SLM buys a flower shop van

[Sad, little man]

This is not a vehicle purchase I anticipated myself ever making. That's right, I've gotten an old flower mobile!

The plan is to turn it into a mobile home on wheels to go on cross-country adventures. If it seems feasible, I will probably load it into the garage to work on through this winter. I have a ton of wild ideas to load so many innovative inventions into this thing that it might be a loooong time until my dreams are realized. So far I'm thinking about:

-Making a measurement device from a laser distance sensor and an accelerometer so I can accurately measure out the contours of the inside of the van to custom cut wood shelving that lines right up with the curves of the interior
-Modifying the passenger seat to fold forward flat, and then the bed will unfold from that, utilizing the passenger side of the cab as living space as opposed to it just being wasted space when parked
-A shower. I'm not kidding. The way I look at it, if all this beast has in it is a bed and some shelves, it doesn't get me a whole lot closer to truly be able to forego staying in hotels than if I didn't have the van at all. I know it's extremely ambitious to think I can fit an honest to god shower in a Transit Connect, but I think I can rig something up that functions like a shower. I also have a plan to use a fluid heat exchanger and Arduino controlled circulation pumps to pull heat directly from the engine to heat and regulate the temperature of my shower water. Also the thought of people seeing steam from a hot shower coming out of a roof vent on a Transit Connect is hilarious to me.
-Reinforced storage for keeping expensive camera gear in. I'm thinking of adding a reinforced lock to one of the sliding doors, and then building a steel box around the opening for me to keep my valuables in.
-An RGB lighting system that's tied to a clock that will simulate sunrise and sunset lighting inside the van. Because let's face it, it's a little small in there.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3627&d=1602262259

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3628&d=1602262278

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3629&d=1602262293

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[Kchrpm]

Looks good, have fun!

[Sad, little man]

It's definitely a 10ft away kind of vehicle. It has some rust on the rockers, a few dents, and 145,000 miles. But it was only $4,700, so whatever.

[JoshInKC]

#vanlife?

[Sad, little man]

Something like that, at least intermittent van life. The thing is that every time I go on one of these wild trips around the country, I end up blowing about 2 grand on hotels and a rental car in the span of two weeks. (Rental car is so I don't pile more miles on the Milan, which is already at 188,000mi.) I skipped doing a trip last year to save money, which I'm really kicking myself for now in 2020 because it's pretty much out of the question. And also let's be honest, COVID will not be totally gone by next summer, and I don't want to spend a second summer cooped up in the house in 2021.

[Cam]

Cute! Good luck with it. :cool:

[Leon]

That's in the venn diagram overlap between hilarious, and awesome.

Looks like a cool project.

[Rare White Ape]

Hey…

If you fail to achieve your goal of setting up for travel, at least you can still deliver flowers in it!

[Blerpa]

Me likes it a lot!

[Sad, little man]

Everyone, I'm very excited to announce that I finally own a vehicle with rear fog lamps. And while I was taking a photo of them, I just discovered that I have city lights too. Ford let this one slip into the country with very few changes compared to its European counterpart. Rest assured I will be using my rear fog lamps to fool tailgaters into thinking I'm stepping on my brakes, and I will rock the hell out of my city lights at dusk. I never thought I'd have such beautiful lighting features in my life.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3630&d=1602379965

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3631&d=1602379980

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[Yw-slayer]

Put some wire-rim 20s and hydraulics on it, then slam it

[samoht]

I rate Fords, however I can't help but think that's rather small as a camper. The SWB Transit isn't a huge footprint (5m long) however it has a lot more space inside.

Anyway, good luck, will need some ingenuity to make it work I think !

[21Kid]

Cool idea. Keep us posted on the progress

[Crazed_Insanity]

Very cool indeed!

However, since I don't have the time nor the skills, I just decided to spend $19k to buy a brand new travel trailer instead!

Hope things work out... for both you and me! :p

[GB]

#vanlife?
So, YouTube always recommends vids for me from this chick, and I don't know why.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2D2k0lNJGbXLAWYoAnSog/videos

So then I see your post today, and I actually SEARCH "van life" on YouTube.

Holy shit, YouTube views pay people to do absolutely NOTHING. And I'm killing myself working.

There are a lot of cute chicks living in vans for some reason, though.

OK, back to slm's Transit C thread.

