did it my way...

I have had my head buried in this van project for like 2 weeks and 3 days up to now.  It has been really hard to get the results I wanted.  BUT I came close! Is that not our desired outcome?  Perfection is not my thing,  and so yes there's those imperfect spots here and there...

My bullet list was

• More headroom
• remove old saggy storage bins and dropped ceiling
• streamline the storage 
• reduce squeaks and rattles of the interior  

I think I accomplished that.  I reused and repurposed a lot of the old materials where I could.  I didn't really document the process as I had no plan from the get go...it was just a matter of try and see what works...but I have some still shots for you to see the finished product.  
In fact I didn't take any before photos so Im falling back on some  that I had here and there to try and show the changes I made.  

I don't have it kitted out for camping currently since IM not camping due to Covid travel restrictions and other responsibilities that are keeping me close to home for now. 

So when I purchased the van it had the original conversion from 19 yrs ago with this huge analog tv and vcr they worked but honestly the weight was making the headroom sag..so I removed that if you recall and put in some storage cubbies. BUT the top was still saggy and squeaky.  So I changed that and now it does not                                                                                         sag or squeak. 

                                                  

                                                  After                   

I did reuse the overhead light console...and replaced the headliner with a higher profile one and new darker fabric...here is the new drivers overhead compartment. It has some storage and I can easily remove the bins and stash items in the top compartment and I insulated it good too. 

This shot of the old shows the dropped ceiling,,,with the Disco Lighting...ugh.,I took all that out and replaces it with a lifted ceiling.  Giving more headroom in the main open area. I removed the extra captain seats a couple years ago.  I have those stored in my shed. 

After less is more...

I have one of those wood bead things on my seat it gives my back plenty of air in summer, and the other seat has one pocket organizer hanging on it. I stash my flashlights, pens, straws..etc there. I added 3 inches of insulation in this overhead compartment so it should be cooler in summer and warmer in winter.  

These are the side storage bins that I grew to not like...for all the size of them there was very little storage...they squeaked, rattled sagged and were falling down!  Gravity was working on them... So the seats are no longer there and I put this  up with some storage pockets that hide the items I wish to stash...I used some scrap that was left behind from the old top but When I find some mesh that I like better or they get more light grey material I can easily remove these 2 pocket just 4 screws holding them up and redo them...so I guess you can say these are temporary. I put reflectix behind the side pieces, and up top 

I already stashed some stuff in there like electric cords, and extra digital lights

And on the other side I removed a similar old plastic bin and  built this v shaped shelf that I can stash items in and easily get them without searching I just reach in and get it...

The back compartment was dark and unpleasant, and sagged and rattled. I kept the center storage box, and this compartment  houses 2 vent hoses for the air conditioning so it couldn't go up much higher, and that is not an issue at the back anyway.   I painted the old plastic housing with some brighter metallic color so. I framed it out and put some fabric to cover the areas I damaged trying to remove those old side cabinets they used to come right up to this bin. I also insulated this back area before enclosing it 

                                                    After

I havent decided if I want another light there or not so those wires can easily poke back thru if I decide not to add more lights...I'm leaning toward none, but I can decide that later. 

Other things I did was remove this plastic thing that was to resemble wood, but just looks cheap around my dashboard....it was so ugly....it also rattled because it was attached with double stick tape.

no more plastic wood grain. 
 

And another thing I did was paint the lower door interior covers  I have tried to clean them but they never cleaned up well so I decided to paint over it, I removed, painted, and put them back on and it is a improvement. I sprayed the old carpet insert too, now it looks better also. 

after

while I had these off I put some reflectix insulation in there...

The elbow rest on the drivers door was cracked and it was uncomfortable to put your elbow on...I recovered it...
not as good as factory done because in the factory they use a  very strong heat activated glue  backing and force these down into a form, in a trip hammer  type machine...

After 

It's amazing how much quieter it is now...nothings sways or rattles or squeaks and I like the simplicity...and I got rid of the big "disco" light track that I never used...I did put back some of the indirect led lights.  

Still a few tweaks to make but you get the idea...and I hope I won't be hitting my head on the ceiling anymore.  Next Im looking for carpet to replace the old with. 

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At first I thought the macy parade was going on then I realized it was a rerun...

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.