Today I gutted the van that's served so well for five years. This task had been dreaded. It was not pretty and I am not posting any pics to show what the van looked like during the cleanout phase. Let's just say it was pretty disgusting.
Once the bed was removed (the lighter color area to the left), I found more linoleum than first thought. After re-conversion there will be an L shaped portion of carpeting in front of the armchair and bed; the old linoleum covering will still be exposed in the entry way. It will be a perfect combination for comfort and keeping things clean when entering/ exiting. Thanks a bunch to a blog friend for her comment about the need to keep the linoleum!
The measurements are encouraging. The armchair will fit perfectly between the wheel well and the mini-hump of the fuel filler (toward the front left). There will be a little nightstand / end table between the bed and chair (starting mid-wheel well).
The next step is to scrub, scrub, scrub the linoleum and finish the cleaning. Over the weekend I will construct the transverse bedframe and put it in place... but not fasten it too securely for now. This will also help me better plan how to use the storage space in the back under the bedframe.
The work on the electrical wiring will happen between work shifts. Like so many other features, it will also be simplifed.
Once this Iowa weather warms up, everything will come back out and the interior will be re-painted as necessary.
That's about it for now. Thanks again for visiting and stay tuned as the work progresses. The next update will likely be on Saturday afternoon.
Happy and safe travels always!
Bradford, Jesse James, and Jen-Jen
I sure wish I could find an affordable van. The room is so nice and so much can be done. I know you will love having a chair. It's great that you can keep the flooring you have and put carpet in the important places for added warmth.
ReplyDeleteI love your new name for the blog
Hi Jo and thanks for the kind words. There are affordable vans out there but so many have a lot of miles on them. I'm excited about working on the walls and floors - but there's no schedule to get it done. :) It's a fun project. Take care and thanks for saying hi!
ReplyDeleteHi, I really like the looks of the new blog. Will there be a link to the old blog? just incase I need to refresh my memory occasionally.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy! I'm going to work on finding a way to hold on to all that old info... There was a lot of helpful stuff on their back in the day. I had to refer to it the other day to remember how I did stuff 5 years ago. Just got back in the house from scrubbing the van. It looks so clean.
DeleteThank you for the kind words about the layout. I'm enjoying some of the features of Blogspot. It didn't take long to get the format looking somewhat familiar. :D Brad -- aka VT
Ah! The blank canvas! Like the blog name.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan! I picked out a new color for repainting the interior of the van. It's going to be a fun project. The paint is going on the walls tomorrow. Things are really progressing. :)
DeleteHi Brad;
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the progress and more importantly that you didn't give up on blogging! I posted a message on the plagiarized blog (your message was much nicer than mine!) I went back and saw that both were gone, oh well, can't help some people. Looking forward to more camping and kitty pictures while always enjoying your gentle and kind words for the world. Wishing you the best!
Tina
Hi Tina! Thank you for the kind note! I had hoped to keep the old blog going but as long as the other person is selling merchandise with "The Van Trekker" on it, that's not going to happen. It's very disappointing. He did remove the other blog but after looking at his various blogs (past and present) online, distancing myself is preferable.
DeleteI've been painting in the van and am delighted with the results so far. The buddies at work picked out a totally different color that fits the outdoors theme. I'm hoping to have some pictures toward the end of the weekend but there is still much work to do.
Take care and thanks again!