At the shop this week the whole Nomadic crew went to work on taking apart our Delica parts van! And when we say taking apart, we’re not just talking about pulling out the engine transmission, windows, interior panels, wheels etc. We literally cut up the ENTIRE frame and body into small pieces…
You may be wondering why we would ever do this extra step, but the real reason is definitely not to just brutalize unnnamed parts vans for fun! -wink- -wink
Would you believe us if we said we we did it purely for disposal purposes, and by cutting the van into carry-able pieces we could fit it in the metal recycling dumpster out front?Well, either way, after all useful parts were pulled we went full Mr. Potatohead on the van! (photo below) As you can see, In line with true Japanese automotive tradition, we try to make good use of minimal space. Whether it be the versatile seat setups of the Delicas we sell, or the unfortunate van we just mutilated, we are all about creative and precise usage of space!
*The unnamed van (mr potatohead) in recyclable pieces* Side note: Thank God the Toy Story 3 trash compactor scene didn’t end this way…!
All jokes aside, this parts van project was an important piece in the greater chess match of supplying Delicas to come with premium parts. Many cosmetic items such as the Crystallite Roof, door panels, and rear hatch would be practically impossible to replace without donor vehicles such as this. And yes, for those of you wondering, a few of these select items may be for sale, so feel free to inquire via our contact page.
This project is also a reminder that the one-of-a-kind Delicas that come out of our shop are built upon a foundation of supply chain management and behind the scenes projects like these. Parts sourcing is an often overlooked but essential aspect of any JDM auto subculture, and although Mitsubishi’s have good domestic parts sourcing, it’s often still a laborious task to get the pieces necessary to turn a run of the mill imported Delica into a Nomadic Van. So, for those of you wondering what really happens behind the scenes in getting all our adventure loving vans to high levels of mechanical soundness, parts sourcing is fundamental.
We keep many parts on hand in house, but on any given day you will see either Gardner or our parts guy Tyler browsing the web for Genuine Mitsubishi parts to get our Flagship vehicles thriving and ready for driving!
Ryan, Tyler (Wolfie), and Tim with the Delica Parts Van Convertible
We loved sharing this week's shop spotlight with you all, the guys had a blast and with this one!
Nomadic Van