VanFan's Once and Future Vans

[VanFan]

We are part-timers, transitioning from a 27-year-old low top Regency conversion van to a mid-roof Explorer conversion van. Both of these are on the Chevy Express chassis. The old one is on a 1500 with the 5.7L engine; the new a 2500 with the 4.8L.

After 15 years of travel in the old one, it's proving to be a challenging adjustment--practically and emotionally. On the plus side, the new one stops better, has more safety features and is under warranty. Negatives: both the chassis and upfit interiors are significantly lower quality. (In a word, "crap," but we got it for its bones.)

The upgrade seems at first glance to be a huge (and somewhat embarrassing) extravagance, but we carefully analyzed our priorities and options and have decided that for us, at this time in our lives, it's not a bad choice.

My thought is to document some of the changes to be made here and ask for suggestions along the way, with the idea that it may help others doing something similar along the way.

 

[VanFan]

So far we've managed to remove the console between the front seats. It housed two cup holders that lifted off to expose an hilarious imitation of a cooler below.

On the face of the console, there was a 12 volt socket, a 110 (150 watt maximum) outlet, an HDMI port, a TV speaker switch, a light to indicate the speaker switch is on, a wireless phone charging pad, and a 12 volt (!) DVD player. Inside was a power strip to aid in connecting to a 375 watt inverter under the passenger seat and a 12 volt/110 adapter (wall wart) for the DVD player. Lots of connections to trace, label and undo.

It is incredibly freeing to have that out of the way!

(The old van came equipped with a tube television and VCR player in a similar console. It was the first thing to go in that van, too.)

 

[VanFan]

Today's task was to break the hold down nuts for the rear power sofa loose. It was actually a bit too easy. The sofa in the Once van was much better quality and was given away when removed. This one will go into the S&B, at least for the short-term.

A new metal bed frame has been ordered. The Once van has 24" of storage in the back. The plan is to reduce that to 14" to allow enough space in front of the length-wise bed for a small (18") sink/counter area behind the driver's seat.

The metal bed frame in the Once van has very limited access underneath, much of which is accessible only by opening the rear side door. The open area runs width-wise. It's great! I have a CLAM, aluminum roll table, two bag chairs, a large fitness step and a golf umbrella in that space. Moving the frame back will make that area inaccessible, so a more open-style frame is needed so things can be loaded from the rear instead. The challenge then, I think, will be to compartmentalize the underbed storage in some fashion.

The Once bed frame has stops at the foot that prevent the mattress from sliding forward. The Future bed frame does not, so I will need to improvise.

 

[VanFan]

I spoke too soon about the ease of getting the sofa/bed unbolted. One nut--the hardest to get to, naturally--is being stubborn. I've been waffling between keeping the sofa/bed and giving it away as soon as it is out of the van. We'll keep the two middle row seats. I'm looking into getting a base plate and mounting it on some kind of base so one can be used in the house as an arm chair.

The new bed frame has a crazy number of parts and the diagrams are cryptic, but we figured it out. Mattress stoppers are on the way.

In other news, I actually drove the Future Van for the first time yesterday. It handles very nicely. The 4.8 (6-cylinder) is direct injection, and is noisy until it warms up. The 8-speed transmission is very smooth. Breaking is much better than on the Once Van.

 

[VanFan]

Our local mechanic had that stubborn sofa mounting nut off in 2 minutes. No charge.

I'm slowly warming up to the Future Van, recognizing that I've gotten very set in my ways of late, and gaining compassion for displaced persons--even when the "new" place is supposed to be oh.so.much.better.

Breathing a sigh of relief that we didn't give in to the temptation to go with an RV or even a longer van.

 

[VanFan]

Removed rear sofa seat belts today, and devised an exit strategy for the sofa. It looks like it needs to go out the side barn doors, rather than the rear. (When I took the Once Van sofa out, I made the mistake of putting it in the rear position, which made it totally unstable. As I recall, I had to get help to jump it to a 12 volt source to move it. I don't remember whether it went out the back or the side, though.)

