I built my Chevy Express passenger van, but it doesn't look as good as yours because I am not good at woodwork and cutting. But overall, it's comfortable for me because it goes with my flow. It feels good to enjoy our own build. You should be so proud.
You did an amazing job!! I'm so impressed!! I'm a girl so I need a porta potty and a sink. Lol. That fan is absolutely amazing and the wood looks great. I love the way you talk to your dog like she's the most important thing in the world. It is just so cute!! Shows you're a good person and I wish you all the best. Hope your mom is doing well.
Nice job Taylor! What an informative video as well. I can vouch for you for sure because I got to stay in with you in it for 6 days. Very comfortable and quite ride with the wood work you've done in it. Keep up the great work!
I just came across this video, very sharp looking ride, a great and practical job on the interior, good to see that you kept the rear hvac and worked around it for your design, anything to help cool or heat your vehicle while running i think is a bonus, nice video :)
@@fatasiancat yes I remember your original comment you left! I appreciate it. It was a fun project for sure! I’ve added a few more things since as well. Built some nice window covers and installed an AC unit. Helps so much with this Florida heat
Your baby is so precious! We used everstart batteries when we first built our bus, and they worked just fine. A lot of people think you need to spend a lot of money on fancy batteries when doing a build, but those batteries work just fine for all your basic needs. We've been living in it for over 3 years now, and we've since been able to upgrade to lithium. Should you decide to upgrade someday, I highly recommended Big Batteries. They sell 170 amp batteries for about 900 dollars where battle born batteries arr 100 amp for the same price. Everybody gets battle born, and there are so many other options that are a lot more affordable and still excellent quality. Have fun on your adventures with your precious baby, and be safe!
@TaylorVanBeek just make sure you don't totally drain them, or you'll kill them, but you may already know that. We did that a couple of times. Luckily, it still fell under the one year warranty, so we just took them back to Walmart and got a replacement. For what you need to power up, the battery bank you have is definitely enough We're running appliances like a microwave and an air conditioner so when we finally had enough we invested a lot in our solar system. You have a great setup.
I'm pretty sure that's why a lot of people choose battle born lithium batteries. If you do drain them, it doesn't kill them. I'll going to use the bluetti ac200 max with the additional b300k battery. That's 5400 watts, plus it's a all in one unit. Little expensive, but it is portable. Whatever works, though. Great build in and out. If you ever need more room, you could get a twin size mattress and have the whole other side open. You would half to reorganize your storage, though.
Sweet van! Love your set up and woodwork. I have a 2005 3500 15 passenger and love it! I must say though, 5000 smackaronies seems far from a "budget build", at least for my budget lol "married with 3 kiddos",, so far I've come up with a removable camp set up for roughly 700-800 bucks just because I need to use the van for other purposes. If I was to do a permanent build, yours is an awesome example of what I would want to do, besides a Quigley 4x, winch bumpers, and a high-top of course, if I hit a JACKPOT ha ha, thanks for the video and information! Nice work! Keep up the sheVANigans!
Yeah I guess I meant budget in the sense of a full 4 seasons camper van that's a permanent build haha I've camped in this van in -18 degree weather. And it's got every amenity needed for full time living other than a shower. But I'd love to have a quigley conversion! I'd like to do bumpers on mine also! If this wasn't my daily driver, I'd do a high roof
@@TaylorVanBeek your van is absolutely beautiful bro, I'm not to savy on material pricing thats for sure lol, everything is getting expensive and 5 g isn't a bad price compared to many other builds, and yours looks great man! Probably the coolest clean express I've seen, I dream of Quigley, winch bumpers, and high tops at night bahahaha 😂 not too sure about a high top in the Washington cascades though, seems they get in the way and can grow leaks from the backwood bumpy roads...
The project came out awesome, I like simplicity and neatness. The only thing that I would upgrade is the acid batteries that release toxic fumes into the van. Some good lithium baterries will go a long way and much safer.
Fixing to get an express myself. Not necessarily to travel and do van life but simply to have something mainly to transport my dirt bike and other junk.... And when you rent you never know what the future holds...... Worst case scenario you can always go and live in a van down by the river !
