2000 Chevy Astro Van AWD Conversion

I've seen a couple very cool van conversions on here and have taken such pride and joy in my own that I want to share and hopefully inspire some more van converts. Feel free to message me for questions about the van, van life, or meeting up!

I sold my Subaru for more than I should have gotten for it (Boulderites love Subarus) and got an Astro for about a third of what I sold the 'Bu and it had less miles; car economics are strange.

I've gone pretty light in the way of some things, heavy in the way of others, and have some additions and improvements in mind. She's been a dream to live out of and travel in for the past couple months, looking forward to more.

Future improvements could (would like to) be: Solar Panel/Inverter, Yeti Cooler, Awning attached to cargo rack, slide out pantry/kitchen with slide for stove, swivel chair, limo tint, shower.

The Specs:

Bed: Organic Big Pad with two layers of egg crate foam, a sheet set, two synthetic down comforters, and a wool blanket. The only time I've been cold was late March at the top of a pass, where it snowed on me.

Bed Frame: Built out of a combo of scrap wood, garage shelving brackets, and select pine. Hinged in the middle so I can access from back but bike rack and broken hydraulic actuators cause me to usually just crawl under.

Kitchen/Pantry: My dad's old Craftsman toolbox. It is probably bulkier and heavier than necessary, but it was free and not being used for storing tools currently. Camp Chef Everest two burner. Currently have a self-made 'heat shield' but have only boiled water in the van twice. Next addition would be some kind of sliding track for the pantry and another slider to bring the burners outside the door of the van.

Fuel/Refrigeration: I'm using a half size propane tank that stays on the rack on top mostly, but has lived in the van. There are many points to having it in/out the van, but I've felt reassured by enough people that it being inside isn't a big deal, just keep a window vented. Currently using a regular coleman cooler, but will probably upgrade to a Yeti soon, just wasn't keen on throwing down a couple bills when the van was coming together.

Storage: There is a lot of storage under the bed, and I have a half size Yakima box on top which holds my ropes camp chairs, table, and skateboard, my old cargo cage (great for firewood), with a bike mount on it, and two spots on the hitch. I have run a nylon coated wire cable around the clothes hook of the van (secured down with zipties) to make a 'closet' for hanging stuff like jackets, bike clothes, and towels, and it works very well. The bed is not the total width of the van so the bottom of clothes that are hung up can be tucked next to it.

There are some photos included in the post, but here is an album that includes some construction and after photos as well: dropbox.com/sh/lk24frd9v8f5…

Numbers

Van Cost: $3250 (with 90k miles)
Hitch: $300
Bed Frame & Floor: $100
Used Yakima Box: $200
Used Yakima Bicycle Hitch Mount: $200
New Tires: $700 (BF Goodrich ATs, amazing tires)

Awesome! What do you average for MPG?

The gas gauge is actually not fully functional, but the one or two times I tried to make my best educated guestimation it was getting a little over 15 mpg, elevation changes, increased highway time (at less than 70 mph) and other things have affected the over under on that number occasionally.

Thanks for posting. I just purchased a 2006 Chevy Express AWD V8 van and I'm now in the process of building it out for a summer on the road. I'm still working on the design so I love checking out what others have done.

Since you're throwing around the Astro love.. 2002 Astro AWD.

both of those vans are great setups. How do your vans do going up mountains on rough dirt trails? Do they handle all right getting off the paved road?

dinosore wrote:Do they handle all right getting off the paved road?

Update: I've since bought a Yeti cooler, the smallest they make, and it just barely fits between the two seats and still allows access to seat belt buckles. It is a little harder to open and close because of the tight fit, but it obviously keeps food colder for longer. The tan color fits the van interior perfectly and doesn't stand out. Buy nice or buy twice strikes again...