Vanlife thread

just the other day saw a NCV3 Sprinter low roof with one of those shitty aftermarket fiberglass tops.

What's the fucking point when you can literally just order a Sprinter with the high roof straight from the factory? Or buy a used one with it?

Dual alternators and distribute the weight over the rear axle.

My 220AH AGM batteries weigh 120lbs each.

Solar is a great idea but it isn't really practical during the summer. It gets way to hot inside the van to make use of the solar. Not enough daylight hours during spring / fall for the panels.. I removed my panel and turned it into overhead storage.

You'll find you don't really use a lot of electricity unless you're running a fridge and a full size desktop pc.

Spend the money and get a DC fridge if you want a fridge.

First for SUV conversions w/ QT3,14 redheads.

Also first for space saving ideas.
Post em here niggers

Jesus its this guy again. No one ever pretended it was, it was just you poor reading comprehension then you got butthurt.
Mine is the same model as I explained and I am trying to modify in a similar fashion.

How hard is it to remove the bulkhead off of a T5 Transporter?

Also, does anyone know/recommend good conversion companies in the UK?

There are people who live in their prius. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

2operator4innacity. If you could innawoods dwell that would be awesome though.

I feel it. I have a shared place and it is still 800. What a waste of money. When I thought of what I could buy with that kind of money every month, I became angry, and hence vanlife. But one good thing about commiefornia is the weather is mild year-round. Go for it. In commiefornia, it's actually a huge part of surf culture to live innavan, and the entire bay area is notorious for them. Well who can blame them? You have people asking if a 120k salary is enough to live on in the bay area... It's ridiculous. Thank god I don't live there. Although if you did, you would get paid the higher salary, live in the van for nearly nothing, and rake in a fortune. Good deal if you can get it.

Nice. I paid a small premium to get an ex govt vehicle because of the great maintenance. Interior was spotless, too. Post your route.

Is it autism to not like the lifted bed platforms? You have less headroom, can't even sit up sometimes, and instead of being snug against some solid metal, you're at window level. Feels less comfy imo. They do it for storage space, but I'd rather just have less stuff to begin with.

I don't get how two people can share a van. For one it's a bedroom on wheels, but I feel like two people and two people's worth of crap is a lot to cram in there.

I felt this. They would put 280 as the mileage and mean 280000. Or put $1 as the price and it would actually be like 300 a month lease (but they never said the total price.) Do people fall for this kikery? Or hell, I got one scam...messaged guy about a van, he said his mom was selling it and to email her, so I do and it's some cockamamie scheme she wants me to use amazon services to buy it from her, sounds fishy so I search the net, amazon doesn't even sell cars or help people sell cars and were warning about this scam going around. Messaged her back saying we could meet IRL, I could test drive it, and buy in cash, but I'm not using amazon payment service. No reply. Probably some nigerian scammer.

Every section of craigslist is infested with scammers. And yet it's less awful than some websites which are full out just scammers. And they always got some sob story. Single moms who want you to gibs them stuff for free, or someone who is deaf and can't leave the house for some retard reason, or some woman who is scared to meet to sell the product irl. Like nah, ain't fooling me.

Is it hippie hype, or real that solar panals can run a computer?

>Is it hippie hype, or real that solar panals can run a computer?
I cannot tell what you are asking

>Is it hippie hype, or real that solar panals can run a computer?
A battery can run a computer. You think a solar panel can't run a battery?

>A solar panel can't run a battery
Depends on the load on the battery.

No, a solar panel probably won't run a desktop gaming PC.

A laptop, sure. A low powered pc, sure.

>No, a solar panel probably won't run a desktop gaming PC.
wrongo user.
There are vans with enough solar to run AC and microwaves

Figure i could stream on twich out of my van. I already stream off boingo WiFi and its stable.

Just need to math it out.