Yup! That's the plan. I just put AC in this van so going to buy a generator and start making more videos. It's too hot here in Florida to camp with no AC! haha
Thats an awesome build, absolutely love the wood! My wife and I just picked a very similar van just the shorter version and scored the awd. Were going to do the interior very similar also. Did you show how you went around the windows and the walls somewhere? Ive been watching all the vids on the van and cant find that part. Sweet ass van rhough man! Hope ours turns out half that nice
Thanks man! And I never ended up filming the rest of me building the van. Wish I would have! One thing I recommend if you're building out a 1500 awd is to do the 1/4 inch tongue and groove instead of the 3/4 inch like I did in my van. If I were to build another camper, I would have done the 1/4 to save weight. This build is heavy in my rig but it is a 3500 so it handles the weight fine
Holy smokes, this is sick as fuck. Absolutely love the wood and tinted windows where can't see in. Curious how this takes with some crazy backroad adventures. Sweet job!
@TaylorVanBeek Looked big enough to sleep with my dirtbike, but damn I'm hella jelly lol. Especially that you have it insulated really good. Snow camping must be amazing!
@@tmamaz can't quite fit a dirt bike inside. I've had a KLX 110L on the inside before but a big bike, I put it on a bike carrier or a trailer. And oh yeah, snow camping is sickkkkkk
You have any detectors on board? Carbon monoxide detector, Smoke detector, etc. If not absolutely get some protection. Friends of my wife recently bought a fixer upper house for them to live, and the person she hired to help told her she has to get a CM detector. Good thing she did, the alarm went off and when FD showed up, they said if she didn't have the detectors that they would of all not survived the night.
So this is only my opinion. Not trying to be a dick because that van looks awesome. I only say this because I’m in the middle of a build right now. Over insulating really is just adding a ton of weight. You still have stock rear doors which aren’t insulated, all those windows, the roof vent, and the sink drain going straight to the street. Even after all that insulation, you still have a ton of areas where it makes it not matter that much since the cold and heat will still get in/escape.
@@RichD746 so not to be rude back but that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Every ounce of insulation I’ve put in this van maybe weighs 50lbs total. Foam board is very light. And even though the windows are exposed, it still helps a ton with maintaining temp and keeping the ride quiet inside of the van. I’ve since built reflectix covers for the windows so now it really stays cool inside of the van. At least 15 degreees cooler than non insulated. I think you’re crazy if you don’t plan on insulating your vehicle unless if you live in a northern state. I live in Florida so it gets very hot.
@ not so much the insulation itself, but the thick heavy wood. Lived in MN my whole life, vehicles around here rust too fast to be holding all that 24/7. I’ll be insulating it, but it doesn’t matter how thick you go, it’s still going to escape through windows and roof vents
@@RichD746 Yeah you're right about the wood. It is heavy. That I kind of wish I would've done the 1/4 wood instead of 3/4. But I honestly did not think about it when I was building it. But It'll last forever with wood that thick. But yes, I'll still lose some efficiency but having the windows covers and the van insulated helps a ton with the ac/heat not working as hard.
@ either way, the van looks great. Did an awesome job, man. Before I bought my van I was gonna build it similar, but after getting it up on a hoist and seeing the rust, I gotta go light as possible so it lasts a while 🤣 I’m using this one to test out for a couple years before I go with a box truck
If you want to send me a message on instagram, “taylorvanbeeek”, I can send you some pictures of the back. I just used tongue and groove wood and screwed it into the metal. Then tucked the wires behind the wood.
I'm a van guy, 2 weeks ago I found a 91 conversion van 98k miles for 3k. Anyways if the swing arm is fabricated one in". Longer your door will clear that tire.
Great looking van and you did a great job. I was just wondering how Mach it would cost you if you converted it to 4x4? You may not need it living in Florida but just curious if you know how much that conversion would be? Thanks again and good video.
I think ypu said...go ahead and went ahead about 20 times in the first few minutes....its really noticable for us non americans. Nice build, wish we could get 4x4 vans here.
BEAUTIFUL BUILD! An important question: How much does it cost to insure something like this? I've heard horror stories about trying to insure a cargo van conversion, so I'm trying to compare before buying a new-to-me used van. Thank you!
