dberladyn

Cheap Plastic Junk.

I have been working on my van (Cargo) again and I am just shaking my head at myself. Perhaps my problem was because I bought the van new, but I always trying to retain all this factory stuff. I spent a stupid amount of money wanting to keep it original or factory like. As smart as I was trying to be not wasting money, I just cannot believe the things I was trying to do. If I had a half a brain, I could have spend that money so much smarter on high quality items that are re-useable.

I have the plastic cargo liners, I am turfing it all. I don't want any of it. I have to group everything and make an ad for Craigslist and try to sell it for something. It's all good if you have fleets and you want quick lightweight setups that you use and then throw. Cheap and Fast. It's not a classic car. It's not worth the headache of trying too hard. I might just throw everything in the garbage and get rid of it. Be done with it. For myself to use $10,000 sheets of plywood and $10,000 2x4's to make whatever I actually need.

It's just cheap. My rear window, just as the commentator above says.. the latch keeps falling apart. It's just so cheap. These are just mass produced for fleet vehicles. They spend nothing on them really. I actually do not think there will be another van until they are redesigned to be completely electric. Then they will really be light, cheap and throw away. Lighter, cheaper, lighter. Nothing is made like a "Rock" anymore. That's both good and bad, but there's no Ford "Tough" - no Chevy "Rock".

GeneveConversionVan

OMG. Is that why conversion vans are so damn expensive? They just tear appart the Van and reinstall everythin?

William Kisselstein

A conversion typically starts as a plain cargo van with no interior, the VIN indicates unfinished or incomplete - it's likely they don't come with factory seats. So they usually don't have to tear apart much other than what has to be cut out for windows, interior panels, and high top.

I've taken apart pieces on them and been shocked at how cheap the materials they use are. I remember one they used pine paneling for the interior panels - and not even complete sections, it was pieced together. I could not figure out how to take it apart properly, it was in a junkyard, so I broke a piece to get inside of it. Usually they have screws with caps but this one seemed to be glued together.

That's why with my current van I just made interior panels. Headliner material is $10 a yard, 1/8 underlayment wood I bought $12 a sheet before prices went up. Got a big carpet remnant at a box store for $40 with enough to do the rear and 18" up the sides and then some. It doesn't look bad. For the screws, I just stripped some junkyard conversions of the screws with the snaps and caps - they were no charge with the other parts I bought. I'll dump them in some RIT dye to get them close to the right color.

GeneveConversionVan

Ohhh I remember I found pieces of wood when I replaced the tv screen in the roof top. I didnt pay much attention as at the moment I believe I thought It was caused by time and sun. But now it makes sense that it was actually built with pieces of wood.