What do you wish you had known before you started renovating your dirtbag van?

Mikey Schaefer wrote: 

Well after two builds I haven't found the right ones!  My last build was over 10 years ago so I am assuming there is some better beta out there than what I have.

These are what my current van has; https://www.rockler.com/brass-ball-catch-choose-size

That has possibly the most deadpan review I've ever seen:

Why I Chose This: i picked this item because i believe it will work for what i need it for.

My thoughts on vans.   I love them and everything about their convenience.  You don’t need a sprinter, transit or ram promaster.   Get what you can afford and learn to work on it.  4x4 isn’t as necessary as everyone says it is.   A limited slip rear end is enough to get you into trouble.   Take your time when building it.  It sucks to do it twice.  

Nick Goldsmith wrote: dropping a tank is not really that big a deal.  My plow truck did it without any help from me.....  I would not cut a hole unless I needed to actually fix the fuel pump. when the fuel pump went on the Astro I just called AAA and my man jeff fixed it pretty reasonably. Much more reasonably than me fecking around cutting a hole in my floor trying tot to burn myself up.... 

Well, most of us don't have a plow truck or a man named Jeff to do our dirty work for us.

Jeff  is a regular  mechanic.  When the  fuel  pump  went  on the  Astro I called  AAA  had it towed  for free  and  the  mechanic  fixed it . Cutting a  hole in your floor  just in case  it needs  fixing someday  is  asinine  inmop.  

What I've found living in a camper full time is that I want 3 (seemingly) basic things:

Be able to stand up - Crouching seems ok until you do it for years

Have a full size bed or whatever you can be completely comfortable in - If you don't sleep well everything else just sucks

A full kitchen - Fridge/freezer combo, good sized sink and a countertop to cook on. These items being as close to full size as you can get will make these tasks easier and you need to do them daily.

One addition: At least some kind of an emergency toilet, getting sick in the middle of the night and having no option isn't fun at all.

Spend a lot of time visualizing how you will utilize your space and live in it on a day to day basis before you start building. Tasks that may seem simple like moving one thing to get to another seem simple until you do them 10,000 times and it starts to drive you crazy.

Function and form over aesthetics. Beautifully finished walls, cabinets and whatnot are awesome but if it sucks living in you won't much care how pretty she is, she'll still be a bitch to live with.

Mikey Schaefer wrote:

Well after two builds I haven't found the right ones!  My last build was over 10 years ago so I am assuming there is some better beta out there than what I have.

These are what my current van has; https://www.rockler.com/brass-ball-catch-choose-size

I'd probably try something like this if I was to do another one;  https://www.rockler.com/safe-push-touch-latches-select-size-and-color

A similar option to those Rockler latches are the Southco "Grabber" family of latches.  While I don't have a built van (yet), we use these regularly to keep doors and drawers closed on industrial equipment, they work pretty good.  Some info:

https://www.southco.com/en-us/c3

They are commonly available in 3lb, 5lb, and 10lb open force (C3-803, -805, -810)

Nick Goldsmith wrote: Jeff  is a regular  mechanic.  When the  fuel  pump  went  on the  Astro I called  AAA  had it towed  for free  and  the  mechanic  fixed it . Cutting a  hole in your floor  just in case  it needs  fixing someday  is  asinine  inmop.  

I see that you've already go the interior done on your rig so it would be quite a bit of extra work to cut the hole, though not impossible. It's a lot easier to do this before the flooring goes in and then just manufacture a little door for the hole in the floor.

Don't kid yourself, though. Dropping the tank sucks. You just don't know that because you had another man do the work for you.

Actually  I have  done it  twice.  Once on an f150 and with a k20.  Was  much  easier  to just  have the  thing  fixed by a pro  when  it breaks.  Don't  cut a  hole in the floor  in case it breaks...

I thought the hole in the floor was a good idea until i thought of burning alive. Hopefully the youtube video on cutting out the floor above the gas tank had a disclaimer!

A hole in the floor for an "interstate loo" does sound good though.

Something else to consider though.....
https://www.climbing.com/news/no-parking-how-squamish-regulations-may-reshape-vanlife/

"Earlier this year, Squamish County proposed Bylaw No. 2679, containing regulations that would prohibit all overnight camping, whether in a tent or a vehicle, in public spaces. It allows for two exempt areas more than seven miles outside town, down 4x4 roads; anyone caught camping outside these zones could be fined up to $10,000. While the bylaw, which needs to go through three readings (it has been through one already) is still under review, it has faced community opposition throughout. A lot is at stake: The outcome could create a template for not only Squamish but other outdoor towns across North America."

Marc801 C wrote: Something else to consider though.....
https://www.climbing.com/news/no-parking-how-squamish-regulations-may-reshape-vanlife/

Same shit around Acadia, more vans than ever. Its a bit ironic to see these vans that cost over 50k trying to vacation without paying in really busy areas. Its good to have regulations for the locals who may not want some dirty hippy camped in front of their house or even a whole row of them on Main St USA

Still though, its fairly easy to meet people and offer a few bucks/beer to park on their property. Probably websites for people looking no?

