Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: My Chevrolet Express van Class B- camper


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Open Roads Forum > Class B - Camping Van Conversions > DIY

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omjones

Stoney Point, Ontario, Canada

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Posted: 08/26/16 06:12pm

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Ok so when you are in and on the seat, how do you get the step in? Do you use a cane? That's a long way down to reach for it.
john 'I am Canadian'

Black95

South Dakota

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Posted: 08/26/16 07:39pm

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omjones wrote:

Ok so when you are in and on the seat, how do you get the step in? Do you use a cane? That's a long way down to reach for it.
john 'I am Canadian'

I guess I did not make my use clear enough. We do not use the step for getting in and out of the driver's and passenger's seats. We use it only on the side door for getting into and out of the "camper" part of the van conversion. We only have to put the step in from the outside when we are "breaking camp" and heading out on the road. It is a convenience for the camping part of the van.

* This post was edited 08/26/16 08:17pm by an administrator/moderator *

Black95

South Dakota

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Posted: 08/26/16 08:15pm

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Naio wrote:

I juat read this entire thread. Thank you for posting your beautiful work! It gave me many ideas for my own van [emoticon]

You are welcome. Many of the ideas I gleaned from other's postings on this forum and other camper forums and websites. The only real originality is adapting them to my van camper conversion.

MuskegonBrian

Muskegon, MI

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Posted: 08/27/16 07:33pm

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Great work. Love the kitchen area. Got some great ideas for my Savana conversion van. Thanks for posting your build!!

omjones

Stoney Point, Ontario, Canada

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Posted: 08/27/16 09:10pm

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Ok I got it now, I do the same thing but I use a step made from plastic from CW.
john 'I am Canadian'

Black95

South Dakota

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Posted: 08/28/16 06:25am

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MuskegonBrian wrote:

Great work. Love the kitchen area. Got some great ideas for my Savana conversion van. Thanks for posting your build!!

Thanks. That kitchen unit took me over a month to build one winter as I wanted it to match all the contours of the van wall and floor. I did not remove any of the trim in the passenger van, as I wanted to be able to remove everything and sell it as a passenger van again if I ever upgraded to a newer vehicle. I just took out the seats and converted it, so everything can be removed to get the van back to a regular passenger van again.

* This post was edited 08/28/16 04:11pm by an administrator/moderator *

falconbrother

North Carolina

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Posted: 08/29/16 08:58am

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I was wondering.. What engine is in your van and how well does it tow your travel trailer? My wife does dog shows and we have been talking about selling the motorhome and getting a van and a TT. I have read that the 5.3, 1/2 ton Suburban isn't a great tow vehicle. But, people do say that the vans tow better. What's your opinion?

Black95

South Dakota

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Posted: 08/29/16 12:19pm

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falconbrother wrote:

I have a 2001 Chevy Express 1500 LT passenger van with the 5.7L engine, automatic transmission and 3.73 positraction rear axle ratio. Compared to my old 1990 K-Blazer with the 5.7L engine, this van tows my trailer like a dream. I love the longer wheelbase which makes it ride like a Cadillac and I hardly know the trailer is back there. My trailer is a 23 foot Tahoe Glide-Lite with a small slide-out. It is around a 4,000 lb trailer. I do not know how the 5.3 Suburban would handle it, but I am happy with my setup.

Black95

South Dakota

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Posted: 09/14/16 10:49am

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My latest addition to my Express conversion camper van is a water container to carry extra water when we are boondocking. I like the way it collapses down to less than 4" but expands to carry 5 gallons.
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