Muddy Waters said:

Everything from the wall forward(bed to driver's seats) has home rolled insulation(the pink stuff) behind it. I didn't do anything in the back because I don't sleep back there, but up front it also quiets the road noise while driving. The wall is built just like a wall in a house(a 2x4 on the floor and one on the ceiling, with studs running between the 2, then stuffed with insulation)

Will you post a picture of the complete van from the outside? Is it a extended van?  What was the total amount it cost you?

VERY NICE JOB!

Nice job building the van. Which van is it(e150,250,350) and which engine?

800 lbs of water? Wow ..... better make sure you have some really good tires and brakes.

Your water is going to weigh more than everything else combined(bike+tool box+gear+all of the stuff you built the van out of).

I have a 35 gallon tank that I have used on occasion but usually don't take any in my boxvan.

Flyin-A said:

It's the 250, with the 4.6 v8. I have filled the hole thing(95 gallons) and driven two hours straight with it and never even noticed it. I couldn't feel it power wise or braking wise, and I think that at the very worst it got 1 mpg less(but I don't think that it even did). I think that the trick to it is that it is centered in the middle of the vehicle and not too far forward or rear.

This is similar to the setup I've been thinking of doing.  I'm 6' tall though, so my main concern is wall to wall width for the bed behind the front seats.  I'll skip the water tank and store ez-ups and other gear under the bed (which I'd like to be able to fold up for travel so I can potentially store larger items in the bed area).

Do you happen to have or remember the dimensions from the back of the front seat (in a comfortable driving position) to the back doors?  and width from side to side in the cargo area?

Also is that a regular or extended van?

getndirty said:

First off, it is an extended model. The width of the bed from behind the seats to the wall is around 40 inches. A twin sized mattress is 38 inches wide, so that comes out perfect with the frame. The length of a normal twin mattress is 78 inches but I had to get a custom one at 70 inches long so it would fit. The one main thing when you build it is that the bed and frame can go past the step at the doors by a couple inches. Those couple inches are well worth the extra fabrication. I am exactly 6 feet tall too, and I can lay almost completly streched out on my back. I sleep on my side naturally so that saves me some room when I get a little fetal. Me and my girlfriend slept in it for a couple days and were nice and comfy.

thats a really nice build.  I have an extended ford and was thinking of doing the same thing although my carpenter skills are minimal at best.  Did you have to put paneling on the sides to get the carpet to stick?  How much did it cost you to build that?

Nice job Jayson!

Huckster said:

To tell you the truth, you don't need a whole ton of carpentry skills to do something like this. As long as you don't rush or get mad when things get a little tricky you will be all set. I know hardly anything about this stuff and don't do anything like this for a living, but I am lucky in the fact that my father works on the show This Old House. Just ask someone you know who knows this stuff a few questions about how to do a few things, like building a wall, and you be good. As far as putting the carpet on the bare sides, I don't think it would work. The glue probably wouldn't want to stick to metal even if you roughed it up first, and cold temps would probably make it bubble and come undone. One of the biggest reasons for paneling the sides is to keep the body from getting dented. It is a lot easier than some people think to make a dent from the inside pushing out, especially in the cargo area with handlebars and such. Plus, it just looks a lot cleaner too. I kind of went overboard on this build and spent between $2000-$3000, but in the long run it is well worth it.

Great job, Jayson! Motovans rock!

Sweet motovan!

how did you anchor the 2x4s for your wall?  Also how did you get the ply wood on to the walls and roof?  Self tapping screws?

gumbellion said:

To anchor the 2x4s for the wall just put one on the top and one on the bottom and screw them in(on the floor with regular screws and on the roof with self tappers into the ribs). For the sides just make studs with 2x4s that have been screwed with self tappers into the ribs, then screw the plywood to the studs.

The sickest van i have ever seen for sure!

Yamaha2stroke said:

Got to be kidding right?