Budget Van Conversion Finished Tour | Ford Econoline $3000
Tour of our completed 2004 Ford E350 converted camper van!
The overview of the build is in Part 1: • Budget Van Conversion ... .
This van cost $3000 and the relatively simple conversion cost a little over $3000.
Links to detailed instructions for:
2nd Seat Install: • Install 2nd Row Seat |...
Simple Van Electrical: • Simple DIY Van Electri...
MaxxAir Fan Install: • Maxxair Fan 4000 | For...
Stuff we used:
Touchscreen 7 inch Radio: Hikity Car Stereo Double Din 7 Inch HD Touch Screen Radio Bluetooth FM with USB/AUX-in/RCA/Rear View Camera Input + Backup Camera $70!!!
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Mattress Topper 4"
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Cabinet Door RV Latches: 12 pack
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Cabinet Lift Supports: Gazeer 6 Pcs 100N/22.5lb Gas Strut Pneumatic Support
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Sink: 13" RV Bowl sink
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Foot Pump: Marine Foot pump for sink
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Ladder: Surco 103H Hook Over Ladder
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Small Dehumidifier (perfect van size):
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Ladder: Surco 103H Hook Over Ladder
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Adhesive Hooks Sticky Wall Hooks
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Dirt Devil Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
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Battery: Vmaxtanks VMAXSLR125 AGM 12V 125Ah SLA Rechargeable Deep Cycle Battery
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Inverter: GoWISE Power 600W Pure Sine Wave Inverter 12V DC to 120V AC
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(Amazon Associates paid links)
Finally, a van conversion done by real people, and not corporate influencers. Dig it. Very refreshing. Great job. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it!
What's a "corporate influencer"?
@@CharliEdwards someone who does these builds cause they’re sponsored by some company and are having their vans funded by those companies
People can live simple clean and economically without a lot of trouble and expense. Have a better life and even move around. Plus you can eventually save the money a lot of the hardearned money you work for.
@@findoutDIY nice video! can you do an update video?
Most van builds are either 80k custom jobs or hippy nests on milk crates. It’s hard to find decent self builders that know what they’re doing. You guys did a great job. Def a top ten self build in my book.
Thanks!
And that $80,000 doesn’t include the Vehicle! I’ve checked them out! Those run another$80,000 to $100,000! Insane and ridiculous
Hey! I like my hippy nest and I don't have any milk crates!
first time i see extra seats in a small van and there is still allot of livable space!! amazing!
Good job on the flooring! Having worked in OEM design of 'commercial vans' for many years, there's a TON of information I wish I could give the 'prospective conversion van' builders before they start out...it would save them a lot of money, and give them a better finish, when done. For example, a LOT of those 'strange shaped holes' in the wall sub-structure are actually designed in for 'attachment points', from anchor holes to run 'E-Track' to 'polymer push-anchor holes' to attach wire loom to. Before 'custom cutting-drilling-grinding', always look to see if you can 'work your design' around use of these anchor points...then make a trip to a 'bodyshop hardware' store (like NAPA or a local body shop) show them where the attachment point is, how much weight you want to bind to it, and they'll most-likely provide you with the answer (steel anchor plate, flanged push-pin, possibly even Huck Bolts...you may be able to borrow a Huck Bolt tool from your local Fastenal to install them...but they are as strong as hot-formed rivets)...again, knowing how to work the attachment points already built in can save you TONS in the 'final attachment solution', look better when you are finished, and make 'later modifications' much easier if you want to 'convert your conversion' once again...in the future.
Skeeter you sound like a dude I wanna know ! Do you have your own channel or resource source somewhere?
THANK YOU!!! I just purchased an 01 Ford E450 that I am about to “redo.” Your info will be extremely helpful!
"...my pee bottle...one of the best things..." - spoken like a true engineer with a sense of humor! - One of the best Ford van conversion videos that I've ever seen.
Glad I found your channel with real expectations of a van build, tomorrow my van building journey begins and I couldn't be more excited/nervous !
Goodluck! How’s it coming along so far ?
hey Eric how is it going?? sending good vibes
That cement mixing tub you have in back from Home Depot can be used as a moveable shower pan... just a thought for those looking for a shower pan idea for inside showers other than a dog bath pool... they have an unnamed brand up to 24x 36 inches holding about 26 gallons for $13.
Great build. Its so refreshing seeing a reasonable build that doesn't cost a bunch. Love the thumb holes for the cabinets, contoured storage space, and extra seat. Well done.
It's nice to see how you can keep stuff simple and economical for a practical 'get-away'. Refreshing and lots of good detail. Cheers.
