Well, to begin with the van only came with one seat, and not even a comfy or safe one at that. I figured it would be nice to be able to rotate them around when parked to sort of expand the living area a bit. A quick search on the web showed many sites selling various combinations of swiveling bases and chairs, but they were all very expensive – hundreds of dollars per piece it seemed. I set about trying to find used ones and located an RV junkyard in a small city outside Denver. They weren’t a matching set, but as we’ll likely be making or buying newer seat covers for them, I don’t really see that it matters all that much. especially with each swivel base chair combo only running $75! (more…)
Van Build
The Paint Job
Oh hindsight, with your annoyingly perfect vision. When I began fixing the leaks I assumed that I would have to repaint/seal it somehow. Because of this assumption I tore the metal trim of the side, I ground off the pin stripes, and did a few other things that turned it from a van that looked old to a van that looked atrocious and old. I now know, having repaired the leaks and fixed the rails, that I could have gotten away with not repainting. But this is all a moot point now. Being able to camp and not draw attention is important in this vehicle, so it needs to look somewhat normal, and at this point that means painting. (more…)
Roof Fan and More!
Well, it’s been a little while since I updated the blog. The primary reason being an order-of-operations-based hold up. I have a mechanic that I know and trust. The bay door to his garage is 7′ tall. The van is also 7′ tall. It literally has less than a centimeter to spare and barely makes it in. In order to complete the insulation I figured I better get the wires run first for electrical. Also, the fan/vent would need to be installed before insulating as well. Thing is, the fan adds a few inches to the top of the van, therefore getting it into the mechanics garage for repairs needed to occur first. So there you have it. (more…)
The Floor is Finished… Just in Time for the Maiden Voyage!
The floor was tricky. I had a hard time finding good information on other people’s blogs regarding the best way to tackle it. The easiest thing to do would be to screw plywood directly to the frame. I felt that would not be the best solution as penetrating the steel floor with metal would likely lead to rusting issues. Further, it wouldn’t be as insulated or as sound proof as other ideas. What I finally decided to do was a bit entailed. Thankfully I had a couple buddies helping me and was able to get most of the work done in one day after substantial planning and supply shopping (big thanks to Chip and Chris). (more…)
