‘Chevrolet Forum’ Member Chronicles Years of Modding Express Camper Van
Extensive thread covers conversions of two Chevrolet vans from simple haulers to fully-outfitted campers.
We’re always stumbling across cool threads in the Chevrolet Forum, many of which either chronicle builds or cover technical repairs. But this thread, started by member Black’95 a little over five years ago, is something truly different. The OP is a true MacGyver type person who is constantly modifying his Chevrolet Express van to make it better for he and his wife’s camping excursions. And we found ourselves constantly in awe of his problem-solving skills and abilities.
The thread actually kicks off, however, with the OP’s original camper conversion – a 1990 Chevrolet Blazer. Eventually, the OP and his wife just wanted some more room, so they replaced it with a 2001 Chevrolet express van, which marks the actual beginning of this story. But it certainly wouldn’t end there.
The OP spent the next few years modifying this van to make it a full fledged camper. That included the addition of a custom bed with storage boxes, as well as space for a tent and other necessities. When the weather turned cold, he hit the woodworking shop and began building a slew of accessories, including an entire cabinet area complete with a sink.
The mods just kept rolling in from here. The OP kept adding things to his Chevrolet camper van, including an air compressor, rear cargo tray, a custom TV stand, porta-potty, outdoor shower, and even an air conditioner for those hot summer nights at the campground.
And that’s just a tiny sampling of all the dozens of modifications the OP made to his Chevrolet Express van. But after spending years working on it and camping in it, he decided to make the switch for something newer.
“I made the big jump this month to a much newer van. It is a 2018 Chevrolet Express with 15k miles. I have spent the last several weeks transferring everything from the old van (2001) to the newer van. It was fairly easy because Chevrolet has not changed the body style of the Express van in over 20 years. Not much new to add, just the changeover. I will post some improvements in future posts. One of the big improvements was that this newer van had OnStar and a WiFi hot spot. Now we can check our email, download our newspapers, and keep in touch as we drive.”
Since purchasing the newer Chevrolet Express van, the OP has been busy switching everything over. But he’s also been making new improvements to it as well. So if you’re thinking about building your own camper conversion or just appreciate a bit of good old fashioned ingenuity, be sure and check out this amazing thread in its entirety by heading over here!
Photos: Chevrolet Forum
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