Comments for Project Dino Evolution

Comment on Rebuilt struts by Felix

Felix — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:38:26 +0000

Well, so far so good. We are 8 month in and haven’t had much problems. Leaking brake piston, broken starter wiring and a dead auxiliary battery. Nothing you couldn’t fix on the road.
The solar system is working great. Next time I would make it removable though, so I could aim better into to the sun. This would increase the power quite a bit while in camping mode. All other modifications work as expected.

Cheers
F

Comment on Rebuilt struts by bruce gallagher

bruce gallagher — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:31:19 +0000

How is the trip going for you…..? the photos probably say volumes……Have you had any issues

with your modifications…..has the solar worked well for you etc….

Cheers,

Bruce

Comment on New Mudflaps by jehan andrabado

jehan andrabado — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:11:10 +0000

thanks sir felix,more power to your website….

Comment on New Mudflaps by Felix

Felix — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:35:52 +0000

It really depends on the length of your mud flap. The rule of thumb is that the mud flap shouldn’t touch the tire when you back up in deep mud.

Comment on New Mudflaps by jehan andrabado

jehan andrabado — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:09:35 +0000

how length of your steel wire from the mudflaps sir?i’m your avid fan in your website,i had a delica from philippines sir,thanks..

Comment on Sleeping Platform by Richard Dagenais

Richard Dagenais — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:12:44 +0000

You are welcome! :-D Thanks for posting this.

Comment on Multinational by L300 Foca

L300 Foca — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:03:21 +0000

Hahaha, pa vi ste iz Hrvatske :)

Zdravo komsije :)

Comment on Auxiliary Diesel Tank by Felix

Felix — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:36:40 +0000

:D Haha. Not really as the auxiliary tank filler has a lock in it anyway.

Comment on Auxiliary Diesel Tank by Jordan

Jordan — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:10:07 +0000

If you’re paranoid of people filling dino with gasoline you need another [diesel] sticker for your rear tank fill.

Comment on Fire Extinguisher by Felix

Felix — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:52:18 +0000

Hey Henri,
It is an ABC powder extinguisher as the CO2 are really expensive. I’m well aware what this powder does to a vehicle. It is really just the last option before we would loose our van to the flames in the middle of nowhere. I guess once you had a fire inside, you can not sleep in it because of the odour anymore anyway.
The trip is going great. We enjoining our self in Mexico right now.
Cheers

Comment on Factory Accessories Catalogue by Felix

Felix — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:19:02 +0000

I’m pretty sure these items are not available from the factory anymore. Remember the l300 is not in production for quite some time. That said there is probably still the possibility to buy some of them used in Japan.

Comment on Factory Accessories Catalogue by kyle holoboff

kyle holoboff — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:36:32 +0000

is this catalogue available at all? or any of the items in it?

Comment on Fire Extinguisher by henri

henri — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:04:14 +0000

Hi felix,
nice curtains.
also a nice fire axtinguisher one question did you get one with powder ore co2??
i had a fire a couple of years back and used a powder extinguisher and that finished my car. the powder is pure salt and goes in every tiny space the car has….
how is your trip going??

greetings, henri

Comment on Storage Curtains by Felix

Felix — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:26:20 +0000

Thanks Brian. We are actually already on the road since about 2.5 month. So all the latest blog posts are written from the road. I just had not enough time to write and finish the van at the same time :)
There are still quite a few post coming…

Comment on Storage Curtains by Brian Driggs

Brian Driggs — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:11:08 +0000

Coming along nicely, mate. How long before you set out overland?

Comment on Window Covers by Felix

Felix — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:44:15 +0000

Hey Bruce,
There are two reasons for a snorkel on a l300. First, it brings down the engine temperature and second it is the first step to make your van ready for some deeper water crossings which happens quite often when you want to explore the country on side roads and not just on the main highways.

Removing the EGR makes only sense if you EGR doesn’t work properly anymore. Specially with older cars the valve sticks quite easily and let the dirty exhaust back in your engine. Not good.

I read about the ceramic paint, but decided against it as you need to pre-clean otherwise the paint won’t stick. Also insulation comes from material volume. In my opinion the insulation effect will be better with neoprene and noise blocker over insulation paint.

Of course someone who has a basic understanding how the system works can install it. There are a lot of different approaches for hot water systems out there. Ours is just the way it made most sens for us and so far it works really great.

Good luck with your conversion.
Felix

Comment on Window Covers by bruce gallagher

bruce gallagher — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:01:52 +0000

Hi Felix,

I hope your trip is going well…..
I am new to this Delica camperizing business and I was wondering if from
your perspective if you could explain the reason for installing a snorkel and
as well removing the EGR.
Also do you have any thoughts on the use of HyTech Ceramic paint as an
insulating product.
Also since I will have to find someone to do my conversion for me….do you
think the addition of a hot water system as you have detailed on your site
is doable by someone in the RV industry.
Thanks for your time
and Happy Trails
Bruce

Comment on Window Covers by Felix

Felix — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:03:42 +0000

Thanks guys for your comments. We are using the covers now for almost two month and we couldn’t camp anymore without them. We use it constantly to block the sun or when it cools down they are also very handy to keep the heat in from the Diesel heater. So far they hold without Velcro if you just use the foil tape to make the edges stiff.

We even added some nice stickers to the inside to make them pretty :)

Comment on Window Covers by Luis (Lost World)

Luis (Lost World) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:47:33 +0000

The DinoEvo is coming along super nicely.

