Urban Assault builds the DoomRunner BOV(PICS)

[URBAN ASSAULT]

UPDATE...

Just driving the Rhino around the block some more convinced me against the idea of trying to take to the Tire shop 30 miles away, so I decided to cut my losses, get rid of the big tires and go with a much narrower tire/wheel combo.

Money is an issue and my Craigslist options were limited, but I think I did all right.

I found a set of four chrome 16x7 American Racing wheels in decent shape with somewhat usable 235/85/R16 tires for $180.

I don't like chrome on anything so I found a local guy who is powdercoating them flat black for 75 bucks.

I could have lived with the tires that came with the wheels for a few months until I had a little more cash but I fell into a much better deal.

I found a full set of studded 235/85/R16 tires that had very little wear for only $50!

The only downside was the stud removal, which took me 2-3 hours.

Add in the mounting and balancing from the Tire shop, I should be into these four tires/wheels for about $350.

That isn't factoring in how much I'll get for the big tires when I throw them back onto Craigslist. I really love the beefy look of the big tires on the Rhino, but practicality has to win out in the end.

These new tires should fit with no problems, but I have those 2" aluminum adapters bolted on right now so it will be interesting to see what happens.

The adapters might be going onto Craigslist as well and that will save even more cash.

-urban

[Doctorr Fabulous]

Any updates on the Rhino?

New pics?

[URBAN ASSAULT]

Sorry about that!

UPDATE...

The newer tire/wheel combo fits with much less rubbing, and when it does happen it is only on the very edge of the tire.

I can live with that for now but plan to eventually install a new set of front coil springs to give me a smidge more wiggle room.

Even if it doesn't work I think I can live with it the way it is now.

I put the old ones on Craigslist but haven't gotten a bite on 'em yet.

On Tuesday I am taking the Rhino in to a local shop to begin the process of getting a set of heavy-duty tube running boards built for it.

I found some expanded flat metal grating that I'll have welded on top to form the step, and then the running boards will most likely be covered with a couple of coats of black Herculiner bedliner before they are installed back on the Rhino.

I replaced the old broken Chevy grille with a new, correct GMC grille and replaced the cracked headlight moldings at the same time.

When I was doing this I realized that I had a bad parking lense, so I bought both of those new also so they would match.

The passenger-side front turn signal had never worked, and after digging around I realized that it was because of a rotten socket, so that was just replaced and now my turn signals are good again.

I'll get some new pics after the running boards are on, and throw 'em up here.

Cheers, and thanks everyone for being interested in my struggle to bring the Rhino to life as a BOV.

-urban

[Oneswunk]

Sounds like everythings coming along nicely. Your going to end up with a monster ride.

[URBAN ASSAULT]

Thanks, it's fun to work on when I can get the neighbor to help me, and my pain level to subside enough so I can walk around, and actually DO something myself.

-urban

[Oneswunk]

I hate to ask because I'm sure I read it somewhere before. What causes you so much pain?

[URBAN ASSAULT]

I'm a big ol' fat fucker who once used to be a lot bigger, so I've got obesity-related crap dragging me down. I was a Bouncer for years and years, and hovered around 400 pounds for most of my adult life.

This was a decent weight for me at 6'2", because I could pound up a couple flight of stairs in the club without breathing a sweat, or roll around in the parking lot with a guy and more often than not I'd win.

I was a very active big man, and didn't have any of the associated problems with being 400 pounds.

I met my future wife and decided to make the Bouncing a weekend-only gig and started working a regular job in a warehouse. I started riding a desk and a forklift, and my weight crept up.

I changed my Bouncing gig from a high-profile music club were I worked the pit and was always actively breaking up problems( I was the go-to guy when fights broke out), to running the door at a Mexican karaoke bar in the middle of gang central.

Did I mention they loved me there, the food was very good, and I got all my meals free? The weight piled on.

Eventually I weighed a little over 620 pounds and could barely move, but was still working both jobs.

Soon after my ankles finally started giving out, then my knees, then edema(subsurface swelling) began in my lower legs, skin blowouts on my calves, high-blood pressure(200/100), type 2 diabetes, major pain from any movement, and last year I was diagnosed with Diabetic Retinapathy(plaque & pressure buildup in my eyes leading to eventual blindness).

A couple years ago I had a Lap-Band gastric device fitted around my stomach, and along with cutting sugary sodas from my diet, I have gone down from a high of 620 pounds to about 489 pounds now.

The pain I talk about comes from just moving around.

My feet, ankles, knees, and hips are in really bad shape from carrying so much fat for so long, and now I'm paying the price.

I had a skin blowout the other night while sleeping where a piece of skin the size of a playing card slid right off my shin, so now I have to keep a dressing on it because it is trying to get infected and is continuously weeping serous fluid.

The blowouts are because of the edema and lack of circulation in my legs. I'm walking with a cane more and more, but even just standing for any period of time is becoming more than I can handle.

All this physical crap is why I need my neighbor to help me out on the van, because there are things that I am increasingly unable to do myself.

The above was a very long-winded post, but I figured I had better explain my current situation.

As bad as my situation is(and the future blindness thing has really been kicking my ass lately) there are so many damn folks around who have it so much worse than myself, and I am trying to keep my whining to a bare minimum.

My problems are NOTHING compared to theirs, and I need to remember that so that I can retain perspective.