[Sad, little man]

Little bit of an update. I don't have a huge amount of work done yet. I stripped out what little interior the van had in the cargo area so I can start from total scratch. One big thing though is that I'm well on my way to getting the heater installed. This thing is absolute tits. It's designed to draw gasoline straight out of your vehicle's fuel tank and burn it for heat. They're primarily made in a diesel variant for the trucking industry. Last night I took the very frightening step of drilling holes through the floor to mount it. Fortunately it looks like I got them all in the right places and everything lines up. Next step is to drop down the fuel tank and install a tap into it to provide the fuel for this little guy. It's a ton of work, but the idea of having heat without having to mess around with hauling around propane bottles or dealing with some finicky portable heater was too good to pass up.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3640&d=1605707557

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3641&d=1605707624

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[JoshInKC]

Huh, I did not know they still made gasoline heaters like that.

[Sad, little man]

They do! Like I said they mainly make a diesel one that's designed for semis to reduce idling. But they also make this gasoline variant of the same heater.

[Cam]

Zany! :cool::up:

[Sad, little man]

Work is coming along. I decided to do all of the nasty work underneath the van that I didn't really want to do before I got to the fun stuff of actually building the inside. It makes more sense anyway.

Here is the heat exchanger that will, in theory, give me hot water. The lines that are connected to it are the coolant lines running back here from under the hood. I'll connect pex plumbing lines to the lower fittings. So when I want hot water, I'll circulate hot engine coolant through one side of this, and I'll pump fresh water from my water tank through the other side, and then re-circulate it back into the water tank. I'm going to have temperature probes on both the coolant inlet to this heat exchanger (you can also see it there), and the water tank inside the van.

There will be a coolant shutoff valve under the hood to control coolant flow through this so I don't heat the water up too hot. (Also going to have a helper pump for the coolant so I can continue scavenging heat from the coolant even if the engine is shut off.) The fresh water holding tank is not really designed for hot water, so I have to keep the temperature reasonable. It will be vented though, so no pressure will build up in it. Since the heat exchanger will have fresh water inside one part of it and it's outside of the van, I can also monitor temp of the heat exchanger for signs that it's about to reach freezing whenever it's not in use, and I'll have the system programmed to keep fresh water and/or coolant circulating through it to prevent the water from freezing inside it.

You can see the bracket I made to mount the heat exchanger, then the bracket I made to re-locate that bracket when I realized it might be in danger of being hit by the swaybar if the suspension traveled too much. ;)

Also, shoutout to Gates Green Stripe heater hose for being effin badass heater hose. This stuff is so beefy.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3646&d=1607134510

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[JoshInKC]

Very neat. Any idea how hot it will get the water?

[Sad, little man]

Well in theory, especially since I'm going to be recirculating the water between the water storage tank and the heat exchanger, it could get it as hot as the engine coolant. But, I'm not sure how much just one pass through the heat exchanger will heat the water. That's one of the big reasons I decided that I needed to put some kind of control and monitoring on the coolant flow through the heat exchanger. From what I can read online, the polyethylene water storage tank shouldn't be subjected to over 120deg F, so I figure as long as I regulate the temperature of the coolant going into the exchanger at or below that, there's no chance of the water getting too hot.

I can also do some testing to see if maybe there's a little leeway where I could allow the coolant to go a little hotter than that, with the understanding that just one pass through the heat exchanger won't get the water to quite the same temp as the coolant, and even if the water going back to the tank is over 120deg, pex tubing is rated to 200deg, and as soon as the water coming back from the exchanger gets back into the tank, it'll be mixing with cooler water that's already in the tank.

[JoshInKC]

As an fyi: PEX expands length-wise when you run hot enough water through it. I don't know if the temp or the distances you'll be plumbing are large enough to make that an issue, but it can lead to irritating intermittent leaks or rub-through.

[Sad, little man]

Shouldn't be a problem. The run from the heat exchanger to where it goes through the floor is only a couple of feet. And it makes a 90deg bend just before it goes through the floor, so lengthwise expansion would just move this bend a little bit. I also have the pass through the floor protected with rubber grommets to prevent any chafing. Thanks though.

[Sad, little man]

Been working very hard on this because well, there's nothing else to do. I have the floor in, insulation in, and all of the woodworking framing done inside. Next is to cut the plywood to face all of this, and then doing all of the electrical and plumbing.

