KingArthur
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2016
- Messages
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Greetings!
I’d like to introduce everyone to Colonel Sherman, a highly decorated retired air force base ambulance soon to become a tiny home.
I’ve been living out of an astro van that I’ve turned into a home for the last year, and after discovering what my definite preferences are I decided to start looking for something that I thought would fit the bill. This g30 hi-cube is exactly that.
I wanted something that could get good mileage, had plenty of weight capacity, could be stood up in, had at least 50sq ft of floor space, and could tow a fairly large trailer. I wanted something with low miles and plenty of windows, and for certain cab access to the back. I wanted something that was large enough that it wouldn’t be a struggle to get underneath of it to do maintenance or modification. I wanted something that had space under the floor to install a tank or a storage box or two. I wanted something robust and proven. I wanted something that fit that bill while also not sticking out like a sore thumb, and of course, I wanted it all cheap.
I set up email alerts on craigslist so that any time anyone in the entire united states posted a Chevy g30 I would get a notification. After about five months of weeding through undesirables, I found this van, posted 3 hours ago and 1100 miles away from me.
I simply couldn’t resist. This van has 44,000 miles on it, was previously military owned, and the seller seemed to be a decent person who even used proper english. I hitched a ride out to Kansas City with a family friend, and $2400 later I was on I-70 back to eastern Pennsylvania.
It’s not perfect. Almost all the seals are cracked because of the age. There’s some small rusty holes in the roof where ambulance lights were installed. There’s this large wild air conditioner that I’m pretty sure is leaking around where it’s bolted in that I’m probably going to remove. I’m not sure if it works or not or how it works at all. I’m pretty sure it’s got high differential gears for better acceleration or towing, but for my purposes I will need the opposite for better fuel economy and lower motor strain. There is no radio. There are no power windows. This van is literally just a metal box with a big 6.2l diesel engine. Oh, it does have heat.
So I’m overjoyed to get my hands on this thing, needless to say. It ran like a champ, probably close to redline because of the gear reduction, all 1100 miles back to pennsylvania.
I don’t think there’s a single thing that I’m not going to change this time around. I’m going to use different insulation in different amounts, different materials, different types of wood, different layout, different schedule and so on and so on. I’m so happy to be going into this with some experience this time around instead of just some blind ambition.
What I’m going to do most differently of all is attempt to NETWORK FOR SUPPORT. I struggled so needlessly on my build last time simply because I had it in my head for some reason that I just had to do everything alone. I remember asking for help literally one time. The net effect of that is essentially my current van has a lot of rough edges, some sloppy cuts, some things that could have been done much better if I hadn’t had been frustrated with how long it was taking me to finish what I thought would be a much smoother project than it was. So in some ways this post is indeed a cry for help. I’m going to need all the help I can get to make this project turn out to be the beautiful piece of art I want it to be.
On my end I’ve got the help of Sketchup, a space to work, access to a garage with tools, and some friends that can lend a helping hand here and there. I’ve got friends willing to help that are carpenters, materials experts, mechanics, and welders. The reason I say this is because I want to be clear that the sky's the limit; if it can be dreamed it can be built. That is why I’m here telling you all this: because I want and need your input, experience, expertise and knowledge to make this thing be the best it can be.
Funds are flexible as I do have an income, but of course I’d like to do things as cheaply as possible. I do not, however, want to build a cheap product. I want something I can be proud of that looks solid. I will use my powers of thrift to accomplish this, so when I do need to drop money on some LiFeP04 batteries or something I will have the funds to do so.
It also helps very much that I already have an entire solar system, a fridge, and an induction cooktop that can be migrated over to Colonel S. when the time comes and if I don’t sell my current van with everything in it.
So here’s a list of things, some will happen and some won’t, of things I’d like to accomplish before I begin to prep for the build.
So I’m under no illusion that this is going to go fast. None at all. My astro works just fine as a living situation until this project is done, which I’m thinking will be somewhere in the realm of late 2018.
I can’t wait to start engaging you all on your ideas and taking pictures to show you the progress.
KingArthur
I’d like to introduce everyone to Colonel Sherman, a highly decorated retired air force base ambulance soon to become a tiny home.
I’ve been living out of an astro van that I’ve turned into a home for the last year, and after discovering what my definite preferences are I decided to start looking for something that I thought would fit the bill. This g30 hi-cube is exactly that.
I wanted something that could get good mileage, had plenty of weight capacity, could be stood up in, had at least 50sq ft of floor space, and could tow a fairly large trailer. I wanted something with low miles and plenty of windows, and for certain cab access to the back. I wanted something that was large enough that it wouldn’t be a struggle to get underneath of it to do maintenance or modification. I wanted something that had space under the floor to install a tank or a storage box or two. I wanted something robust and proven. I wanted something that fit that bill while also not sticking out like a sore thumb, and of course, I wanted it all cheap.
