Take 2: more room = more adventures!

[SoulRaven]

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how the van I purchased just a few hours ago with doors that opened and closed smooth as butter now flat-out refuses to shut its trap.

One of them, that is. Won't close. At all. For anyone - people have been lending their attempts to no avail.

A half hour drive was all it took. For the test drive? Totally fine. Those doors were so easy I never even noticed them. Open the door when I return from purchasing, attempt to close it...and no dice.

A half hour drive. It could have waited 'till I'd owned it just a little longer, but nope. Not even until morning. Or for the rain to let up. With no covered area to park it in, let's just try to prevent damage from occurring the very first night of ownership, shall we?

The plan was to spend tomorrow fixing it up and be moved in by nightfall the day after.

As they say, plans change.

I may have found the problem though; it doesn't appear to be the latch, more likely a broken interior hinge. We'll soon find out.

Other than that, this van is awesome - a 1986 Chevy G20 "conversion van" with immaculate maintenance & records, replaced engine, working heat and A/C, and no rust. And so much room! Here's to whatever adventures lie ahead with this one - I can't wait!! :heart:

 

[Luisafernandes]

Very nice[emoji779]️
How about some [emoji328][emoji780][emoji779]️

 

[cyndi]

It's a beauty, Bitty!

Which door is giving you hell?

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Gosh Bitty, me and you better not shop together, I have the same kind of things happen. Congrats on your new home.

 

[LeeRevell]

Is it the rear door or the side door? Have a problem with a rear door on my '88 Ford van - the lock knob and electric lock won't work. But at least it does close (rattles a bit, gotta look into that) and I can lock with the key.
With these older vans, as Ms. Roseanne Rosannadanna used to say, "It's always something!"

 

[SoulRaven]

Thanks, everyone! Haven't managed to get pics yet. It's the side door - managed to figure out a workaround. The hinge pin on the interior is made of plastic and completely broken. It'd make sense to replace it with a metal one, but it's not load-bearing and seems okay for now.

The closing problem was with the latch after all. The temporary fix is to depress door button while simultaneously inserting a finger into the latch, flip it upward and then release door button before removing finger. This places the latch back where it belongs and the door continues to open and shut perfectly the next dozen or so times before it decides to become ornery again.

I seem to do vandwelling backwards. Everyone else tends to fix up their vehicle first, and then once they have a setup all sorted they then take it out and see how it goes. This time around I thought I'd have enough time to do it the prim and proper way - HAHAHahaha. yeah. First night had me throwing up makeshift curtains to sleep in it when my car setup got pulled apart, then two days later I had just a few hours to scramble the remainder of my possessions into the van and move out for good.

So here I sit, at the edge of a pile of boxes and bins to go into storage, metaphorically catching my breath from the shock of sudden departure and yet totally marveling at how, even like this - stuffed full helter-skelter and not even begun to be fixed up the way I want it - I'm feeling more comfortable, safe, and confident in my life moving forward than I ever did in the little car. Here is home. Here's a space that's going to work, and as I live in it I'll build it up around me piece by piece, just like I did with the hatchback.

I'm smiling as I begin my plans. I'll get you all pictures, I swear but in the meantime I hope you don't mind a verbal tease. Though it's a conversion van, its most recent career was hauling musical instruments to local gigs, for which a bulkhead partition was added as a safety precaution. This means I've got a lovely framework for privacy and security - I can padlock the pass-through gate and hang dark curtains behind and all anyone sees is the partition. I'll get fancier and add insulation soon.

For now, it's all patchy and scrappy and thrown together - but it works, it's comfy, it's home. Cue nesting phase... :shy:

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Sounds awesome. You seem like a person who deserves things to go right and with your new van I hope you are warm, comfortable and safe and most importantly... happy! Best of luck.

 

[LeeRevell]

Bitty, very glad things are looking up for you. The van will seem a palace compared to the wee car!

 

[akrvbob]

How wonderful! Having hope, and knowing things are just going to get better makes life so much happier. Hard times will still might come, but you have a home and something to look forward to. I'm very, very happy for you!
Bob

 

[msbarth]

So proud for you and keep up the good work.

 

[simply lesa]

Congratulations Bitty you bought a little older version of my own van. .I've had mine going on three years...I've had different configurations indide and would be happy to share info at anytime.

BTW shower curtains are the right width side to side for our vans as well as Astros.they can make good curtains.

 

[sassypickins]

Thanks for coming up for air to update us and have fun sorting things out! Happy for you!