I have not decided just how picky I'm going to be about how perfect the plywood framing needs to look yet. I'm no master woodworker. This framing looks good... From a distance. Part of me feels like I should invest the time and make everything as spot on as I possibly can, but part of me just hates woodworking and knows that it would be really frustrating. I am probably just going to leave openings where I want storage to be. Putting on doors would be more work, I'm using 1/4" plywood which is kinda hard to attach hinges to, doors might get in the way in such a small space, and I want to keep the weight down.

Here is where it stands now, plus an overhead storage bin over the right side cabinet, and a storage area over the driver and passenger seat.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3667&d=1611028498
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http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3668&d=1611028536
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Refrigerated cooler, a tiny sink, and a safe for storing camera equipment.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3669&d=1611028602
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[Leon]

Good to see progress :)

[JoshInKC]

Nice work. And yeah, 1/4 ply is pretty much a no-go for hinges unless you want to attach a piece of one-by on the back side or something.
Do yourself a favor and get some beeswax to rub on the moving contact surfaces of those bed slats - since it'll be pretty variable humidity-wise, you'll likely get some amount of unexpected rubbing if you don't and beeswax does double-duty of lubricating and sealing pretty well.

[George]

Wow. That is very cool. :up:

[Kchrpm]

Nice!

[Sad, little man]

You've heard of the Spruce Goose, now meet... The Birch Bastard!

Just got more or less finished lining the inside with 1/8" Birch plywood. I'm using magnets to hold the panels onto the sliding doors and the left rear panel, and they came detached, so those panels might look a little wonky. But it's really getting there. Next is electrical. Honestly I'm glad to be finishing off the woodworking part of this, because I'm not a huge fan of it.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3683&d=1615776081

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[Cam]

Nice progress. :cool:

[Sad, little man]

Thanks. It is not on par with your work, but it's functional and it looks better than bare metal walls with insulation.

[Leon]

Have you added any temperature insulation into the build? People usually find camper conversions #)$)#()#(ing freezing cold inside.

[Sad, little man]

Yes, tons of it. I put Thinuslate under the floor from the back doors to the wheel wells (mostly just for sound deadening and condensation control) and then more Thinsulate on/in all the walls, doors, and ceiling. Pretty much the only place I didn't is in the front doors because I couldn't be bothered to pull off the panels to do it, and with the amount of water that gets into the front doors, it would probably be best to put something like closed cell foam board in there.

In the coldest parts of the winter, especially during parts of the build that happened mostly inside the van, I actually set up an electric space heater inside and I could get the inside temp to well over 60deg F (15C) in a few hours when the outside temp was at or below freezing. And the electric space heater is only 75% as powerful as the gasoline heater that I installed in the van.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3685&d=1615818323

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[Jason]

Just now seeing this... very cool, something I've long wanted to do myself, excited for you to see it through to completion :up:

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wow, very impressive work!

Did you design all this by yourself or are there are plans you could copy off of?

Btw, looks like you got insulation covered, however, you don’t plan on adding a Max fan for better ventilation?

This fan even has a rain cover so you could still use it during rain:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Maxx-Air-12-Volt-Maxxfan-Deluxe-Vent-in-Smoke-00-06401K/309595382?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US

Also, I’m assuming on hotter days you’ll just rely on A/C of the van?

[Sad, little man]

Just now seeing this... very cool, something I've long wanted to do myself, excited for you to see it through to completion :up:
Thanks, it's been a ton of work. I knew it would be a lot of work, and it's been even more work than I realized.

[Sad, little man]

Wow, very impressive work!

Did you design all this by yourself or are there are plans you could copy off of?

Btw, looks like you got insulation covered, however, you don’t plan on adding a Max fan for better ventilation?

This fan even has a rain cover so you could still use it during rain:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Maxx-Air-12-Volt-Maxxfan-Deluxe-Vent-in-Smoke-00-06401K/309595382?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US

Also, I’m assuming on hotter days you’ll just rely on A/C of the van?

I pretty much just made it all up as I went along. The basic concept of the slat bed that slides out to be a bed from a bench is not my idea, but that's about the only idea I didn't come up with. I threw some stuff together in Sketch Up just to kind of give myself an idea of how all the boards would fit together, but this is really as far as I went in that program, and the final build doesn't even fully match this.