@@pattyqubensis8222 so now I go ahead and daily drive my camper van and camp in it when I’m not working. I try to get away for at least 1 months out of the year and travel in it full time. Other than that, I just do weekend trips up to a week long trips.
Do u suggest a 5kw heater for a none insulated van ,other then the factory installation in it. ❤❤😊😊dealing with Minnesota winters.what do u suggest if iam not interested in ripping it apart to insulated.
Yes, a 5k would do plenty. I'd honestly still go with a 3k. My 5k on low cooks me out. I was in the Sierra Nevada mountains and it was -18, I still had the heater on the medium setting and it was in the 60s inside of my van
I have a similar van -- like what you did to hide the irregular contour of the van. Big question for you, what about the airbags? I can imagine a situation in which a front/rear low speed collision that would otherwise not total the van would totally destroy the build. Also, did you cut off the seat mounts to make the floor flat or did you build around them. Same question with the seat belts.
This van never came with airbags in the rear of this van. This model van is an 05. I don't think airbags started until 2011. The wood is all screwed and glued onto the walls so in a collision, I think this thing is more structurally sound now than it was just a stock passenger van. I left the seat rails in and built around them. As far as the seat belts, I removed them. Anything from the driver/passenger seat back, I removed except for the rear HVAC unit
Nice! I have a 2005 Chevy Express 15 passenger van that I am thinking about doing a similar build on. I was wondering if your van has an open differential or does it have posi-traction, a locker, etc? Also, have you taken it off paved roads and if so, how gnarly of a trail can it handle?
@@DaveNorthAl it’s got the locker in it. Does great off road. The camper build is so heavy that it just rips right through the trails. Only place I’ve gotten stuck was in a 4ft snow drift in which 4wd wouldn’t have helped either. I just wish I could lift the van a little higher and fit 35s under it. My only down side haha
If I was closer, I'd help out haha but this is by far my favorite set up i've ever done. And since it's a low roof and a passenger van, it's perfect for a daily driver. I don't own another vehicle haha
Got your attention I didn’t know u where in Wyoming how much time did u have to do all that sorry hvnt fully watched but I will Im check out your channel promise to be positive
Yes, you can still see in. You'd need really dark tint to not see any lights through the tint at night. During the day, you can have lights on and not see anything no matter how hard you try to look through.
So I've got another video on my channel that's newer than this one that talks about the AC setup I ended up adding. It's a 6k btu stand up ac that I run off a generator. Thing works great for this rig!
Hey man really enjoy your videos! I recently (finally) bought a 2015 express 2500 passenger with pretty low miles and planning on turning it into something similar to what you have. So love the ideas from your channel! 1 question tho is did you do the walls and all the wood work yourself as well? I seen the floor build video but never noticed any of the walls and framing. That's the part I'm trying to decide what way to do mine.
I did do the whole build myself. I was on a time crunch before I was leaving on my trip so I did not have a chance to film the rest of the build. I wish I would have.
@@jeffketcher6343 alternator is bigger, yes. But I think I need to get an even bigger one. This van came with a 105amp. I put a 140 in it. Really need a 250 I think.
You don't miss having solar panels? How much do you have to drive a day to charge the batteries? Edit - you should probably install some thin curtain rods, all the way around the back of the van, for curtains at night.
No, I've got a buddy who builds vans and he said that solar panels do almost nothing unless if you have a bunch of them. He told me if my battery bank is big enough and i drive a decent amount, I wouldn't need them. Ended up saving like $1000 not putting solar panels or a solar charger in this build. It would take me 2 weeks of off grid living before my battery bank ran out. If My battery bank was completely dead, it would take around 12 hours to fill them back to full charged. I've got 480 amp hours of battery bank with a 40 amp charger.
@@TaylorVanBeek Okay good info. So basically you need to drive about an hour a day to keep up, roughly. As in 12 hours for two weeks. Since your van is not too extra big, that would not be too bad on the gas mileage. I drive an hour a day in my car just going around to the supermarket and fast food lol. Although, I think if you have the batteries already, which you say you do, if you got even like 400 W up on there, which would not be too much money, I think it would help. Probably cut your driving down to half an hour a day. Which is a lot more doable. Your type of setup would definitely be good more for like a road trip though.
