I'd like to consider myself a smart human. I mean, I read...I went to kolledge...I tie my shoes rather efficiently. But, then there are times like this: times where I decide to finally buy a van, build out a van to travel with, and do this plan in Florida....in the middle of summer.
If you've never lived in Florida, you should know that there are very limited circumstances where you go outside in summer:
You have access to a pool
You going to the beach
You are walking to your car to go to a pool or a beach
You have a strange fetish for wearing sweaty-soaked clothes
That's pretty much about it. Florida's humidity and heat is just simply oppressive. It's like a punch in the face from the sun's inability to just chill out. And, it happens even when you walk outside in the morning. BUT....fuck it....let's build a van.
May I present:
Vandalf the Grey
My new (to me) "Adventure Wagon" is a 2000 Chevy Express 1500. It's a Mark III Conversion van, and is pretty much stock inside. Complete with two rows of captains chairs, and a bench seat in the rear. I picked up my wizardly van for less than $2K with >200K miles, no working A/C, BUT a solid 350 motor, and a warrantied, freshly rebuild transmission. The rest of the van will need some work.
So, for a couple of months, working in the evenings and weekends, I learned a LOT about Vandalf. We bonded over blood, much sweat, and a few tears. There were many goals I wanted to achieve before departing on this mission:
Completely gutting the interior seating and carpeting
Insulating the floor properly
Install "easy to maintain" flooring
Build storage areas and a desk at which to work while I'm on the road
Install solar panels, wiring, battery
Build a super-comfy bed
Keep enough storage to keep my bike
Install a new stereo (current radio is non-functioning)
Get Vandalf road-ready to travel through Middle Earth
This isn't exactly an easy feat. I'm not a mechanic, not an electrician, and I'm certainly no carpenter. BUT, I feel I'm pretty handy...I mean, I do have a beard.
So, here's a timelapse:
My wizardly van isn't entirely completed yet, but he sure is close. Stay tuned for updates.
Click the pic for video progress.
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