4WD Van life
>towing this big 'ol thing up a big hill
>in the rain
>4WD engaged
>1st gear
>3.2L Diesel chugging away
Made it

>towing with those bald fucking tires

Only the edge because the alignment is so fucked, and only that one tyre (^:

I have some truck tyres on the rear

>tyre
>tyres

N E W Z E A L A N D

Future upgrades include
>Free wheeling front hubs
>Low ratio Tcase
>mud tyres all round
>tinted rear windows
>wood and carpeted floor in the rear
>upgraded drivers seat

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka is the greatest thing of all time

shopping for shag carpet online
van is gonna be cozy

>been in car for 8 months
>need van
luckily my back seat folds flat and I can stretch out with my legs in the trunk.
#midsizesedan4lyfe

>Been outside for months
>Winter just hit and it's cold and shitty
Need car.
Don't want a van because it isn't discrete enough.

>outside for months
>on Veeky Forums instead of working 24/7

I'm in school I don't have time for a job right now. Probably will after this semester.

...

>dat greenhouse
wat
does it collapse down for travel hopefully?

Just bought this off Craigslist for 1200. It's a 93 gmc vandura with 144k miles. How'd I do?

You did as good as that gas mileage.

Supposedly 16/21, from old consumer reports. I figured I wouldn't find a van in my price range that got much better.

>How'd I do?
you did great user
trick that sucker out so you can camp in it this summer.

Chevy vans get the best mileage

The Ford Transit Connect is rated at 21/27, but it's also based on the Focus and powered by a 2.0L Duratec I4

To me thats not a real van. Its not even a minivan really, more like a hatchback on steroids

...

A mobile ac unit probably draws less power than my gaming pc. Same with a microwave. And anyone can run anything with enough batteries.

Sounds fun. Except for the carpet. If your making it for off road work why would you put in the carpet. Cover the floor in bed liner or tractor paint. Something tough. Then use a rug. That way when it gets muddy you just pull the rug out and wash it Instead of having to steam clean your carpet. It's what all the off road guys do around here.

Sounds like you did great user.

Good lord user, you know nothing about electricity consumption.
Stop posting.
You must be 18 to be here.

1966 Dodge A-100
Before

After.
Was my first car back in high school. Engine turned over by hand, so we drug it on a flat bed and fixed it up.

Of course it does, mongol.

sweet! i hope you kept it

how's the inside? That's what matters with a van. Love the wheels though.

Outside is just as important for lure the ladies yes?

>Hey baby want to see the inside of my van

I think you will be particularly interested in the ceiling

>hey baby, wanna see my minivan?

...

How I purchased it

After my upgrades, in "Day Mode"

and "Night Mode"

COMFY
O
M
F
Y

Buying an old van and refurbishing from the ground up during the winter then hitting the road come spring, is the best feeling you will ever feel.

From what I understand, Ford E150/250/350 vans are based on the Ford F series pick ups, frames and engines, etc.

Will kits meant for the F series trucks work for the E series vans? Like lift kits and 4x4 kits?

I'm absolutely enamored with off road vans and want to build my own. Delicas aren't exactly common here, so I'm looking at taking something common and building it up to fit my needs.

Currently looking at E250s for that sweet diesel.

That's a sweet looking van.

Bump for interest.

Most likely no. They look similar but the vans and trucks are built on completely different platforms

...

Figure there's any way to nigger rig it to work?

It was my understanding that the only real difference between the F series and the E series was the body.

...

that looks 2cozy
>tfw no van to go vanning through the rockies in

Having done it, it is probably not quite as awesome as you think it is...but is it still really fucking fun.

I keep seeing and coming to these van threads, and now I might be getting a van pretty soon.
>we're all gonna make it

The day a solar panel can run a gaming PC and satellite internet receiver is the day millions of NEETS buy all that and ruck out to the deep woods and are never seen again.

