08.04.2022 --- the saddest eggvan update yet
been a while... hello void. I got an email earlier this summer from someone sharing the the eggcitement with me. thank you to them, that email warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face. The eggvan was an important project to me. It gave me the inertia to learn and create at a time when hobbies I've had since I was a teenager wouldn't even interest me. it's really hard to even put into words what it was to me. but if anyone else has experienced this with a project or a hobby or anything... you get it.
in May of this year, I was heading up to Kentucky for my sister's wedding in what was the eggvan's maiden voyage. It wasn't fully equipped with solar yet and everything, but it was beyond campable. I was on i75 in the heart of Atlanta when my brakes failed and I rammed into the pickup truck in front of me. It was incredibly scary, but somehow I walked away form this with no harm. No aches. airbags weren't even deployed. the next 72 hours were rough. I could hardly stop crying over the loss of the eggvan. Unfortunately it was totalted, with the repair costs estimated at a minimum of $7500.
a few more things i did on the van before its end
firstly, i lowered the mattress frame a few inches. the coolest thing i got to do on the van was that I cut out a little panel out of the hatch and installed two boat louvers with two high speed computer fans sandwiched in between them. The exterior louver was hidden behind my license plate, which I just folded up to allow for air flow. this description is mid, but I'll add in a link with a little video of it. even without solar yet, a fully charged 100ah battery will run those fans til the cows come home. i'm trying to think what else i did... my laptop is about to die though, so I'll revisit this.
thank you for hanging out w me here
12.21.21
so much yesterday- wow. spent lotsss of money on batteries for the van. I got 2 12v 100ah zooms totaling about $680 after taxes, and that included a $40 off coupon per battery on amazon which. well it probably doesnt rly get better than tht. my 72x30 goto foam came in over the weekend and i was surprised to find out that the mattress protector i got for it actually fits. i wanted something that would zip around my mattress, but i didn't want it to be waterproof. so the one i ordered was a cotton blend and meant to fit a cot w measurements 75x30x9 (mine is only 5" thick), but the foam actually fits in there pretty well without the cover being that loose, really. ummmm what else. i went to the junkyard yesterday and got an encasement for my passenger side lamp and front and rear wiper arms and blades. it was my first time going to a junkyard and i was genuinely shocked that these used parts that i just did all the work to collect cost me almost $50 ?? but it was a cool experience and felt good to do that for myself i guess. next monday i'm going on a little road trip to hopefully get a solar panel for the van and then the last major component i'll need for my battery system is an inverter/charger unit. got a lot on my to-do list but big things are coming together and it's all so excitinggggg
omg and i drove past a previa the other day and we waved at each other.. it was so cute.
oh also since my last post: i ended up camping out in the van for about a week while temps were mild and it was fun! idk i really enjoyed myself
12.08.21
been a while! Only work I've done on the van is some rust repair and replaced a bulb, which ain't much but it doesn't mean I haven't been spending time in there. The past couple nights, I've actually camped out in the van very comfortably. More or less I think I already know about how the van is gonna look at the end of it, but my biggest challenge right now is getting my ducks in a row with the solar and electrical :p Anyway. Just ordered a 6in roof vent from maxx air, my luggable loo toilet seat came in this past week and, my 3.5gal bucket is arriving today. So if nothing else, here soon I can at least have an installed, but unpowered, roof vent to crack while I'm using my nifty luggable loo in the Prev.
the weather all week is supposed to be mild with nighttime lows hardly getting below 60, so I moved my twin bed from ikea out to the van. It's about a 3-4" foam mattress and a simple pine wood frame; I love the way it fits in the van and the smell of the pine when I open the door. When it comes time for it, I might shave about half a foot or more off the width of the mattress to make more room for "cabinets", but it would also be great if I could avoid doing that so I don't have to modify the bed frame or design something else entirely. Also, "cabinets" in quotes because lately I've decided that for my build, I am better off integreating bins from walmart into my design than I am making my own cabinets or cubby holes like other minivans have - though maybe on the next one! sleeping out in the van and slowly collecting more supplies for the build has me really excited and motivated to figure things out and be moving forward!
7.12.21
spent yesterday morning in the van drinking my double shot over ice w oat milk and playing AC :) i really enjoyed myself and it reminded me not to judge myself when i just don't have it in me to work on the van for a week! or more.. anyway , i also still need to go to the junk yard for those parts but. i need to borrow some tools bc it's self-service. it's no huge rush, just things i'd like to get a start on. the next two months are gonna be kind of crazy though (moving + some vacation time), so i'm trying to be chill and set realistic expectations for what i can get done.
the bed that's in the back right now is a full-sized mattress. it, along with its frame, came with the van, so i went ahead and put it in just so i could use the van immediately (like for my little morning coffee and AC ritual). eventually though, i wanna put something closer to a twin or maybe slightly wider in there. i want the extra space on one or both sides of the bed to build in some cubbies for storage. i'll link some nice videos for mini-van layouts that have inspired me, and one of them is even done in a Previa!
7.01.21
my AC stopped blowing cool air last week so over the weekend i gave it a little charge, and now i can at least drive and be comfy in there. also got a bed set up in the back!
7.02.21
dang this site is about the van, not me, but i'm just too damn tired.
6.23.21
today i gave the van a good wipe down of the interior and vacuumed the carpet. probably going to install different flooring eventually- i'd rather have a waterproof linoleum or vinyl floor so it's easier to maintain, and just looks nicer. but for now at least there's less debris buried in the carpet! i also ordered a nice little solar powered fan to keep air circulating while i'm hangin out in the back. with the windows cracked and doors open, it's honestly incredibly comfy back there.
6.22.21
got the previa insured and transferred the title in my name yesterday! looking into replacing the wiper arms and blades for my first project on it. honestly just wish i could sit in that thing all day
some things i need to get from the junkyard this week:
for now the back of the van is just open and empty. i love hanging out in there
6.18.21
got all my ducks in a row and now i'm set to pick up the van on monday :) yeehaw