I’ve used your videos as a guide/bible to complete my E350 conversion. The only major differences for me, was a tongue and groove ceiling, an extra set of brackets for the rear seat to turn around, and we may skip the sink for cooler space. I’m almost done putting the walls up and the bed will follow soon after. Can’t wait to get some trips in this summer! Without your videos I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to pull it off, thanks a bunch!
Thats awesome to hear! Enjoy those summer adventures!!
Wow, what a great "How To.." video! Not only was your narration informative, but very easy to understand. Walking the viewer through each step along your remodeling job, shows the dedication, perseverance and completion of a job well done. Great job. Thanks for taking the time to educate others. God bless!
That turned out awesome! 👏🏻...very well done. Finally, a reasonable $6,000 van build video. I can’t see anything that I would’ve done differently.
I’d need to add a little potty lol
Beautiful, cheap, simple and something a common person can do, nothing flashy and very practical. Congratulations on your campervan
I love that you showed us the build from beginning to end. Now I know how to start. Thank you so much
Cool conversation. You can attach one or two diy pressurized pvc water tanks on your roof rack - one for drinking/cooking, the other for shower/washing.
Love it! Awesome job! Love the simplicity of the build.
It turned out so great! Our budget is pretty tight so we are building as we can afford items we really wanted! So, our build is taking some time for sure! Great job! It is so much work!
Great camper van! Your video inspires me to make my future camper build simple and fun. There are so many prominent conversions that look way too expensive and complex for the average person to pull off. And I think that's what's important and the point: simplified living for the average person in a simplified (and mobile) living space. I understand that different people have different needs, but you did it all way below 10k, which is/was my future budget. But now after checking out your tour video...I feel freer to spend and do what works for me. Thanks a lot!
your build is what i needed for inspiration and to make some decisions on my econoline build thank you!
Awesome build :) I really like how you explain almost everything you do, love to learn
Thank you so much for this video. Well explained and I love it when the prices are mentioned. Motivating video and these vans are all over...I’m looking into it!
Thanks for the walk through - nice job!
The other videos were starting to discourage me from doing this and I really don't need what I have now, so I'm glad to see a realistic video. Thanks for sharing
Beautiful work! A nice build to aspire to, honestly! You make it seem simple, thanks for sharing the process
Could be on budget but is a very neat conversion. My congrats.
I love it so much! I'm trying to start my van and will do something similar to yours! Thank you and have a safe journey on the road
Wow, you guys did a fantastic job on your Van... Enjoy your travels
love this simple and actually budget
perfect balance of enough, and not too much... well done man
Very nicely done! HAPPY CAMPING!
I have a project to travel through my country once I finish university and I think I will inspire on your work, awesome build
Great job! Thanks for taking the time to explain your build. Very cool!
My first build was on a 5x8 trailer that I could not stand up in. Since then I upgraded to a ram promaster high roof. Loving it. Good luck/adventures.
Thanks MUCH for great share and video! Love the backup camera addition. All the BEST to you ! Cheers:)
I really enjoyed the fact that it’s cost friendly for low income nomads I love it ❤ thanks
Glad to see a fellow Washingtonian Econoline Conversion - a bit behind your build but I appreciate the videos.
Some great ideas here. Thanks for sharing.
Cannot thank u enough for showing the bed dimensions and how tall you are for comparison! Awesome van build👍🏼
Like your thrifty approach to van life. You are a good handyman. Wish you good luck on your travels.
A real DIY guy that doesnt have a 100K garage and 50K in the latest and newest tools to do a van conversion. A real video that is actually sensible and done my an amateur that normal people can relate to.
Great video and I feel more encouraged to start my journey!
Thank you for showing a reasonable way to build out a van.
Awesome job! I like the faucet you built. I spent so long trying to find a small faucet that would work for us. Love that you didn’t use handles on the cabinet either. Those can turn into a real hazard banging into them all the time in the van.
I thought the faucet was ingenious too. Very simple and budget friendly. I would have went to Ikea... Ikea is an RV or Van builders dream place LOL.
Thank you so much for all the info. Inspiring to see such craftsmanship for so cheap
Awesome build...just bought the same size van, it came with most of the seats was trying to figure out how to leave in one row for seating and you nailed it for me...thank you! I enjoyed your build!
Right on!
So many great ideas!! Thank you for your time.
Congrats, good job!
Thank you I needed this. I have a van now and changing it. Freedom. One person life.
Congratulations on the van remodel and the other good work you do. I've watched van remodel videos for years because I hope to do it someday, and your video came up and I was surprised that I recognized Ashley from high school! Yay adventures and DIY projects! Robby R
Robby!!! I can't believe you found our video! So far van-ventures have been great, you absolutely should build one! We're pretty happy with how it's functioning for us, it's certainly not perfect, and we will eventually upgrade, but it makes one-night adventures so much easier. Sending happy adventure vibes your direction!
