Purchasing my first Step Van

[Godsgirl81]

View attachment 19581View attachment 19581View attachment 19581View attachment 19581Hi everyone

My name is Kelly, I'm looking at purchasing a 1993 Chevy P30 Step Van, It has a brand new Chevy 350 5.7L engine and new transmission added by the current owner. It was a former Dumbar Armored Money Truck in its previous life so in short, the truck is bulletproof which is just really kinda cool LOL. 

I was looking at converting it into a self contained RV, my question is has anyone ever taken a step van on the highway and how do they handle while driving them typically? The truck is in good shape mechanically but the driver's compartment looks rather Arkaike so i was a little concerned on how these type of vehicles typically perform at higher speeds say 60mph...

I also wanted to ask if anyone here has ever converted a step van or box truck into a RV and how hard the process was for them? Any good places to buy used RV parts such as showers, electronics..... I been looking on the net and everything new seems to cost a fortune. 

Hugs
Kelly  

 

[vtmactech]

What does it weigh? Fuel mileage might be severely reduced depending on weight.

That said, if I hadn't gone with a high top van,a stepvan was what I wanted. Straight square walls.to build on.

Roll up door or swing out doors? Roll up doors are very noisy while driving and allow a lot of dust in. I suspect it has swinging doors due to prior states use but no photo to tell.

 

[ratfink56]

Being a commercial vehicle the comfort of the driver was not a primary concern. The ergonomics may be less than stellar.
Have you checked about getting insurance? Several members here have reported difficulties getting it on commercial vehicles.
I would also suggest that you use the search function. You will find quite a bit of info on step vans.

 

[johnny b]

I second the question on weight...if you have a nearby truck stop with scales, I'd want to know prior to purchase.
Being very heavy and doing short urban money deliveries is not a worry...taking that weight on the road will definitely cost more in terms of gas and tires.
That said, I guess camping in bear country wouldn't be an issue.
Are the gun ports still in the doors? That might be quite the deterrent for city travels.

 

[Godsgirl81]

It weighs about 12,000 lbs given the amount of balistic armor it has on it, I'm sure thats gonna hurt the MPG but i'm not to concerned, The door on the back is actually a heavy duty armored roll up door, I was planning on removing it and having a fabricator build a solid wall with a single RV style door on the back or maybe a steel door. Being the veichle is so secure is a big plus for me, Im gonna be living and working out of it several months a year and security is a big concern in my line of work, I didnt look for a vehicle this secure but given it is eliminates the need for a safe... 

 

[Godsgirl81]

I was looking into installing a air ride seat similar to ones found in a semi truck for comfort. I have scoliosis so the seats it comes with don't work for me given i'll be driving accross country in it. I called my local notory and she's willing to change the registraion from a commercial vehicle into having it as a registered RV so it will drop the insurance from several thousand a year to around 400.00 a year for full coverage.  A lot of notories wanted me to do the entire build process, have a special inspection station look it over and give me paper work that it qualifies as being a RV but my parents turned me onto a small notory who said as long as its being used as an RV they'd register it as one.

 

[Godsgirl81]

I second the question on weight...if you have a nearby truck stop with scales, I'd want to know prior to purchase.
Being very heavy and doing short urban money deliveries is not a worry...taking that weight on the road will definitely cost more in terms of gas and tires.
That said, I guess camping in bear country wouldn't be an issue.

[quote pid='382373' dateline='1526771124']
Are the gun ports still in the doors? That might be quite the deterrent for city travels.
[/quote]

Its funny you ask that, Yes there is a gun port on the drivers and passenger side, plus there's a bulletproof wall with a heavy duty balisticdoor behind the seats. The rig is built with 4 seat, two in front and another set behind the driver/passenger seats. Im debating about moving the wall forward though to give me some more space in the back or I may just leave it and use that space to mount my freshwater tanks, batteries....

 

[regis101]

While I do admire the usefulness of a step van, I'm not so sure about that particular one.
Just sayin'.
As mentioned, it will be heavy .  Then there is the issue with tags and insurance especially if weight is in consideration.
Maybe do a quick search for things like tires, shocks, brakes, etc to get an idea of maintenance costs.
Not trying to be a Donny Downer,

 

[tx2sturgis]

The first step should be to call a couple of insurance companies to see if they will insure it, and I bet they tell you 'sure, as a commercial vehicle'....

That will quite likely double or triple the premiums.

 

[DannyB1954]

Here in Nevada it is all but impossible to get insurance for a DIY commercial to RV build. Take the VIN number and secure insurance before buying. As others have said the weight may be an issue. Some of the suspension components may have been custom ordered for that application. When it comes time to buy parts like brakes or tires you may pay dearly. You may be too heavy to go places like in sand where others can go. Fuel consumption is not to be over looked. Six miles per gallon adds up on a trip.
There was a good reason the original owner wanted to unload it. Engines and transmissions would be cheap enough to replace, (a lot cheaper than putting armor into a different vehicle). My vote is pick a different vehicle.

 

[highdesertranger]

I agree with the others. how much does it weigh? more than likely it has medium duty truck tires, brakes, and suspension. better price the parts and see if you are prepared for sticker shock. highdesertranger

 

[veedub3]

Back in the day when I was in my early 20's I worked for the Armored car company and drove these vans. They were loud, cumbersome, and slow as shyt! Everything rattles in the van, and at the end of the day my body would ache from all the bouncing around. Never paid attention to the gas mileage so I can't help you there, each night a gas truck would come by and fill up all the tanks so every morning we all had full tanks of gas so I never gave that much thought.


Kat