My new E-350 Extended van

[coultergeist]

It took a little while, but I finally picked it up last week.  Ended up having to work over the weekend.  Got done on Sunday afternoon and went out with the expectation of finally getting some things done on it and found that one of the tires had burst.  It was on the back.  They were the oldest and weren't really the proper tires, so I knew they would have to be replaced eventually, but I was hoping it wouldn't be quite so soon.  Two new tires was just shy of $400.  That hurt.  Took forever to get the tires changed out.  Finally got that done on Monday.  I am converting the interior lighting to LEDs.  It has fluorescent fixtures installed, but none of them work.  All the ballasts are bad.  I am removing the ballasts and putting LED panels in their place.  That way the fixture looks the same and the switches are already wired.  I've done two so far.  Three more to go when the rest of the panels get here in the mail.  Will try to get the wheelchair lift removed this weekend and then I can finally start on some of the shelving.

 

[WanderingRain]

That is an awesome find! Cannot wait to see what you do with it.

 

[coultergeist]

I finally got to get some work done on the van this weekend.  Mainly measuring and planning.  Fixed a few issues with the doors.  The biggest thing was that I got most of the wheel chair lift removed.  I plan on putting the kitchen area in the side door.  I want to use all of the available space possible, so I am planning on it pretty much going from floor to ceiling.  Will have sink, stove, grey water tank, and microwave and storage cabinets above it.  I was a little concerned about being able to safely mount all that so high.  I decided that there was no sense reinventing the wheel.  The lift that was removed had a heavy steel frame that attached to the van that it rested in and pivoted on.  I took the lift off of the frame and kept the frame itself in place.  Will build the kitchen area with this steel frame integrated into it.  It should be more than sturdy enough to be able to safely hold all of that in place securely.  The first picture is of the part of the lift that was removed and the second is of the framework that remains.  It wasn't as hard to remove as I thought it would be.  Just took a lot of planning and thought to figure out how to remove it safely without damaging any of the wiring.  There is a 2 gauge cable that was ran to it from the main battery.  I will use that to charge the house batteries in the back while the engine is running.  It already has a 100 amp circuit breaker installed, so it saves me alot of trouble to keep it. 

 

[coultergeist]

I also picked up the fresh water storage tank today.  It is from an rv that was damaged in an accident.  It is roughly 60 gallons.  Truthfully, I was shooting for around 30 gallons, but I was able to get a really great deal on this tank.  There is room for it under the bed.  I figure water is one of those things that will have to be replenished periodically, so the more of it that I can carry just makes it that much longer before I have to restock.  It has tank level sensors installed so it should be easy to wire up to a panel so I can tell how much water I have left.  This should take care of fresh water very well, I think.  My plan for grey water is to put a wheeled cooler in the cabinet under the sink.  waster water will drain into that.  It will have handles so it can be taken out of the van relatively easily and wheels so it can be transported to a spot to drain it.  Most state parks in my area have grey water pits that you dump water into at the campgrounds.  I think that would do a good job.  They make similar tanks for that purpose specifically but they are many times more expensive than a comparably sized cooler.  I think it will do just as good of a job.  I plan to have a drain hose attached to the cooler as well so that it can be drained without being removed from the van for areas where that is allowed.

 

[Ballenxj]

Nice to hear your plans are coming together. 60 gallon tank? WOW, that's big. Keep in mind that water weighs 8.36 lbs per gallon, so with a full tank you will be carrying around an extra 501.6 lbs with a full tank. The good news is you don't have to fill it completely. Half a tank would save you 250 lbs, and you will still have plenty of water. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" /> <br />-Bruce

 

[coultergeist]

I finally got a little bit of the kitchen area built today. Might be hard to tell in the pictures, but the steel frame that was part of the wheel chair lift is being used to support all the wood framing.&nbsp; Should make it very strong.&nbsp; I'm hoping to get the rest of the lower framing done tomorrow and get the countertop installed.&nbsp; Will post some more pictures of that when I do.&nbsp; May take longer than I want it to.&nbsp; Have to go kind of slow.&nbsp; Lots of angles and little things to work around.&nbsp;

 

[coultergeist]

Made a little more progress today.&nbsp; Finished most of the kitchen framing and got the countertop cut and fitted.&nbsp; I still have to finish the microwave shelf.&nbsp; Hoping to get that done in the next day or two.&nbsp; Will have to do the cutouts for the sink and stove before I can screw the countertop down.&nbsp; I also got the stove top and stove cover repainted.&nbsp; It was white before.&nbsp; Thought a fresh coat of high temperature black would fit in better with the darker colored counter top.&nbsp; Feels good to finally be able to see at least a little real progress.&nbsp; Hoping to have the kitchen area basically done by this coming weekend.