Lugs nuts were torqued to specs. The screws on the plastic wheel covers are vulnerable to cross-threading, and will be replaced with studs, lock washers and nuts.

 

[VanFan]

Today was a big day for the Future Van. Second row captains seats were removed and are being stored at the S&B. Sofa was removed and listed on Craigslist for free curbside pickup. It was gone in less than an hour.

The new bed frame was fastened together with Lock Tite added to help keep the acorn nuts in place. This frame was really not a great choice. It has 20 individual metal slat segments, with enough play side-to-side and up and down to make a lot of racket. What was I thinking?! (The Once Van bed frame has integrated wire slats and is sturdy and quiet, but has limited access underneath.) I am working on fixing the problem with pads made of (gasp) Gorilla tape.

I also unbolted rear sofa shoulder and lap belts. I hope to use the shoulder belts to secure the bed frame--something that worked quite well in the Once Van.

See why a complete build was out of the question?

 

[maki2]

The side to side movement can be resolved with diagonal bracing if you need to keep things lightweight. As I have no visual image of the bed frame I can’t say exactly where to place that bracing. But it is just basic geometry to use diagonals to stabilize the racking movements of framing members.

 

[NctryBen]

Did your local mechanic have any thoughts on the noisy til warmed up deal?
Your moving along nicely!!!

 

[VanFan]

Did your local mechanic have any thoughts on the noisy til warmed up deal?
Your moving along nicely!!!

We suspect it's because the new engine is direct injection. It sounds a little like a cold diesel. I wasn't there, but my husband and the mechanic did talk about the issue of carbon build up that goes along with direct injection. It is a trade-off. I understand some manufacturers (Ford is one, I believe) use a combination of direct and port injection to deal with that.

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[VanFan]

The cold weather has slowed me down, but I did manage to tape those bed slats into submission. It started with nice, neat work, but quickly degenerated into a free-for-all. With white tape on black metal it looks terrible, but no one will see it and it's quiet.

The seat belt tie-down solutions would have worked, but this frame makes me nervous enough to want to do more. Instead, I've used a ratchet strap from front to rear. Next, I will add one across the front width-wise to prevent the front leg from "walking" off into the door well. (Not likely, but an ounce...) A second width-wise strap will go across the back.

 

[VanFan]

Finished tying the bed down and installed mattress stoppers at the foot.

Decided not to use a third ratchet strap across the rear. Instead, I left one seat belt with retractor assembly (bolted to the wheel well) in place. It can be "buckled" into the overhead receiver and serve as a grab handle for my husband. It may help with the long scoot to the foot of the bed.

Wrapped a few luggage straps around frame legs to divide the under bed area in half length-wise. A truck tailgate cargo net will span the width at the half-way point, resulting in four sections. A masonry tub fits nicely in each of three of those sections, and could serve as large "drawers". I'll probably only use two, though, to leave room for the CLAM. (In the days before folding dog pools, I used the masonry tub for a shower/tub/storage container in the Once Van.)

The locks on the Once Van have been a bit stubborn lately. Do you think it knows I'm seeing another van (or is it just the cold)?

 

[maki2]

The locks on the Once Van have been a bit stubborn lately. Do you think it knows I'm seeing another van (or is it just the cold)?

Fortunately you are just guilty of skipping a winter routine chore. Just spray some automotive lock deicer into the locks. That will drive out the moisture that is freezing and lubricate the locks.

 

[tradesman]

Let's see some photos!

 

[VanFan]

Fortunately you are just guilty of skipping a winter routine chore. Just spray some automotive lock deicer into the locks. That will drive out the moisture that is freezing and lubricate the locks.

That's good advice, for sure. Two other contributing factors: 1) lock pins are worn after 27 years of heavy use; and 2) the door sensors and lock actuators are staring to malfunction intermittently.