I set up email alerts on craigslist so that any time anyone in the entire united states posted a Chevy g30 I would get a notification. After about five months of weeding through undesirables, I found this van, posted 3 hours ago and 1100 miles away from me.
I simply couldn’t resist. This van has 44,000 miles on it, was previously military owned, and the seller seemed to be a decent person who even used proper english. I hitched a ride out to Kansas City with a family friend, and $2400 later I was on I-70 back to eastern Pennsylvania.
It’s not perfect. Almost all the seals are cracked because of the age. There’s some small rusty holes in the roof where ambulance lights were installed. There’s this large wild air conditioner that I’m pretty sure is leaking around where it’s bolted in that I’m probably going to remove. I’m not sure if it works or not or how it works at all. I’m pretty sure it’s got high differential gears for better acceleration or towing, but for my purposes I will need the opposite for better fuel economy and lower motor strain. There is no radio. There are no power windows. This van is literally just a metal box with a big 6.2l diesel engine. Oh, it does have heat.
So I’m overjoyed to get my hands on this thing, needless to say. It ran like a champ, probably close to redline because of the gear reduction, all 1100 miles back to pennsylvania.
I don’t think there’s a single thing that I’m not going to change this time around. I’m going to use different insulation in different amounts, different materials, different types of wood, different layout, different schedule and so on and so on. I’m so happy to be going into this with some experience this time around instead of just some blind ambition.
What I’m going to do most differently of all is attempt to NETWORK FOR SUPPORT. I struggled so needlessly on my build last time simply because I had it in my head for some reason that I just had to do everything alone. I remember asking for help literally one time. The net effect of that is essentially my current van has a lot of rough edges, some sloppy cuts, some things that could have been done much better if I hadn’t had been frustrated with how long it was taking me to finish what I thought would be a much smoother project than it was. So in some ways this post is indeed a cry for help. I’m going to need all the help I can get to make this project turn out to be the beautiful piece of art I want it to be.
On my end I’ve got the help of Sketchup, a space to work, access to a garage with tools, and some friends that can lend a helping hand here and there. I’ve got friends willing to help that are carpenters, materials experts, mechanics, and welders. The reason I say this is because I want to be clear that the sky's the limit; if it can be dreamed it can be built. That is why I’m here telling you all this: because I want and need your input, experience, expertise and knowledge to make this thing be the best it can be.
Funds are flexible as I do have an income, but of course I’d like to do things as cheaply as possible. I do not, however, want to build a cheap product. I want something I can be proud of that looks solid. I will use my powers of thrift to accomplish this, so when I do need to drop money on some LiFeP04 batteries or something I will have the funds to do so.
It also helps very much that I already have an entire solar system, a fridge, and an induction cooktop that can be migrated over to Colonel S. when the time comes and if I don’t sell my current van with everything in it.
So here’s a list of things, some will happen and some won’t, of things I’d like to accomplish before I begin to prep for the build.
- [size=small]Patch roof holes[/size]
- [size=small]Install a cigarette lighter[/size]
- [size=small]New locks all around (they don’t work)[/size]
- [size=small]Set up a blog for shameless self-promotion[/size]
- [size=small]Reseal all windows and doors[/size]
- [size=small]Research A/C unit, see if it’s worth keeping or fixing[/size]
- [size=small]Seal/Plug all body holes[/size]
- [size=small]Install new head liner[/size]
- [size=small]Install new dome light[/size]
- [size=small]Install a sound system[/size]
- [size=small]Fix windshield wipers, repaint them[/size]
- [size=small]Repaint front grill[/size]
- [size=small]Install HID/LED headlights[/size]
- [size=small]Clean/Repaint all door hardware[/size]
- [size=small]Install passenger swivel seat, possibly DS[/size]
- [size=small]Put bushings in mirror mounts[/size]
- [size=small]Repaint truck, plasti-dip?[/size]
- [size=small]Fix DS door dent, maybe get new door[/size]
- [size=small]Check doghouse seals[/size]
- [size=small]Remove current fiberglass insulation[/size]
So I’m under no illusion that this is going to go fast. None at all. My astro works just fine as a living situation until this project is done, which I’m thinking will be somewhere in the realm of late 2018.
I can’t wait to start engaging you all on your ideas and taking pictures to show you the progress.
KingArthur
I have often looked at those as an ideal platform to make a camper from. One suggestion on the ciggy lighter though, I would rather have a protected power point with two studs and wingnuts so you can get a more positive connection to your 12v devices. 
