About to buy a conversion van, what do I need to know?

My wife and I had a baby six months ago.  We are working on making the baby comfortable at autocross and rallycross events so we can get back to driving together.  We started looking into getting a dedicated tow/event support vehicle and we are focusing on 3/4 ton vans.  The primary goal is to give the baby a cool place to play during the Florida summer.  The secondary goal is an overnight camper that is comfortable for the three of us.

After we purchase a vehicle, our plan is to install a rooftop AC unit that can connect to RV hookups that exist at most of the events we attend and setting up permanent storage for our chairs, tools, helmets, and other event gear.  If things go well, long term plans include a bed long enough for me to sleep in at 6'6" and adding some convenience items like a pull out canopy and lights.  Most of the places we would camp have facilities so we don't need a full RV setup with a bathroom.

The original plan was a Ford e250 or e350 van.  The problem is we need seating for four people.  Almost all of the ones I can find are cargo vans.  The rest are 15 passenger vans with a long rear overhang.  I started looking at conversion vans and I was amazed by the prices.  I am assuming I can keep the reasonably nice captains chairs, strip out the rest of the 'conversion', and end up with something workable.

We have found a 1994 Dodge Ram 2500 conversion van and are close to pulling the trigger on it.  The engine is the 318 v8.  The engine and transmission both feel good.  Brakes are borderline dangerous.  I can't tell if there is a problem or if that is how good they were back then.  Suspension can best be described as floppy.  Going over a bump feels like an under filled waterbed.  I learned to drive on one of these and I am pretty sure this means the suspension is fine.  I will probably replace the shocks anyway.

What else do I need to worry about before pulling the trigger?  I think GVWR while towing is ok even with all the wood paneling in the van.  I will add a transmission cooler  if there isn't one already there.  Is there something similar to an Airlift spring helper for leaf spring rear suspensions?  Dajiban probably isn't going to happen but a man can dream.

Paging JG because he once had a totally sweet conversion van. 

Is the Dodge the maxi van with the extra length on the back ? Ford's are the same,

The Chevy express long vans are longer wheelbase 

There are tons of YouTube videos on converting a van , you could take a panel , add a bench seat and put side windows in so the passangers can see out , and the bench  seat can fold down into a bed.

VW campers had a canvas hammock that clipped on to the windshield frame so kids had a place to sleep or you could store stuff on it while camping.....

Sounds like a fun project

I had a couple conversion vans, but I was always a Ford guy, so I'm not that familiar with what Dodge or Chevy were doing.  I know that it wasn't completely uncommon to have a conversion built on a E-250 platform, though, so if that is what you're looking for they are out there.  Towing with the 4.6 in the Ford was doable but you could tell it was struggling a bit.  The 5.4 was much better, especially after adding some of the Gabriel HiJackers to the rear.  I have no idea if they're available for Dodge vans, but they really helped on my Ford and were simple to install and I think they were pretty cheap to buy as well.  I'd just add or remove air pressure as needed to keep the whole rig leveled out. 

I'm 6'3" and found sleeping in the back to be doable by myself.  I think if I had to share the bed, I would have hated it.  I was just using the fold-down three part rear bench seat, though, not an actual bed of any sort.  When I camped in it, I would take out the second row of captain's chairs to get some room to move around because I thought it was pretty tight in there with those seats.  You might be able to move the second row forward a bit to get more space for a bed.  

When you shop for the rooftop air, the ones they put on pop-up campers are lower BTU, can be had with a heat strip for cool nights, and are a bit cheaper.  They also need a little less power so if all you can get is a 15a outlet, they'll usually work okay on those where a "standard" 13.5k unit really needs at least a 20 just for itself.  You can also put a second deep-cycle battery in to power a radio and some lights and stuff and use an isolator solenoid to only connect it to the vehicle system when the alternator is spinning.

For a canopy and lights, check this out: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/the-nonack-grm-budget-safari-rack/128714/page1/ from irish44j.  He's got a sweet rack that he built along with lights and an attached canopy that would work well on a van.  That might be the right place for permanent helmet/chair/etc storage, too.  Personally, I think that with the second row of seats installed, a standard conversion van is just too small, especially for three people.  The 15-passenger van or a carpet van might be a better option for interior room, but I have no idea how that impacts towing.

The van I am looking at is the Dodge medium wheelbase.  It doesn't have the long overhangs of the 15 passenger Dodge or Ford vans.  I am new to towing cars so I am attempting to keep things easy.  One of our original plans was an E350 based school bus or shuttle bus.  I had a hard time figuring out if they could tow a 5k lb trailer at 65mph or if I was allowed to park them at my house.

