conversion vrs cargo vans?

[Deano]

I'm still in the planning stages, and probably will be until next year. &nbsp;(while I'm paying off some debt.)&nbsp; After researching vandwelling, I initially planned on converting a extended E350 ford cargo van, but now I'm not so sure.&nbsp; I've been looking at conversion vans on ebay, and have to admit that some of them are looking pretty interesting.&nbsp; What I would like to know from those of you who are using conversion vans is if they are insulated or not.&nbsp; If not, how hard would it be to remove the interior panels and insulate behind them.&nbsp; Also, it looks like most conversion van&nbsp;have about a 12" high top on them.&nbsp; (I was planning on adding a 24" hightop since I'm 6'1".&nbsp<img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">&nbsp; Do you feel that the 12"&nbsp;hightop creates enough headroom?<br>Thanks for your input!&nbsp;<br>

 

[Les H]

Hey Deano, can't help you on the conversion vans, but I CAN tell you that I'm 6' and I can stand very slightly stooped in my bus . Mabye something to look for? I got mine cheap at a state auction, it used to be a prison transporter. And it has a double roof, that is, metal inside, framing and insulation, and metal skin outside. Just a thought for you.
Les

 

[Deano]

Hey Les<br>I tried to blow up the picture of your bus, but couldn't find a way to.&nbsp; Is it school bus conversion or something similar?&nbsp; I know you said prision transport, but the only vehicles I've ever seen used looked like school buses.<br>Thanks!<br>

 

[Les H]

Yup, basically a schoolbus, but with lots of holes in the floor from where the shackles were attached to overgrown eye bolts. I tinted the windows and added a stereo and a heavy duty hitch. I think this will work, it's the same pic, only blown up some.

[/IMG]

 

[Guest]

Nice to see that Les...I too couldn't really see it on your avatar...<br>Nice bus....I think it will do you well....<br>Bri<br><br>

 

[karl]

I have bus envy.....<br>

 

[Les H]

Thanks guys. It also has a bed frame that folds flat and locks against the passenger wall to use it for cargo duty ( it has to serve double duty at this point). When the battery died last month, I stuffed a Wally world group 29 under the hood, and have the cable to do a house battery. I didn't get a chance to use it for camping or dwelling last year, but I have an out of town job starting in about a week and a half, sooo..... Nothing like trial by fire.

 

[Seraphim]

Only differences I can see in a conversion and a cargo van is someone has already done some work on a conversion and you're going to pay more for it (generally. You might find a good deal).&nbsp;I'd rather do all the work myself.<br><br>The more high-top the better for living in. More storage space. A bit less MPH on the highway (wind resisitance)&nbsp;and possibly not as stealthy though.<br><br>

 

[cyndi]

I, too, am suffering from bus-envy.&nbsp; I always drool over the buses on craigslist and wish I had whatever it takes to convert one or keep one runnng!<br><br>I cant wait to hear how it handles it's maiden voyage in vehicle dwelling land!!<br>

 

[Deano]

<P>Good luck with the trial by fire Les!&nbsp; (You're a braver man than me!)</P>

 

[Les H]

Seraphim, after spending $100 bucks to fill my tank completely, I have discovered that I get 10.8 mpg in mixed driving<img src="/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><img src="/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><img src="/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> I am sure that there are some things that I could do to squeak out a tiny bit more, but lets face it, if you are shoving something as aerodynamic as a brick down the road doing 65, you can hear the money scream as it flees your wallet at an astonishing rate. A factory hightop will be more angled to follow the windshield, so it wont be quite as bad. You would defiantly have more effect from cross winds the higher the top is, though.
Les

 

[Les H]

Deano, I've done out if towers in my 14' camper, and used my wife's minivan once before I had a full size van. Last fall I had the whole van set up for a job that was about 3 1/2 weeks long. The first night pulling into my chosen parking lot, the fuel pump went on the bus. A call to AAA and several hours later, it was towed the 46 miles home. I drove my other vehicle back and forth @ $30/day for fuel and tolls. The actual 'dwelling this time around should be quite easy.. private lot, access to bathroom, water and 110v. Still, first time in this van, so it's like a "shakedown" run. I'll post how it goes.
Les

 

[Vern M]

<P>To answer your original question, my 1994 GMC Tiara conversion van is fully insulated with normal batt type fiberglass.</P>

 

[Deano]

