Chevy Venture lightweight conversion

[Guest]

Picked this little minivan up a couple of days ago.&nbsp; Going to make a very lightweight camper with just the bare essentials.<br><br>So here's the before pics.<br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img541/2725/dsc01118lv.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img803/5799/dsc01116t.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img266/4333/dsc01119lx.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br>I'll keep you all posted as I do what little conversions I am planning on doing.<br><br>First up is some 5% tint on the back 5 windows and a plywood floor for the back of the van. <br><br>

 

[bk2valve]

Nice...I'll be watching...<br>Brri

 

[Galactic_eyes]

Nice! Good luck on your build.

 

[grummy]

Ive been driving a Venture back and forth to work over this last year. Oretty happy with the mpgs. I sometimes look at it with a SAWZALL in mind......<br><br>I keep seeing the thing with the body removed just behind the front doors and an appropriate sized van body box on the back with a mini sized grandmas attic over the cab. On top of that, a recessed/hidden pop-up hatch (with tent) of sorts so you could stand in it when parked.<br><br>If done right, I think it could look pretty good and give a guy some fairly decent fuel economy. You'd have to keep it light and minimally "furnished" to keep it light. Probably need heavier rear coils or the air ride from the oldsmobile version.<br><br>I wish I could photoshop......

 

[Guest]

Yeah grummy I've been pretty shocked by the fuel economy so far.&nbsp; I drove it for two nights at work (about six hours combined) and it's only taken a quarter tank of gas.&nbsp; <br><br>That puts it actually very close in fuel economy to my Yaris which would be halfway through a tank after a couple of nights!

 

[grummy]

Well, I cant believe that it would beat a yaris... My best is just over 28mpg on the road. Its got a rather large tank.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah the tank in my voyager minivan is the same size as my G10 cargo van <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" class="bbc_img">&nbsp; I get about the same mileage tho thats cause its a rolling turd at this point (335,000 hard km on it).

 

[Guest]

The Yaris is 40L, the Venture is 75L.<br><br>So if it lasts 7 nights (which it's projected to unless the fuel gauge is faulty) then that's basically right there with the Yaris which needed filling every four nights, give or take.&nbsp; <br><br>I'll keep you posted.<br><br>Edit:&nbsp; Topped up the tank last night.&nbsp; $55 over 5 nights of work for the Venture.&nbsp; And checking my old VISA statements: I averaged $50 over 6 nights in the Yaris.&nbsp; Very impressed with the mileage on the Venture.

 

[Guest]

Had it serviced today, needs new rear tires before I hit the road, and new front brake pads in the next 5000kms, but otherwise, no problems. <br><br>

 

[Guest]

This week got the new tires put on, had the front brakes done and just today I got the tint put on.&nbsp; <br><br>I`ll post some pictures later tonight.&nbsp; I decided against altering the floor for now at least.&nbsp; As of now, it`s ready to go, I leave on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the conditions along the route.

 

[cleanheart]

Looking forward to seeing what you've done!

 

[pdxnate]

I bought a 2002 Chrysler Town &amp; Country last summer, with the idea of turning it into a mini-motorhome for weekend adventures and road trips.&nbsp; First off, it needed a new transmission, a week after I bought it, but it's had a good life, been taken care of, and runs and drives like new, especially with its new transmission.&nbsp; Now I'm ready to start building removable components that assemble into a mini-motorhome for trips, but remove so the seats can be reinstalled for when I need to carry passengers.&nbsp; Plans (I have a whole sketchbook filled with ideas!) have been a process of evolution, and I think I finally have the plan I'm going to use.&nbsp; And all the units can stack in the back to make room for one of the bench seats when I need to carry a couple extra passengers, but when assembled for camping, two trunks form a sofa/sleeper for one, with double hinged lids that open out to fill the space with sleeping space for two, if needed.&nbsp; An ice chest will function as another space, and another storage unit will support one of the lids when opened to a bed.&nbsp; With a table it will make for comfortable inside eating, computing, or to set up a small TV and DVD player.&nbsp; The hatchback area will be a kitchen unit, with stowing space for the camp stove and cooking needs, and a fold-out work counter under the protection of the open hatchback.&nbsp; In bad weather, tarps can enclose that space.&nbsp; And a folding awning will make for a nice outdoor "living room" in camp.&nbsp; I also have tarps to enclose the awning area if needed.&nbsp; I'm anxious to get it put together and get on the road with it.&nbsp; The T&amp;C gets a surprising 25 - 26 miles per gallon on the open highway with its V-6 3.3 liter engine, and about 20 mpg in town.&nbsp; For what it is, it is surprisingly economical.&nbsp; I'd certainly welcome any comments from other Dodge Caravan/Chrysler T&amp;C mini-vans that are used in similar ways.&nbsp; I couldn't afford to drive a Winnebago or similar, so I compromised and decided on the minivan for my road-trips.&nbsp; I love driving it -- it literally drives itself, and all I have to do is aim it where I want it to go!

