Good for daily work-mobile?

[thedjjack]

From BC Ferries Website:

"Effective April 1, 2010, the passenger overheight vehicle fares (over 7 feet high) will be eliminated and all passenger vehicles up to 20 feet in length will pay the same fare. All passenger vehicles over 20 feet in length will pay the same extra per foot charge. Please note, this fare change does not apply to the Northern Routes."

Source bottom of page: http://www.bcferries.com/fares/

[Bandwidth]

If you don't mind climbing hills at 65kph (loaded, unmodified) in a low gear then the L300 will do ya..

What kind of modifications would allow for greater speeds? I'm not into crazy mods but anything that extends the life and enjoyable use is definitely in consideration.

I really want to hold out for captains chairs in the 2nd row , am i being ridiculous? IS this feature as good as I hope or should i settle for the bench versions currently available at some reputable dealers on the forum.

I'm quite interested in LOki's Gem but since im going to be using it as a ladder bearing service vehicle i think i have to look for a low roof.... I dont think i can reach up to 7'6'' to lift a ladder off the roof while standing on the ground. perhaps a stool might fill the need tho...

L300 or bust

Cheers
DAve

[RichD]

If you don't mind climbing hills at 65kph (loaded, unmodified) in a low gear then the L300 will do ya..

What kind of modifications would allow for greater speeds? I'm not into crazy mods but anything that extends the life and enjoyable use is definitely in consideration.

Lower temps is the issue.

Start with maintenance/prevention: change air filter regularly, replace/recore radiator & hoses when needed, install a pyro.

Basic mods: see 2.5" exhaust, EGR blocking to start - simple and cheap mods that pay for themselves in mileage and reduced wear.

The extreme mod/holy grail is the addition of an intercooler which requires very specific and specialized skills to do. This has merit in that both the Paj and the L400 have one with a very similar engine. IMO it would be more productive to upgrade the primary cooling system (bigger/better rad) first but I'm still looking for hard info on that mod.

There is a thread about pyro that delves into this topic. This is a major technical topic so if you haven't come across it yet, suggest you do more forum reading.

I really want to hold out for captains chairs in the 2nd row , am i being ridiculous? IS this feature as good as I hope or should i settle for the bench versions currently available at some reputable dealers on the forum.

We were so excited about these at first but ultimately took them out. They take up a lot of space in the van. The three-seater bench in the back is all the passenger room we need. It is possible to add the captain's chairs to your van later, if it matters. The assembly is two tracks, the bases and the chairs. I know at least one forum member has a set and we have the tracks so...

A lot of people keep the craptain's chairs and remove the rear bench. The thing is that we prefer to use the large space in the middle of the van, which we access via the side door. Working behind the van under the hatch is not as practical. As a service vehicle, I think the side door is FTW. IMO unless you have more than 3 kids, you'll want to delete the middle row.

I'm quite interested in LOki's Gem but since im going to be using it as a ladder bearing service vehicle i think i have to look for a low roof.... I dont think i can reach up to 7'6'' to lift a ladder off the roof while standing on the ground. perhaps a stool might fill the need tho...

Counterpoint: How tall is a standard panel van? Jay has one and the roof rack was too high to reach without a stool. Can't you drop the end of the ladder on the back of the rack and then slide it on? High roof is a plus IMO.

L300 or bust

[mararmeisto]

What kind of modifications would allow for greater speeds? I'm not into crazy mods but anything that extends the life and enjoyable use is definitely in consideration.

The single modification that made the greatest increase in output speed has got to be an intercooler - in my Pajero. I spent 7000$ to get the intercooler, but it was worth every nickel.

Seriously though, there were a couple of us trying to figure out how to cram an intercooler (and more importantly the tubing) into the engine bay of an L300, but other than GaryO none of us did it (and GaryO didn't really report back how it made his van better). The best option was thought to be a water-cooled intercooler in the space where the rear climate-control gear goes, but you'd have to rip all that out first.

If you're not going to put in an intercooler (which could cost nearly 1000$), I'd suggest a pyrometer (couple hundred) so you can monitor your exhaust gas temperatures - keeping them lower, saves your engine.

As for height, if you're anything less than about 6', a high roof is just going to be a bother for putting things on top. These vans are tall and narrow, and without a step ladder or a wheel-step, it's just difficult to get up there.

Also, as nice as the Crystal Lite roof is, it turns your van into a greenhouse. If I was to choose again, it'd be a high roof with no Crystal Lite. I loved the Moon Machine, but it was a bit of a chore to try to keep it cool in the summer with the sun beating down on all that glass.

[RichD]

As for height, if you're anything less than about 6', a high roof is just going to be a bother for putting things on top. These vans are tall and narrow, and without a step ladder or a wheel-step, it's just difficult to get up there.

