FALCON'S Aventuremobile conversion thread.

[rvpopeye]

Hey FALCON !
Sounds like you're having a good time and those stars sure do look like they are aligning for ya . Happy happy joy joy !
The pic of your van with that awesome interior looks very much like just any van from the outside ,a lean , mean , stealth machine !

 

[FALCON]

To update my retirement checklist:

DENTIST:
I went for cleaning and X-rays. I feel stupid and guilty that this was the first time I've been to the dentist in about 15 years. Ugh.. As expected, I have cavities between my teeth. I told the dentist my insurance would be ending soon and she was able to work on some of the cavities that day. I have two more appointments (one this week and one next week) to finish the rest up. Yay!

DOCTOR - PHYSICAL:
I looked up what they would do at a physical for a guy my age, and it's not much. I've already been getting about half of it done each year at my work health screenings. The rest looked so basic that I think if they could possibly uncover anything, I would already know about it myself. There's some stuff I'd like to do (detailed blood tests for things like vitamin deficiencies, see about removing a cyst on my arm that annoys me slightly) but those don't appear to be normal things and I haven't checked what the insurance coverage would be. I'll probably not do anything on this front before quitting and I don't think I'm risking much by not doing so.

VASECTOMY:
I'm not going to do this before quitting. I should/do focus on having sex with fewer people. While it would be nice to know that the risk of an unintentional child is much lower, I worry a bit that after getting the vasectomy I might be more promiscuous and less safe with my sexual health.

CELL PHONE/HOTSPOT:
I think I have this one solved. I bought a 3G Data hotspot from vzwmifi.com, which costs $5 per month for unlimited 3G data and it is working well so far. I bought a cheap smartphone (LG Tribute 5 for $50) and that is also working well. I paid $10 for a year of MagicJack Connect service which lets me make calls over data to phone numbers and receive calls from others just like a normal phone. If it keeps working as well as it has in the last week of testing, I'll be happy with this setup.

HOUSE SALE:
Repairs of some house issues are nearing completion, and it looks like I'll be ready for the closing on Monday. WOO HOO!!!

RETIRING FROM JOB:
I'm reaching my retirement net worth target, so I'm expecting to send my boss a letter of resignation within the hour of the house sale closing. I'd work for two more weeks and be done on June 10.

I suppose this stuff is not about van conversion anymore so I might start a Captain's Log thread..

 

[ViaVacavi]

Congrats! I'm a bit envious - I still have a 7 year old, so I'm not planning on leaving my job until she graduates, but otherwise I would be ready to go now as well. Good luck!

 

[rvpopeye]

Sounds like the ducks are all lining up! !

 

[FALCON]

Yeah the stars and the ducks and all that are getting in line! :-D :-D

 

[rvpopeye]

keep 'em in line and git 'er done , see ya out in retirement land!

 

[MadVanMan]

CELL PHONE/HOTSPOT:
I think I have this one solved. I bought a 3G Data hotspot from vzwmifi.com, which costs $5 per month for unlimited 3G data and it is working well so far. I bought a cheap smartphone (LG Tribute 5 for $50) and that is also working well. I paid $10 for a year of MagicJack Connect service which lets me make calls over data to phone numbers and receive calls from others just like a normal phone. If it keeps working as well as it has in the last week of testing, I'll be happy with this setup.

I looked online and couldn't find the hotspot plan you have.  Could you give a bit more info?  Thanks.

 

[FALCON]

See this thread: https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Unlimited-Verizon-3G-5-a-month

On the vzwmifi website, I imagine that the devices may come and go on the page depending on whether he has any in stock. (So if the 4510l didn't show up, it was probably because he didn't have any at the time)

Here is the website page with the 3G mifi devices:
https://www.vzwmifi.com/collections...working-connectivity-mobile-broadband-devices

and here is the page for the 4510l:
https://www.vzwmifi.com/collections...zon-mifi-4510-flashed-to-unlimited-3g-verizon

 

[MadVanMan]

Thank you. That is an awesome deal.

 

[Cheli]

So while we got along very well, my impending leave was a weight/stress on our relationship and, as you would expect, was hard for her to handle. As I was getting closer to and actually finishing the van, she was getting more stressed and was feeling resentful and jealous. It's hard to end a relationship when we both still love each other and there are no "I don't like you anymore" type of feelings. :-(   :-(

I can totally relate as this is EXACTLY where I am now in my relationship.  Although I've been talking about wanting to travel since we met, it's been hard on him the last couple of months now that I'm actually taking many steps to make it happen.  The last month has been the worst because he said every time he comes over he sees more things packed up and being sold and he's getting scared, realizes that I'm actually doing this.  It IS hard to end a relationship when everything is fine except......oh yeah, I want to live in a van and travel the country and you don't.