 

[pdxnate]

I bought a 2002 Chrysler Town &amp; Country last summer, with the idea of turning it into a mini-motorhome for weekend adventures and road trips.&nbsp; First off, it needed a new transmission, a week after I bought it, but it's had a good life, been taken care of, and runs and drives like new, especially with its new transmission.&nbsp; Now I'm ready to start building removable components that assemble into a mini-motorhome for trips, but remove so the seats can be reinstalled for when I need to carry passengers.&nbsp; Plans (I have a whole sketchbook filled with ideas!) have been a process of evolution, and I think I finally have the plan I'm going to use.&nbsp; And all the units can stack in the back to make room for one of the bench seats when I need to carry a couple extra passengers, but when assembled for camping, two trunks form a sofa/sleeper for one, with double hinged lids that open out to fill the space with sleeping space for two, if needed.&nbsp; An ice chest will function as another space to sit, and another storage unit will support one of the lids when opened to a bed.&nbsp; With a table it will make for comfortable inside eating, computing, or to set up a small TV and DVD player.&nbsp; The hatchback area will be a kitchen unit, with stowing space for the camp stove and cooking needs, and a fold-out work counter under the protection of the open hatchback.&nbsp; In bad weather, tarps can enclose that space.&nbsp; And a folding awning will make for a nice outdoor "living room" in camp.&nbsp; I also have tarps to enclose the awning area if needed.&nbsp; I'm anxious to get it put together and get on the road with it.&nbsp; The T&amp;C gets a surprising 25 - 26 miles per gallon on the open highway with its V-6 3.3 liter engine, and about 20 mpg in town.&nbsp; For what it is, it is surprisingly economical.&nbsp; I'd certainly welcome any comments from other Dodge Caravan/Chrysler T&amp;C mini-vans that are used in similar ways.&nbsp; I couldn't afford to drive a Winnebago or similar, so I compromised and decided on the minivan for my road-trips.&nbsp; I love driving it -- it literally drives itself, and all I have to do is aim it where I want it to go!

 

[cleanheart]

I'm working on clearing the house of all my "stuff" then I'll outfit the T&amp;C van. I'd love to see pics of yours when you get it done. I'm going to put in a bench type bed using a piano hinge so I can lift it on its self to give a little more room when not sleeping. I'll have plenty of room under for storage. I have a table I'll be using that is removable too. I'll mostly be&nbsp; camping this summer but will use the van in inclement weather. I want to keep the van structure intact so I can sell it in 3 years maybe 4 and get something bigger. Paying cash so I don't have a payment. I need to work for at least 3 or 4 more years so I can afford to hit the road.....living free! I'm very excited to do this!<br>I'll put the cooler between the front seats so Thor can stretch out and sleep there on the seats. I'm also going to turn the passenger seat around to face the back so I have a place to relax. I'll post pics when I begin the conversion.<br>Good luck with your T&amp;C!

 

[pdxnate]