@@saratemp790 the problem is the solar panels aren’t expensive, the solar controller is pricey. But I’ve got roof rack bars up there now and always have things on my roof so the solar panels wouldn’t help much. I drive every day regardless anyways
@@ryannagy thank you! And I installed a 40amp renogy charger so when the van is running, it charges the batteries. I’m never in one spot for too long so that set up made the most sense for me
I built my Chevy Express passenger van, but it doesn't look as good as yours because I am not good at woodwork and cutting. But overall, it's comfortable for me because it goes with my flow. It feels good to enjoy our own build. You should be so proud.
Oh yeah it's so much better building your own van! Then you know how to fix it too if anything breaks.
You did an amazing job!! I'm so impressed!! I'm a girl so I need a porta potty and a sink. Lol. That fan is absolutely amazing and the wood looks great. I love the way you talk to your dog like she's the most important thing in the world. It is just so cute!! Shows you're a good person and I wish you all the best. Hope your mom is doing well.
Thank you!
I appreciate how quickly the video starts moving 👍
@@perfectweather thanks! I try to cut out any unnecessary footage!
Simple, stylish and stealthy! Awesome job!
Thank you! 😊
17k is a steal for what you have. Amazing.
Thank you! It was a fun project to build for sure!
Noooice. I'm glad you went ahead and did all that. I went ahead and got some ideas from you.
i went ahead and laughed at your comment, thanks
Nice job Taylor! What an informative video as well. I can vouch for you for sure because I got to stay in with you in it for 6 days. Very comfortable and quite ride with the wood work you've done in it. Keep up the great work!
I just came across this video, very sharp looking ride, a great and practical job on the interior, good to see that you kept the rear hvac and worked around it for your design, anything to help cool or heat your vehicle while running i think is a bonus, nice video :)
Thanks!
I come back to watch this video occasionally and admire your wood-working skill even more after looking at my own build. This is dream!
@@fatasiancat yes I remember your original comment you left! I appreciate it. It was a fun project for sure! I’ve added a few more things since as well. Built some nice window covers and installed an AC unit. Helps so much with this Florida heat
Your baby is so precious! We used everstart batteries when we first built our bus, and they worked just fine. A lot of people think you need to spend a lot of money on fancy batteries when doing a build, but those batteries work just fine for all your basic needs. We've been living in it for over 3 years now, and we've since been able to upgrade to lithium. Should you decide to upgrade someday, I highly recommended Big Batteries. They sell 170 amp batteries for about 900 dollars where battle born batteries arr 100 amp for the same price. Everybody gets battle born, and there are so many other options that are a lot more affordable and still excellent quality. Have fun on your adventures with your precious baby, and be safe!
Thank you! I'll definitely check out some nicer batteries once these hit the bucket
@TaylorVanBeek just make sure you don't totally drain them, or you'll kill them, but you may already know that. We did that a couple of times. Luckily, it still fell under the one year warranty, so we just took them back to Walmart and got a replacement. For what you need to power up, the battery bank you have is definitely enough We're running appliances like a microwave and an air conditioner so when we finally had enough we invested a lot in our solar system. You have a great setup.
I'm pretty sure that's why a lot of people choose battle born lithium batteries. If you do drain them, it doesn't kill them. I'll going to use the bluetti ac200 max with the additional b300k battery. That's 5400 watts, plus it's a all in one unit. Little expensive, but it is portable. Whatever works, though. Great build in and out. If you ever need more room, you could get a twin size mattress and have the whole other side open. You would half to reorganize your storage, though.
Love the Dog! True Man! Good Job, Bro! 💯
Thanks 💯
Sweet van! Love your set up and woodwork. I have a 2005 3500 15 passenger and love it! I must say though, 5000 smackaronies seems far from a "budget build", at least for my budget lol "married with 3 kiddos",, so far I've come up with a removable camp set up for roughly 700-800 bucks just because I need to use the van for other purposes. If I was to do a permanent build, yours is an awesome example of what I would want to do, besides a Quigley 4x, winch bumpers, and a high-top of course, if I hit a JACKPOT ha ha, thanks for the video and information! Nice work! Keep up the sheVANigans!