 

[offroad]

You got the van for a sweet price. It's a project, but it's a good path for a van dweller solution. Thinking you will spends less than $5000 plus a whole lot of labor to set it all up. &nbsp;Know you will have some kind of shower-toilet combination and look forward to seeing how that works for you.&nbsp;

 

[coultergeist]

Thanks offroad.&nbsp; It should come in quite a bit less than that.&nbsp; I can do all the interior work myself and I already have many of the materials I need.&nbsp; I've been stockpiling stuff in storage when I find things I would need at a good price.&nbsp; I've spent about $600 in new tires for the back and a few other issues that needed to&nbsp;be repaired.&nbsp; I think everything else so far is less than $1000.&nbsp; That includes sink, refrigerator, microwave, stove, toilet, water tanks, air conditioner, electrical panel, bedding, tv, DVD player&nbsp;and a good bit of the wood and materials needed for the build.&nbsp; I'm sure that number will go up some more, but it should mainly be wood and materials left.&nbsp; I haven't got my mattress yet, but I think I've found the best deal for that.&nbsp; Both Kmart and Ikea stock full size foam mattresses.&nbsp; Ikea has it for about $90.&nbsp; Kmart has it for $75 with free shipping to the store.&nbsp; both are nearly identical and have covers that zip on.&nbsp; Would be really easy to cut down if needed to fit properly.&nbsp; Kmart usually has furniture sales every few months and the price drops a little more.&nbsp; Will get it from them when the next sale hits.&nbsp; I have a memory foam topper that I can put on it to make it a little more comfy if I need to.&nbsp;I do have a plan for a shower.&nbsp; I have a shower curtain rod that will mount to the roof.&nbsp; Got it at a salvage yard from an old rv.&nbsp; It will mount in front of the kitchen area.&nbsp; The bench seat behind the driver's seat folds against the wall when not used.&nbsp; I have a large plastic tub that will be used as a shower basin.&nbsp; Shower hose will attach to the kitchen faucet.&nbsp; I plan on having a propane instant hot water heater installed, so I should be able to adjust water temperature really easy that way.&nbsp; I could also open the side door and run the hose outside to take a shower outside if the weather is okay.&nbsp; When I'm done just pour the water in the sink so it can drain into the waste water cooler or outside if its in an area where I can.&nbsp; The plastic basin will store upright behind the driver seat out of the way when it isn't being used.&nbsp; The idea is to keep the space as open in the van as I can.&nbsp; This will allow me to keep a big open area around the kitchen and have a dedicated shower plan.&nbsp; That's the plan anyway.&nbsp; We will see how it goes.&nbsp; <img class="bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" rel="lightbox">

 

[vagari]

@coultergeist - Are you not planning to use the side doors? Looks like your kitchen is being built right on whats left of the wheelchair lift by the doors. Do you plan to do any insulation?

 

[coultergeist]

Hi vagari, no, I'm not using the side doors for entry or exit.&nbsp; The framing for the wheel chair lift is being used as anchor points for the kitchen area.&nbsp; Should have it done except for plumbing and wiring in the next day or two.&nbsp;&nbsp;There will be cabinets above the sink next to the roof.&nbsp; It's alot of stuff to install and I wanted to make sure it was anchored just as solidly as it possibly could be.&nbsp; The cooler you see sitting in the bottom of the cabinet area is for waste water.&nbsp; It will be able to be removed or drained with the side doors open.&nbsp; <br><br>The van was a handicap patient hauler, so there is no front passenger seat.&nbsp; It was set up like a school bus door able to be opened from the driver seat.&nbsp; I've removed all of that mechanism and converted it back into a regular door, so that is what&nbsp;will be used primarily for entry and exit in place of the side doors.&nbsp; <br><br>It will be insulated.&nbsp; The floor is already sealed and has a rubber covering over it.&nbsp; It is level.&nbsp; I will lay down thin fanfold insulation on the floor and then lay down hardwood or laminate flooring on top of that once all the cabinetry is done.&nbsp; The side door panels will be removed and regular insulation will be put inside of them and then the panels will be put back on.&nbsp; The same will be done with the back doors.&nbsp; The side walls will likely be covered in rolled insulation or reflectix and then the rest of the cabinets will be built in front of them.&nbsp; <br><br>I may end up putting reflectix on the roof as well.&nbsp; I haven't decided on that yet.&nbsp; The top is very thick and has some insulation in it already.&nbsp; Might just paint it with white heat reflecting paint and see how that does first.&nbsp;<br><br>The windows that aren't being used will be permanently covered with styrofoam insulation and reflectix.&nbsp; Some of the windows will have that too, but it will be removeable.&nbsp; <br><br>Haven't decided how I want to close off the front.&nbsp; Most likely will be a heavy curtain, but that's a bit down the road.<br><br>Any suggestions on any of this would certainly be appreciated.&nbsp;

 

[coultergeist]

I got all of the lower part of the kitchen area done today.&nbsp; Still have to do plumbing and wiring, but everything is in its place and fits properly.&nbsp; Still have to build and install the cabinets up high next to the ceiling.