I say again, how is a high roof any different from a standard panel van in height?

Also, as nice as the Crystal Lite roof is, it turns your van into a greenhouse. If I was to choose again, it'd be a high roof with no Crystal Lite. I loved the Moon Machine, but it was a bit of a chore to try to keep it cool in the summer with the sun beating down on all that glass.

Caveat: We have dual working air conditioners and all four electric shades work. Greenhouse effect not an issue. We have to turn off the front A/C at times because it is excessive. Clearly Mr Mitsubishi had a reason to install the shades and rear A/C. We also have the sliding windows which, when open, negate the greenhouse effect sans A/C. Not to mention curtains on the drivers side can be left closed while driving.

Don't not buy a good van because its high roof or Crystal Light. Buy a folding step stool or make your roof rack with a ladder hook for easy loading. What's most important is mechanical, which will ultimately be the big ticket that you can't just do yourself. A lot of the cosmetic stuff and minor systems you can tinker with on weekends. A few hundred here and there, and satisfying weekend projects.

All the obvious things on our van work great, the standard list of things to watch out for were taken care of, and it runs fine. But if I had known that I had $2500 of work to do under the hood, I would have kept shopping. The cosmetic stuff can be a distraction, and when people are putting L300's on the market for low five figures, you should expect all the major mechanical to be in good working order.

[Bandwidth]

All excellent points , I still think a crystal light roof, 7 seater, auto is my choice of heart given all the givens that are becoming apparent.

How important is the pyrometer? is this a must have? i think im defnitely going to be getting a lager exhaust as that seems to be nearly unanimous amongst those polled, unless there are some abstainers that think otherwise. would love to hear more on that.

how about the ac? functionally acceptable? issue prone?

A Wvo system is a real attraction to me but i really know nothing about it, perhaps some more time on the forum is in order, anyone know a great wvo link for newbies?

I really appreciate all the feedback, I'm not sure where any other vehicle has quite an active and helpful forum. cant wait to contribute from the other side.

D

[RichD]

How important is the pyrometer?

Read this thread!

how about the ac? functionally acceptable? issue prone?

Summary: If you go manual, no AC means you have no rads above the front steps which means you can delete them for improved offroad clearance. If you go CL roof, rear AC is a big plus per my post above.

A lot of people say their AC is broken. None of them seem to be going to AC repair shops to get it fixed it though... I would attribute this to thrift, mild summers in lower mainland, and the predominance of offroaders wanting to delete the front steps. Might be cultural, too. Back east the summers are brutal and the winters similarly so; climate control in cars is a major feature.

I really appreciate all the feedback

Welcome to the family.

[Bandwidth]

Fellas, are you guys all mechanics? Cus as i follow along all these threads i feel like i know less and less and that there is more and more to actually wrap my head around.

Basically it looks as if a pyro is a must have for anyone really wanting to cherish their ride and avoid catastrophe, whats the word on these , do the more reputable dealers typically build them into the vehicles , or is this more of a consumer thing?

What other uber important mods should a monkey like me look into, keeping in mind im not an extreme offroader but an enthusiastic weekend warrior type, typically with 4 yr old in tow.

god bless delica.ca

Dave

[RichD]

god bless delica.ca

Amen, brother.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Now let us say grace:

[BCDelica]

Ahem, testify...............

For a work vehicle the slider isn't FTW.

The sliding door is opening and closing many more times than domestic usage on a work vehicle. There are is a mess of roller bearings and that pivoting center do-hickey that can fail. Our 96 Dodge work van and 00 Astro van both had failures in the center sliding mechanism, though the Astro van's fails can be attributed to massively heavy closing by feisty teenagers ($90 part ). Get fastidious bout maintenance of those slider bears on your Delica; once a week I would have two lab type bottles, the squeeze type with long thin spouts to get fluid in tight areas, one filled with acetone (which I bought bulk anyways as a WVO additive) to wash the bearings of collected grime, and another filled with winter chain saw oil. The bottle for the chain saw oil needs to be good quality to not frustrate you fully with popped tops and sticky oil spills, which until your practiced is going to happen. Procedure of cleaning and lubing takes a little over 5 minutes, and makes old doors slid like new.

If you use the rear hatch make sure the struts work very well, you don't want to have the hatch slam down on your head due to a wind gust and take 20 seconds to open. I sprung for brand new struts, and if they don't preform great I'd have done teh Mystery Machine mod of adding a second set of struts to allow snappy openings.

Captain chairs make for happy passengers.....

[Bandwidth]

LAwd LAwd LAwd can i get a witness...

Im hearing u bcdelica as im going to be using it in the same conditions as you once did. i am heavily favoring..... basically all your advice..

love the give n take
cept im all about the take
sorry...

D