Converting a Passenger Van for Urban Stealth - Options?

[notabear13]

So I finally sank the cash and got myself an old van off craigslist, and I'm starting to think seriously about my conversion.

In addition to making the van livable, I also want it to be stealthy - meaning, I don't want people to think someone might be sleeping in it. Obviously, that means I'll need to do something about the oh-so-transparent windows that wrap around the van. Curtains are right out - way too obvious. I'm thinking of some other options, but there are some issues I'll need to consider. For one, I have minimal mechanical experience of any kind - I changed my oil a time or two, and that's about it. Of course, this will be an excellent opportunity to learn, which I intend to make full use of, but I've also only got a few months to do any mechanical repairs, do any body mods, and build a living space, so time is something to consider.

With this in mind, here's what I'm thinking,

1) Super lazy - get some Reflectix and tape it to the inside of the windows. Build insulation and wood paneling over top. It would be relatively inconspicuous, I think. I've seen vans like this before, and they never looked like anything other than your average work van that someone was trying to keep the sun (and prying eyes) out of - to me, anyway. If the tape fails at some point and one falls out of place, though, it could be a real hassle to fix.

2) Regular lazy -  just paint everything (windows and molding) white. From a distance, it would probably look like a regular cargo van. Up close, someone could see they are windows, but again, this doesn't seem like it would be too out of the ordinary for a work van.

3) Reasonable effort - replace the windows with sheet metal. I've been looking this up online, and it seems possible, but info on how to do it is scarce. Mostly I'm worried about how it would look and keeping a tight seal between the metal and the molding. If it looks like a hack job, it would attract attention. If I don't get a good seal and get leaks, that could lead to real problems. Also, the back side window wraps around to the rear of the car a bit, so bending the sheet metal to fit that exact shape could be tricky - especially since I'd probably do it with a 2x4 and elbow grease.

4) Extra effort - replace windows and molding completely by welding on sheet metal to make it a proper cargo van. This seems the most problematic - I don't know how to weld (though it'd be nice to learn), I'd still have the tricky issue of getting the metal to wrap around the back corner, and I would never be able to have windows again (while the other options would allow reversal).

Anyone got opinions? I'm mostly looking for a guess on how feasible each of these options is, and how well each will work at allowing me to blend into the urban landscape.

 

[Steve]

Black Plasti Dip!

https://www.dipyourcar.com/

Spray it on the inside of any windows, peel it off if you get tired of it. The stuff can be as permanent or temporary as you want it to be.

Steve

 

[rvpopeye]

Black Plasti-Dip sounds like a good way,,,,if it's winter , maybe white if not.

I've had good luck with some foil faced poly iso insulation paint flat black on one side and white on the other , change with the seasons....The curves might be a little harder , never had that kind of windows.
I actually had built some boxes from 1x2 and 1/4" luan over the windows with the insulation lining them , then cut a small opening 2x6 at the bottom and a larger opening 3x10 at the top with hinges to open and close,,,so they would function as solar heaters in the cold months ,,,worked great too !

(on one trip out west , I had a border patrol officer staring into the windows ,probably trying to see what/who might be inside.I let him peek for a while then told him he was looking at a piece of insulation 2 inches from the window and if he wanted , I'd be happy to open the door and let him actually see inside ! He just laughed and told me to pass on by Now there's a stealth test !!)

 

[Reducto]

I painted my windows black and was very happy with it. I tried insulation with black fabric glued to it before that but it just looked like fabric and light leaked around the edges. With the paint it just looked like super dark tint and zero light got out.

 

[coultergeist]

My van is a big E350 former handicap patient hauler with the full window all around treatment.  My windows had mirror tint when I got the van.  This does a pretty good job in daylight of keeping out prying eyes, but not much of anything at night if there's light on inside the van.  I cut reflectix to the size of the window and covered the outside facing side with black lawn fabric.  It makes it almost impossible to tell there's reflectix in the window.  I then fit the panels in the windows and covered the inside of the window with cut pieces of MRP, a type of plastic paneling material used for showers and wet area.  A full 4 ft by 8 ft sheet runs around $30 or so at most home improvement stores.  It took two sheets for the whole van as I recall.  This made the windows look just like dark windows from the outside at night and allowed absolutely no light through.  It also did a great job of insulating the windows. 




Hope this helps.  It takes a little patience and time to do it right, but it has done an excellent job for me for the last year and a half.

 

[notabear13]

Thanks for the responses! I think I'll go with steve's suggestion of the plastidip, since I'm planning on lining the whole inside with insulation anyway. Will post pics when I've done it!