DazarGaidin's Chevy G20 Rebuild

[VanLifeCrisis]

As i sit here in my van, with my healing back, the more i think about the conversion the previous owner has done. I also think about the 2 builds ive done on my previous van conversion, and i get that itch again [emoji57] First i was just thinking of adding a drawer style slide out for storage under the bed for tools etc. But then i thought about the bed, and the layout. Then i started measuring and train of thought being what it is i came to the conclusion...there is no reason I cant have a friggin shower in a regular size van. [emoji36]

If i turned my bed it will almost exactly fit between the slide and the back door. This opens up just under half the width and a fair bit of length of the rear of van for what ever i want. I could easily fit a small sit down shower stall if i make it myself, with potti being the seat. I might start sketching out some plans later today in illustrator.

I might be getting a newer vehicle in the future but i decided to save up some first, so in the mean time...

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Just gotta design around the wheel well...which could be easy ifni put shower up front of it but i want to keep current cabinets that are there...hmm

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[rvwandering]

Sounds like a good plan! Don't forget to post pictures. I have no idea how Jim built anything in that van - hope it's easy to get apart.

Has your back pain eased up some?

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

a little, i can move around stiffly. he made it to be perm i think, so we'll see lol hopefully it wont be as tough as the nekkid ladies jb welded and bolted on the grill and the mudflaps he riveted, screwed and bolted on that i cut off with a saw i think he was afraid a handyman thief would make off with stuff

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i do like his cabinets tho...ill try to keep em but i dunno

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one thing is i have the other van still, so i can use it to dry fit and measure out stuff without altering my living space. i guess modular would be the way to go then

 

[One Awesome Inch]

One thing I would be concerned with is air quality due to all that thick carpet. It will suck in alot of dust. Hope you dont have allergies/hay fever.

Sure does look cozy though!

 

[gypsychic]

I was wondering if all that carpet helps with road and traffic noise and also warmth. Air quality is a good point.

Nice to have 2 vehicles so you can move stuff around and have a place to sleep while you're doing your remodel. Your description of the nekkid ladies on the grill and mudflaps has made me chuckle a couple times. Personally I'd have taken them off also but it still made me laugh.

I can't wait to see what you come up with and how you make it work for you.

Cheers

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

carpet is toasty but its dry and my eyes do water a lot. i would rip it out but not sure i want to open that can of worms.

heh, me and a buddy took em off, but it was hard even with a grinder.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

well my current bed setup is annoying me, with window at my feet, the mattress can no longer be squished widthwise, it keeps oozing into the window sill, skewing sideways etc. I was gonna do a slide out bed but then realized i want even more room to work in van.

The van from the back of the slide to rear doors is almost the exact length of mattress. The height from my wheel well boxes (built by previous owner) to ceiling is...oddly enough 39 inches the same width as my bed. so im thinking folding up bed in this space should fit well, or at the list require very litttle trimming.

Its gonna get all the way up to 40 degrees today so im about to try a 'test' version of this, using what i have on hand aka what previous guy built. Wish me luck

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

didnt go as well as i hoped...he sectioned the (massive and insanely heavy) ply into 2 parts ( 3 butt i removed one a while ago). So i had to use my sign stock as a quick fix to join them. he had some pieces i coulds used for legs, they had piano hinges, sturdy ones. but because its jim, he stapled, glued carpet over it all, and once i got to the hinge....because its jim.....he ground the SCREWHEADS smooth. Seriously, like a sheet of glass with a tiny phillips head shaped dot in center to mock anyone foolish enough to rebuild this van lol

Couldnt find jig blades so just used rest of cedar as stop gap. put it in and its too wide to fold up...im not too shocked at this...i knew it would be especially with simple hinging method needing clearance.

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for now lengthwise bed thats a lil shakey till next weekend. it helps put size in perspective...it doesnt seem lik i have as much room as my drawings suggest but i think its cause the displacement of all the crap i stored behind the bed and under it. still gonna check over my plan and do some real work remeasuring.

