The GGLC Truck was painted last month... It was a LOT of green to stare at!!!

GRAPHICS!
It was time to tell the world who was driving this green truck. We knew the truck needed some yellow. We wanted something big and bold, it needed the GGLC logo and we wanted something that showed the cars.

We went through a bunch of different designs, with horizontal stripes, car cut-aways, big flash photos of cars, Union Jack flags and other elements. What was finally agreed upon is bold - big vertical yellow stripe; messages - GGLC logo and GGLC branding; statement - says what the GGLC is about; cars - shadowed/ghosted car images down the length of the truck.

There's no doubt now of who's truck is rolling down the highway!

Lots of equipment improvements over the winter.

RAMP & RACKS
Unloading and loading the truck has been time consuming and requires lots of labor. It was decided early on that we needed to get as much of the equipment onto carts and rolling racks and equip the truck with a ramp.

The timers, PA System, Speakers, batteries were all tied down on to rolling wire racks. It was now a matter of arriving at the site, open the back of the truck, pull out the ramp, roll off the racks and hook up the timers & PA and we were set to go!

The Ramp!

Packed!

Racked & Loaded!

It's been nearly a year since the GGLC purchased its Events Van. It seems like a good time to update the story.

BUSY BUSY BUSY
The GGLC Events Van did all 6 GGLC autocross events in 2008 and traveled to Oregon for the West Coast Lotus Meet in early October. This tacked on about 3,000 miles. But it was a flawless travel.

MORE TO DO
With all the mechanical maintenance work done there have been very few mechanical things to worry about. There is still the issue with the heater. The fan and AC work, but there's no heat. Most likely it's a stuck flap or valve, but the HVAC system is buried behind that dash, so it will take some work to fix.

Paint is good, no peeling on the body or box. Some peeling on the rear door. We still have plans to respray the box. Most likely this will be done this spring in a nice Lotus green. We'll spruce things up with some club decals.

In addition we will add some shade with an awning on the side of the box.

INTERIOR
We replaced the stereo head unit just prior to the Oregon trip. The old OE unit had only a radio and with the long trip we wanted the ability to play CDs and MP3s. The unit we installed had a bonus, it had the ability to connect a rear video camera and display it on the panel.

For added comfort we installed some nice seat covers.

IMPROVEMENTS
We added 3 rolling wire shelving racks for the autocross equipment and two large bins inside the box to hold the cones. Then in November we acquired and installed a ramp. This will allow us to mount the PA, Speakers and other equipment to the racks and simply roll them on and off the truck. This will make for quick and easy set-up.

UNPLANNED IMPROVEMENT
In the height of the rising fuel cost in the summer of 2008 someone(s) decided that they would try to steal the gas from our truck. First they attempted to breakoff the locking gas cap, but they only managed to destroy the top part of the cap. Undaunted they crawled under the truck and slashed the rubber hose that went between the filler neck and the tank. Then they tried to force a piece of garden hose into the tank. Sometime in this process they were interrupted and Rob and Larry noticed the garden hose hanging from beneath the rear of the truck.

The Fix -
We purchased a replacement hose and new locking gas cap. But, we wanted to prevent another gas stealing attempt. We added a level of protection to the filler hose by encasing it in a steel flex tube. Now the would be thief will either need a SawAll or torch to cut through the hose!!!!

This past week Rob finished servicing the truck. All the fluids have been changed, everything checked out, smog check done and new tires!

On Saturday the freshly painted box was finished off with a black and white checkerboard floor.

All that's left to do is clean off the graffiti and load up the back with our Autocross equipment.

Looks like we're in good shape for the first event in April and then we can work on making upgrades like an awning, ramp, storage racks and more!

Clean Floor!

Impressive!

Larry and Alexander spent the last few days painting the inside walls with a nice gray. It's bland, but makes the inside look clean and spiffy. We have floor tile arriving this week and work on getting that installed.

Rob is in the midst of servicing the truck and getting new tires for it.

We're planning on getting together in next weekend to clean up the outside.

Nice fresh coat of paint!

Nice fresh coat of paint!

Larry and I paid for and picked up the truck today! The inside of the box was empty and clean. There's a tiny bit of wear, but no real damage. It's perfect!

I'll go to the Fremont DMV next week (appointment made) and get the reg done and we'll have to work on the insurance part. I'm going to see if JC Taylor, our club insurance carrier can help.

Rob got the truck on his lift and tooks some photos. (click pix for a larger view)

Up on the lift at Rob's

Under the rear, looks like some mice slept here!

Tranny looks wet, but it's just dirty

We put a deposit on a 1997 Ford E350 14 foot Box Van today. As you can see from the photos it is basically clean, with some graffitti on the box. Only 21,355 miles!

MECHANICAL CONDITION
Mechanically it seems to be in very good condition. Every works. However, the fluids, especially coolant should be changed. Generally we should have the truck serviced and replace the serpentine belt. The battery is pretty news. Brakes seem solid.

SUSPENSION & TIRES
Most of the tires are original. The right front tire has been replaced. The left front tire is cracking and needs replacement.

BODY & PAINT
Paint is good, no peeling on the body or box. Some peeling on the rear door. As you can see it has been tagged. But, I think we either clean it up or see how much it would cost to have it re-sprayed (along with the rear door) or paint the either van BRG. There is absolutely NO damage to the box!

INTERIOR
The interior is clean. No cracks or visible damage on the dash and seats. There's a AM/FM radio, but the antenna has been broken off and needs to be replaced. AC & heater work. Seat belts show no real wear.

OVERVIEW
The seller bought the truck from the GSA in 2004 with only 21,300 miles on it! They never registered in with the California DMV, so there may be some penalty fees for the registration.

The seller has been using the truck for storage it seems. The back was COMPLETELY full of boxes and stuff. I could only open the rear door about 1/3 and stuff was falling out!

Click on photos for larger picture

Left side	Right side with some tagging	Rear, slot for ramp, straight bumper
More from the Right	Right rear tires, seem to be original	Right front tire, new
Top - no damage to box	Interior, little wear	Nose, some bumper damage, missing radio antenna