Cheers to y'all.

-urban

[Oneswunk]

Damn my biological pop was a big Guy and had similar problems. He ended up passing away from them.

Take care of yourself and enjoy working on that beast.

[URBAN ASSAULT]

Damn my biological pop was a big Guy and had similar problems. He ended up passing away from them.

Take care of yourself and enjoy working on that beast.

Thanks man.

I figure my issues are gonna get me relatively soon too, but I ain't going quietly and without a fight.

-urban

[Andy_Cannon]

Damn my biological pop was a big Guy and had similar problems. He ended up passing away from them.

Take care of yourself and enjoy working on that beast.

Thanks man.

I figure my issues are gonna get me relatively soon too, but I ain't going quietly and without a fight.

-urban

Good... The beast is awesome. Keep her runnin' and yourself, as well.

Andy

[URBAN ASSAULT]

UPDATE...

Retrieved the new running boards from the fab shop today, and BOY! are they some heavy-duty mother-truckers!

I had given the owner a rough sketch of what I wanted and told him that I wanted it them to be very solid, and something that would be able handle having my big lardass standing on them.




I think he hit the mark.

Hired a neighborhood kid to start scuffing the raw steel with 80 grit sandpaper so I can coat 'em with bedliner before I take the Rhino back in for the final install.

The running boards did wind up being a bit wider than I originally asked for, I told him about 11-1/2" in width if he could swing it and these are almost 14" total, but I can live with that.

All in all today was a good day.

-urban

[URBAN ASSAULT]

UPDATE...

Decided to steer away from covering the running boards with bedliner because of all the nooks & crannies, and went with black Hammerite paint instead.

I used a round-bristled brush on the first running board and pushed the paint into all the tight spots but I didn't care for how uneven and heavy the final finish came out.

On the second I used spray cans and this was a much better application, much smoother.

Here are some updated pics...





They are incredibly solid, and bolted directly to the frame.

The boards are cantilevered so I can fully stand on them with no sagging, or movement. They did come out to be lower than I wanted by about two inches but I will have to live with that.

I checked and the bottom edge of the running board tube is approximately the same height of the lower rim of my rear differential pumpkin, so I am not really losing any distance to ground.

The new rims/tires are working out fine and I'm also going in tomorrow for a much needed tranny service.

BTW, I think the new correct grill and headlight surrounds look a helluva lot better than the old broken mess that was there before.



That's it for now, and thanks for listening.

-urban

[AwPhuch]

Total urban combat comms vehicle man!

All you need is one of those 12v RV AC's up top, some heavy duty batteries, a rack mount and a TON of HAM radios and antennas! Tow bar caddy on back with a generator and 3-4 5 gallon Jerry cans of fuel. whammo!

You already have your sectional antenna pole racks up top!

[URBAN ASSAULT]

Total urban combat comms vehicle man!

All you need is one of those 12v RV AC's up top, some heavy duty batteries, a rack mount and a TON of HAM radios and antennas! Tow bar caddy on back with a generator and 3-4 5 gallon Jerry cans of fuel. whammo!

You already have your sectional antenna pole racks up top!

I never thought of that!

Unfortunately, I'm usually so surly I can't think of too many people who'd want to talk to me even if I had such a commo set-up.

-urban

[Oneswunk]

The boards look great bro, add some handles down the side so your tactical team has something to hold onto.

Da ne na ne ne na. (S.W.A.T song).......

[URBAN ASSAULT]

-urban

[cowboyfromhel86]

I agree somthin to hold on to would be nice lol

[Blasphemous]

Total urban combat comms vehicle man!

All you need is one of those 12v RV AC's up top, some heavy duty batteries, a rack mount and a TON of HAM radios and antennas! Tow bar caddy on back with a generator and 3-4 5 gallon Jerry cans of fuel. whammo!

You already have your sectional antenna pole racks up top!

I never thought of that!

Unfortunately, I'm usually so surly I can't think of too many people who'd want to talk to me even if I had such a commo set-up.

-urban

When TSHTF, I'm sure there will be a lot of people looking to talk to ANYONE

[HCH]

Good find and functional van. The 1 ton feature is nice to have. That roof rack was a great deal to get with it.

[URBAN ASSAULT]

Good find and functional van. The 1 ton feature is nice to have. That roof rack was a great deal to get with it.

The roof rack was one of the reasons why I bought the van.

I really didn't want to go thru the hassle/expense of getting one welded up, and here I was lucky enough to have a commercial unit already bolted on top... Score!



-urban

[Apollo-11]

That... is... badass.

Those big running boards reminded me of the SWAT vehicle they used to get people off the bus in SPEED. You could add a handrail and a whole bunch of zombie hunters could come along for a ride!

[URBAN ASSAULT]

How about 1" nylon straps so that everyone could d-ring right off the roof rack, and then attach it to their LBE harness?

That way when I whip a round a corner on two wheels they could lean way out, and lay down some rifle fire on that horde of running zombies that will have to be chasing us for real for me to ever let ANYONE hang from the sides of my moving vehicle while I'm sober.

Drunk might be another story.



-urban

[BackyardRambo]

Nice rapevan. You should paint "free candy" and pedobear on the side.

[The Highwayman]

Nice rapevan. You should paint "free candy" and pedobear on the side.

Seriously, don't be an asswipe. That shit is so far from funny it's rediculous.......