I am planning to put in a roof fan. I haven't gotten there yet for a couple of reasons. First, I'm a little freaked out about cutting a hole in the roof. Second, the sealant that I need to use to seal it to the roof has a minimum curing temperature of 40 degrees, so I can't really do that until it's a little warmer and I can be sure that the temp will not dip below that overnight.

I am going to use the fanstastic fan instead of the Maxx air fan. I know everyone says the Maxx air fan is better, but I don't like it for a couple of reasons. First, it doesn't let in as much light as the fantastic fan. I got a totally clear cover for my fantastic fan. And yes I know it will get hotter with the sun, but I'll make a cover to go under it or something. I want the natural light. It seems like there is a Maxx air fan with a clear cover, but for some reason it only seems to be sold overseas. Maybe it's just less sunny there so it makes more sense to have the clear cover?

Second, I want to have the option of opening the fan fully and having it be genuinely open. The Maxx air fan is never really "open," it's just kind of open enough to let air flow through the vent.

Either way I think the opening in the roof is the same for either fan, so I think I could change it if I ever want to down the road.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3693&d=1616123153

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[Crazed_Insanity]

My RV trailer actually has a fantastic air fan with clear cover but I added an additional rain cover so it’s pretty dark now... luckily my shower has a sky light, so yeah, allowing light inside is probably a good idea.

Personally I like the more aerodynamic retractable shape of that Max air fan, my current cover looks pretty bulky. But oh well, dealer didn’t have it... plus, can’t worry too much about aerodrag while dragging a bulky trailer...

Anyway, again, really impressed by your design and building skills! Look fwd to seeing your finished van! :up:

[edit] Just noticed my fantastic fan has a clear *blue* cover! The fan blades themselves are clear. With the rain cover over it, couldn't really tell without sufficient sunlight...

[Sad, little man]

Cove... Lighting. More of this to come...

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3702&d=1617328219

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[Crazed_Insanity]

Very romantic atmosphere... ;)

[George]

Now it just needs some orange shag carpet and a cool mural on the exterior.

https://bestride.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Kiss-Van.jpg

And side pipes. Gotta have side pipes. :up:

[Crazed_Insanity]

:lol:

[Sad, little man]

And there it is...

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3704&d=1617846293

Still plenty of electrical and plumbing work left, as well as installing a ceiling fan. (The lights are currently just powered off of a car battery I stole from the Miata.) But it's getting there.

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[JoshInKC]

very nice

[Crazed_Insanity]

Indeed! Almost has this business jet feel... do they change color and are they dimmable?

[Kchrpm]

Indeed! Almost has this business jet feel... do they change color and are they dimmable?

That would be really cool.

[Cam]

Neato! :cool:

[Jason]

Well done, can I have it?

[Sad, little man]

Well done, can I have it?

:eek:

Anyway, I'm on to working on the electrical. I have one big problem. The stereo in this beast is BASIC. It's got radio, that's about it.

Luckily, it is a double DIN size unit, so I have plenty of space to put in a really sweet head unit. What is the current hotness with respect to aftermarket head units?

I'm partial to Alpine myself just because I like pretending it's still the '90s.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I'm partial to factory radios because they look better and I don't have to pay extra labor to install it.

For an RV, perhaps you should just invest in a good blue tooth speaker that runs off of your phone which you could bring anywhere in and outside of the van?

[Sad, little man]

I'm partial to factory radios because they look better and I don't have to pay extra labor to install it.

For an RV, perhaps you should just invest in a good blue tooth speaker that runs off of your phone which you could bring anywhere in and outside of the van?

Absolutely not. First, this is the factory stereo. It has all the charm of a 15 year old office phone. Second, I'm going to be driving this all over the country, and I am not messing around with a phone and a bluetooth speaker for all the time that I'm driving.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3707&d=1618883175

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[Crazed_Insanity]

Ok, that thing is pretty.... hideous!

Resisting messing with the phone is futile. Assimilate the car with something android auto or CarPlay capable, maybe with built in gps? That way, you can still navigate without cell signal.

That’s my setup with my tow vehicle. Besides navigation and music, I’m also relying on my phone to monitor my tranny temperature and as a brake controller for my RV trailer! So CarPlay is a must for me! Phone screen alone just ain’t big enough...

[neanderthal]

:eek:

Anyway, I'm on to working on the electrical. I have one big problem. The stereo in this beast is BASIC. It's got radio, that's about it.

