BigBlue our travel van

[asgard]

Well, after many months of wondering whether I should post detail on my build I decided to ask if it was a suitable candidate for inclusion.

I have no 4x4/AWD, no lift kit, and a standard E150 extended van.

We use it for traveling across the US and Canada and do weekend and longer trips, up to 8weeks at a time. We have travelled from Ontario, Canada to Acadia NP, Key West, Colorado, and Texas so far about 30000kms.

I do not want to post here if members think it is just a van life fit-out and is not in keeping with the site values.

I will await some indication of whether it is acceptable before I start the process of detailing my build.

Really enjoy the site and the serious builds.

[Chinook]

Nice, welcome, im a noobie myself... its a public forum so im not sure why anyone would object to you posting your van and thoughts and build.

[Twoxentrix]

In my experience, This closet is filled with both designer & budget...the garments all have value & purpose, and hang together just fine!
Welcome!

[ctb]

Is it a van? Do you travel, sleep and have great adventures in it? AND MOST IMPORTANT....Do you have pictures and recommendations of cool places you have been and would love to share so other Forum 'members' can travel to and enjoy as well? EXCELLENT! Welcome to the Forum eh?!? So about those pictures...

[marret]

I’ll echo what others are saying, and ctb especially. Welcome. The reason this sub-forum exists is for home-built/ ground up builds. If you have travels to share there is place for that.

[BCam]

I'm in pretty much the same boat, four-wheeling and other adventure stuff, isn't in the cards.

I'm in the beginning stages of a minimalist build. We have a motorhome for true camping and long road trips but my wife uses a wheelchair and it's nice to have toilet facilities, sleeping accommodations, etc. available on day trips and for quick on-the-road overnights when traveling point to point.

I've felt welcome and have even contributed on occasion, so start posting.

[asgard]

Thanks all for the welcome and encouragement. even an EH!, although I am Scottish I appreciate the sentiment.

So let me start with the backstory.

We have traveled extensively in Europe using tent, trailer, and RV, and when we embarked on our North American adventure we were keen not to get caught up in size over function.
It was important to have ultimate flexibility and although we are experienced travelers we were aware of the vastness of the continent compared to Europe.
We decided after many months of looking that a premade unit was not what we wanted, it was nice but had too many things we from experience could live without.

We settled on an ex Federal Gov van, it is a 2012 Ford Econoline E150 extended, it had 12000 miles on the clock and was in tip-top condition, it came with rear windows, side slider which we liked, front and rear AC cruise control, tow pack and the fabric seats.
It also had a hard floor installed and a divider.

The first item was to remove and inspect the floor, the divider, and generally look it over.
Form and function are paramount for the build.

First was the installation of sound deadening, I used a full pack of Kilmat 50sq feet, it was very easy to use the product and stuck well to all surfaces. then with the floor replaced as a solid base, I installed both front seat swivels, that made a huge difference and was key to the livability of the van.

[Lilnuts2]

Welcome

[asgard]

The next setup was a test for the bed height, we wanted under bed storage and had sourced a water tank and fridge that we wanted to fit under. We were hoping that across the van would be wide enough but at this stage, we were uncertain of that.
Also fitted 2 roof vents, we chose these to keep the height low and would use them mostly a passive. It was also important that it remained as stealth as possible and fit in my workshop.
We used the vents that are usually found in the washroom area of most vans, being dc motors I could double switch them for suck and blow.

[Grampswrx]

First of all, this is super cool. Second, we welcome everyone as long as you are having a good time!

This build out is so cool. Please post some pics of the vents. Lots of people have looked for solutions that aren’t $300 roof vents.

In my opinion budget builds are always very creative. It’s easy to fix a problem by handing it to a pro along with a blank check. But watching someone build something with square pegs and round holes is always exciting. Welcome and keep posting up the pics!