vandalf

client: nate

Ford E-530 Turtle Top 4x4

story:

Nate’s van was unlike any we had ever worked on before. Sporting both a Turtle Top conversion and a Quigley 4x4 system, “Vandalf” was already magic, but it needed just a bit more wizardry.

The purpose of the van was for Nate to travel north, way north, to places like Alaska, Canada and the artic, to photograph the wild including polar bears, caribou, the northern lights and other cold-weather phenomenon.

Vandalf needed to be able to weather the cold, so we removed all but one of the glass pane windows and replaced them with powder-coated aluminum. We also retained the original rear heat system, building our own duct system, and added a wall-mounted Dickinson heater. The water system included a hot water heater for hot showers (even in the snow).

Working on the road was important, so we designed two work stations that share a butcher block table that slides out from under the bed. And for Nate to best edit his photography, we installed pure white LED lighting.

Final touches on the van included a subway tile backsplash, various overhead cabinetry, a slide out pantry, stainless steel appliances and a rear access door.

With that, Vandalf rolled out of Phoenix completely “polar bear proof”. We are glad Nate is willing to test this statement out for us.