Cargo Van Conversion

[maryanimal]

My plan is to buy a cargo van and transform the back into a living space. I've googles DYI cargo van conversions and got a lot of ideas! Having this van will be easier for me to get in and out of. My little car is a low rider. Anyway, Someone has giving me lots of ideas! Anyone here have any ideas? Has anyone done this before?

I'll be putting my car up for sale soon! I'm so jazzed about this project! Although I am one with the dust, I want more comfy digs! I'll be selling a lot of my camping gear! CL here I come!

[CornMan]

A while back, I bought a 1986 Chevy Van for $250. I got a carpet kit designed for a Toyota pickup/camper shell free from craigslist, and with some very minor re enforcement and a futon pad, had a nice bed with storage space underneath. I drove that thing from Sac to Mulege, Baja, and several other camping trips. I finally got rid of it because it wouldn't pass smog.

[maryanimal]

Carpet kit...I'll have to look it up. I like this set up, but won't add the high top addition!
http://tinycamper.wordpress.com/from-ca ... amper-van/

[lemur]

[TT120]

[trilobyte]

We haven't done any kind of fancy special conversion (other than the steel I welded to the frame for another project years ago), but my girlfriend and I live out of our van on the playa (ironic, because we bring out and build a lot of shade for our camp). Know that you're going to trash your vehicle forever, it will always be a playafied burner vehicle. We don't run AC or even the vents once we get to the edge of the pavement, and we give it a pretty good cleaning (inside and out) after we get back, and throughout the year anytime you get in the thing you're likely to get a little dusty (use another vehicle, take mass transit, or get a ride from a friend if you need to get to job interviews, etc). We also noticed that after 3-4 trips to the playa, a lot of the plastic parts get brittle and are prone to breaking. Last year one of the little buckets in the passenger door that holds stuff broke, and this year we've had two door handles break. All those parts were in good shape when we got the van, and we exercise care and don't abuse the thing (well, other than welding steel to the frame and taking it to the playa repeatedly). It's worked out fine for us, but we don't really use the vehicle for much outside of Burning Man and occasionally hauling gear and supplies. Your mileage may vary, of course - good luck with the project.