Finally got me a van A 1995 e150 ford conversion

[VanFan]

Congratulations!&nbsp; I am very excited for you.<br>Vickie

 

[She]

Thanks everyone again. I got it&nbsp;registered&nbsp;today. Took 2 and a half hours!! It bit pricey I may add. 244 bucks but thats really 10 bucks a month for 2 years here in NY. Someone came up with the idea to put an ad in craigslist....if you want these seats you take them out. I am going to clean them up and see if I can do that.

 

[tink]

good looking van, I have a 96 e 150 hitop conv. Have you or anyone else had any luck with getting the smaller of the 2 side doors staying open? is there a trick I am over looking? mine will swing shut if the nose is down at all.

 

[Les H]

No snow in the pic to try and make me homesick? The body looks awesome from what i can see, really great shape for a northern van of that age.

 

[She]

Sorry Les no snow as of yet. Its cold and we have rain but no white stuff yet. Sad really. Tink I will check that out. I don't know the van well enough yet. I am calling her Big Bertha .....for her big rear end LOL

 

[WanderingRain]

Looks very nice! I knew you'd eventually find one. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> congratulations!

 

[She]

Have a question to ask of anyone. About insulation. This needs to be a fast change. I am just insulating and moving in. I am doing things on the fly when I move out of my apt....in 2 months time. No building because well I don't have that skill. I found&nbsp;various&nbsp;objects which will serve me well in the van. One being a nice looking shelf system. So I was going to use moving blankets to insulate and also heavy shower curtains. But I saw <span style="color: #ff0000;"><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...rizontal1-1-_-NA-_-202710039-_-N#.UPdfzh3_qDo" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #ff0000;">this</span></a></span>....what do you think. Not to expensive either.&nbsp;

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Wouldn't denim absorb moisture badly though?&nbsp; I guess it is better than blankets cause the foil backing.&nbsp; How many do you suppose you'd need for the job? <br><br>I'd say go with foam board but you don't have time to gut your van i'm guessing :\

 

[bpeck]

good looking van, I have a 96 e 150 hitop conv. Have you or anyone else had any luck with getting the smaller of the 2 side doors staying open? is there a trick I am over looking? mine will swing shut if the nose is down at all.

<br>I've been meaning to make something like this to fix that problem:<br>http://www.sportsmobilestore.com/talon-door-catch/

 

[She]

Well still in the process of cleaning it out. The rug is terrible. Ugh!! I will be rent out a rug doctor. If you don't know what that is its steamer/cleaner you rent out at Waldbaums supermarkets in NY. I will be putting in a new rug over the one thats there. With out going into a long drawn out conversion here. I need to get out quicker then I thought. In 2 months. Its cold here so I need to make it warm just for the this winter. Yes Blankets will be going up on the walls of the van with plastic/foil on top. Its just a temporary thing so I can get out. I may even keep the seat/bed in there if necessary.&nbsp;

 

[peacetara]