Awesome 👏 simple and easy to use 🏆
Nice build! Those hydraulic closer were a must. Especially with the doors opening up. Thank you so much ;)
Simple and cheap, love it
He is the Bob Ross of Van Conversions! 🤩 Fantastic Video
Great van job i did similar with an extended cab e-150 , now it needs the naked lady mud flaps
Great work and great budgeting.
Thanks, I'm just starting my conversion, some great ideas here! 🙂
Fantastic work! I'm in the middle of converting my Chevy Express (very similar size/layout)! Thanks for making this video!
Thanks . Videos will save me & others time & efforts .
It turned out GREAT.... Love your style of explaining things... And how u keep things simple
I agree. You hav 2 go sometime.
Great build. Nice to see a diy low budget build compared to these kids and their $100,000 vans.
Fantastic build. But I really like that unique driftwood trim!
man that build is awesome! great job!
Great job on the build👌
Nice looking build, very clean!
I got a handed to you guys you both did an awesome job thank you so much for the ideas I’m in the very beginning stages of doing something similar I don’t have your woodworking expertise but I will make them again so much very inspiring video
Awesome Job..Thanks for sharing 👏
That was a great conversion job!
That’s really cool , bro. I’m impressed
Nice work, great idea. Bravo guys.👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👍🏻
Very nice. Thank you for sharing.
Now im definitely tempted to buy that van I saw a few days ago... I would love to have a summer road tripper to live in as I explore the national parks.
Great budget build reminds me of our first build. But you've done a much better job than we did 😂 enjoy your trips in the van
You spent $6100 and you have $mucho$ talent. That van is awesome, and when you were cleaning it out before the build it looked nasty. Really nice work and thanks.
Man, you did a really good job ,make me very jealous. Wish I had your skills. Thank You Brother !
nice neat simple job. i’m about to embark on my own conversion of a chevy express. this vid was very helpful. thanks for posting it.
Ya'll did well really like the attention to insulation
This is a very nice, simple build. I have a similar van. I placed the upper cabinets over the bed on the other side, and sleep with my head on the driver's side. The reason for that is when parked on the street the passenger side is usually lower than the driver side so my head is not lower than my feet when I'm sleeping. It doesn't seem to trouble you, so well done.
If you get sideswiped, your noggin' gets smacked!
awesome vid. I have a kid so I wanted to see how someone would do this with a back bench seat
Would love to hear what changes you would now make after using it a while
You did a very nice job with just $3000 and lots of love. Congratulations!!
Thanks so much!!
Love your video. Genuine honest demeanor make you very likeable:)
A really good job with the build. 👍🏻
amazing! loved watching this and the previous video!
Great job it looks really nice
I own an E350 Super Duty and thought about getting a taller van as well but I like that I can fit into any parking garage. So I’m keeping my van for cross country (city) travel and if I’m actually going to RV/camp, then I’ll pull a camper. When we’re road tripping, we just need beds (to sleep at truck stops), a water jug, and a cooler.
Great job, my first van to Florida was in78. Ford econ with bed,potty and beer cooler.
Nice job man. I love how you contour the cabinets to the cabin. I just paid off my condo three years after I bought it, and I am thinking about renting it out for at least a year and doing at least a cross country trip. I’ve been looking at vans and campers and trying to figure out what is going to be the best route to go. As you said, the gas mileage on those vehicles is a great… But then again, even a newer truck hauling a trailer is still going to get roughly the same. So it’s kind of a lose lose situation and less you can get a truck or SUV that is hybrid. In which case, you get the best of both worlds and better gas mileage. Something I will probably look into if I decide to do this. We will see. I think it would be a blast to just drive with no destination and see what I see along the way.
Looks amazing! good job!!!
I just found an E350 and bought it on a whim with the idea of converting it. It’s the non extended one and I was afraid it would be too small. But seeing yours, I did the right thing. So stoked! Bryan from Vancouver
I'm from Vancouver too.. and planning to build one.
awesome video! thank you for sharing!
Fantastic and well presented, thank you.
Amazing job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍👍👍
This is a down to earth build I can relate to. Just right.
Beautiful job
Just subbed for the great content and i really liked how u explain what is what you use and where to get it. AMAZING YOU GUYS STAY BLESSED.
Good for you guys
Very cool enjoy the build video and this one. You guys have a lot more energy than I do for such a restoration project, but it's very neat to watch how you did it. I'm looking to outfit a similar type van ike this or a Chevy Express and am looking at various designs. The only thing I HAVE to do is incorporate some small windows on the back sides, otherwise I would feel too hemmed in. But yours is a very cool design if one doesnt need that.
That really turned out nice man. I bet it was a fun project to build probably built some good understanding and skills in the process. Awesome!
Thanks 👍
Yes nice build.
Nice, skirts, jackets, and all 🌊🤙🏼