I have been searching previous posts and have seen a number of camper conversions but nothing that was spectacular. I don't understand the need for 4x4 Van as I doubt econoline vans can offroad properly.

I wanted to see if anyone has done anything like a presidential conversion or corporate executive setup? I feel like the econoline is a better platform that the sprinter due its larger interior space and great ride/handling/comfort. But for some reason no one has catered to this market in these vans which has me very curious.

Personally, I would love to redo my interior, but running low on ideas. I would love to recarpet it with some very nice long lasting, luxury carpet that can clean easily. I already have nice chairs (chateau captain chairs/seats with purple piping) but would be interested if there are some better ones out there. I am not sure what else to do. I don't know if its illegal to make tints that are one-way glass on the side.

 

I have owned 5 conversion vans since 1986 and prefer them simple and easy to clean. I really dislike fake wood in any form in any vehicle. And real wood is not needed...not like it's used structurally.

A Sprinter is much larger and taller inside than an Econoline so I'm not sure what you are talking about in terms of size. And Econolines have been the basis of many luxury van and camper conversions since forever.

Google photos of "luxury van conversions" and you will see all sorts of really fancy van conversions--and you can probably link to websites that will give you more ideas. One caution is that unlike decorating a home, a van goes thru temperature extremes and spends its life crashing over bumps and potholes, so any conversion work needs to be done with durable materials and with the thought of minimizing rattles and shakes. Otherwise the van will sound like a junky old school bus going over bumps which kills the luxury vibe. Also, many luxury conversions look good when new but seat cushions collapse after 40k miles, etc. Using factory seats is my favorite concept because they use automotive grade fabrics and foam. Also use automotive grade electronics.

As for 4x4 conversions, a van will be able to do *some* off roading and I would rather have a 4x4 conversion than a gaudy luxury conversion, but that's just me. As for comfort, I will probably be moving away from my van because the front passenger seat is uninhabitable by my wife (left knee problems) and me (spine can't take the rightward twist required in the passenger seat). So as comfortable as a van might be in terms of room, there are still compromises in the front seat.

Each state has its own laws regarding reflective window film if that's what you mean by one way tints. Any film that acts as a mirror can (and will) blind other motorists when the sun hits it right, so it is a safety concern. You could always have 5% "limo tint" put over the already tinted rear windows and it would be mighty private. Also hard to see out of, but it's legal in Michigan to have no windows behind the front seat windows so mirrors are your friend, and a backup camera would be helpful also.

Good luck,
George

 

I haven't seen an Econoline done like this Sprinter -



I'm sure comparable Transits are in the works.

The PO of our van replaced the third row bench with a couple more Chateau buckets which is exactly why we bought it.

Sixto
93 E150 Chateau 5.8 194K miles

 

I almost bought that exact same sprinter for $45k (it didn't have the bench in the back). It's made by Becker. My issue was that if I am going in a large van I like to transport more than 9 people. My $2000 E350 can transport 6 people comfortably (2 people sleeping in benches and 4 people in captain chairs) and 11 adults when necessary.

That's one of my main issues, finding a way to transport people to my level of comfort. If a drive is more than 40 minutes, I prefer to sleep in the back on a bench. I also like to be able to comfortably work in my chair. Also, like the idea of being able to remove chairs/benches when I need to fit more luggage.

The sprinter if it's bigger seems smaller because of chair layouts. I haven't been able to find comfortable chairs designed for its use. Atleast the Ford benches are reasonable comfortable. The chairs for the sprinter look like they belong in economy class in the back of the worst bus.

 

If you are talking about factory seats, yeah the Sprinter (like the Transit) has benches that have the feel of an airport shuttle.

Once you get into conversions, however, the world is open to you in terms of possibilities for seating, etc. One downside with conversions these days is that they will not have side or side curtain airbags like the factory passenger vans. And recalling how some of the seats were mounted in some of my prior vans, they would NOT have been a place I would have wanted to be in case of an accident.

And laying down on a van bed is not where you'd want to be in case of an accident either. Imagine flying thru the van at 60 or 70 mph, head or feet first, into the dash or thru the windshield if the van was in an accident.

I had a couple Turtle Top camper conversions in the 80's and 90's, then moved to the common passenger conversions that converted in Elkhart Indiana The camper vans had downright scary seating for people (basically plywood boxes with cushions on them...)

If you find floor layouts for empty Sprinter vans compared to Econolines, you will be amazed at how big the Sprinters are especially with the height added by the high roof. And they drive relatively "small". My wife worked in TV and her station had a long/tall Sprinter which she drove a lot and had no problem with. The Transit is also available in huge sizes so van converters have another great box to work with.

As you note, a big van, in my mind, is more comfy than a limo based on a car because passengers can move around inside.

Good luck,
George

 

I am leaning to buying a sprinter van because of how it drives small and how much room it has. But I am unable to find a seating configuration that makes sense IMO. Did your wife have the 144" or 170"?

Safety is a big priority for me, but I am very skeptical of new cars because of the crumple zone technology. I have been in a number of high speed accidents and walked out of everyone of them but all of them were in german tanks (from the 90s). I like vehicles that have heft to them and don't crumple on impact. I currently own a fleet of old german vehicles as I refuse to buy a new plastic car.

