Jumbo’s modifications
- Roof Rack
- Solar Shower
- Awning
- High-Clearance Front Bumper
- Smittybilt 9500lbs Winch
- Rear Bumper & Wheel Carrier System
- CNC Laser Cut Skid Plate
- Smittybilt Air Compressor 2780
Roof Rack
We could not see ourselves travelling without roof rack. It allows us some extra space and to add some great add-ons to our van, as below. We’ve got this roof-rack from a friend who had a Delica and who was selling it for a very good price. We’ve had to make a few modifications because of the fan but we are very satisfied with the result!
Solar Shower
We’ve built our own solar shower for just $100 CAD. Now fitted on the side of the van, it provides about 30L – about 4 showers – of water and most of the time, hot water. We also wash our dishes from there.
Awning
Great extension of the living space and good protection against sun but also rain. We didn’t go “fancy”, we got our in Walmart (Yescom 8.2×8.2′ Car Side Awning) and it does the job so far!
In addition to the awning, we added a mosquito net and can then double the space during the summer.
High-Clearance Front Bumper
Custom modified (base from Jeep Wrangler bumper purchased on e-bay) with a little welding touch and mounting on the Delica body.
Smittybilt 9500lbs Winch
A Smittybilt 9500lbs, plenty to pull out our van from the ditch. Some people says that it’s not necessary, some says it is. In our case we’ve preferred to play the safe card and got this winch.
Nb : we went for a synth. rope after a while for safety reason as offroad people says that steel rope can cause serious injuries so we’ve preferred to have a synth rope instead.
Rear Bumper & Wheel Carrier System
Due to the auxiliary tank installation we had to come up with a new solution to carry a spare tire. We went for a swing arm wheel carrier system (welding kit) from coastaloffroad.com. These guys are working very well and they even (exceptionally) accepted to mount it for us. As a result we can now carry a spare jerrican and our spare wheel!
CNC Laser Cut Skid Plate
Higher clearance but also better protection! As we changed the front end from the original bumper to a higher clearance bumper, we had to improvise! So we went for this beautiful Aluminium CNC Laser Cut Skid Plate that provides plenty of protection of the engine, when off-roading.
Smittybilt Air Compressor 2780
We initially bought a cheap compressor from Canadian Tire and quickly realised that it would not last our trip. So after looking at a few compressors and following the recommandations of our mechanic, we bought this very good compressor and it does the job very well (Approx. 3min per tyre from flat).