From company cargo van to family camper

hyperboarder

Adventurer
Got a little carried away driving north this weekend:



And made sure to eat local while traveling:



The engine seems to be getting happier with use, it's still stupid low mileage (54k on a 24 year old rig) so I guess all the use this summer is cleaning out the gunk, it's pulling harder and getting better mileage. Still using a bit of oil (a quart or less per 1k miles) but not enough that I'm worried.

I've been considering a high top, though a new one would cost me more than the van did. I'm tempted to keep this a budget build at this point and source a junkyard one for a couple hundred. Adding a bunk up there would allow for minimum setup when we get to a campsite, the biggest benefit of which would be leaving the fridge in place. Wife wants a pop top, though that is really cost prohibitive at the moment. She also wants real AC, might start looking into that.

Lincoln City, OR next weekend, Washington national parks the weekend after, and a SE Idaho trip the following one. Getting our money's worth this summer.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
I would think a junk yard high top would be ideal for your budget setup. Lots of people like the idea of the pop top. However, reality is often does not match up. Pop tops have their place, and they can be great, but a pop top can be windy and wet, as well as loud. There is a mechanism to break/wear, and depending on the top design you loose some of your roof storage (or maximum weight).

The high top is always there, so there is no shuffling gear around and popping the top every time you stop. They are dry, quiet, and can be easily insulated. Adding a powered roof vent does amazing things for comfort in hot weather.

High tops often don't have a large impact on fuel economy either. You do need to deal with the extra height, but that has been easy to adapt too in my experience. Being able to stand up inside your van can be priceless. :victory:

I see lots of E series accessibility vans with high tops. Some government ones as well. Many are about the right age to be ending up in junkyards or on craigslist. Installing the top could be lots of time (Depending on design). Thankfully sikaflex 252 and fiberglass mat can fix just about anything.
 

hyperboarder

Adventurer
The van spent 11 days on the Oregon and Washington coast. I was there for most of it :).

Cape Kiwanda:



Wandering the beach with a hitchhiker:



Olympic National Park (that tiny white dot):



Bainbridge Island Ferry:

 

RacerAV

Active member
Man, I know this is an OLD thread, but it's great to see someone out there just like me! lol... first post about your vehicle history cracks me up, like reading my own book! Van still going strong man? I just got a 91 E350, original Quigley 4x4 conversion. Pretty sweet rig. Been working hard on it for a few months now. Ups and downs.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,530
Messages
2,875,579
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top