Voyeurism & Van Dwelling and Car Living 01 Mar 2007 03:49 am
Question: What kind of van do you live in?
What kind of van do you have?
–Ship
It’s a twenty year old Chevy van with about a gazillion miles on it. It was a conversion van but due its age the interior got ripped out and remade into a converted conversion van. Time plus poor original materials and installation quality took its toll. I was originally just going to remove the seats, replace the carpet and take some space wasting arm rests off the wall that enclosed probably 20 square feet of dead space. But as typical with renovations I ended up completely gutting the interior and rebuilding it all. Each problem that I pulled out and tossed in the trash just revealed another problem. Before I new it the only thing back there was the headliner.
Thankfully I had a bunch of donated leftovers from various people’s home renovation projects so my cash outlay was low. I now have a cabinet and desk like thing behind the drivers seat with a full bed in the back with lots of storage space underneath. And, since I pulled so much out I got to insulate the interior too.
It’s comfortable enough but it’s really in desperate need of some mechanical repairs. Most importantly right now is the brakes. But the engine needs some routine heavy maintenance and the alignment is really, really bad.
If I had to do it over again I’d probably go with a mini van. The extra space is nice but the improved fuel economy might just be better. I think if I got my current van properly tuned up I’d squeeze out a couple more miles per gallon but no matter what a mini van would just be more efficient.
on 04 Mar 2007 at 10:33 pm 1.Bobby said …
Get your brakes fixed before they start making that horrible metal grinding sound! Because then they get you for rotors or drums or whatever.
And get you some beanbag chairs! And some Sterno… canned heat.
on 05 Mar 2007 at 12:44 am 2.April said …
Well they unfortunately are squeaking a little but for now I can still stop in good fashion. I’m not so much worried about damaging the rotors though as at the least they’d need to be turned if not outright replaced. The passenger side rotor has a bit of a warp so it’s already problematic. Not that I want to spend more money than necessary but brakes are sorta important so I tend to do them right, take my time and not skimp.
Beanbag chairs are a great idea! Super comfy and they weigh all of .03 ounces each. The only downside would be what to do with them when they’re not needed as they’re quite big. Usually I just lay in bed when I spend time in the van and I often did this when I lived in traditional housing too. Why not spend your time in the most comfortable spot in the house? But, from what I recall, a beanbag chair would certainly give the bed a run for its money. I used to have one in the 1980s and loved it until it started getting holes in it. Eventually the little beads of styrofoam shooting everywhere prompted its disposal.
A beanbag chair, a flickering flame and Tommy Johnson’s Canned Heat Blues playing on the radio. Add in a book and an LED light and it sounds like a perfect evening home alone.
on 06 Mar 2007 at 9:16 pm 3.Eric said …
I work for Advance auto parts and found that parts are cheaper online. If you shop Advance online and use the option of pickup in store, you can ususally get it a few dollars cheaper. Also Advance will charge your battery for free. Just bring in into the store and ask them to check it and it will automatically get charged. Just a thought if you did’nt already know
on 22 Aug 2007 at 1:41 pm 4.lee said …
Hi April! I just found this site. Wow…live in a van and yet manage to keep up a nice website. THAT should show those who ‘look down’(or askance???)at us that we ARE actually human and often probably more intelligent(as certainly practical)than many who pay for four slabs of painted drywall to call ‘home’.
Since I was a kid ‘home’ was not that happy. but camping or weekend trips to the forest WERE. I care little to be inside…anywhere…for long. I drive a 77 chevy van… kayak on top. BIG beanbag chair inside(I LOVE that thing!)and an odd sized air matress(best bed I ever slept on). T.v(dc to ac converter)playstation 2 with about 5 games I really like but suck at. DVD player and recorder for cool stuff I see and want to record/make copied discs of. I make copies of sporting events(paragliding; hang gliding; etc and sell copies of the video to participants!…great roaming job).
I have a nice stereo and my little metal cave is generally just a very comfortable place to be! I have a coleman two burner stove with a bulk propane cylinder. I use the metal coffee can stuffed with two toilet paper rolls and filled with rubbing alcohol for quick heat at times too. Kind of like a huge Bunsen burner!
Oh yeah…I too need new brakes!!!! Have enough clothes(all casual as you could guess!)and warm stuff for anywhere.
I lost a dream job due to prejudice toward how I live, even though I was clean; on time and very able to do my job. When you give up rent…you give up respect as well unfortunately from many clone minds who cannot concieve of other ways to live. I learned to be very careful who I talk to and make to good a friend of. I appreciate the ‘van living’ sites and consider like minds my friends. HAIL to humble! I am thinking of going to Idaho(boise)but I would like to learn what it is like(overall weather)before I do. TIRED of portland rain(coming again soon).