 

[Howiet]

The closing problem was with the latch after all. The temporary fix is to depress door button while simultaneously inserting a finger into the latch, flip it upward and then release door button before removing finger. This places the latch back where it belongs and the door continues to open and shut perfectly the next dozen or so times before it decides to become ornery again.

Bitty I had the same problem with my '88 G20. I found that the latch was missing a spring. I was able to find a replacement spring at Home Depot that fixed the problem. It was an easy fix. Don't know why I put up with for two years before fixing it.

 

[loess]

Congrats, she looks like a real sweet blue lady!

 

[66788]

Problems are a part of life, especially when it comes to used vehicles. I am sure you will overcome this temporary setback and enjoy your new home.

We've all had similar initial headaches, so please don't think it's just you!

good luck,

66788

 

[SoulRaven]

Thanks so much for the kind replies, everyone!

Bitty I had the same problem with my '88 G20. I found that the latch was missing a spring. I was able to find a replacement spring at Home Depot that fixed the problem. It was an easy fix. Don't know why I put up with for two years before fixing it.

Great to hear, I figured it must be something simple if you know what to look for. Do you by any chance remember what it's called?

Just another log entry...

Woke up to a 5 minute warning that I'd probably need to leave the property due to workers coming. Can't beat that for an alarm sure to get you wide awake and out of bed in a hurry! All this technology of alarm clocks that roll across the room or shake the bed or have complex snoozing mechanisms, when all a person really needs to do is take up vandwelling!

I reminded myself not to drive off with the power cord still plugged in. 5 minutes later what did I do? Turns out the van only needed to move about a parking spot distance away, but in my flustered haste I forgot all about being tethered. 3 seconds after turning the engine off, it all came back to me.

I'm lucky the extension cord was the only thing ruined.

While on the subject I may as well mention that one of the van's tiny window screens was broken when I got it, which has turned out to be the perfect spot to run my shore line through. Far superior to a front window both for stealth and convenience. I'm happy. And I figure if a broken thing makes you happy, don't fix it.

Since I had to get an extension cord anyway, bought myself some polyiso and really thick similar pink stuff while I was at it to see what I could do for insulation. It wasn't until I'd left the hardware store that I realized the only serrated blade I had around was a massive bread knife. Okay don't mind me and the piercing squeals resembling a hog in its death throes, I'm just a petite woman over here butchering a few foam panels with a massively oversized tool...nothing of interest, really... What I lacked in skill and strength, I made up for in determination. My space isn't remotely liveable with the uncut panels inside and there was nowhere else to put them, so I worked nonstop to get them roughly cut to size and in place by dark. The interior has a ways to go yet to fit everything correctly and seal it all down but I'm already feeling warmer.

The glow of accomplishment adds an equally important internal warmth to my evening. With enough going right I can heave a sigh of relief, tend gently to my cut up hands, and settle in for a few hours of quality chill time before lazily drifting off to sleep. It's all working out. :sleepy:

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I reminded myself not to drive off with the power cord still plugged in. 5 minutes later what did I do? Turns out the van only needed to move about a parking spot distance away, but in my flustered haste I forgot all about being tethered. 3 seconds after turning the engine off, it all came back to me.

I'm lucky the extension cord was the only thing ruined.

Go to a hardware store and buy a BLANK ignition key for your van. DON'T get it cut. It will fit in your ignition lock, but it won't - can't - turn and start your van.

Whenever you plug into shore power, put that blank in the ignition. Only use it when you are plugging in.

When ever you try to put your key in the ignition, if you find the blank in there, it's a reminder to unplug.

Regards
John

 

[simply lesa]

John what a great reminder...and Bitty I love reading your posts

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

cool, i have the same van, tho it was converted by hand. its definitely nice to have so much room to work with, especially compared to a car. my biggest suggestion is get a swiveling/ rolling type office chair. since you have a low top it makes life way easier.

 

[SoulRaven]

Woke up this morning to snow on the ground - first of the year!

Spent all day in a mad frenzy of insulation work; didn't pause to eat breakfast until 7pm.

Made a lot of progress, but with the cold snap dropping to low 20's it's chillier in here than last night. I keep trying to stop work for the day, but then I notice another draft of cold air pouring in and an idea of how best to stop it begins to form and before I know it I'm back in the thick of it.

Major medical issue today has me living off pain meds and forced to beg assistance again.

One of these days I'll get ahead!