Luckily, it is a double DIN size unit, so I have plenty of space to put in a really sweet head unit. What is the current hotness with respect to aftermarket head units?

I'm partial to Alpine myself just because I like pretending it's still the '90s.

At the front I suggest any of the amazon (or similar) units that have rear view camera capability.

I then suggest a second smaller unit, connected most likely only to the rear speakers in the ... cabin section of the car, that will play music via radio or bluetooth I use the Continental TR7412 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D2R48HZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) in my old Mercedes 250TD wagon. It only had two speakers and an ancient Blaupunkt stereo that sounded awful when I got it. This stereo, coupled with a small, powered, Blaupunkt subwoofer, (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MA627HA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) sounds great. There is a version with a cd player if you still play those.

Nice bloody work by the way.

[retsmah]

I'm not around the forum that much these days, hadn't caught this thread yet. Very cool! I've wanted to build a camper van for a while, this one is looking nice!

Way back in the first post you talked about doing a shower in there, is that still in the plans? I didn't see any details on how you'd get it in there, I like the idea but seems challenging inside a connect!

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, probably next to impossible to have a shower in that van... he can probably go for an outside shower?

I recently saw a portable shower system that uses very little water... wonder if it really works...
https://www.lifeintents.com/lit-store/geyser-camp-shower

[Sad, little man]

I'm still planning to definitely have something like a shower. I would not have bothered to engineer the whole hot water system if I wasn't going to do the shower. I also do not want to do any sort of outdoor shower, because it severely limits where you can use it. I could never keep myself clean in a city or even most campgrounds.

I have some ideas on how to make it work. It will be something where you need to sit down to use it.

Anyway, I have done a lot more mechanical and electrical work on the van. It now has running water. I took my first trip in it this weekend, but there's still plenty more work to do to finish it.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3717&d=1621224051

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[Crazed_Insanity]

Awesome! Van life!

Need to show me how you take shower! :p

Also, you gonna change that decal and find new sponsors eventually, right? :p

[Sad, little man]

Eventually I think I'm going to change it to "Tim Thompson Flowers" so I don't have the name of an actual person on my van. But otherwise I see no down sides and only benefits to people thinking it's a flower shop van. So I'm probably gonna leave it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

You might have a difficult time color matching the new letter i to the rest of the decal... further, how do you know Tim Thompson isn't real? :p

Just show us how you shower.

[Sad, little man]

You might have a difficult time color matching the new letter i to the rest of the decal... further, how do you know Tim Thompson isn't real? :p

Just show us how you shower.

It's black. I will get a new letter that is black. If Pantone has a problem with my quality of color matching, it is not my concern.

Tim Thompson probably is real, but it's unlikely that he owns a flower shop.

I haven't fully devised how I'm going to shower yet, but I'll show it when I do.

[Leon]

Yes, show us how you shower

[pauses and considers phrasing]

[Sad, little man]

I just discovered that the fastest motorhome world record is only about 140mph. That seems pretty doable with a Transit Connect, doesn't it? I wonder what Guinness requires for something to be considered a motorhome. I don't have a toilet. :/

https://guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-motorhome-(rv)

[Crazed_Insanity]

Adding a composting toilet should be much easier than a shower... where you not only need a bigger water tank, but also need to have a gray tank to catch all the soapy dirty water...

Anyway, it took a long time for me to take my S2000 on an empty stretch of high way to reach 145mph. I've never gone that fast on any tracks that I've been on because they're just too twisty... Anyway, point is I don't think it's that easy to get up to 140mph. How many HP does your van have? More than 240HP? Your van also has a much bigger profile than the S2000. Chances are, that guy did not use the van's original engine...

Spend your time and money on installing the shower rather than the engines and suspension upgrades dude! :p

[Sad, little man]

Yeah as I recall the Transit Connect's transmission is kind of made of glass, so more power is probably not a great idea.

[retsmah]

Looking good! Agree on the flower shop van livery, should make stealth urban camping a little easier.

[Sad, little man]

Van is still working great. I'm in the process of installing solar panels, which is the last big thing I have planned. But let's talk about what is perhaps the most important modification. I'm talking about third brake lights. Particularly, this government mandated abomination...