Yeah I guess I meant budget in the sense of a full 4 seasons camper van that's a permanent build haha I've camped in this van in -18 degree weather. And it's got every amenity needed for full time living other than a shower. But I'd love to have a quigley conversion! I'd like to do bumpers on mine also! If this wasn't my daily driver, I'd do a high roof
@@TaylorVanBeek your van is absolutely beautiful bro, I'm not to savy on material pricing thats for sure lol, everything is getting expensive and 5 g isn't a bad price compared to many other builds, and yours looks great man! Probably the coolest clean express I've seen, I dream of Quigley, winch bumpers, and high tops at night bahahaha 😂 not too sure about a high top in the Washington cascades though, seems they get in the way and can grow leaks from the backwood bumpy roads...
The project came out awesome, I like simplicity and neatness. The only thing that I would upgrade is the acid batteries that release toxic fumes into the van. Some good lithium baterries will go a long way and much safer.
Awesome, it is perfect. It must be nice to be so knowledgeable about all that went into your build
As
Well
As
How it all works
@@LynnHeltsley thank you! It definitely helps building your own rig so then if something breaks, you know how to fix it
I just picked up a 2001 passenger Express, so great to come across your video.
Diesel heater. You just answered my biggest question about heating a camper van. Thanks!!!
Love the intro Instantly got my like the music is such a calm vibe when first starting your videos
Great job! Hope you're doing good out there on the road - maybe we'll cross paths soon!
Thanks and for sure! That'd be awesome
I am about to go to live the van life in a couple months and this video would definitely help me with some tips very useful for me
By the way, a very beautiful design. What's nice about this van is, it's not too big, so it's easy to move around.
Wish you the best, be safe out there, bro!
Dude that looks badass Im thinking to buy one
One of the best builds I’ve seen
Thank you! Lots of hard work went into it for sure. My favorite vehicle I've ever built/ owned!
Van amazing and inspiring..I going to start my truck life living oct 3 thanks for the tip🎉❤
Very nice ..big budget for that
@@alainlavoie5671 the build was only around 5k. Pretty small budget for a full 4 seasons camper van if you ask me
Might wanna clean that corrosion up on the batteries, also not sure if I missed it, but you really need a Carbon Monoxide detector in there. Nice van!
Yeah I do need to clean those up ASAP! And I do have a carbon monoxide detector but totally forgot to mention that!
The lift and wheels look 🔥🔥
The way the door opened and how fast he came out to grab the camera, I thought I was gonna get kidnapped.
Good to see you again my friend... Happy New Year...
Happy new year!
Damn dude that Van is nice with the black rimz
Nice build! Love your new set up and wow it didn't cost a ton to do it. Looks like I have some videos to watch and catch up on. 🙂
Nice work, the van looks like a beast.
Been thinkit of duen the van life style . Thabks for the ideas mate
Man I love that van!
Looks so cool on the outside
I love the wood working
I got the same van
I’m so jealous lol I want a lift.
Thanks! It's my favorite vehicle I've ever owned for sure!
Fixing to get an express myself. Not necessarily to travel and do van life but simply to have something mainly to transport my dirt bike and other junk.... And when you rent you never know what the future holds......
Worst case scenario you can always go and live in a van down by the river !
Put a shelf up there by the tv for video games bro! R&r time is important!
I'm a woodworker - this is great work!! 😎👍
Thanks 👍
I suggest you do more vlogs but including meal times people really enjoy seeing that 🔥🫡
Yup! That's the plan. I just put AC in this van so going to buy a generator and start making more videos. It's too hot here in Florida to camp with no AC! haha
@@TaylorVanBeek I know what you mean I live in fort myers fl heat is unbearable 😂
Looks great inside and you did a great job on the woodwork.
Thank you! First time building something this in depth!
Very cool. Looking forward to more content!
Loved your setup dude! I'm going to use it towards my van. Thanks! Great video.
Thanks! My favorite rig I've ever owned for sure.
This van is amazing. Good job man
Thanks!
this build looks sick i think this is the route im going
Thanks! I love it. Works perfect for me.