Centuries later it will he called "the NEETpocalypse"

That day is here user.
Solar power is cheap now and a good battery bank is getting lighter and lighter.
I have seen guys in the desert with 1500 watts on the roof running serious AC units and staying cool AF.
If you have a NEETBUX or a job that you can do on the net... the future is now.

me and mi girl lived in here for 3months but she just bought a van. ima do some crabbing for a couple weeks then hop in her van and go to mexico. i did just miss out on a telecommuting job 20/hr 30hr/week but she got it and that will be plenty money for us to live comfortable down there. fuck i was supposed to make like 20k this winter and ive made like 5k, fuck fuck fuck

we got fired from our job so we went down to the river and cooked potatoes instead

A well tuned van will embiggen your whole life user.
It is the best choice of vehicle.

Vanbump

How hard is it to do window conversions on standard panel vans?

Depends on what windows you want.
Conversion van windows are easy.
Passenger van windows would be tough

You could fit alot more if you just stack them

>painting with a roller
What the fuck. I won't even paint my house with a roller.

Rustoleum paintjobs don't actually look all that bad.

It's a lot of prep work for a decent outcome though.

Some user here did a pretty good job with his project

Is insulation needed if you only stay in warm areas?

I don't understand how that is supposed to save space... Isn't the additional space needed for dividers and drawer bearings going to trivialize any space savings? Also, since we're talking about vandwelling, there's no way that a setup like that is worth the extra weight of more drawers/shelves/etc.

No two computers consume the same amount of energy. A 2'x4' solar panel will power most laptops.

Anyone have a solar setup? Can anyone redpill me on solar power? Looking into these for camping over a generator, but I'm not sure the space needed to haul panels is worth the output.

I just so happen to have a mobile AC. This sucker will blow a 15a circuit on startup. Last time I checked gaming PCs don't draw 15a

Same here. I want to leave for the woods and never come back

Dat privacy

Seriously? I was expecting half that. It has a 350 right, not a 6.2?

Let me just start by saying that PV panels won't work if there is even a little bit of shade on them. They need full sun.

I have self installed grid tied solar system on my roof. I sell excess to the power co and haven't paid a single gas, water, or electric bill since.

PV Panels require a battery system to store power. They're not meant power something directly.

Weather you should go for Solar or a Generator depends on how much power you'll be using.

If you run high draw things occasionally, a 2 panel 500w system plus a set of batteries will do fine. It will take up your whole roof though.
You can pretty much run a computer all day.

A typical $500 6hp Cingchong generator can output 3000w continuously at idle. You'd need to spend over $4000 for 15 panel solar system to get that same continuous power. And thats on a perfect day.

The cheapest way to run something in a forest with tree cover is a diesel generator using waste oil as fuel.

it's needed everywhere.
vans/cars are metal boxes that don't keep heat in they also don't breathe well so vents or opening windows are a must

>images of Chris Farley doing his motivational speaker thing
>images of Buffalo Bill and Silence of the Lambs
>being rousted for vagrancy at 3AM by state police

Just.... no.

The Red Dragon was the one with the van, friend

No, loser. The first one. Go watch it again.

Don't tell me what to do faggot. You're not my Dad.

he is fucking your mom thoigh

Uhh pretty sure he isn't bro. My Dad's at work and my Mom is at home so...

Also the guy you were arguing with is a blaman

Who is he blaming? And for what?

>converting minivan because I'm a masochist
>realize the headliner won't support shit so I can't just glue insulation to it
>realize the ceiling is curved with a mound in the center
>only means to rig this shit up is to put length-wise thin boards like wood trim that span to a solid plastic surface to hold up the foam insulation board
>gonna use duct tape and liquid nails
>then toss some fabric on top so it doesn't look too ghetto
>realize cutting foam using a small camping knife is a bitch and a half and you can't get a clean edge because it's crumbly fuckshit
>put duct tape over edges to keep the foam intact and prevent little foamballs from going all over like pink snow

On the bright side, my reflectix-foam-cardboard-felt window covers were relatively easy to make. They're half done now. Sucks nuts how everything takes 5x as long as you reckon it will.

Oh and someone already sideswiped me, my driver's side mirror is now held in by packing tape. Thank god it didn't shatter.

Got about a week and a half left in a house until the lease is up.