Anyway......great job on the conversion, the van looks great!  Safe travels.

 

[Fluffhead]

FALCON... I just finished reading all 21 pages of your build. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to document the process!

As I'm currently planning and about to start my build, I'm curious if you would have changed the order of anything that you installed? Any "I wish I wouldn't have already done that before I do this" moments?

 

[FALCON]

Hi Fluffhead :-D

I don't know that I would've changed the order on anything. It worked out pretty well the way I did it. I'm sure that after a certain point (the wires for vent fan and lights, insulation, wall panels, and floor) it didn't matter much what order I did things in.

Here are a few things that I've found myself thinking would've been better if done differently:
- Floor - don't use the wood. It looks nice, but now I worry about water leaking down in-between the boards and causing problems. I don't spill a lot of water, but some small amount gets on the floor almost every day. Something seamless would be ideal
- Electrical system layout. I wanted to have the "Front panel" on a vertical surface. This ended up requireing a lot of space for the elctrical system area and now there is quite a bit of empty space in there. I may do something to turn that open space into storage, but if I were doing it over again, I would put the panel (With the switches, battery meter, etc) on the horizontal desk surface (at the "back" of it, near the van wall) and that way I could put all the electrical components along the van wall (on a board I'd need to add) and it would occupy less volume than it currently does
- Make it more modular. I haven't had to yet, but if/when I need to do a significant remodel, it's going to be a lot of work. I basically screwed everything together. The bike box is screwed into the table surface, is screwed into the wheelwell box, and the bed. everything is stuck together. It's nice and solid this way, but changing something like the bed width would be a huge ordeal. Luckily, I'm very happy so far with the dimensions of all the plywood structures.
- Maybe make a cutout on the cupboard that's to the right of the fridge, to have room for the fridge vent. I could add this in any time now if/when I get around to it. I find myself wondering how much venting the fridge into that cupboard affects the efficiency of the fridge.

There are probably some other things that I think of every now and then, but IMO, as evidenced by me not recalling them right now, they aren't big deals.

 

[djkeev]

A very inspiring build thread!

I enjoyed the photos of the empty Van for I Just purchased an 03 Dodge Conversion that I intend to modify into a Class B camper.

My biggest puzzle has been the bed length. I'm 5'10" you say that you are fine sideways at 5'9 1/2" then I've no worries!

Mine will have the bed in the rear as does yours. Instead of a bike closet, we will have a bathroom, 36 x 32 at least for a shower / toilet pan.

The Conversion has a ceiling in it at 61 1/2". A tad short but completely doable though the shower would be a sit/squat situation....... Unless I cut out the floor and made it a step down into unit! Hmmmm...... ?

Anyway, keep posting as you progess along!

Dave

 

[ClassyGlobal]

INTRO, BACKGROUND, MOTIVATION
Hello! I’m just getting started on converting a van to:

• Live in
• Travel around the U.S.
• Use as a base for adventures (hiking, swimming, bicycling, exploring, photography, etc.)

I’ve recently bought a van to convert. 
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Ok - that’s it. Next post: The van

What an amazing journey! I especially enjoyed your attention to detail.  My favorite thing about your build is that you kept everything below the window line which is my plan.  Awesome job Falcon. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and the travel and experiences ahead!

 

[ratfink56]

WOW! I just spent the whole day reading this build thread. At work. Most excellent. The work on the van and all the detailed posts. Thank you Falcon for sharing. hope the sun is shining on your smiling face and the breeze is ruffling your hair.

 

[Victor]

"At Work"

-- Hahahaha --

 

[FALCON]

FYI - my van is for sale now! (I'm moving to Asia for an indefinite amount of time, and when I come back, expect to live in a normal house, so,.. not much use for the van any more)

It's currently in Portland, but mainly available for sale in Denver or Phoenix (or somewhere in between). I think I will only have it in Denver for about a week before heading down to Phoenix with it.

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/littleton-campervan-dodge-2500-van/6972366009.html

many more pictures here:

 

[FALCON]

I sold the van today.