Thats an awesome build, absolutely love the wood! My wife and I just picked a very similar van just the shorter version and scored the awd. Were going to do the interior very similar also. Did you show how you went around the windows and the walls somewhere? Ive been watching all the vids on the van and cant find that part. Sweet ass van rhough man! Hope ours turns out half that nice
Thanks man! And I never ended up filming the rest of me building the van. Wish I would have! One thing I recommend if you're building out a 1500 awd is to do the 1/4 inch tongue and groove instead of the 3/4 inch like I did in my van. If I were to build another camper, I would have done the 1/4 to save weight. This build is heavy in my rig but it is a 3500 so it handles the weight fine
Holy smokes, this is sick as fuck. Absolutely love the wood and tinted windows where can't see in. Curious how this takes with some crazy backroad adventures. Sweet job!
Oh it's sick to travel out of! I did a 2 month road trip out of it with my dog about a year and a half ago.
@TaylorVanBeek Looked big enough to sleep with my dirtbike, but damn I'm hella jelly lol. Especially that you have it insulated really good. Snow camping must be amazing!
@@tmamaz can't quite fit a dirt bike inside. I've had a KLX 110L on the inside before but a big bike, I put it on a bike carrier or a trailer. And oh yeah, snow camping is sickkkkkk
Damn brother, that’s a nice looking build! So you gonna start having some camping videos coming out soon?
That’s the plan!!
You have any detectors on board? Carbon monoxide detector, Smoke detector, etc. If not absolutely get some protection. Friends of my wife recently bought a fixer upper house for them to live, and the person she hired to help told her she has to get a CM detector. Good thing she did, the alarm went off and when FD showed up, they said if she didn't have the detectors that they would of all not survived the night.
Yes, I've got a carbon monoxide detector inside! Always try to stay safe
So this is only my opinion. Not trying to be a dick because that van looks awesome. I only say this because I’m in the middle of a build right now. Over insulating really is just adding a ton of weight. You still have stock rear doors which aren’t insulated, all those windows, the roof vent, and the sink drain going straight to the street. Even after all that insulation, you still have a ton of areas where it makes it not matter that much since the cold and heat will still get in/escape.
@@RichD746 so not to be rude back but that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Every ounce of insulation I’ve put in this van maybe weighs 50lbs total. Foam board is very light. And even though the windows are exposed, it still helps a ton with maintaining temp and keeping the ride quiet inside of the van. I’ve since built reflectix covers for the windows so now it really stays cool inside of the van. At least 15 degreees cooler than non insulated. I think you’re crazy if you don’t plan on insulating your vehicle unless if you live in a northern state. I live in Florida so it gets very hot.
@ not so much the insulation itself, but the thick heavy wood. Lived in MN my whole life, vehicles around here rust too fast to be holding all that 24/7. I’ll be insulating it, but it doesn’t matter how thick you go, it’s still going to escape through windows and roof vents
@@RichD746 Yeah you're right about the wood. It is heavy. That I kind of wish I would've done the 1/4 wood instead of 3/4. But I honestly did not think about it when I was building it. But It'll last forever with wood that thick. But yes, I'll still lose some efficiency but having the windows covers and the van insulated helps a ton with the ac/heat not working as hard.
@ either way, the van looks great. Did an awesome job, man. Before I bought my van I was gonna build it similar, but after getting it up on a hoist and seeing the rust, I gotta go light as possible so it lasts a while 🤣 I’m using this one to test out for a couple years before I go with a box truck
That’s nice. I have the same van. Can you show how you finished the back where there are lots of wires.
If you want to send me a message on instagram, “taylorvanbeeek”, I can send you some pictures of the back. I just used tongue and groove wood and screwed it into the metal. Then tucked the wires behind the wood.
Beautiful woodwork
I'm a van guy, 2 weeks ago I found a 91 conversion van 98k miles for 3k. Anyways if the swing arm is fabricated one in". Longer your door will clear that tire.
Yeah I think there's a company that makes one but it honestly doesn't bother me at all that the tire stops the door. It opens up enough for me.
those blue stickers on the batteries are production dates, gonna need a new set soon 🙂 like the van
Just replaced the batteries haha they all took a crap at the same time. But yeah I love this van!
Good on ya man🫡
When you get tired of that van !!! Lemme know when you put it on sale !!
very cool design brotha
Good Deal! This is my dream , thanks for inspiring me. I have a Dodge Ram was thinking of trading for a van so I can live in it and travel.
