step van breadtruck conversion

I have a Grumman bus and it is in great condition no rust under it. it was the newlook before the metro or the 870 model came out. I would love to build one out of a step van there are some really long ones and the walls are square and my buses are rounded or at least have some profile to them that will be harder to deal with.

I forgot to mention that the one that I built back in the 60's used the old Grumman aluminum body on the GM chassis. Those were cherished because the body did not rust out on you back when rust was a killer of most vehicles out of Detroit.

Been there, done that. Back in '67 I built our dream camper out of a step van. I poured a lot of work and a lot of money into that dream. Even after I had it functional and useable, I worked on it continually. You never finish, always work to be done on it. It worked, it was functional but always looked like a converted bread truck. Best decision I ever made was to get rid of it.

Yes. Somebody has, more than one person. I encounter them on the road. Along with school bus conversions. I haven't done it myself, but have met people who have.

The step van is usually an easier conversion, you have lower floors, more floor to ceiling height, and no windows to deal with (weight and sealing). On the other hand, step vans are often lighter GVWR than RVs of similar box size (depends on whether you are buying from Frito-Lay, UPS or MAC Tools) so you really need to understand how the van you buy fits the RV you want it to be.

I think the vans are really better built than many small RVs, with lightly framed aluminum or steel walls, rather than laminated sandwich wall panels, but you have to put some work into insulation and interior paneling, fitting windows and vents, and working out where to run utilities. A lot of tankage and plumbing that fits under a factory-built RV often ends up inside an step van or bus, but then if you are doing your own conversion, you may not be building towards such a complete housing unit. These conversions can make really nice campers, as opposed to houses on wheels.

My very first rv was 1950 metro step conversion to mh. This was 40 years ago. We camped all over in it. Sorry we are FT or I'd post a picture.

My dad bought a converted bread truck that would sleep all 7 of us in the late 60's. Yes it has been done many times before.

To get all the furniture, you might be better off buying a very used trailer, then get the refrigerator, dinette, water tank, furnace, and such out of that trailer, and mount them into your stepvan. You would still have a lot of work to make it complete.

It would be easier to buy seats for your stepvan, and a small travel trailer that meets your needs.

Good luck!

Fred.

I'm another with a Dad who built one. As a family of 6, then 5 when my older sister decided that camping with us young'uns was unbecoming, we started out in a VW Bus with tents, good enough for two trips out west, Mexico, and Canada. Then in 1968, Dad bought a brand new 20' Chevy step-van, bright red, and built an RV into it - dinette/beds, couch/beds, Coleman kitchen in back, PortaPotti, closets, a fresh water tank slung underneath, etc. It made a couple trips out west, down in to Mexico a few times, Florida, and all over. But it was a lot of work, and truthfully was a bit cramped for two adults and three or even two kids. By the time it was retired, I was out of the nest too. Mom and Dad ended up with a 30-something foot Class A around 1980 after they had moved to Florida, and they used that to ferry friends from Europe all over the US in the early 80s'. The Chevy lived on, passed down to my nephews, and last I heard it was parked in a field in Vermont somewhere.

And yes, even with a big rooftop Coleman AC it was alway hotter than heck inside. :)

An acquaintance has one of those conversions. I’ve never been inside it or talked to him about it.

Unless you’re looking for a challenging hobby, I think you would be time and money ahead to find a Safari Trek. Class A motorhome. I think they started at 24’ and went up to about 28’ or 30’. They were basically built on a delivery truck chassis. Very good quality, plentiful, and cheap. Gas or diesel.

Wayne

My dad built one about 35 years ago. It had bunk beds, a fold out couch, dinette, chemical toilet in it's own closet, running water at the sink, no shower, a microwave and A/C powered by a small generator.
My wife and I used it quite a bit back then, it was nice for traveling.
It was powered by a six cylinder with manual three speed transmission.
I think it was a Chevy/GMC. I don't remember. It never left us down so I didn't have to work on it.
We got 15 mpg on the road.
It was a lot of fun.

The Police and Sheriff's dept in my area stopped using step vans because they couldn't keep them cool. They said it was always to hot for comfort.
SWAT teams in full battle gear sweltering in them during the summer.

As a personal camper I always wanted one. Looks like a lot of room to personalize.

Land rovers used to use a double roof. A 2" gap between them, open on all sides, They said it helped