user 38027
Member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2023
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 11
Hello all I'm feeling quite nervous about all this. I'm a late 30's deaf transwoman in Colorado. I've always been interested in the idea of vanlife. It gives me a sense of security not having to be tied down to a single location around the country. Due to a situation that had a roommate in my last place having to move back to their family in a hurry and wanting to just get rid of their van plus many other stuff, I ended up getting it. So I now have a 1985 Chevy G30 that already comes with a roof rack (though wooden?) and some really nice swing away hitch cargo. There was a few other items already included in the van such as a diesel heater and a 12v electric cooler. So I'm already having a half of a blueprint to get the van ready for that lifestyle! I have quite a few thing that I would like to have done on the van and due to tight financial constraint, I'll likely have to do so much on my own. So I'll be learning all sort of skill in this journey toward being vanlife ready ^_^
The van does seem to run well enough, at least at under roughly 45mph. I suspect there's some issues with the sensors based on my research as the dash is also acting up. Hopefully it won't be too difficult for me to replace myself. I'm hoping to essentially replace the entire wiring harness by myself with custom additions for solar and more. Planning on salvaging a g20 from a local junkyard for a high roof, swivel seats, and the like hopefully. I will be insulating the van rather heavily with foam board insulation. I absolutely want to have the whole exterior repainted and I'm honestly kind of at a loss as how to go about that without spending $$$ at a paint shop.
Unfortunately, being on a limited fixed income, I'm unable to get the van all set up anytime soon. So I'm hoping to at least have a few trips for next year and then after that, attempt this lifestyle fulltime.
I have to admit, I am feeling extremely nervous due to how hostile some places have been becoming toward queer people, especially those of the trans variety like myself. Throw in being deaf and on a limited income, I'm even more vulnerable. So I'm hoping to learn from y'all how to stay safe and secure More details about myself, I'm quite interested in tech stuff. Like I'm looking into learning enough about robotic to maybe get into the fairy-weight league of combat robot (think battlebot but tiny), 3d printing, electronics, and more. I absolutely enjoy fixing up broken electronics. For example, I've picked up an expensive 38 inch ultrawide monitor and managed to get it fixed using just an utterly tiny strip of clear tape haha (a signaling issue with one of the ribbon cable). So I'm intending to see if I could make it a supplemental income thing for myself once I'm on the road.
I dunno, there are a whole lot of thing to learn and I'm hoping to find a community amongst y'all that I can join on the road
The van does seem to run well enough, at least at under roughly 45mph. I suspect there's some issues with the sensors based on my research as the dash is also acting up. Hopefully it won't be too difficult for me to replace myself. I'm hoping to essentially replace the entire wiring harness by myself with custom additions for solar and more. Planning on salvaging a g20 from a local junkyard for a high roof, swivel seats, and the like hopefully. I will be insulating the van rather heavily with foam board insulation. I absolutely want to have the whole exterior repainted and I'm honestly kind of at a loss as how to go about that without spending $$$ at a paint shop.
Unfortunately, being on a limited fixed income, I'm unable to get the van all set up anytime soon. So I'm hoping to at least have a few trips for next year and then after that, attempt this lifestyle fulltime.
I have to admit, I am feeling extremely nervous due to how hostile some places have been becoming toward queer people, especially those of the trans variety like myself. Throw in being deaf and on a limited income, I'm even more vulnerable. So I'm hoping to learn from y'all how to stay safe and secure More details about myself, I'm quite interested in tech stuff. Like I'm looking into learning enough about robotic to maybe get into the fairy-weight league of combat robot (think battlebot but tiny), 3d printing, electronics, and more. I absolutely enjoy fixing up broken electronics. For example, I've picked up an expensive 38 inch ultrawide monitor and managed to get it fixed using just an utterly tiny strip of clear tape haha (a signaling issue with one of the ribbon cable). So I'm intending to see if I could make it a supplemental income thing for myself once I'm on the road.
I dunno, there are a whole lot of thing to learn and I'm hoping to find a community amongst y'all that I can join on the road