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also going to get locking leg hinges of some sort, lighter plywood, real legs. making own hinges with stops is possible but too easy to fail.

 

[gypsychic]

sorry it didn't work out as you'd hoped. Funny description but it sounds frustrating.

Looking forward to next weekend's installment of Redoing Jim's Build...(cue music) dun Dun DUN

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

lol yea, if you liked his build and just needed one it would be great and sturdy, but i like to tinker
Looking at class b rvs, they are longer chasis and they are pretty crowded inside too, i guess i just got used to an open layout.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i have discovered a leak. i believe the source is where he had a coax cable entering from the roof. I hope it hasnt rusted out the roof, ill try to remove the wire and silicone on payday. Im scared to open the plastic panel/light that the water is leaking from inside, a deluge might follow lol

Bad juju, because temps are too low to apply solutions :/

 

[Almost There]

i have discovered a leak. i believe the source is where he had a coax cable entering from the roof. I hope it hasnt rusted out the roof, ill try to remove the wire and silicone on payday. Im scared to open the plastic panel/light that the water is leaking from inside, a deluge might follow lol

Bad juju, because temps are too low to apply solutions :/

The hole from the coax that is in my fiberglass roof is so darn large that I'm using a wine cork to plug it until spring when the bodywork is done! But then mine isn't being driven and it won't leak until the snow starts to melt so I'm good with that.

I went to the RV Dealership to buy some Eternabond to seal it with but they recommended that I use a Silicone removeable weatherstripping from H/D....don't bother, it wouldn't stick to the fiberglass nor rusty nuts and bolts, particularly in an overhead horizontal position.

Eternabond has an emergency patch kit that has 5' of tape in it. You might want to consider using that until you can have a proper repair job done.

 

[LeeRevell]

One idea I just flashed upon for roof holes...... drill it out large enough to put in a drainplug for a boat! The rubber seals the hole, and the locking lever keeps it tight. Later when the weather is better, remove it and fill the hole with fiberglass gel.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

worked on bed at lowes sat, the frame is functioning, just need to trim the mattress down and make some adjustments...i think its gonna work well. Ill try to get some pics when i do that at the park. picnic benches make good sawhorses

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Pretty much finished up the bed, and it went reasonably well.   It was tuff cutting the mattress (about 4 inches in width) with just a jigsaw, but it happened.  Everything under the bed was reorganized and moved elsewhere so when the bed is up, I have an open slate.   On the opposite side, i screwed a scrap piece of ply along the wheel well box (like the one shown under bed) and it made a box i can put a lot of stuff (mostly jacks and tools), easily grabbed from above.  I plan to put a cabinet there facing the rear door for propane and tools, and I think a table will slide out of or fold off of the cabinet across the other door, this will give me a desk/work area at the back of the van when the bed is up.

I used pretty thin plywood, so i think i will add more support so it isnt springy, and add a better locking system than the bungees, but happy so far. 

[img=260x350]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PLtG9o3C7...wfjqY9VdVlA/s1600/P_20150120_162329.jpg[/img]
[img=475x350]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-sBMMwNv...idx52CsPma4/s1600/P_20150120_162743.jpg[/img]

 

[Theadyn]

Great going so far

 

[SinnTek]

I may be stealing the bed idea from you....

I have been having no luck with building a wall in my van and this may be the best route to go. Just put the bed sideways and install bracers. Genius!

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

just remember to account for thickness of bed when folding, and the width of your bed becomes the height

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

well this van is gone, but wanted to say, id use thicker wood and more support next time for the bed.
bowing was pretty bad

 

[masterplumber]

So what's next? Any ideas on what direction you'll go, based on the experience with the last one? I love my cargo trailer conversion, and having all my tools in the truck pulling it, but I also see a lot of value in so many different rigs on here. I guess all are a compromise of some sort, so I'm always looking at what others place the highest value on.