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I built an off-grid 4X4 van

eldubb440

eldubb440

more miracles than Jesus
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because I have to show somebody, you guys are it.........

right before covid, my older brother scored a 3/4 ton "quigley 4X4" high top Ford conversion van...... he asked if I wanted to build him an off grid type mini motor home

never backing down from a challenge, I said "Hold my beer" ...... and proceeded to gut what was there

and then it snowballed........... and over the next 20 months, I proceeded to stuff 20 pounds of goodies into a 2 pound box

it has, in no particular order.....

on demand hot water for a shower
a portable chemical toilet
sink and 2 burner stove combo
45 gallon water tank supply under the bed
AC powered air conditioner, and portable gas generator
portable awnings and tent room rear and side
roof exhaust fan
refrigerator
exterior lighting
reverse camera
big *** deep cycle DC batteries power all the accessories
AC power inverter
200 watt solar panel charges the batteries
i may have forgotten something

it kicked my ***...... but eventually, I came out on top

I have a bazillion pics, here are a few

van1.jpg

van2.jpg

van3.jpg

van4.jpg

van5.jpg

van6.jpg

van7.jpg

van8.jpg
 
Last edited:
Looks great, you must have a **** ton of hours into that build! 440'
 
That looks Great, and a lot like my '75, when My Dad & I did the interior in it, around 1977. Wish I'd had taken some pics back then, but Kodak cameras, flash bulbs & cubes, and developing, weren't in the budget...
 
Great work, you have a talent for coach work! I think my favorite shot is the shitter by the door.

A block away from me is a guy with a similar set up, late model E250 4x4. He’s an avid kayaker and goes up in the mountains in that rig, kayaks strapped to the roof.
 
Well done!!!! I love vans and a 4x4 is even better!!
 
Looks like he can do everything he needs to do while sitting on the pot. Very efficient! Nice job.
 
Very Nice but I see you were too lazy to install self driving technology!! :lol: Great job, sad part is I think we will all need stuff like that soon!!
 
thanks guys....... yeah, damn near went broke with all the labor hours; but it was a cool change from the usual rust repair/paint stuff..... I'd put in a week here and a week there

he lives upstate ny, and took it home for a shakedown/test and to get it out of my hair for a bit....... it will be back for a few finishing touches....... the only rattle/squeak I had to deal with was the rear doors needed to shut tighter

here's the water tank, I didn't want it to slosh around so I made it out of three 8 inch pvc tubes....... it fills/drains through a hose bib on the bumper and is vented

van10.jpg

van11.jpg





and nothing says mobile meth lab like a dryer vent hanging out the side :lol:

van13.jpg
 
the deep cycle batteries live in the top of the box behind the "power distribution" area...... then feeds up to the hole in the top/rear to a boat style fuse box....... the portable generator lives underneath in it's own box...... disregard any of the old, existing cheesebag build you see in any of the pics

van9.jpg


and the clown

van15.jpg


van14.jpg
 
oh, and the tankless water heater lives inside the left rear door shell..... can't find a pic
 
I like it!!! Tell me you designed it s you and shoot the toilet tank at asshole drivers!!!!
Great work, I bet the thoughts of design caused some head aches.
I do a lot of work for Winnebago industries. Amazing the amount of amenities they can squeeze in a van
 
Scott Engelhardt said:
I like it!!! Tell me you designed it s you and shoot the toilet tank at asshole drivers!!!!
Great work, I bet the thoughts of design caused some head aches.
I do a lot of work for Winnebago industries. Amazing the amount of amenities they can squeeze in a van
Click to expand...

the hours of research seemed endless.....

everything was ordered through amazon during the pandemic, I had to figure the dimensions of each piece and make sure I had a place to put it........ and I knew nothing about solar and how to deal with it; so I educated myself the best I could, and dove in......... everything works as designed.....it's a miracle, baby!
 
the huge LED on the front, and the other 3 (right, left, and rear) can be turned on manually, but also can be set in "security mode". each has a motion detector; anything within 40 feet gets blinded...... the front light also has a switch to source power from the van battery while driving, or from the solar batteries while in security mode.......... the front motion detector makes for a cool hood ornament
 
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