The Everyman Van

I am naming it this because i got really annoyed with seeing all these halfass conversions that people are trying to sell for 80-100k and I think I can do better.

Goal is to build and be done with this by mid Feb for sale

The Van-
2018 144" 2wd Cargo. No windows, minor options

The Plan-
Without compromising on the quality of components and materials Build a budget camper that Has all the things (almost) I put into my vans, at a killer price. We plan to make one every 4-6 weeks.


General Parts list:
Dometic Sink and stove unit
2 6 gallon water tanks under sink for fresh and grey water
Adventure Wagon Kit
2 Roof Fans
Laminate flooring
Seat Swivels
200 watts of solar
Solar Controller
queen mattress
Dometic CFX 50 and slide
Renogy 100ah AGM battery
Ctek charger
CRL T window
All aluminum construction bed, galley, slider cabinet etc Powdercoated white in this van
Solid Wood cabinet faces and drawers with a light grey stain
And more!

Van is ordered and on the way, along with all the parts.
I'll be updating the thread (of course), as well as doing some live streams of the build so you guys can talk **** while I work!

Re: The 80k van build!

Perfect concept Grant!

Same idea I had Grant. It is possible to have a good looking, well-built van without the absolutely ridiculous price tag. There are many ways I could have slashed the cost and time required for my conversion, and your list pretty much nails it.

144 or 170 with 2 roof fans? just curious

JoeyB said:

144 or 170 with 2 roof fans? just curious

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both.

but this is a 144 in particular

grantwilson said:

both.

but this is a 144 in particular

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Seemed like an instant reply haha. I was considering putting 2 roof fans in my build of a 140WB, but I have decided to just put a fan toward the front of the van, and put vertical sliding windows in the rear doors so we can get individually (my wife and I) get airflow at night over th bed if wanted

JoeyB said:

Seemed like an instant reply haha. I was considering putting 2 roof fans in my build of a 140WB, but I have decided to just put a fan toward the front of the van, and put vertical sliding windows in the rear doors so we can get individually (my wife and I) get airflow at night over th bed if wanted

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Great Idea unless it rains

can't open slider windows in the rain. Ask me how i know

grantwilson said:

Great Idea unless it rains

can't open slider windows in the rain. Ask me how i know

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Hahaha well I am planning to use that precious roof space to maximize solar capacity.

Hopefully if it is raining in the van, it will be cool enough to not need the air. Time will tell! We are a good 5-6 months out, and got a lot of rust to work on first thing.

JoeyB said:

Hahaha well I am planning to use that precious roof space to maximize solar capacity.

Hopefully if it is raining in the van, it will be cool enough to not need the air. Time will tell! We are a good 5-6 months out, and got a lot of rust to work on first thing.

Click to expand...

You must never be in florida lol.


We all have different needs. If someone wants one fan, i can put in one fan. We just prefer to put two.
me? Id just turn the van on for an hour to charge the batteries back up

I’m looking forward to this thread. Thanks....

I only have 1 Maxxair fan in my 158" T1N, and then 4 3" air inlets in the sliding door footwell that I can open to let air in.

I noticed this summer that in relative "hot weather" here in Quebec Canada, that this wasn't enough, too much restriction and not enough air circulating in the van. (can't open the doors many times because of location and lack of bug mesh in doors)

So I ordered a second identical fan and will install soon before summer comes. 1 fan sucking in, 1 fan pushing out, I think this will be just perfect.

grantwilson said:

You must never be in florida lol.


We all have different needs. If someone wants one fan, i can put in one fan. We just prefer to put two.
me? Id just turn the van on for an hour to charge the batteries back up

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Eh, I am in Georgia, but still hoping the fan will have enough air moving through to be OK. We plan on travelling with the temperature in our van though.

Definitely! I was not trying to sway you either way. Just curious if you were doing 2 fans in a 144 or a 170, as if I had a 170 (or 158) I would definitely put 2 in. Anyway, I am excited to see what you build!

Have you got your hands on a Transit yet? I think that will be our next van. I'm scared of Sprinters-high cost of maintenance and good, knowledgeable mechanics are nearly nonexistent in the Rocky Mountain west.

pdxkid said:

Have you got your hands on a Transit yet? I think that will be our next van. I'm scared of Sprinters-high cost of maintenance and good, knowledgeable mechanics are nearly nonexistent in the Rocky Mountain west.

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I'm about to do an electrical and cabinet buildout on a new transit in a week or two

Adventure wagon is coming out with an interior system as well. Once they do, I will buy a transit and build that out as well. Price will be about the same, since the transits and sprinters are about the same price

I love that idea, Grant. I’m hoping to find shame shop space back in CA and do similar type conversions, but with more wood for a more warmer feel than the off-the-shelf conversions.

It would be nice to finish my van first, but I think I’ve resigned myself to it being a rolling test bed for ideas...

I’m visiting my mom in Florida for a bit, down south of Lake George. I’m due for a beach trip soon; I’d love to swing by and check out your shop if you have time.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

GSWatson said:

I love that idea, Grant. I’m hoping to find shame shop space back in CA and do similar type conversions.

I’m visiting my mom in Florida for a bit, down south of Lake George. I’m due for a beach trip soon; I’d love to swing by and check out your shop if you have time.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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My shop is a very very well equipped garage.

We are searching for a shop space to build into in about 3 months. More than welcome to come say hi either way!

Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr

Parts are starting to flow in. Van should be here this week!

Exciting times, these are!

I installed a marine grade hatch above my bed in my 3500, I lived a board a sailing catamaran for over 11 years which had 4 of these hatches and they worked great.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...7MGJF&linkId=0427b38c52d35b0a3ca2db205ddafc2f Having the hatch also provides easy access to the roof without a ladder and makes a nice skylight. We took the van to UT, NV and AZ last spring experiencing temps close to 100F the hatch worked great. We installed the Oceanair screen - blockout accessory which is nice.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...LHPFK&linkId=ed84aeebe459987bc81f9d2387208702

RVCuisineScene said:

I installed a marine grade hatch above my bed in my 3500, I lived a board a sailing catamaran for over 11 years which had 4 of these hatches and they worked great.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...7MGJF&linkId=0427b38c52d35b0a3ca2db205ddafc2f Having the hatch also provides easy access to the roof without a ladder and makes a nice skylight. We took the van to UT, NV and AZ last spring experiencing temps close to 100F the hatch worked great. We installed the Oceanair screen - blockout accessory which is nice.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...LHPFK&linkId=ed84aeebe459987bc81f9d2387208702

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ok?