We used the bubble wrap as well, we keep the rear side windows permanently covered with the bubble wrap. We keep them “stuck” with velcro. I also use one of them as a creeper when I work under the LandCruiser.

Comment on EGR removed by Felix

Felix — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:15:55 +0000

No, the turbo is still there. I don’t see any reasons to remove it. Works great and makes the van lightning fast :)

Comment on EGR removed by L300Foca

L300Foca — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:54:25 +0000

Did U remove TURBO? I cant see

Comment on Diesel Coolant Heater + Hot Water Tank by Quoc

Quoc — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:59:56 +0000

This is just totally insane! I am so enthralled by the whole thing, fascinating to say the least. Hey, it was wonderful meeting and going on a hike w/u guys. Take it easy. Bon Voyage! KIT.
Q

Comment on Window Covers by Richard

Richard — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:31:15 +0000

We copied these and have been using them on the road for the past week or so.

They do a great job of blocking the light and really take the edge off the heat from the sun. Material choice is great.

However, they do not always stay in the window on their own and are easily knocked loose while you sleep. We added some velcro to solve that problem.

The only other issue I’ve had is that they are a bit bulky. We tried rolling them up to stow them, which works but they get a bit mangled. We found the best way was to slide them under the sleeping mats, nice and flat.

Comment on Awning by Babs

Babs — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:48:59 +0000

Schaut wirklich sehr professionell und alltagstauglich aus.

Comment on Tire Mount by Felix

Felix — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:42:58 +0000

I hope we never have to use the spare tire either :)
The tire is probably around 70lbs…just guessing. With the ladder in the back and a sturdy roof rack to walk on it shouldn’t be that big of a problem to get it down.

Comment on Tire Mount by Mararmeisto

Mararmeisto — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 01:31:29 +0000

I just can’t get over how sweet those rims look all powder-coated white like that – very nice!

Oh ya, and the tire carrier’s cool too. Just hope you never have to use it/get it down because you probably almost need a block and tackle with a sky hook to manage. What does it weigh?

Comment on Window Covers by Felix

Felix — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:33:51 +0000

If you cut them right, they stay put just with the rubber seal of the window. The covers are fairly rigid. I saw some people adding suction cups, but you don’t really need them.

Comment on Window Covers by Gerry

Gerry — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:25:28 +0000

How do the coverings stick in the window? Any pictures of them installed?

Comment on Headlight Protection by Felix

Felix — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:43:09 +0000

Sure, this could be done as a kit, but it won’t happen on delica.ca. Will keep you posted when something like that is available.

Comment on Headlight Protection by almac

almac — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:58:22 +0000

nice job felix!
i wonder if something like this in kit form would be “marketable” on delica.ca.
i would be interested. :)

Comment on Elgena Hot Water Tank by Raf

Raf — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:32:21 +0000

Hey, nice tank, please put pictures of your installation when you do it, thanks…

Comment on EGR removed by Felix

Felix — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:35:07 +0000

Do you have a 5spd or auto tranny? Almost dry means you are running already a while with the yellow fuel light on? With my old automatic l300 (with stock tire size) I could go around 600km till the light comes on. Now with DinoEvo (larger tires, 5spd = smaller tank) I get maybe 500km till the light. I’ll add another 80l auxiliary fuel tank soon to extend the range.
As for the Trabold filter, it’s proven to work by many people, so I’m not expecting any surprises.

Comment on EGR removed by JEFF

JEFF — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:24:59 +0000

What is your fuel economy. Im only getting about ~480km max on a tank (almost dry). I had hoped for more with a diesel! Have you any tricks for that? I talked with guy in Seattle about the oil filter, I may go that way but wanted to be sure of the investment/oil quality. I drive alot, so its important to me.

Comment on Happy 100,000 by L300 Foca

L300 Foca — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:49:14 +0000

mine is almoust 300 000 :)

Comment on Trabold Bypass Oil Filter by Felix

Felix — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:46:56 +0000

The unit including hardware and filter elements is around $400. It is not difficult to install at all and VERY well built. So far I haven’t done an oil test yet as I don’t drive around that much.

Comment on EGR removed by Felix

Felix — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:04:10 +0000

Worked out well. Didn’t noticed any significant increase in fuel economy. I did it manly to decrease any black smoke as well as to open a good spot for the pyro probe.

Comment on Trabold Bypass Oil Filter by JEFF

JEFF — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:59:40 +0000

Hi there- How much for these units? Difficult to install? Looks easy enough, as well how has the oil test results?

Comment on EGR removed by JEFF

JEFF — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:51:09 +0000

HI there- How did this work out for you? Did you notice a greater increase in fuel economy?

Comment on Brake Upgrade by Felix

Felix — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:41:03 +0000

Hi Butz,
It’s pretty straight forward to remove the auto hubs. Just unscrew the cab (it probably very tight so use a Vise-Grip), loosen all bolts and then remove a little C-clip from the shaft. Now you can take the hub off.
Here is a more detailed description with photos: http://www.delica.ca/forum/single-dual-piston-brake-upgrade-auto-manual-hubs-3087.html

Have fun!

Comment on Brake Upgrade by Butz Garcia

Butz Garcia — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:58:36 +0000

Hi. I wanted to repack my own front wheel bearings but I could not take-off the Auto Hub. I assume that you used to have an Auto Hub installed and replaced them with our new hub switches. Can you please tell me how to remove the Auto Hub and brake rotors. Thanks in advance. Happy New Year!