choosing a vehicle confusion

[Gary68]

i've been looking for something that clicks all my boxes and the closest i can get without  $20,000 price tag are the mid to late 70's chinook concourse with dodge small block or gm i can stuff a 350/700r in it,so far the gm's i see have the 400 siamese cylinder in it and i dont like them

the problem is the whole point of a wide body is to have a full/queen bed in the back and these are rear entry with no side doors and just can't rap my head around how i would get this to work,bed in back and just use cab doors to exit?

has anyone seen a good interior configuration with these or know of adding side doors?

thank,gary

 

[Almost There]

I've looked for years for a decent layout in a Class B or small C and to the best of my knowledge they don't exist.

They are all built with convertible beds and an attempt to cram all the conveniences of a large Class A into the space of the smaller unit.

We had a van with a full sized queen with extra length in it. It was a long box Chevy. Add a high top and you have standing room.

If you want RV style holding tanks and propane they can be plumbed but, as with anything like that, there is a price tag.

The other alternative to an extended body van is a small bus, something like what a lot of hotels use for shuttle service.

If you can't build your own interior then you can at least design a layout that suits you.

 

[highdesertranger]

I really can't help you with the layouts. but I do know yow are smart to stay away from the 400 especially if it has been over bored. imho not a reliable engine. however if you chose a gm any engine and trans combo will bolt right in, no modification needed. well no major modification. highdesertranger

 

[Matlock]

Gary,
I looked for a Chinook for quite a while. Couldn't find anything shorter than 24' with a side door and those were 2002 and newer and $35K. There may be others out there that have a side door in a short version but I couldn't find any for sale.

And your right, they do let you check off a bunch of the boxes.

 

[corky52]

I have a 1982 El Darado TransVan, 26 ft, Ford Econoline E350, with a 460 CI.  The beast has a side door, and had a queen bed in it.  From my research, I never found a shorter one with a sidedoor prior to 2k.


Corky

 

[akrvbob]

Single best RV I've ever seen was a friends 18 foot Mobile Traveler Class C. Extremely nice layout! There are still a few out there but they are hard to find and hold their value.
Bob

 

[Gary68]

thanks for the input guys,the one sure thing is no matter what vehicle i eventually go with i will have to do some mods,being a confused perfectionist is a hard job but someone has to do it

 

[SoulRaven]

I've always liked the looks of the older chinooks from the outside, and I liked their wet baths.  I didn't like the rear door, or the less than stand up height forward of the rear end.

Have you looked at the late 70's - early 80's Dodge Explorers?

This model has a full/queen bed in back, and all of the typical RV goodies.  They have a lowered floor so you can stand up in them.

This model of explorer has this floorplan:

I have seen both types of these for under $2500 occasionally.

Good Luck.  Tell me what area you're in, maybe I can help.

You might also be happier with a class C.