Camping is a strong word for what we will be doing.  We are planning on overnights at a track or taking a nap at a rest stop.  We are a bit compromised for camping anyway because we generally need 4 seats (Me, wife, baby, grandparent/babysitter) for day trips.  The plan is to take out one row of seats and build permanent storage in the back with an option to put a foam mattress on top for a bed.  We haven't decided if we are going to put a bench in the second row that can be folded down to make the bed longer or stick with captain's chairs.

I am hoping to get the interior temperature from 100 degrees ambient to 75-80 degrees inside the van using the rooftop AC.  Based on the reading I have done a 5000 BTU unit should be about right for the van.  I am looking into AC starter systems that decrease the max load when the compressor kicks on.  I would love for this to work with my 1100 watt generator but I think I will have to upgrade to the 2000 watt version.

A nonack rack is the plan when I get to it.

"Suspension can best be described as floppy.  Going over a bump feels like an under filled waterbed.  I learned to drive on one of these and I am pretty sure this means the suspension is fine. "

Does this mean you learned to drive on an under filled waterbed?

Check the GVWR. It's not uncommon that they built these things on lighter chassis even though they were "3/4"T. Avoid hightops. They're heavy. We had a G20 GM, GVWR was 7800lbs, it on the truck scales empty was 7500lbs. Don't get me wrong, it was comfy and nice but we went through 2 sets of rear springs + helpers in 5 years. Thing ate shocks and tires like candy. 

Be prepared to hunt wreckers for broken interior peices. Electrical issues are not uncommon as they get older as well. 

I'd suggest skipping the conversion van and just get a standard window van. 

Check your distance from the back doors to the back of the second row seats.  In my Fords, the rear bed had a couple inch gap to the door and touched the seat backs.  Even using a pillow to cover the couple extra inches, I couldn't fit longways in the bed and had to sleep at a diagonal making the whole thing a one-person affair.  Again, that's Ford, so the Dodge might have more room.

The high-top does add weight (and that might have been part of the reason my 4.6 was so anemic since it did have the fibreglass topper), but don't discount the difference it makes to be able to (mostly) stand up.  Changing clothes and all that is a real bear when you're stooped way over.  Maybe one of those outdoor shower tents would help.  Speaking of outdoor showers...  those solar showers can be pretty amazing.  I used to put one on top of the van as I was unloading the car from the trailer in the morning and then use it to take a quick shower before I drove home in the afternoon after a long, dirty day of rallycross.  Biggest problem I had was that the water was too hot!

I am dreaming at this point, but I would love to put a pop-top on the van.  You get a 7' ceiling an an extra double bed.  When it is down, it feels roughly like a standard height van.  A reasonable fiberglass roof only raises the height to 6' or so which isn't enough for me.

I have a 94 Dodge 250 conversion van. I think you're going to find that nothing short of the longest ones (the 15 passenger length) is going to retain seating for four AND have room for a 6'6 person to lay down without ending up partially between the 2nd row buckets. I'm 6'0 and just barely fit sideways across the folding bench/bed in the back of mine, although if i have some kind of spasm during my sleep i might kick out a window. It's tight. 

As far as the suspension, you can pretty easily swap springs since they made multiple lengths and payloads on the same chassis with all the same attachment points. You can get front springs from a D350 that are over 1000lb/in iirc.  

I have almost the same plan for mine as you have for yours in terms of putting a rooftop ac on it and making it somewhere my baby can stay while im doing mobile work (was doing mobile mechanic stuff until she was born). But, on mine i've got the middle buckets out and retained the rear folding bench, so i have something like a 4x4 open area in the middle of the van. 

Brakes shouldn't suck. If you can't lock up tires something is wrong with them. 

I have been down this road.  I have looked at conversion vans that I could take out the back seat, and also had cargo vans that I added a second row.

You're already on the right track with a 3/4 or 1 ton.  They don't ride super rough, and a 1/2 ton van is near or exceeding GVWR with a very modest amount of camping goodies.

The Ford is my go-to for vans.  It will have the twin I-beam front which is bulletproof, but some people experience accelerated tire wear.  I haven't, but some tires don't like it.

Do NOT get a 350 Vortec chevy van.  Those last years with the new body style express/savanna and the holdover 350s were a big mismatch of parts.  They overheat, the clutch fan is so huge that it won't let it reach a shift point at WOT, every time you stop, the hot air gets in front of the condenser and shuts off the A/C... they are a mess.  We had an entire fleet of about 40 and they all did the same thing.  My drivers constantly complained about them.

