I am starting to get cabin syndrome from being couped up to much inside this winter. Spring is coming, but not fast enough, so I decided it is time to update the camper van again. I had been using a blue painted wood box for our outside step. It would flip sometimes when we stepped on it wrong, which was hard on the shins. I found a single camper step online and mounted it under the side door. Works so much better.

Slid out and ready for use:


Slid back in for traveling. (When I get it outside, I will take a better picture than the tight angle in the garage.)

 

I went with running boards. I don't go anywhere where I need a lot of ground clearance. I'd ask if they rattle.

 

I have not had it out on a trip yet. Still cold here and working in my garage. If it does rattle, I will secure it with a bungie cord.

 

Winter time keeps me working in my garage, often on my van. I had a shelf in the rear under the bed that I used to store our flip-out tent. We don't carry it anymore so I had some wasted space just waiting for me to fill it. My wife, a good internet searcher, found a couple of black trays that just fit the space of 3"x18"x36". I added a divider in the middle to make a space for two of these trays. Next I added a handle and then proceeded to fill them. My next job is to add labels covered in clear plastic tape to remind me what I have in them.

Black trays in place right below the bed mattress.



Black trays pulled out to access stored supplies in the left tray and electrical cords in the right.

 

I woke up to a winter storm day, so it was time for me to work in the garage and wood shop again on another project for my camper van conversion. I didn't have a real good table for days and nights that we have to spend time in the camper instead of enjoying the outside. I made a folding table that attached to my side door. I used 1/2" PVC pipe for the support leg. It works great when I swivel the seat around. My wife has a folding camp chair that she uses on the other side of the table.



I added a little fold down section to the table so that I could still access the door handle and locks. The PVC table leg is stored in the cabinet with my camera tripod during travel.



The 1/2" PVC table leg support is connected to the table with a PVC end cap that is screwed into the bottom of my table.



I lined the side of the table bracket board that faces the side door with some sticky-back felt. I used the bolts from the door's grab assist handle along with some oversized washers to attach the folding table to the door.



When it is all folded up, I hardly notice the extra wood on the door. Two small eye-hooks and an orange rubber coated twist-tie for cords holds it in place when folded up. I got this idea from other van conversions like those of LenS.

 

Cleaning out some boxes in my basement and I came across this old pocket pad that had bungie type strings on it to hang on the side of your car seat. It never worked real great which was probably why it was in the box in the basement. With winter days upon us and me never wanting to leave well enough alone, I decided to find a place in my van to hang it. The frame on my side door looked about right, so another little storage place became real in the van. For the finishing touch, a few days later I added the grey fold-up cup holder which comes in handy when my wife is eating on her side of my fold up door table.

 

My wife surprised me with a new 4'x4' gray rug for our van today. She was tired of the two 2'x4' tan carpet floor mats I had been using from our old van. You can see them in my previous posting on my folding side door table. It fits very nicely after I loosened the kitchen unit connection so I could slide it under it. All is well in our household again!

 

Yup, happy wife, happy life!

 

Things are finally coming to completion on the transfer of everything from my old 2001 van to the newer 2018 van. This last week I transferred the ladder. This time instead of drilling holes in the van's door, I fabricated a couple of bottom brackets that clip over the bottom edge. When I tightened everything up, they fit very solidly.



After the ladder was installed, I then went to work on the underhood trouble light I got from my sister's wrecked Suburban. I had to fabricate a couple of mounting brackets for that also. I guess that is why I have been putting off these two jobs. The only thing I have not transferred from the old van to the new is the tachometer. But in my defense, the new van does have a digital tachometer function on the dash display of trip, odometer, and mileage functions.



Now I just keep my eyes open for new ideas from the postings of others on this forum. The modifications never stop.

 

Thanks so much for all the detailed ideas and instructions! Lots of wheels now don't need to be invented!