Insurance issues... At this point, to the insurance companies, my van neither qualifies as an RV or a passenger vehicle. Its quite a headache.
before I get scolded- I was working with an insurance company during my build and they were aware of everything and happy to insure it. Now, they are making me jump through hoops.

All US states recognize it as an RV and are more than happy to re-title it as such, however... insurance companies have different requirements for RV classifications.

Why register/insure it as an RV?
Many reasons, a few of the biggest: so my personal items are covered in an accident or theft. So I can have Full-timer benefits, if my van is totaled, it will be replaced as an RV and not just a passenger vehicle. I wouldn't have to put my life on hold, find somewhere to stay where I can rebuild the empty replacement van.
I dont qualify for any type of renters/homeowners insurance.

Other insurance companies require that you have a "full bathroom" (AKA Wetbath) and a cassette toilet wouldn't even count towards that if I had one.
Other insurance companies want a third party business to certify the systems I installed.

I am close to a solution on this! To me, this lifestyle is well worth it. I am experiencing so many great things out on the road and I wouldn't trade it.
But if I could do it over again, I wouldn't build out a van myself. I'd either buy a prefab class B sprinter or I'd have another company build it so insurance is easier.

Anna Swanson wrote: But if I could do it over again, I wouldn't build out a van myself. I'd either buy a prefab class B sprinter or I'd have another company build it so insurance is easier.

...but... building it out yourself is tens of thousands of dollars cheaper.

David K wrote:

...but... building it out yourself is tens of thousands of dollars cheaper.

definitely! but to lose it all without adequate insurance coverage would be quite devastating. like I said, at this point, they dont even want to insure it as an automobile because its more than that, but apparently not quite an RV to their standards. 

Im way under insured at the moment while I sort this out.  It would take a very long time to recover financially if something happened. 

It really sucks! Its crazy, they just turned the tables on me after I already had a policy built out for it. whatever though, I'll figure it out.

and yeah, perhaps I shouldn't worry about something happening. being paranoid about it wont help. however, I can't ignore the potential consequences. The reality is, I'd be quite screwed for quite a long time and I know it would've been worth it to shell the cash for something insurance would recognized as a manufactured RV.

from my relaxed side: Hell with them. I love my van, I loved building it and it was much cheaper haha

Anna Swanson wrote:

definitely! but to lose it all without adequate insurance coverage would be quite devastating. like I said, at this point, they dont even want to insure it as an automobile because its more than that, but apparently not quite an RV to their standards. 

Im way under insured at the moment while I sort this out.  It would take a very long time to recover financially if something happened. 

It really sucks! Its crazy, they just turned the tables on me after I already had a policy built out for it. whatever though, I'll figure it out.

and yeah, perhaps I shouldn't worry about something happening. being paranoid about it wont help. however, I can't ignore the potential consequences. The reality is, I'd be quite screwed for quite a long time and I know it would've been worth it to shell the cash for something insurance would recognized as a manufactured RV.

from my relaxed side: Hell with them. I love my van, I loved building it and it was much cheaper haha

Declared value? Hagerty for classic cars might do it. 

Mike Mooney wrote:

Declared value? Hagerty for classic cars might do it. 

Thanks, I'll check into that next - I wonder if the vehicle has to be older to be insured as a classic. 

Anna Swanson wrote:

Thanks, I'll check into that next - I wonder if the vehicle has to be older to be insured as a classic. 

I may be misunderstanding what Mike Mooney is saying, but I think he means that you'd be able to insure your van for a declared value, rather than as any specific type of vehicle. If you are insured under declared value and were to roll into a lake, the money you get is determined by the value you declared, rather than by the actual value of the vehicle. Since the insurance pays out on what you declared rather than what it was actually worth, there's no need to classify it as a specific type of vehicle, since that's just to determine its value.

It also wouldn't have to be a classic to insure it this way--that's just the name of the company.

Anna Swanson wrote:

definitely! but to lose it all without adequate insurance coverage would be quite devastating. like I said, at this point, they dont even want to insure it as an automobile because its more than that, but apparently not quite an RV to their standards. 

Im way under insured at the moment while I sort this out.  It would take a very long time to recover financially if something happened. 

It really sucks! Its crazy, they just turned the tables on me after I already had a policy built out for it. whatever though, I'll figure it out.

and yeah, perhaps I shouldn't worry about something happening. being paranoid about it wont help. however, I can't ignore the potential consequences. The reality is, I'd be quite screwed for quite a long time and I know it would've been worth it to shell the cash for something insurance would recognized as a manufactured RV.

from my relaxed side: Hell with them. I love my van, I loved building it and it was much cheaper haha

Have you had any trouble getting liability insurance? I'm not that concerned if it takes some time to work out other insurance, but liability insurance has to happen immediately because it's legally required in my state.

If you are converting a sprinter, don't worry about making it "Stealthy". Theres nothing stealthy about a sprinter van.