Vandwelling - Living in a Vehicle

The (old) Rig

Year: 1990

Make: Chevy

Model: G10 Van

Purchase Price: $900 + $300 Lawn tools

This is my planned home, a chevy cargo van, with bare interior. It has less than 70,000 miles on it, new tires, and runs pretty good.  Known problems are a rear electric light harness needs replaced, bad slider door, windows hard to roll, and springs need beefed up.  Seats are uncomfortable but usable.  I plan to paint the whole van white eventually.

At first it wasn't apparent, but the more i look, the more the van is rusted.  I dont think i will be able to slow this progression down much.

I plan to convert the van into an living space, similar to a B class RV.  I plan to live in this as my home while getting my life and finances in order.

If you want to help with the cost of converting this into a home, just check out my other posts :)

Mechanical Repair Costs:  

Rear Taillight Harness:  $9

New Slider Door:  TBD

Body Rust: $50 (Estimated)

I plan to use Rust Converter as a temporary solution.  Later I will cut some rust out and patch it using scrap metal and screws.  Cover with fiberglass (already have some) and body filler.  Primer it.  There is more of this than i thought, but hopefully i can slow the worst spots down.

Springs: $46 plus labor

Tune Up: TBD

Conversion Plan:

Target Completion Date (max): September 2013 (8 months)

Conversion Steps (subject to change, not necessarily in order):

• Insulation
• Flooring
• Bulkhead/Passthrough
• Electrical/Battery
• Bed/Futon
• Galley/Sink/Plumbing
• Shelving/Storage
• Ventilation
• Roof Rack/Solar Panels

Conversion Cost To Date: Total - $1089
(Recent Changes in Blue)

• 1 Sink: $14
• 2 Cabinet Facings/Doors: $6
• 1 Roll 9" Knockoff Reflectix Insulation: $17
• 6 4'x8' Foil Backed Styrofoam Insulation Panels: $47
• 1 Fantastic Fan 8000R Vent (link): $112($98+$14 shipping)
• Dicor BT18341 1/8" x 3/4" x 40' Butyl Tape (link): $8
• 1 Tube Silicone Caulk: $1
• 40 18"x18" Carpet Tiles: $10
• 5 Gallon Carpet Adhesive: $5
• 4 Drawer Slider Rails:  $2
• Igloo Cooler: $16 
• 25 2"x3" boards:  $65
• 5 2"x4" boards:  $25 (est.) 
• 5 4'x8' Whiteboard Paneling:  $72
• 1 Strip FRP Molding:  $3
• 4 boxes of screws (self tapping and regular): $50
• 2 4'x8' treated plywood:  $30 (est.) 
• 1 39" x 75" x 8" Memory Foam Mattress (link): $146
• 2 5 Gallon Cans of Elastomeric Roof Paint (link):  $42 (only need 1 for 2 coats, ignore the reviews which are for house roofing not metal van roof :P)
• 2 Duracell (Deka) 6volt 205ah Golf Cart Batteries (link):  $230
• 1  B&D VEC1093DBD Smart Battery Battery Charger (link): $109
• 4 Guage cable, 2 feet: $4 (est.)
• 1 pair Crimpers and electrical terminals: $25 (est.)
• 1 400watt Cobra Inverter (link):  $27
• 1 Digital Voltage Display (link):  $13
• 1 Roadpro Tornado Fan (link):  $21(this moves a lot of air, but is very very loud, think twice on this)

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