 

[coultergeist]

These show the countertop with the sink and stove installed.&nbsp; Have to fix one spot where my drill punched through too soon and messed up the surface, but that will be after everything is plumbed and tightened down.

 

[Kadi63]

Love it! It's similar to what I am looking for.<BR><BR>Question - I was looking at a van with a high top like that but then several people told me that being so top heavy (even though it's empty space) can make the van tip over more easily if in an accident. Is this true?<BR><BR>Hope you get it provisioned to hit the road soon!<BR><BR>Kadi

 

[coultergeist]

Hi Kadi; that was something I had always heard too.&nbsp; We used the 15 passenger vans alot in the military.&nbsp; I got to drive them quite a bit.&nbsp; I looked up a report on the issue before I bought it.&nbsp; Basically it comes down to center of gravity.&nbsp; All full size vans sit rather high off the ground and thus have a higher center of gravity than most cars or suv's.&nbsp; People are sitting in seats, so the majority of their weight is more than half-way up the passenger compartment.&nbsp; This effectively raises the center of gravity even higher.&nbsp; What the report basically said was that when a 15 passenger van is loaded to full capacity, the center of gravity is raised alot higher than it would be on a typically loaded cargo van where most of the weight is going to be on the floor.&nbsp; This along with inexperienced drivers can make accidents more likely when bad road conditions occur.&nbsp; The report recommended only loading to about 75% capacity and only&nbsp;using experienced drivers to reduce the risk.&nbsp; <br><br>We will use a vehicle like this much more like a cargo van than a passenger van.&nbsp; The majority of the items we would put in a van would be basically on the floor of the vehicle.&nbsp; Certainly that is where all the heavy items would be.&nbsp; This changes the center of gravity dramatically, making it much lower than normal.&nbsp; A lower center of gravity is always a safer vehicle.&nbsp; Additionally, the vehicles that have tops like this are the E350 Super Duty vehicles usually which means they have heavy duty very stiff suspensions that help to minimize body roll due to wind and road conditions.<br><br>In my experience it has driven and handled very well.&nbsp; I like the way it drives much better than my much smaller GMC Safari.&nbsp; It has a 460 engine so it will get up and go if you hit the gas and I actually have to watch it when I'm driving or I will be speeding before I know it.&nbsp; Even in high winds and at interstate speeds I've had less roll than I do with the Safari.&nbsp; The suspension really does a good job.&nbsp; As long as you are sensible in how you drive and give yourself a chance to get use to how it handles and load it properly, it can be just as safe as pretty much any other van on the road.&nbsp; Just don't expect to be going through any drive throughs and watch out for low lying braches in residential areas.

 

[coultergeist]

I got&nbsp;a good start on the cabinet above the kitchen area today.&nbsp; The first couple of pictures show the side panels being test fitted.&nbsp; The last picture shows them in place along with most of the supports for the cabinet.&nbsp; Still have some more work to do.&nbsp; It is taking a good bit of time.&nbsp; Lots of little things to work around.&nbsp; Hopefully, it will be finished tomorrow or Monday.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Whew, that looks super solid the way you bolt all that down...nice!<br><br><br>What kind of stove is that?

 

[coultergeist]

It is really sturdy.&nbsp; I kept the steel frame from the wheel chair lift for that reason.&nbsp; I can pull on any of the pieces and the whole van will move.&nbsp; It is incredibly solid.&nbsp; It needs to be.&nbsp; It carries alot of stuff and it will serve as the anchor point for the other cabinets between it and the bed in the back.&nbsp; <br><br>The stove originally came from&nbsp;a pop-up camper.&nbsp; It had brackets attached to it to attach to the outside of the camper.&nbsp; I removed those and installed it in the countertop.&nbsp; It has two 10,000 btu burners.&nbsp; It will put out some serious heat.&nbsp; It is really heavy duty and I think it will do a good job.&nbsp; It has a hose and fitting meant to be used with the one pound disposable propane cylinders.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Pretty awesome.&nbsp; I was thinking of putting my galley in the same spot for easy water removal as well.

 

[coultergeist]

Thanks DazarGaidin.&nbsp; I'm pretty happy with how it's going so far.&nbsp; Just wish it was going faster.&nbsp; I think it is the best place to put the galley as well.&nbsp; Waste water removal is simple.&nbsp; It also makes plumbing easy as you can do it from outside the vehicle with the doors open.&nbsp; If you do have a problem you can get to it very quickly and easily.&nbsp; It really simplifies things.&nbsp; Mounting appliances is easier this way too.&nbsp; You can get to both the front and back of everything to attach brackets.&nbsp; <br><br>Another good aspect is the doors can be open when you want to cook if you need to.&nbsp; The windows can be opened behind the stove as well to help with venting if it's cold and you'd rather keep the doors closed.&nbsp;