<P>Hey Vern, thanks for your input!&nbsp; Just seems like a big jumpstart to buy something already finished on the inside.</P>

 

[Tao Seeker]

I am planning to use a cargo van. I am also planning to use a fairly new cargo van, as I assume exposed/scratched metal on the interior, from whatever duties it served before me, may have begun rusting if it's older. Also, I am a self proclaimed engineer who enjoys conceiving, drafting, and building anything. Anything from a working set of speakers for my mp3 player from anodized aluminum, to a paintball artillery ballista with 2 tons of launching force and some very large moving parts. I never got that second project done... paintball fell through and money got tight.<br><br>I plan to engineer my van into a functioning living space, with benches that fold up toward the wall, a place for my desktop computer to sit with suspension to avoid damaging it from vibration, and ambient lighting of LED strips fixed to the edges of the ceiling which are wired to pulse with music (I'm a techno fan, not the rave stuff but European electronica).<br><br>The point is that you may want to consider your capacity to turn a cargo van into a living space. White paint on steel doesn't sound like a very inviting home to me, and I wouldn't want to buy that if I didn't know I could transform it into something comfortable and providing. My friend has a conversion van, which is the van I was lying in when I decided I could just go to sleep, wake up there, and not worry about going home. If I wanted to buy something, install a heater and go, it would be that van in stead of a cargo van.<br>

 

[Seraphim]

<SPAN id=post_message_1267742096>Seraphim, after spending $100 bucks to fill my tank completely, I have discovered that I get 10.8 mpg in mixed driving<IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" align=absMiddle border=0> I am sure that there are some things that I could do to squeak out a tiny bit more, but lets face it, if you are shoving something as aerodynamic as a brick down the road doing 65, you can hear the money scream as it flees your wallet at an astonishing rate. A factory hightop will be more angled to follow the windshield, so it wont be quite as bad. You would defiantly have more effect from cross winds the higher the top is, though. <BR></SPAN>

<BR><BR>Not all high are angled with the windshield: ours has an over-cab-sleeping area which is even less wind resistant. We average 12 - 13 mpg with a full water tank and properly inflated tires. <BR><BR>One&nbsp;issue for a FTer is whether they intend to travel a lot or remain more stationary in a semi-established location. Mileage may be of less importance to someone planning to remain parked, and much more important to someone who wants to constantly drive. That's an individual consideration.<BR><BR>I agree a higher top can act like a sail: we are generally not in a hurry driving and maintain 60 mph. Slowing down in high cross winds is an intelligent maneuver.&nbsp;It takes a little longer to get somewhere but, for a number of factors, the drive is more enjoyable. Since we are fully equipped, I no longer get stressed from worrying if we will get somewhere 'on time'. We drive until we decide to stop - for whatever reason - and leave when we decide to leave.<BR><BR>We could get a unit that was less tall - ours is&nbsp;10' - but&nbsp;not having a cramped feeling&nbsp;inside, and the remarkable storage provided by the over&nbsp;head bunk (we sleep on the pullout sofa) makes up for the lower mileage. That's us. Others may have&nbsp;different priorities.<BR><BR><BR>

 

[MargaretA]

This is kind of an old thread but I thought I'd add here something I've noticed about conversion vans - the length is pretty stable at about 17'. I haven't really checked out cargo vans but from the pictures I've seen it looks like they come in different lengths, some of which may be longer than 17'. So if space is an issue and you can manage the extra conversion aspects (ie insulation), a cargo van might be worth checking out. There are also plain passenger vans that come longer than conversions; the biggest I've seen are generally called "15-passenger vans." One thing I don't know is how the floor-to-ceiling measurements compare. The high-top conversions have more head room than the regular passenger vans but I don't know how either of those compares with a cargo van.<br><br>As far as high tops go - I am 5'5" and have only found one I could stand straight up in, and that was just barely. FWIW, it was a Chevy Beauville conversion from the late '80s.<br><br>Meg<br><br>

 

[WanderingRonin]

I am fixing to live in a ford E350 passenger van.<div>I did buy a low roofed one but realized it may have certain advantages such as being able to get into more parking structures and the like.... so I really don't feel bad about it. I expect to fully transition into a taller vehicle but this will do for now.</div>

 

[WanderingRonin]

I also like those small buses they use for airport shuttle or those buses they use for old folks' homes.

 

[edshrodes1955]

<p>does anyone know if the 15 seat window &nbsp;vans are insulated?</p>