You won't regret it. This van is 10x better than my pickup truck I had
i know that spot in ur video been there before it is a fun place to explore :)
Amazing built br0
Great build👏👍👊
Santos Bike Shop! Greetings to a fellow Marion County "Florida Van Man"
Niceee! Yeah I love Santos. I'm out there a few times a month.
Wheres the dog?
The real question here is
Clickbaited by a dog
Great looking van and you did a great job. I was just wondering how Mach it would cost you if you converted it to 4x4? You may not need it living in Florida but just curious if you know how much that conversion would be? Thanks again and good video.
@@alex71566 I’d say at least in the 15k range for the conversion
Sort about the mistype but it seems that you understood. Lol. Thanks man for letting me know. Beautiful van. Best of luck.
Nice van build
Thanks!
I think ypu said...go ahead and went ahead about 20 times in the first few minutes....its really noticable for us non americans. Nice build, wish we could get 4x4 vans here.
BEAUTIFUL BUILD! An important question: How much does it cost to insure something like this? I've heard horror stories about trying to insure a cargo van conversion, so I'm trying to compare before buying a new-to-me used van. Thank you!
My insurance is fairly cheap. I pay $120 per month for full coverage. No issues here. This van is a passenger van though.
@ Thank you!
So, you went ahead and did what now
@@pattyqubensis8222 so now I go ahead and daily drive my camper van and camp in it when I’m not working. I try to get away for at least 1 months out of the year and travel in it full time. Other than that, I just do weekend trips up to a week long trips.
😂😂😂😂
imma , fixin’ , to get ready,
to Go Ahead and….
FML
5 inches lol
Bad ass rig bro nice 👍
@@fastmotoring3102 thanks dude!
Do u suggest a 5kw heater for a none insulated van ,other then the factory installation in it. ❤❤😊😊dealing with Minnesota winters.what do u suggest if iam not interested in ripping it apart to insulated.
Yes, a 5k would do plenty. I'd honestly still go with a 3k. My 5k on low cooks me out. I was in the Sierra Nevada mountains and it was -18, I still had the heater on the medium setting and it was in the 60s inside of my van
I have a similar van -- like what you did to hide the irregular contour of the van. Big question for you, what about the airbags? I can imagine a situation in which a front/rear low speed collision that would otherwise not total the van would totally destroy the build. Also, did you cut off the seat mounts to make the floor flat or did you build around them. Same question with the seat belts.
This van never came with airbags in the rear of this van. This model van is an 05. I don't think airbags started until 2011. The wood is all screwed and glued onto the walls so in a collision, I think this thing is more structurally sound now than it was just a stock passenger van. I left the seat rails in and built around them. As far as the seat belts, I removed them. Anything from the driver/passenger seat back, I removed except for the rear HVAC unit
Nice! I have a 2005 Chevy Express 15 passenger van that I am thinking about doing a similar build on. I was wondering if your van has an open differential or does it have posi-traction, a locker, etc? Also, have you taken it off paved roads and if so, how gnarly of a trail can it handle?
@@DaveNorthAl it’s got the locker in it. Does great off road. The camper build is so heavy that it just rips right through the trails. Only place I’ve gotten stuck was in a 4ft snow drift in which 4wd wouldn’t have helped either. I just wish I could lift the van a little higher and fit 35s under it. My only down side haha
My English mastiff is named lola too! That's awesome 🙂
Nice! I love that name!
Damn dude I’m thinking of doing a rebuild of my converted van. Come through to VA and help haha
If I was closer, I'd help out haha but this is by far my favorite set up i've ever done. And since it's a low roof and a passenger van, it's perfect for a daily driver. I don't own another vehicle haha
Got your attention I didn’t know u where in Wyoming how much time did u have to do all that sorry hvnt fully watched but I will Im check out your channel promise to be positive
@@frankiemendivil6459 what’s pointless? Lol
@ u spent 17,000
@@TaylorVanBeek I’m just messing with you better than what I done I hvnt started nor got a vehicle I be walking
great work
Nice van! With the limo tint can you see inside with lights on when it’s dark out?
