Box truck conversion!

[boxtruckdreams]

Hello full-timers!

I have a blog that explains myself pretty well (boxtruckdreams.wordpress.com) so I'll skip a longer introduction of myself. Please visit my blog to see more about me and my project!

I'm working on a box truck conversion. I plan to live and travel in it full time once it's completed. This forum is immensely helpful for me in learning what I need to know.

But I need more help! If you have any advice at all, I want to hear it! And- this is hard for me- but I need help with making the project happen! I want so badly to make my conversion a reality, but I have no money. All my money goes toward my bills. If you could spare 10 dollars for my project, I would be so SO SO very grateful! Please click here for my fund-raising site, and consider giving me a few bucks.

Thank you for your time!

 

[mekanic-TC]

Congrats on starting your own home on wheels. Ifi read correctly in some of your other postings you were trying to figure out about toilet or not.
The box conversion i did/doing (work in progress) Has no toilet or plumbing of any kind. since I am almost always staying in campgrounds that have a bath house it is a unnecessary need for me.
This one below is 2012

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This one below is 2011

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I saw a american standard whirlpool tub at lowes for $398 and i must say i am tempted.
My stumbling block with it is the large amount of hot water to make it work. I'll have to do the math and firgure out what that amount is.
I have right at my budget amount in mine ($7K) and I am close to backing off on yearly upgrades.not because of the money but that i really am getting close to being 100% happy with it. Bought in jan 2011 and it went about 1800 miles west to Moab Utah on its maiden voyage.

 

[boxtruckdreams]

Oh my gosh

Your home-on-wheels is so so beautiful! Thanks for sharing pictures. It would be amazing if you had a huge tub, but yeah I agree the water it would require would be a headache to manage.
Thanks for the advice about the toilet. I think I'll get a portable rv toilet for back-up but try to rely on campgrounds' facilities.

Can I ask, how did you insure and register your vehicle? It's something I haven't done yet.

Thanks again for sharing!

 

[mekanic-TC]

Your home-on-wheels is so so beautiful! Thanks for sharing pictures. It would be amazing if you had a huge tub, but yeah I agree the water it would require would be a headache to manage.
Thanks for the advice about the toilet. I think I'll get a portable rv toilet for back-up but try to rely on campgrounds' facilities.

Can I ask, how did you insure and register your vehicle? It's something I haven't done yet.

Thanks again for sharing!

First thing you should do is go to the title office and see what the criteria is for converting a title to a RV, But then you should ask your self if it helps you to do that. Most every one here does it to get of of the federal/states government red tape that make our larger vehicles deemed commercial if we don't change it. For your 1 ton van chassis you might not need to at all. Just be sure to tell the truth to the insurance agent.
Then once you decide you can make sure you jump though the hoops like the BMV and title office tell you to.
Trust me you will hope it is a easy as Ohio's.
For the last 2 years mine has been on the road it just had basic liability.
I just got too worried that my biggest investment ($2500 in tires) would be the first thing damaged in a mishap with another vehicle so I finally got agreed value insurance. Since you can't exactly look up the price of my custom RV in a NADA book.

 

[bushpilot-TC]

I saw a american standard whirlpool tub at lowes for $398 and i must say i am tempted.
My stumbling block with it is the large amount of hot water to make it work. I'll have to do the math and firgure out what that amount is.

we've got a 10 gallon (Propane & Electric) water heater - we run it on electric (when we're on shore power) but the recovery is MUCH MUCH faster when its using propane - and its HOT, REALLY HOT - so it might be enough for a whirlpool tub.

6 & 10 gallon RV water heaters are the standard - but suburban does make a 12 gallon & 16 gallon unit.

Atwood makes a 50k btu on-demand water heater (better have a big propane tank)....the nice thing about the atwood on demand water heater is that its designed to fit in a conventional 6 or 10 gallon RV cut out (for retro fitting)....the down side of this is even when you want a little hot or warm water youre consuming propane (no tank).

Theres always the aqua-hot (diesel fired & electric) water heaters...but those are generally cost prohibitive ($4k iirc).

like so many things.....anything is possible....w/ time/skill and $MONEY$

personally i think the bigger problem is where you gonna GET & HOLD the fresh & gray water (unless you have full utilities at a campground). I think a tub would end up consuming a large amount of your fresh water & then you have the issue of having to have a huge gray holding tank.

ive got 210 gallons of fresh water on board, but only 65g of gray holding capacity....one or two tub baths and id have no capacity to wash dishes or for anyone else to take a shower (because of the holding tank size).