Minimum Recreational Vehicles

‘Project Motovan’ … great off-road RV conversion journey

Posted in June 29th, 2010

by Julianne Crane in Lite RVing, RV People, RV Types

For active outdoor folks interested in an RV with a small footprint and have the time and desire to do a conversion project, check out Eric Tabb’s “Project Motovan: Off-Road Van Conversion.

It seems Eric’s life has changed–from a single guy to a married one with a toddler–and he’s switching from a toy hauler trailer to a smaller, hearty, off-road camper van.

“My grandparents used to have an ‘Open Road’ full-size camper van when I was growing up. It was a 2wd van with a hard fiberglass camper top that had a bed in the front, a couch/dinette down below and a small kitchen and stove setup.  They used to enjoy getting away from the city and camping in the desert. Over the years I have seen a few around but they are often converted to ice cream vans.  The idea of a camper van started to ring in my mind as a great alternative to a trailer since it could be parked at home and loaded during the week,” says Eric.

Over the next few months Eric will be working on a 2000 Ford E-350 Extended van with the 7.3 liter turbo diesel engine and a factory ordered Quigley 4×4 conversion.

“The goal for Project Motovan is to create a vehicle with many of the creature comforts of home while at same time still being able to act as a heavy duty hauler for dirtbikes, gear and whatever else shows up on the tow hitch. Reaching that goal will require more research, careful planning and finding the right products. Above all however it will involve finding the right people with the experience to help build such a custom rig.”

Click on Project Motovan to check back to see the progress.

Photo: The “Open Road” - early inspiration for this van conversion project. Source: Eric Tabb.

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Talk about a mini-motorhome

Posted in June 28th, 2010

by Julianne Crane in Lite RVing, RV Life, RV Types

Ran across this great little VW RV-conversion on Neatorama.com by John Farrier.
“In the 60s and 70s, various recreational vehicle manufacturers mounted small motorhomes on the Volkswagen Beetle chassis. It was called the ‘Bugaroo’ or ‘Beetle Minihome’” writes Farrier.
I remember my VW could barely transport two people and a bag of groceries without lugging down. This must have been good for mostly flatlands. Sweet looking though.
Read more by clicking here.
Photo: VW ’Bugaroo’. Source: Neatorama.com. Photo by Fred W. Truman.