Hi She,<br><br> I can't really comment on the water heater blanket, but I would think it would take a LOT of glue and tape and whatever to keep it on the roof. <br><br>I'm not a super handy person either.&nbsp; This is what I did, on the advice of Bob (forum owner).<br><br>I bought 3/4" thick 4' by 8' sheets of the white styrofoam board from Lowe's/Home Depot (a building supply store).&nbsp; Mine is labeled "R-Tech... Insulfoam A Carlisle Company" It has a shiny reflective side, and a plastic side.&nbsp; I got the 3/4" so that it's bendable. I just cut it enough so that it would fit into place nice and snug, and just shoved it in there.&nbsp; Lots of pushing and fighting to get it all in there, but it's stayed up now since September, and it works AMAZINGLY well.&nbsp; When I wake up in the morning, I'm usually a good 5-10 degrees warmer than the outside temperature, before I turn a heater on.<br><br>I put the shiny side OUT away from me (so that the shiny side is against the metal of the van).&nbsp; Bob apparently did his the other way, with the shiny side IN, towards him.&nbsp; I couldn't imagine all that shiny staring me in the face.&nbsp; I just looked up what you are supposed to do, and the instructions on their website say put the shiny side towards the "dead air space".&nbsp; I'm not sure what that means, but I take "dead air space" to mean the side I don't see, i.e. against the wall of the van, facing OUT.&nbsp; I have no idea if it matters or not, but I'm really happy with what I did.<br><br>In some places I had to use tape or glue or something. I had problems with everything, but eventually settled on Duct Tape (worked great) and 100% silicone sealant (the cheapest silicone I could find).&nbsp; I put the silicone on as a glue, and then I put duct tape up to hold it until the silicone dried.&nbsp; It's worked super fabulous.&nbsp; I did have to move a board recently, and the silicone wasn't super hard to get off of the metal of the van.<br><br>To cut it, a serrated knife works best, and you kind of do a sawing motion, but I used regular knives as well, and it worked ok.<br><br>I definitely recommend this method, and Bob (forum owner bob) did as well. He has something like 4 sheets of 3/4" on his roof.&nbsp; I have just 1.<br>&nbsp;<br>Anyways, that's what I did. I hardly used any of that myself, and it's rigid, so I can stick things to it, draw on it, etc.<br><br>3/4" insulfoam white styrofoam sheets (with a shiny side), around $8 a sheet at Lowe's here on the west coast.&nbsp; The 1/2" is super bendable, the 3/4" thick is just bendable, the 1" and thicker stuff doesn't really bend at all.&nbsp; 3/4" seemed perfect for me.<br><br>For the floor (I haven't done yet, but am doing hopefully this weekend) I plan to use the 1/2" pink styrofoam board material.&nbsp; I met another van dweller yesterday that did this for her floor, and she usually lives in -22F temperatures up in Canada, YIKES!<br><br>Regardless of what you do, I wish you lots of successes!<br><br>With Love,<br>Tara

 

[She]

Tara how did you shove it in? Are the panels easy to move? <br><br>Editing ....Oh I see you put it on the roof? Yeah I could do that. Thanks&nbsp;<br><br><br>

 

[peacetara]

OOPS. Sorry, I put it on the CEILING, the INSIDE of the roof.&nbsp; not outside the van., but inside the van.&nbsp; <br><br>I just cut it a bit larger than needed and pushed it up there.&nbsp; the walls hold it up.<br><br>With Love,<br>Tara

 

[She]

HAHA I knew that Tara! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">&nbsp;I meant between the roof and the inside. LOL . I am going to try that.<br> I am putting a few pictures up tomorrow or&nbsp;Tuesday&nbsp; I am pulling out the 2 middle seats and plan on disconnecting the motor from the bed/bench. It&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;work but I still would like the&nbsp;flexibly&nbsp;to use a s couch/bed. It will I hope give me storage room underneath with out all the mechanics of the motor.

 

[Simran]

She,<br>I haven't been around for awhile. Congratulations on the van. Very nice; BTW . . . Very Nice!! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>gus

 

[cb1504]

A thing of beauty and a joy to behold!<br><br>Big congrats to you!<br><br>cb

 

[rokguy]

<P>Hi She,<BR>&nbsp;Thats a nice looking van you got there.<BR>I always liked this style of US van we never got them down here in Oz.<BR>Geoff</P>

 

[She_websitetoolbox_import3114]

Back! I disappeared for a while I know. I haven't any pictures for you but the middle seats are out. Rug was washed and I am going to be covering it with a 5 by 8 bathroom rug, yes a bathroom rug!! Why? Because its washable and easy to shake out. I have allergies to dust. The back seat is coming out as the&nbsp;electric&nbsp;bench/seat is broken. The motor burned out. I am putting a twin bed in but making it fit to a standard plywood size. A cushion will make the bed into a 48 inch one. I am having a battery issue right now and as soon as my lazy mechanic gets it out I'll have a new in.&nbsp;

 

[VanFan]

I think you will be glad to see the James Bond bed go.&nbsp; In a way, it would have been nice if the motor on the one in my van had burned out early on.&nbsp; It took way too long for me to let it go.&nbsp; They are heavy, consume a lot of space, and are surprisingly hard to make truly comfortable for sleeping.

 

[She_websitetoolbox_import3114]

I think you will be glad to see the James Bond bed go

Is that what they call it? Yeah I agree. So many people tell me that it is uncomfortable.&nbsp;<br>Simran thanks I really love it more and more. She is big!! I been nick naming her Big Bertha!<br>Today I have a BIG project. Big for me anyway. Taking a metal saw to get the bench seat out. It would cost me to much for someone to take it out. They have to go underneath and &nbsp;I believe the gas tank is in the way. Wish me luck.<br><br><br>