 

As a former body shop owner who specialized in heavily damaged cars from any country you're skepticism is kinda pretty much misplaced. Having driven my share of frame-on-body vehicles along with the various incarnations of unit-body construction I'd feel very comfortable in almost any brand of vehicle on the road these days. That does specifically exclude the "smart cars" or anything similar whose physical size is so out-of-line with the bulk of vehicles we encounter daily---if "everyone" owned those it wouldn't be a problem.

My proof of newer crash injury prevention or reduction comes from seeing local news reports of traffic accidents where passengers and/or the driver needs to be extricated from the car, often times by rescue medics cutting it into pieces. Time after time after time those removed aren't significantly injured, live to drive another day.

Older heavier cars give a false impression they're "safe"----most of them seemingly don't experience the same level of apparent physical damage as something newer but the tank-like construction is known for causing serious bodily injury to occupants. Solid steering column, complete lack of air bags both front, side and rear, inability to sustain a front impact not perfectly aligned axially all contribute to that lack of safety for such a vehicle's occupants.

The ONLY real advantage to a van being it E-Series or Transit is occupants tend to sit higher than other passenger cars, impacts often times experienced lower on the chassis. Add every bit of technology available today and still the higher seating of a van still makes it somewhat safer when struck by another vehicle.

Roll overs are another area altogether---those being VERY difficult to plan and build without seriously reducing the very cabin space they offer. Sadly those we share the highway with who have poor to downright scary lack of concern for others can't be mitigated or "designed out" which is one huge reason the modern day occupant protection devices have become stock on so many vehicles these days.

 

The old TV station Sprinter was the first gen US Sprinter. I think it was a 158" wheelbase but I'm not sure. It had the airport shuttle type seats although they used to remove them when they had to move giant set pieces, etc.

If safety is a big priority for you, I think you need to get real about crumple zones actually working. There are people who swore they'd never wear a seat belt "so they could jump out of the vehicle to safety" and these arguments do NOT fly in the real world. Here is heavy metal hitting modern tech, and I do NOT want to be in the old metal vehicle with the heavy frame and the weak body structure--I'd rather be in the modern "plastic" car:

 

YoGeorge, you could have made it a little more realistic if the Bel Air driver was texting a message. Everybody knows those ol' sleds are safe enough for the entire cub scout den going out for ice cream!

 

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Safety is a subject very important to me. My office has an intersection with a 2 way stop sign that I watch accidents happening nearly daily and it has me severely paranoid. I do believe in getting cars with side air bag protection after having one explode on me and feeling how soft they made my landing.

I took the other view and thought heavy metal was better than Plastic. I currently own 3 99 Mercedes S500s, 3 2001 BMW 750ILs, 1 02 Landcruiser, 1 99 Ford E350, 1 03 Ford E550, among some of my vehicles.

My father tried convincing me to buy a new S550 but I felt like they are huge pieces of plastic and his bumpers and everything are falling off of his. One of my friends father died in one two years ago. One of my employees just had a huge accident 1 month ago in his Hyundai Elantra goign 30 mph and while he lived he was beaten up worse than when I hit an old Ford Bronco at 70 mph in a 93 BMW 325is (I hit a stop light at 90 mph with same bmw previously when I was 16). I bought 2 Mercedes G Classes but they were to slow and spartan for me I got rid of them. This ad which I fully admit to being fake really sold it to me back then:


I have been even considering hummer H1's but they are even slower than the Mercedes G Class. I'm not finding a vehicle calling out to me. I have put brush guards/Push Bars on my SUVs for added protection but haven't done anything on my E350 as I thought the stock metal bumper could take a beating. My E550 is so high off the ground that I don't feel like I need to bother and its stock metal bumper is even bigger.

 

Oh sure...but it would be the Malibu guy texting, right?

A bud had a 1960 Chevy 4 door Biscayne inherited from his family back in '68-71, and there were often 8 or more of us hippie teenagers in the car going to some rock show. (If some of the group were girls the capacity was greater for sure and they smelled better.)

Those were the days when mom's arm would go flying out to hold the toddler in the middle of the front seat--kind of like a pyrotechnic seat belt that grabs you at the right moment

George

 

George, I was making a sarcastic joke about the notion that the old battle tanks of the 60's were so safe you could text and ignore the road.
Clearly the crash video dispels all of that. Shopping carts may bounce off showing less damage on old cars but crashes demonstrate industry improvement.

 

I may be cheap or a minimalist, but as I have no time for camping these days (7 day working week) I see no need to upgrade. My van is an '81 E-150that was in the process of being converted (**** carpet w/foam iunderlayment, paneling and insulation throughout, and I've had oppotunities over the years to get van furniture (fold out beds especially) I've noticed that all of the ones for these short vans put the beds perpendicular to the line of the van and at 6'1" it just didn't make it.
As luck would have it a local WalMart was closing out these metal framed futons and taking careful measurements I found that it fit~perfectly. When folded out the futon fills the cargo area wall to wall and with storage underneath there's room for the Coleman and camping gear. May not be so elegant, but it gets me by.