Howdy Everyone!
I am Nick, new to the forum and I just bought my first van:
It is a 1986 Champion Trans Van based on a Ford E350, it has a 460 and a C6, the engine has been rebuilt and is very tight, runs like a sewing machine.
I have decided to name it "Casper the Friendly Van" because I will be painting it all white and as I travel around the country I will be doing a lot of stealth camping in it as I do, so the name seemed fitting.
Currently the van needs quite a bit of work, the interior is pretty trashed and filthy, I am going to start by ripping out the carpet and the old bed, as well as the sink counter top.
One of the previous owners had installed a pretty awesome solar power system, but the batteries are mounted inside so I will be removing the stock generator that no longer works and installing them in its compartment since it is well ventilated and sealed.
I have started working on some cad of how I want the interior to be laid out:
Where the dinette used to be is where the batteries are now, I will be removing the cabinet they are in and building a lock box out of box tubing and 10 gauge steel to put all of my camera equipment in, it is the sort of mustard yellow and the two orange boxes inside are a pair of Pelican 1620 cases, and there is enough room on top of it for the case for my lap top.
The couch is going to be removed and replaced with a wooden frame that has more storage underneath and a Semi Sleeper mattress on top. It is a 32x74" mattress.
The great thing about the van is that it has a tankless water heater, a shower & toilet, and a fridge, microwave and sink in the kitchen.
I am still going to have to figure out what I am going to do for a cook top, not sure if I am going to install a gas burner or what yet, we will see.
Under the fridge (The light blue box) I am going to add a pair of drawers, the bottom is going to have to be fairly shallow because of the wheel well, but the other should be able to be about 28" long, and 6-8" deep, which will give me a great deal of storage.
In the very back on the drivers side there is a closet, right now it just has a door, but it is a fairly tall closet so I am going to build a new shorter door retaining enough height to hang clothes, but allowing me to add a pair of drawers in the bottom that will be used to store my folded clothes and towels.
Tentatively dirty laundry is going to get stored in a tote under the bed.
I still have to figure out a few storage solutions:
[list]
[*]Secure storage for my guns
[*]Where to put the dog bowls
[*]Where to store my tools
[*]What to do with the upper cabinets (they are tiny)
[*]What to do with the falling head liner
[*]Where to store a Honda 1000i generator
[*]Where to store a barbeque pit.
Traveling with me is going to be my German Shepherd Dexter. He is 4 1/2 years old and a great dog:
The greater plan is I will be living out of the van for a year to a year and a half while I travel through Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, then up to Montana again, form there I will be punching up the Alcan to Alaska.
I am a disabled vet so fortunately that means I have my retirement to rely on. I have been doing photography as an amateur for years, I have recently decided it is what I want to do for a living and I have really been hammering on the quality of my work improving it as much as I can.
That is what this trip is mostly going to be about for me.
Here are a couple of examples of said work:
One of the great things about the van will be that I will be installing a pair of monitors on the desk with a hard mount so they will stay firmly planted, I will be able to sit there and check/edit photos while I am still on scene from shooting, so if there is something I don't like or feel the need to re-shoot it, I don't have to travel back out where I took the photos again.
Over all I am pretty stoked about the project, this comes on the heels of being in a very bad car accident two years ago that messed up my back really bad and put me out of work for a good long time.
Thus this van is a new beginning, and I am really stoked about it.
I will be looking forward to meeting you all, this is my first van and my first Ford, so I do have a ton to learn still.
I will keep you all updated as I make more progress.