fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
Hello everyone! IM trying to get an idea how to fix my 09 chevy express (non extended) without loosing space. any ideas would be great! thanks!
which driver has the slickest chevy 2500?
- Thread starter fedexhatch
- Start date
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
While I don't have a standard wb 2500, what you can do to make van comfortable is alot of what i have done, with a simple change to the bunk.
1st i took the pass seat out along with the base. I built a cabinet to hold a 1.7 cu ft Refrig and a microwave. I mounted that where the pass seat sat with the frig and microwave facing the drivers seat. In front of the cabinet in the footwell i have 2 6 volt golf cart batteries and a battery isolator along with a 2500 watt inverter mounted on the side of the cabinet.
Right behind the drivers seat and the cabinet i mounted a piece of plywood on top of 2x8's to support it for a bunk and i have a air mattress. Now mine has a piano hinge through the center to let me fold it so i can still get to 52 x 48 automotive skids in. You could use the same setup but instead of putting a piano hinge in the center..use a few maybe gate hinges mounted to a 'cross header type 2x8 connecting the other 2x8s and then cut the platform to follow the contures of the sidewalls and you can then fold the platform up to allow you to get 2 skids in.
Oh you might want to consider insulating the complete inside of the van with "bubble foil" insulation then in the area you will sleep cover that with 3/4 in form board insulation, then 3/16 luann plywood and then cover that with indoor out door carpet.
Add a roof vent with a fan in it, a MaxxVent or fantasic fan are the popular and both work good. The MaxxVent is designed to follow it to be open in a rain and not follow water in....
To seperate your bunk area from the freight. i use a shower curtain rod and a heavy quilt over that...
I am sure you will hear from others with good ideas...but you might want to do a search here for CV set ups there is alot of info...
Oh, if you cut the platform right on one end, you can mount a flat screen tv on the wall and still fold the platform up..i have a 22" flat screen back there that i can lay in bed and watch...
1st i took the pass seat out along with the base. I built a cabinet to hold a 1.7 cu ft Refrig and a microwave. I mounted that where the pass seat sat with the frig and microwave facing the drivers seat. In front of the cabinet in the footwell i have 2 6 volt golf cart batteries and a battery isolator along with a 2500 watt inverter mounted on the side of the cabinet.
Right behind the drivers seat and the cabinet i mounted a piece of plywood on top of 2x8's to support it for a bunk and i have a air mattress. Now mine has a piano hinge through the center to let me fold it so i can still get to 52 x 48 automotive skids in. You could use the same setup but instead of putting a piano hinge in the center..use a few maybe gate hinges mounted to a 'cross header type 2x8 connecting the other 2x8s and then cut the platform to follow the contures of the sidewalls and you can then fold the platform up to allow you to get 2 skids in.
Oh you might want to consider insulating the complete inside of the van with "bubble foil" insulation then in the area you will sleep cover that with 3/4 in form board insulation, then 3/16 luann plywood and then cover that with indoor out door carpet.
Add a roof vent with a fan in it, a MaxxVent or fantasic fan are the popular and both work good. The MaxxVent is designed to follow it to be open in a rain and not follow water in....
To seperate your bunk area from the freight. i use a shower curtain rod and a heavy quilt over that...
I am sure you will hear from others with good ideas...but you might want to do a search here for CV set ups there is alot of info...
Oh, if you cut the platform right on one end, you can mount a flat screen tv on the wall and still fold the platform up..i have a 22" flat screen back there that i can lay in bed and watch...
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
Yea i am pretty sure its a 8600 gvw chassis, so that is limiting...
fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
thanks everyone, It is a 2500 3/4 ton with a 6.0 with the back doors closed I have ten and a half feet from the back to the seats
jugbutt
Seasoned Expediter
broken record huh! just let it go man . heck i been reading this fourm for months and you put something in search and you might get what you looking for and maybe not!!
And another thing pictures are worth a thousans words!!!!!!!!!!! not enough of them either.
heck give the new guys a break.
fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
I dont need a monster truck! and I sure dont need a payment my 09 express 2500 3/4 with a 6.0 should do just fine. at least its paid for! Im sure these big rigs that have a sleeper and mountains of room are great! & can haul five times what I can. but right now im buying what I can afford.
Jack_Berry
Moderator Emeritus
he has been posting since that far away date in a universe long lost in the dusty cobwebs of time 6-26-2010. yep a couple days. must not have lurked long. well let him learn. he could have searched for the info but has not learned how. he could have looked into the community photos but has not. he is ready to learn the hard way.
fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
For all the drivers that truly tried to help me I thank you. You are class acts! and for the rest of the ones that think they know it all or want to leave post that they think are funny or just trying to get a jab in, I wish you the best!
One thing you need to understand is everyone has tried to help. Just because it is not posted in the way you want or the answer you hope for does not mean they do not mean well. There is a lot of personalities on here so you will see a lot of them. Sometimes it is best just to take a deep breath and not react to a post that might bug you, especially when new.
fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
thanks guys! being new to this I only went by what my recruiter said I should buy. thanks again (deep breath)
thanks guys! being new to this I only went by what my recruiter said I should buy. thanks again (deep breath)
LOL, I can understand that we all want to trust our recruiter but it is kind of like trusting a politician.
My first van was a short wheelbase Ford E-350. I paid cash for it. Plenty of room for a couple of skids in the back. Unfortunately, with 2 skids in the back there wasn't room for much else. I cannot tell you how many times I had a Friday pickup for Monday delivery, and no place to sleep for 3 nights. I can tell you that it happened one time too many, tho. There were also plenty of times, too many, where I'd have given anything to have been able to pull over while loaded and grab a nap.
When not loaded, I used the double-height twin air mattress from Walmart, and slept on a sleeping bag on top of that. It was insanely comfortable, actually. Almost as comfortable as the foam and memory foam combination I sleep on now. I did have to replace the air mattress pretty often, either because all the inflating and deflating stretched it out quickly, or because a splinter from a pallet or the wood deck would nail it.
But after driving it for a really long while it allowed me to figure out what all I did and did not want in outfitting a van, and I used it for a few trial and error things to see what would and would not work. Driving a paid-for van for a year or three and saving up for what you really want isn't a bad way to do things, just as long as you can come to terms in the meantime with doing everything on your knees.
When not loaded, I used the double-height twin air mattress from Walmart, and slept on a sleeping bag on top of that. It was insanely comfortable, actually. Almost as comfortable as the foam and memory foam combination I sleep on now. I did have to replace the air mattress pretty often, either because all the inflating and deflating stretched it out quickly, or because a splinter from a pallet or the wood deck would nail it.
But after driving it for a really long while it allowed me to figure out what all I did and did not want in outfitting a van, and I used it for a few trial and error things to see what would and would not work. Driving a paid-for van for a year or three and saving up for what you really want isn't a bad way to do things, just as long as you can come to terms in the meantime with doing everything on your knees.
fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
thanks guys for all the help, it sure looks like im going to be using that air pump alot! LOL
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
Get a 12 volt powered pump and hook it right to battery in your house bank, it makes it soooo much easier...