My New Box Truck Project

[7wanders]

I pulled the trigger and bought a used box truck (2000 GMC 3500). the box is insulated on the walls and ceiling, but not the floor. it also has the "attic" area which should be good for a bed. previously it had two AC units installed in the box (which have been removed and covered). I'm assuming there is power running up there for the AC. 
Right now it is at the mechanic for alignment and a couple of small repairs. I'm hitting the road tomorrow for my North American tour and planning on building out the box as I travel

 

[highdesertranger]

congrats, be sure to give us lots of pics. highdesertranger

 

[BradKW]

Nice

 

[Mobilesport]

Nice

Lookin forward to the build , I really like the look

 

[ahh_me2]

Looks nice a great vehicle to build out!

 

[masterplumber]

Wow, you did good with that one. Even has barn doors already so you don't have to deal with the roll up door. And not wasting any time getting on the road either. Have a great journey and as others have said - post pictures or it didn't happen.

 

[ArtW]

very nice!

 

[ColdBrook]

Looks like a wonderful vehicle.  Hope you love your "North American tour", keep us updated as you make it into your home.

 

[Mobilesport]

I really like the color , to me it looks like somebody repainted it and chose
a super light shade of grey , or is that off white ?
Whatever it is it looks really clean and not the normal bright white that 
really stands out

 

[Wabbit]

Love it!

 

[mariasman]

You have found what appears as an ideal platform. Seriously, where did you get it and how often do these become available? I look forward to seeing how your work progresses.

Lots of questions: What year, how many miles, what was the previous service, what repairs are required, did you do pre-purchase inspection and were problems found, price, any problems getting it insured and at what price and what company, any problems with registration and what State?

 

[7wanders]

You have found what appears as an ideal platform. Seriously, where did you get it and how often do these become available? I look forward to seeing how your work progresses.

Lots of questions: What year, how many miles, what was the previous service, what repairs are required, did you do pre-purchase inspection and were problems found, price, any problems getting it insured and at what price and what company, any problems with registration and what State?

It is a 2000 GMC Savanna 3500 with 130k on it. I had to replace the wiper motor and get an alignment and replace a couple of rotten rubber parts in the front steering, but other than than, it appears in good condition. 

the bonus is that it is already insulated for walls and ceiling and has places for two AC units on the roof with wiring in place (which I will most likely use for fans). I'll put solar on the roof. 

inside already has a nice pass through with a sliding door

ps. they had 2 of these for sale... one sold a couple days before I bough mine. I bought it from Houston TX craigslist, so you can watch for them there.

 

[LoupGarou]

Looks like a great base to work with

Building out the inside while your traveling will be problematic but not impossible. Having a staging area to work out of would prove beneficial.

 

[Borday]

After working on my bus for a year now I am sure you have chosen the right path, get in it and go.

 

[Vagabound]

Looks like a great base to work with

Building out the inside while your traveling will be problematic but not impossible. Having a staging area to work out of would prove beneficial.

Being right in the middle of that process myself with a box truck, I can guarantee you that Loup is right. 

It is quite difficult to live in the middle of a box truck while you're working on it. That's made doubly hard if you have to carry all your building materials with you while you are mobile. For example, I've made a lot of progress inside of my truck and opened up storage face so I can move around. However, right now right through the middle of my new open space I had to load some two by fours and two by twos and scraps of plywood. And a few sheets of insulating foam 4 by 8 and other sizes. That stuff completely kills your ability to move around without tripping and bumping into stuff and falling down and relocating everything inside the truck every time you need to reach something.  So, a staging area would be a huge help. 

If you can't find that, at least pick places to boondock where you can take all of your building materials and unneeded equipment out of the truck and place it outside under tarps and leave it there for at least a few days to give you time to make some progress. I've also found that the ground under the truck is a good storage place while I'm working. It's usually out of the sun and the rain.

In you don't know already, there are several box truck build-out threads in this forum, mine included.

Nice truck. Good luck with your build-out.

Tom

 

[ahh_me2]

It is quite difficult to live in the middle of a box truck while you're working on it.
Tom

Glad to see I'm not the only one doing that!

 

[Ballenxj]

inside already has a nice pass through with a sliding door.

That part is important for security reasons. Plus, you can padlock the back doors and enter through the cab area, while locking all the doors behind you.
A bit of advice, choose your parking areas carefully as gang bangers and taggers seem to love spraying those big white box trucks.

 

[7wanders]

Being right in the middle of that process myself with a box truck, I can guarantee you that Loup is right. 

It is quite difficult to live in the middle of a box truck while you're working on it. That's made doubly hard if you have to carry all your building materials with you while you are mobile. For example, I've made a lot of progress inside of my truck and opened up storage face so I can move around. However, right now right through the middle of my new open space I had to load some two by fours and two by twos and scraps of plywood. And a few sheets of insulating foam 4 by 8 and other sizes. That stuff completely kills your ability to move around without tripping and bumping into stuff and falling down and relocating everything inside the truck every time you need to reach something.  So, a staging area would be a huge help. 

If you can't find that, at least pick places to boondock where you can take all of your building materials and unneeded equipment out of the truck and place it outside under tarps and leave it there for at least a few days to give you time to make some progress. I've also found that the ground under the truck is a good storage place while I'm working. It's usually out of the sun and the rain.

In you don't know already, there are several box truck build-out threads in this forum, mine included.

Nice truck. Good luck with your build-out.

Tom

you've given me a lot to think about. I'm not sure how I will proceed with the build out. some of the time I will have access to shops and garages to build different parts, other smaller projects I'll build while traveling. fortunately I have very little in the way of "stuff" far far less than most folks, so the box is basically empty and everything I own can easily fit in the attic area. so supplies and building can be done in the main floor

 

[Canine]

Congrats on a great find!
Questions other than all the previous ones: what are you doing for licensing and insurance? That seems to be the big issue with dual rear wheeled over 10K GVW vehicles which were previously titled as commercial vehicles. One of the main reasons Ive avoided them.

Post interior pics as you can, safe travels!

 

[Ballenxj]

Here is a two minute video that might give some ideas. Watch how the garage is done. That was how I had thought about doing mine, but with a window too.
https://youtu.be/aF55mJTxZRE