 

[VanFan]

Two more "features" have been removed: 1) a bass amplifier that was connected to a 12 volt feed under the sofa (removed); and 2) a 375 watt inverter connected to a 12 volt feed under the passenger seat.

We've managed to kill the starter battery twice, messing around inside with incandescent dome lights on and listening to the radio. The infotainment "head" uses a surprising amount of juice, too. The battery has been tested, the charging system seems to be fine, and there is no obvious parasitic draw, but there are a lot of things that suck power for a few minutes after turning the ignition off. I'll have to be more careful with the Future Van than I was with the Once Van. The dome light override switch and auxiliary LED's to the rescue!

 

[VanFan]

Cargo net under the bed is in. Wiring for the 12 volt sofa and speaker are zip tied out of the way. One mattress stopper has been moved from the front to the back. And (drum roll?) the mattress has been transferred from the Once to the Future Van. It's starting to feel "real".

 

[VanFan]

Reflectix alternative?

The Future Van has window shades. The Once Van did, too. We kept them part way down, with Reflectix behind them. Reflectix reduced the inside temperature by up to 20 F during the summer.

In the Future Van, I am thinking about using a thinner reflective material with some drape instead of Reflectix. The goal would be less bulk and rigidity. This product looks promising (having trouble with a direct Amazon link here):

VIVOSUN 6 Mil Mylar Film Roll, 4 ft. x 10 ft. Diamond Film Foil Roll, Heavy-Duty Reflective Film for Grow Tent, Warm House, and Grow Room (10 ft.)​

A couple of reviewers have used this like a shower curtain for growing plants, so it looks like it would accept grommets okay.

The idea would be to secure the top edge to the back side of the existing shade rails, and roll it up behind the rails when it's not needed for a clear view out the windows. Maybe even a type of Roman shade (magnetic?) could be made.

Any thoughts/experience with this kind of thing?

 

[VanFan]

Left: Future Van Right: Once Van Same wheelbase, although Once looks longer here.

 

[maki2]

Reflectix alternative?

The Future Van has window shades. The Once Van did, too. We kept them part way down, with Reflectix behind them. Reflectix reduced the inside temperature by up to 20 F during the summer.

In the Future Van, I am thinking about using a thinner reflective material with some drape instead of Reflectix. The goal would be less bulk and rigidity. This product looks promising (having trouble with a direct Amazon link here):

VIVOSUN 6 Mil Mylar Film Roll, 4 ft. x 10 ft. Diamond Film Foil Roll, Heavy-Duty Reflective Film for Grow Tent, Warm House, and Grow Room (10 ft.)​

A couple of reviewers have used this like a shower curtain for growing plants, so it looks like it would accept grommets okay.

The idea would be to secure the top edge to the back side of the existing shade rails, and roll it up behind the rails when it's not needed for a clear view out the windows. Maybe even a type of Roman shade (magnetic?) could be made.

Any thoughts/experience with this kind of thing?

Yes, it won’t block the heat the sun creates when shining onto window glass if it is not tight against the window. It also will allow warm air inside the vehicle to reach a cold window surface and migrate outside. You window covering needs to be tight to the window to work. There is a principle of physics at work here. Heat migrates towards the cold. Cold does not move towards heat. A loose curtain simply won’t do anything for you, the window covering needs to act more like a seal or the heat will move freely in and out of the vehicle. A film on the window works much better. They make window films with nano ceramic particles that are fairly effective.
Reflective window covers irk to reflect heat. They work best when there is a strong radiant heat differential. But on cold nights when you are in bed unless you are using a heat source that won’t be very effective. That is when you need actual insulation layers against cold surfaces such as window glass or walls.


On cold mornings I want to take advantage of the heat of the sun shining on my windows turning the window glass itself into a heat holding radiator. So I decided against adding window films. That meant I decided to have removable and reversible window coverings. With reflective mylar on one side and insulating foam on the other.