Never owned a Mopar van, but I'm biased.  Every mopar I have owned I purely hated.  Personal taste.  If you go back to the early 80s or 70s, they're far better if you can find an example that isn't wasted.

I personally prefer to find a cargo van.  Blank slate.  More work, but I don't mind it.

They race these things in Japan. Posting so I can subscribe. I've been wanting to build a Mercedes Sprinter or Ford Transit for similar duties....just at crap can endurance races instead. 

Java230 updating his build thread reminded me about his home-built RV project.  He used a box truck to basically build a class-C.  Definitely more work than putting a storage box with a mattress on it in the back of an old conversion van, but probably much more workable long-term.  

What about an extended-cab or crew-cab pickup with a slide-in?

wae said:

For a canopy and lights, check this out: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/the-nonack-grm-budget-safari-rack/128714/page1/ from irish44j.  He's got a sweet rack that he built along with lights and an attached canopy that would work well on a van.  That might be the right place for permanent helmet/chair/etc storage, too.  Personally, I think that with the second row of seats installed, a standard conversion van is just too small, especially for three people.  The 15-passenger van or a carpet van might be a better option for interior room, but I have no idea how that impacts towing.

Ok I officially hate you and irishj. I bought my Sequoia with a Thule safari rack already on it. It gives me zero clearance in parking garages because of the lift and the 33in tires. I may have to sell it and go this route with irishjs write up. More unneccessary but necessary spending.

Also to note - sleeping in the back of the Sequoia would be okay if you were under 6ft and had no babies. 

http://www.camperize.com/poptops/

Roll your own!  If I had a pole barn to park it in and move into after my wife divorced me I would totally build a ghetto Quigly with a Powerstroke van.  Bonus points for a sweet 70s paint job.  

It sounds like you are looking at 3 adults and one child sleeping in a van.  You are into Hybrid/Class B territory at this point, IMO.

I'm going to drop a photo of a Dodge Transvan here, but only because I really like them.





You would be much better off with something more modern (90s), a bit shorter, and without DRW.  

Your other option would be a slide in camper in a fullsize pickup.   This might be your best option if you have a place to store the camper when you aren't using it.

In reply to Curtis :

I drove a 2001 GMC Savana for 10 years including towing a travel trailer in 100 degree weather, never had a problem.  I loved it for the old school 350 and its low end grunt.  If you want newer it's the 5.3 4L60E combo to avoid the 5.3 is way happier towing with a seven speed or what ever they got next. 

Funny, I am looking for the exact same thing after a recent camping trip: Seating for four, but room for a queen size mattress behind. Measure it out, but my guess is you're going to want an extended van. 

From the previous "learn me" threads on conversion vans, someone mentioned a problem with the rear axle in the Dodges. I'll see if I can dig it up. I believe I read that the Dodge is a unibody design, not body on frame like the Ford/GM, if that matters much to you.

My BIL has a Dodge, believe it is a 1994 with the smaller V8. I think it's been pretty good to him, if not exactly "bullet proof" although he did have to replace a lot of the cooling system IIRC.

From the looking I'm doing, there are about 10 Fords for every 3 or 4 GMs and 1 to 3 Dodges, so I suspect I will be going with a Ford myself. The Tritons are known to spit plugs, but as many of these as they sold, I wonder if it's overblown. 

Your post led me to Craigslist as I'm also tempted by these... First hit 97 Ford E250 Camper Van - $7000 seems perfect.

In reply to johndej :

That camper van was my original idea.  Seating for three.  We don't really need the kitchen but losing the toilet frees up a bunch of room.  Already has rooftop ac and an awning.  The only problem, how much gross vehicle weight is left to pull a trailer.

In reply to CyberEric :

GM G series up to '95 is unibody, just like Dodge.  

They didn't go to body on frame unti '96 with the Chevy Express/GM Savanna

In reply to ojannen :

You are looking for GCVW, not so much GVW.

I just drove a Chevy G20 on totally sweet Cragars.  The extra wheelbase was great.  A queen or extra long full bed would fit without removing the second row bench.  The only problem was the 305 engine.  It was so slow.  Will I be able to maintain 65 on the interstate while towing even if it takes a while to get there?  I know a 350 swap can be done but it isn't in the cards for a while.

Do they make shorter AirCo housings where you could put 2 on the roof and have less chance of  " low bridging"  them on low tree branches etc.