Yes, you can still see in. You'd need really dark tint to not see any lights through the tint at night. During the day, you can have lights on and not see anything no matter how hard you try to look through.
GREAT JOB!!!!
I love this van build 😍😍
Thanks!
Very nice!
You need a wedge behind your door slider to clear your wheel 😊
Yeah I do haha but I'll tell you, that door still opens a good amount. Enough to where it doesn't bother me at all.
Great job what did you for ac are using the factory ac at night as well?
So I've got another video on my channel that's newer than this one that talks about the AC setup I ended up adding. It's a 6k btu stand up ac that I run off a generator. Thing works great for this rig!
great video! thanks
Hey man really enjoy your videos! I recently (finally) bought a 2015 express 2500 passenger with pretty low miles and planning on turning it into something similar to what you have. So love the ideas from your channel! 1 question tho is did you do the walls and all the wood work yourself as well? I seen the floor build video but never noticed any of the walls and framing. That's the part I'm trying to decide what way to do mine.
I did do the whole build myself. I was on a time crunch before I was leaving on my trip so I did not have a chance to film the rest of the build. I wish I would have.
Nice van dude. Did you install the diesel heater yourself? I looked through your videos but didn't see it mentioned on any of the titles. Thanks
@@stevec2665 yes, I never made a video of me installing it. But it was super easy to install. Just have to have a 12v source to tap it jnto
Great Build Man ! Where's your puppy?! New sub.....so I will go watch a past post with her!
She's still with me! She's in almost all of my camping videos. About to start putting some more content out here!
Nice van. But just a warning. Depending what State u live in... you can get a ticket for blacking out lights.
Came for the dog
Looks great man
Was the alternator upgraded to provide extra amperage to the other batteries?
@@jeffketcher6343 alternator is bigger, yes. But I think I need to get an even bigger one. This van came with a 105amp. I put a 140 in it. Really need a 250 I think.
Great vid thanks
Great job, love it !
Thank you! Cheers!
Nice Job!
Those wheels ❤
Great job Taylor...are you back in Florida again?
Yessir I am!
Awesome can't wait to see more of your Florida adventures.
You don't miss having solar panels? How much do you have to drive a day to charge the batteries? Edit - you should probably install some thin curtain rods, all the way around the back of the van, for curtains at night.
No, I've got a buddy who builds vans and he said that solar panels do almost nothing unless if you have a bunch of them. He told me if my battery bank is big enough and i drive a decent amount, I wouldn't need them. Ended up saving like $1000 not putting solar panels or a solar charger in this build. It would take me 2 weeks of off grid living before my battery bank ran out. If My battery bank was completely dead, it would take around 12 hours to fill them back to full charged. I've got 480 amp hours of battery bank with a 40 amp charger.
@@TaylorVanBeek Okay good info. So basically you need to drive about an hour a day to keep up, roughly. As in 12 hours for two weeks. Since your van is not too extra big, that would not be too bad on the gas mileage. I drive an hour a day in my car just going around to the supermarket and fast food lol. Although, I think if you have the batteries already, which you say you do, if you got even like 400 W up on there, which would not be too much money, I think it would help. Probably cut your driving down to half an hour a day. Which is a lot more doable. Your type of setup would definitely be good more for like a road trip though.
@@saratemp790 the problem is the solar panels aren’t expensive, the solar controller is pricey. But I’ve got roof rack bars up there now and always have things on my roof so the solar panels wouldn’t help much. I drive every day regardless anyways
@@TaylorVanBeek yeah if you're always driving then you don't need them. Makes sense.
Do you have solar recharging those batteries? I didn’t see it in your video. Also The woodwork is amazing
@@ryannagy thank you! And I installed a 40amp renogy charger so when the van is running, it charges the batteries. I’m never in one spot for too long so that set up made the most sense for me
How did you make that bench seat? I really like it.
It's just 2x4 framing and some tongue and groove on top of it. Very sturdy and convenient to have another place to sit while camping.
Fantastic
Love your van don’t kn about that many windows
@@Ruddy218 yeah it’s a lot for sure. It’s my daily driver so I wanted the passenger van so it didn’t look as creepy haha
Very nice and practical
Thanks!
This a clean fucking van dude.
@@MrBlazzin101 thanks! A lot of hard work into building it