I will keep checking out your site!
bye for now.
on 24 Aug 2007 at 8:03 am 5.Ben said …
I personally like my ‘97 Ford E150 conversion. Although, its too nice still to gut plus I found it too hard to live in. I tried it out a few times camping a few nights and found it to be too hard so I ended up buying a cheap travel trailer and fixing it up.
If you consider another full size van I would recommend a Ford E-series van. On the Triton V8 engines (I’m assuming they all have this) there is a feature where if the engine overheats, it will shut down 4 of the cyls and allow you to safely drive the van on the remaining 4 cyls so you can get your vehicle off of the road and to a nearby parking lot without blowing the engine. Also, the parts are very common due to the “Fleet” nature of the vehicle. A 20 year old Chevy is probably less of one by now. A 15 year old Ford E150 is actually similar to newer models (at least up until about 2004 or so).
A good Ford van may set you back a little bit though. I was lucky and got mine for about half of the blue book price (and the seller’s original asking price when he first began trying to sell it) from a friend of my brother who was needing to sell it. I bought it with over 115k miles and so far the only major sudden repair it has needed was the intake coolant pipe sprung a leak. Cost about $300 including labor which isn’t bad since they fixed it within 48 hours. They had to special order the part from Ford and have it overnighted to them so that wasn’t too bad. This also how I found out about the overheat feature of the engine. It lost all the coolant and I didn’t notice until I was driving down the road and it shut down half the cylindars. I thought the transmission blew out until I saw the temp gauge then I thought I blew the engine! Thank goodness for that feature!
You could probably get a decent cargo E150 for a fair price though I guess I had the “unfair” advantage of buying mine from a Police Sergeant/Captain (whichever he is specifically) who is my brother’s boss and friend. My brother was also interested to buying it (though he told me of it being for sale) but his wife was greatly encouraging me to buy it. *lol*
It does need brake work however. When I had them checked last year shortly after buying the van, they said the pads were about 50% good still but the rotors would need turning or replacement if they’re too worn down to be turned. Thats routine maintenance though, unlike the coolant line which just sprung a leak due to whatever reason. I will be getting the brake work done sometime in the next few months hopefully. I kind of started to forget about it in terms of budgeting for it. They’re still plenty good but it does shake when I apply the brakes hard so the rotors definitely need attention.
on 27 Aug 2007 at 6:28 am 6.Franc said …
Hello! I’m in the process of converting my ‘96 windstar minivan for living in. I noticed that by taking off the passenger seat and putting my bed there i still have 3 feet of space in the back, plus the space beside the bed. What i like the most is that all is already wired, i have a great sound system, lights and a fan without having to add anything. I’ll replace the original battery for a deep cycle one. So far so good!
on 22 Oct 2007 at 9:07 pm 7.hamilton said …
i live in a 71 dodge tradesman, the baby of the b fleet (b100) and it still feels like a palace compared to my 72 volkswagen. i bought henry on ebay for $1050 and travelled to oregon from washington to pick him up. it has an original conversion that i removed most of like sink, icebox, and imitation wood cabinets and closet. i built a real closet with a rod for hanging everything and then i built a bed frame that has a central support and is the height required to fit rubbermaid storage tubs below. new carpet was a necessity as the 70’s faded orange just wasn’t making me the happiest.
first things first, i got a safety check on my van, $60 well spent. i was driving to california, so i needed a vehicle that would make it over the passes and down the other side. i spent $500 on new brakes and $120 on a AAA battery. since i don’t really drive my van except on rare occasions i didn’t get AAA but with the battery i have unlimited battery maintenance for 6 years… i find that that meets my needs better than roadside assistance. it also takes care of a drained battery due to my cell phone and general disuse of my vehicle as a vehicle.
i like to keep my vehicle super mechanically spiff. i don’t like the idea of having to move and not being able to. a van that starts right away is a lovely thing. i sure did love my vw, but she sure didn’t start well.
and as far as replacing a battery with a deep cycle… not the best idea. if you run a deep cycle in tandem that works well, but deep cycle batteries are meant for keeping low power things running for a long time over and over while being charged (however you charge it, i like solar) but the problem with using it as a main battery is in the cranking. a deep cycle battery is not ideal for turning over an engine as it is not made for small powerful bursts of energy but rather long sustained drain. it will work for a while but not as well as a dedicated car battery will.
hamilton in santa cruz, soon to be los angeles.
ps. where the hell do you park in la???
on 11 Apr 2008 at 11:46 am 8.Donald R Engen said …
I would like to know how to get online without going to the library.
I was thinking, maybe a laptop and then try and find WiFi places for free.
How do the rest of you do it?
Donald R Engen
Needles CA 92363