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3771&d=1626712156

See, in the US there is an obscure motor vehicle standard stating that all third brake lights must be exactly on the center line of the vehicle. So what did Ford do? Made a blank cover for the proper third brake light location, and mounted this plastic Star Trek reject spaceship onto the roof.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3772&d=1626712293

This is stupid, and it traps water between it and the roof.

So, after some diligent searching on ebay UK, and the tense anticipation of international shipping, I'm happy to report that I now have the third brake light that god intended and Uncle Sam doesn't want me to have.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3773&d=1626712435

Yes it's a lot of fooling around for one brake light, but I like it. It's just so European to have my third brake light delightfully askew.

Also, this resulted in a real benefit to me as well. Removing the cheesy US spec brake light from the roof left a hole in the roof where the wires went through, which was also the perfect place to run my solar power cables through. So I avoided drilling another hole in the roof by hunting down the euro spec brake light. :)

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[Crazed_Insanity]

Ha! I do believe it's too much trouble to mess with that light, but using that existing hole to wire in your solar panels perhaps make this modification worth it! :p

So do you have a shower yet?

This guy's stealth camper van is pretty amazing:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HL4RQb-ROA&t=419s

There's an option for him to shower in it, but I think it'd be such a pain in the ass! :D

[Sad, little man]

Yeah I got the shower going. It's a lot less fooling around than the one in that video. (But still a little fooling around.) I will take a photo of it set up. I went on a week long trip in the van, and used the shower three times during the week. It was great to be able to stay clean right in the van. The hot water system took the single most work of any part of the van, but it has been great for showering.

[George]

Yes it's a lot of fooling around for one brake light, but I like it.

Sometimes it's the little things that make life more fun. I continue to enjoy this thread. :up:

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah I got the shower going. It's a lot less fooling around than the one in that video. (But still a little fooling around.) I will take a photo of it set up. I went on a week long trip in the van, and used the shower three times during the week. It was great to be able to stay clean right in the van. The hot water system took the single most work of any part of the van, but it has been great for showering.

:up:

[retsmah]

Very cool! I haven't actually tried using the shower in my little RV yet, I feel like it'll run out of hot water pretty quickly with a 4 gallon hot water heater, but maybe it'd be okay. Interested to see your setup!

[Crazed_Insanity]

Hey, SLM, how's van life?

Do you travel alone or with somebody? Looks like Gabby Petito was traveling in the same kind of van as yours so was just wondering...

Even with our bigger travel trailer, traveling with wife, kid and 3 cats can certainly be super stressful as I've found out while relocating from CA to WA. 5 day trip non-stop driving was just way too much for everyone I think... my kid used to love eating and watching TV in the RV back in CA, but not anymore! :D Will probably try to do more weekend trips locally around WA next year. For now, my TT is just sitting in the backyard as part of backyard patio furniture and my office. ;) Living full time on the road with a family is definitely out of the question for us.

Anyway, hope you're having a much better experience with your van?

[Kchrpm]

This thread sprang to mind and I'm also wondering how it's going and what trips are planned in it

[Crazed_Insanity]

I get the feeling he's done with his van and just waiting for the weather to get better... or he has moved on to his jet bike! :p

I'd like to take my RV out for a camping trip too... as soon as Seattle stops snowing...:|

[Sad, little man]

Oh hey guys I have been using the heck out of the van this past winter. In November I drove out to Arizona, and then all the way to San Diego for a few days. I doubled back to Arizona for Thanksgiving with some friends, drove back to Michigan, and then turned right back around within a few days and drove to New Orleans for a week. Came back home, but I really liked it out in Arizona, and I had a nice place to stay on some property that my friends own. So around mid January I drove out to Arizona a second time and stayed for about a month and a half. Stopped by the Grand Canyon on the way back, as well as saw an old friend in Colorado. Probably done with the huge trips for a little while because that was about 13,000mi in four and a half months. Also the weather is getting nice here in Michigan so there's no need to go anywhere else for now.

[Cam]

Wow, amazing! :up:

[Kchrpm]

That's awesome! Glad that it's working out and proving itself through its intended use.

[Leon]

Living the dream!

[Crazed_Insanity]

13,000 miles just in winter season! Wow! :eek:

After pulling my RV trailer from LA to Seattle(~1,300 mi), RV has been sitting in my backyard ever since... my kid and the cats really got sick of traveling in it... ;) Anyway, hope the rain/snow in Seattle can stop soon so that we can go camping again soon too.