1991 E-150 stealth conversion

[wylietc]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I bought my van from an elderly gentleman who only used it to take his grandchildren to Disney world every summer, so it had low mileage for a 20 year old vehicle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I started by completely gutting the interior (drop about 500 lbs.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I then started to rework my rear A/C piping, add insulation, and started framing the interior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>After the framing, I built the cabinets, installed all my components, wired, and finished the trim work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>From start to finish, it took me about four months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Now I call it home sweet home.</span></span></p>

 

[bpeck]

Such a clean/classic looking van and an equally clean conversion. Looks awesome! Just the other day I was looking at the overhead TV area in my van and realized how much more useful a simple storage space would be up there. I like what you did up there, definitely feeling some inspiration. Thanks for the great pics &amp; safe travels.<br />-B

 

[tink]

very nice.

 

[wylietc]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks Brian, One thing I tried to keep in mind as I was building, was using every square inch of space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I have everything I own packed away in every nook and cranny, and still have a lot of room for more gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Though, sometimes I feel a little cramped with all the cabinet storage around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I may have gone a little overboard with the cabinetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>All in all, it has been a great experience.</span></span></p>

 

[Mortisha]

WoW very nice. I wish I had half of your construction ingenuity. =) My van will never look like that LOL HuggZ

 

[Stillwater]

Holy cow, man?! What a fantastic conversion!

 

[Guest]

Really nice setup. Glad you are comfy and it is home sweet home for you...or as we say in the business: Roam sweet home!<br />Bri

 

[Les H]

Very nice job.

 

[yesican]

That's an impressive conversion!&nbsp; Thanks for sharing.<br />Rae

 

[Coffee Tim]

Great job, that is really cool!!

 

[rvwandering]

&nbsp;Very nice - really like the slide out work area!

 

[bpeck]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks Brian, One thing I tried to keep in mind as I was building, was using every square inch of space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I have everything I own packed away in every nook and cranny, and still have a lot of room for more gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Though, sometimes I feel a little cramped with all the cabinet storage around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I may have gone a little overboard with the cabinetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>All in all, it has been a great experience.</span></span></p>

<br />What did you use for the gray material in your upstairs cubby, and how did you attach it to the fiberglass roof? Any insulation behind it?&nbsp;<a href="/file?id=1363604">https://vanlivingforum.com/file?id=1363604</a>

 

[wylietc]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The gray material was the velour padding that was applied by the coach company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It appeared to be foam backed with velour padding, and held by a spray adhesive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So I chose to just leave it in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It does act as insulation, to a certain degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The rest of the ceiling I lined with board foam insulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I used a plastic sheet board (used in bathroom applications), and attached using adhesive and sheet metal screws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So far it hasn&rsquo;t sagged..</span></span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"> [QUO</span>TE=brianpeck]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks Brian, One thing I tried to keep in mind as I was building, was using every square inch of space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I have everything I own packed away in every nook and cranny, and still have a lot of room for more gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Though, sometimes I feel a little cramped with all the cabinet storage around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I may have gone a little overboard with the cabinetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>All in all, it has been a great experience.</span></span></p>

<br />What did you use for the gray material in your upstairs cubby, and how did you attach it to the fiberglass roof? Any insulation behind it?&nbsp;<a href="/file?id=1363604">https://vanlivingforum.com/file?id=1363604</a>[/quote]

 

[BigBlue]

nice man, looks great !!!! <br />&nbsp;

 

[oldnjung]

We have a '96, so your interior, before the mod, looks almost exactly the same as ours.&nbsp; How did you attach the board frame just below the window sill?&nbsp; I would be afraid of drilling through the side of the van. Maybe built the frame and attached other parts to frame ribs? <br />Really Great Cabinet Work!

 

[wylietc]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can see from these two photos how I attached the 2x3 boards to the vertical frame ribs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I used heavy duty metal screws, and basically toe nailed them into the support framing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Those boards really don&rsquo;t bear any substantial weight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They are there to have something to attach too. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for my cabinet frame; I used a centerline framing method.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The only flat surface on my van was the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A level is useless, as well as a plump bob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So I used the floor as a baseline. I used a framer&rsquo;s square, and the Pythagorean Theorem to keep everything in check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So, I ran the framing out into the curves of the sides and roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So each frame piece was a unique cut.</span></span></p><br /><br />We have a '96, so your interior, before the mod, looks almost exactly the same as ours.&nbsp; How did you attach the board frame just below the window sill?&nbsp; I would be afraid of drilling through the side of the van. Maybe built the frame and attached other parts to frame ribs? <br />Really Great Cabinet Work![/quote]

 

[vokus]

<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>THIS IMAGE HERE IS WHAT WE ARE ALL HERE FOR!!!<br /><br /><img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> !!!<br /><br /><img src="/file?id=1363647" alt="" /></strong></span>

 

[cjmccormick]

Wow! Im amazed! Great conversion! Thank you for sharing! Would love to have a layout very similar. I have a 1991 E150 with a hi top.

 

[threebrain]

amazing. Best one I have seen so far.

 

[papas34]

Threebrain......welcome!!!!