Davka has the van I wish I’d been living in for the last two years instead of this Astro. It’s an Econoline 150 with the 4.9. Practically the same gas mileage I get with way more space. She got it from a guy who got it from a guy who lived in it when he was working up on the slope. Guy #1 did the conversion and was apparently some kind of electrical wizard, and guy #2 “cleaned up the wiring.”
Look how awesome it is:
It’s so spacious. You could do yoga. Just not the standing up kind.
Check out the stove/kitchenette:
She made the windows all pretty already:
The electrical system is really simple, a wire running from the house battery to the starter battery that you physically connect and disconnect (I think she’ll fix that up with a solenoid so she doesn’t have to worry about it). It’s also really complex, hidden wires going to lights and a heater. Some of the lights it’s not really clear whether they’re running on the house battery or the starter battery. They have a sort of a circuit switch that turns them off/on, and I think that might be because they’re pulling from the starter battery.
Then the heater. The guy swore to me that he’d run it all night long on one fully charged deep cycle battery. I’m skeptical, but I’m also not heater smart. Does anyone recognise this heater? The switch in the middle is home made and selects for running on the battery or on 110v if you’re plugged in.
If anyone out there recognises this van and knows the original owner, please ask him to send a wiring diagram. 😀
Wow.. looks totally cozy..
is it a hi-top? can’t even tell as it seems so roomy, etc..
oh, man, what a score……i want one!
kate (who is trying to figure out how to shrink the dog)
Wow I miss you ladies. Sweet digs.
Neat-o. I love the cubbies and the kitchenette and, of course, the window dressing.
It looks comfy ! I can’t remember if I told you congrats on your new van yet either …. nice upgrade !
This person spent quite a bit of money to live in a garbage truck.
http://www.loqu.com/living-in-a-garbage-truck/blogs/angelia-1290
I cant decide if it’s extreamly stealthy, or not at all.
Hi, the van is the coolest and looks sooooo comfy! I have a question – A little off topic, but I would love some “experienced” advice. I am considering Van Living / Dwelling in Hawaii (Oahu) later this month as I am planning on trying to live there ( I have been van dwelling a bit on the west coast and love it!). I was looking for a Blogging group where I could get enough exposure to maybe find someone who has actually tried it van dwelling in Hawaii or knows someone who has and can advise me on the “Pros and Cons” before I jump into it. . . Thanks and Looking forward to becoming a “regular”!
Samantha, from what I hear Hawaii sucks for vandwelling because of mean cops and lots of rules, but rocks for culture. I think it partly depends on what part of it you’re in. There used to be a couple Hawaii people on the vandweller yahoo group – check there?