spilled some chain oil near the tailgate.

[BobL]

Congratulations!

It looks like you've already spilled some chain oil near the tailgate.

Cheers WW.

re: Stain, that's from washing the car with the cargo door not fully closed.

[Bob38S]

Good to see you finally got a good result despite it taking so long.

The bar on the front at least looks substantial.

With regards the back - if you are carting gear have you considered the interlocking rubber mats {I use them on the floor in the shed and on the bench when finishing} available from the camping places and from K-Mart in avariety of colours - I only have black - easy to fit, cut to suit, replace individuals if/when necessary and should protect your gear from the floor and the floor from your gear. They come in packs of 4 or 6, approx 600mm square X 12mm thick, with or without holes and interlock with a jigsaw edge - prices vary from about $15 to $24 per pack depending where and when you buy them.

Have a good one and enjoy the vehicle.

Regards,
Bob

[BobL]

Good to see you finally got a good result despite it taking so long.

The bar on the front at least looks substantial.

It's only ~6 mm Ally with a 1" diameter steel bar behind it connecting it to the chassis - more for show than anything else.

With regards the back - if you are carting gear have you considered the interlocking rubber mats {I use them on the floor in the shed and on the bench when finishing} .
.
.

Thanks Bob

yeah - I thought of those mats - especially for ease of installation at but I'd like the mat to hold up to a few hundred ml of CS bar oil when one of my CS leak so the mat needs to be sort of leak proof. That was a problem with the old van - it had a couple of holes in the rubber floor and if the bar oil leaked in that spot I parked the van uphill, threw in a couple of buckets of sawdust and let it soak up the oil and then hose it out - not something I want to do on a regular basis.

[Bob38S]

.....
Thanks Bob

yeah - I thought of those mats - especially for ease of installation at but I'd like the mat to hold up to a few hundred ml of CS bar oil when one of my CS leak so the mat needs to be sort of leak proof. That was a problem with the old van - it had a couple of holes in the rubber floor and if the bar oil leaked in that spot I parked the van uphill, threw in a couple of buckets of sawdust and let it soak up the oil and then hose it out - not something I want to do on a regular basis.

Best I could suggest at this time is to check out Blackwoods or similar for their "catch" trays used under drums or pallets - from memory they come in all shapes/sizes and of course prices.

[BobL]

Well it finally cooled down enough so I could work in the shed and do some small mods on my new van.

Here is the before shot again.


Here is the after shot.
U = Upholstered panels to reduce noise
M = Rubber mat
H = Hatchway
R = 1" square ally tube tie down rails


Here is a close up of the hatchway.

The idea with this is to have a bit more space to access while driving along. Also can carry extra long things under cover if really necessary.

Still to do, roof racks, reversing camera, and a little storage compartment I'm building into the side door step well.