I chose the mini-van simply for the economy, due to today's gas prices.&nbsp; It has adequate space for what I want to do, but does have some limitations.&nbsp; In 1982 I had a 1974 Econoline that I fitted with a camper interior of my own design, drove it up to Alaska and lived in it the first summer I lived up there.&nbsp; It taught me a lot about designing something to fit my own needs.&nbsp; It handled the trip very well, and was packed to the hilt.&nbsp; I dreaded going through Canadian and US Customs, simply because I feared they'd make me unpack everything I had spent a week packing for the trip!&nbsp; They didn't, thankfully, but knew they could make a mess of things and I didn't have another whole week to repack it!&nbsp; The full-size van was a great rig, with a fairly economical 302 V-8 engine, and back then, fuel was fairly cheap.&nbsp; The real advantage to me about a full-sized van was the width, which allowed me to build a bed crosswise and lay my 6' carcass across its width, leaving me more room for building in other components.<br><br>I didn't have the luxury this time to get a full-size van because of gas costs.&nbsp; The smaller space of my T&amp;C offers challenges to use the space in as many ways as I can, so it's been fun to design.&nbsp; My "sofa" is simple 2 trunk-like boxes, 3 feet by 2 feet in size.&nbsp; The reason for 2 of them is so that they can be rearranged to store in back when I need to reinstall the stock bench seat for passengers.&nbsp; All components will stack, including the four floor units.&nbsp; Most of my camping and travel needs will store inside the trunks.&nbsp; By having them as separate units, I can also use a couple different arrangements of the same components.&nbsp; The trunks I designed have double-layered lids.&nbsp; The bottom layer is hinged at the rear so the seat can be lifted up to access inside each trunk.&nbsp; Its top layer is hinged at the front, so just that layer can flip over to fill up the remainder of the space to double the bed size.&nbsp; The table will break down to store underneath when sleeping.&nbsp; The ice chest will support the lid of one trunk, while the other lid will be supported by a storage box along the opposite side of the back area.&nbsp; If this makes any sense -- it's a lot harder to describe than to draw!&nbsp; I have a drawing on this computer, but I haven't figured out to insert it into this message.&nbsp; <br><br>With the bed opened up all the way, it will sleep two cozily in its 48" width, or with it closed up it will make a 24" single cot or sofa.&nbsp; I'll have a portable toilet in the rear also, when on the road, but for camping, it will probably be under a tarp behind a tree, outdoors, so it will be kept portable.&nbsp; For more serious cooking, I have a 2-burner propane camp stove I can set up in the tailgate area.&nbsp; For heating water for a quick coffee or tea along the road, I also have a single-burner butane stove that I can just set up on the table&nbsp; while sitting and taking a break from driving, without having to set up the whole kitchen.&nbsp; The two trunks that will comprise the main seating/sleeping unit, one will be for lighter things like clothes and bedding, the other for camp equipment, and the small storage bin for canned goods and dry foods.&nbsp; And the ice chest for cold stuff, of course.&nbsp; I still don't know just how much depth there will be to the tailgate area, which will be my kitchen unit.&nbsp; I plan to build a cabinet for back there, with flip-down work surfaces for cooking and cleaning, and hopefully room to store a DVD player and flat screen TV.&nbsp; For music, the van came with a fantastic sound system, which made me happy!&nbsp; If all this works out, perhaps in a couple of years I'll be looking for something bigger, but in truth this may be all I'll need.&nbsp; Won't know till I camp in it a few days!&nbsp; For interior lighting, I want to go with LED battery lamps, so I don't have to use the car battery for light.

 

[SirJoey]

<br><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>That's a nice lookin' little truck! Wot year is it? Can't wait to see some <br>pics of wot U do with it! Maybe I can get some ideas for my little 4Runner!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"><br><br></strong></span>

 

[cleanheart]

Thanks Openmind for the link. Good article. <br>pdxnate, your design sounds very doable. Similar to what I am thinking. With such a small space we have to make do with every inch. I like your ideas and hope it works for you. <br>I'll be camping out this summer in a tent while I fix up the van for winter. I just need to get through the next year or two and then I can get something bigger.

 

[pdxnate]

While I admire what some people are doing to make their vans "stealthy", I don't find that a necessity for me.&nbsp; I just want a comfortable vehicle to camp in, to enjoy the scenic back roads with, or just pull over and fix lunch, take a nap, rest, read, or whatever, without having to set up a campsite.&nbsp; My own bunk, my own potty, my own kitchen, etc.&nbsp; In the Northwest, we have lots of public land available for dispersed camping, so I don't want to be sneaky about it.&nbsp; There's always a place to park where nobody bothers anybody.&nbsp; I won't be living in it full-time, though maybe for a few days to a week or two.&nbsp; But I do like versatility, and in a limited space, one has to be as versatile as possible.&nbsp; Though a vehicle that can be locked up while sleeping is decidedly more secure than a tent, if someone really wishes to do you harm, nothing can stop them, anyway -- it's so rare that one shouldn't have to live in fear for one's life any time one is out in the boonies!&nbsp; I just enjoy being close to nature, and having the sounds and beauty of nature to wake up to in the morning.&nbsp; Someone here posted a handy little wood stove they had acquired, and that got me thinking of a great camping stove I saw in a Cabela's ad, which would certainly be cheaper to use than a propane cook stove when camping where such would be permitted, and better than an open fire.&nbsp; A small stove would be easy to pack up, and to set up in a campsite.&nbsp; I'm always looking for ideas, so thanks to everyone for posting their ideas!&nbsp; Army surplus stores are often a very good source of inexpensive tent poles, tarps, and all kinds of bivouac supplies one doesn't find in the sporting goods department, too.&nbsp; Half the fun is looking for ideas!

 

[VanFan]

pdxnate:&nbsp; I like your ideas, too, and wish you well as you go about setting up the mini-van.&nbsp; We trek a bit in a full-sized low top, but have never spent more than 14 days at a stretch on the road.&nbsp; We always stay in established campgrounds, mainly because there is very little free access public land in our area.&nbsp; The 24"/48" modular configuration has worked very well for us.&nbsp; I am especially intrigued by your ideas for the double lidded boxes and hope you'll share details as plans progress.&nbsp; Enjoy!<br><br>Vickie

 

[maritimecamper]

I don't think you will need " booster springs" my venture is made to carry 7 adults...? I put 90% tint in the back windows, that way l can do without curtains.