First Day of Demolition

 With all of the trash out, we were able to start demolition. Because the plan is to use every existing divider wall or built in (cabinets, etc) as a template for new material, this isn't the fun Hulk Smash! that you see in all those DIY shows.

Firstly, there were A LOT of screws. Seriously. Even though we only got a quarter of a way through, we must have taken out at least 900 of the things.

Secondly, 1960s design mixed with a previous owner's lack of DIY knowledge meant a bunch of WTF moments. 

We discovered that the water tank and lines were still full, even though we were promised they were drained. This gives the utter squicks, as who wants to bet there were lies told about the black tank being empty?

The oven was very securely installed. That alone took 2 hours to get unhooked and free, as the access to many of the screws was in 1" clearance zones and the screws were often rusted solidly into place.

 Buy penetrating spray, folks. Not WD40, but the real good stuff. If your RV or camper van (or bus) is anything over 10 years old, chances are things are rusted in place.

But enough complaining. 8 hours of work, one quarter of the way done with emptying the chassis....

Zero Day

 We moved UltraVan 201 from her winter parking space into her temporary home as we do the repairs. Turns out we were lucky that we drove her back from Georgia during the winter months. The previous owner had neglected basic maintenance so badly that us moving the 500 or so yards yesterday caused the engine to vapor lock and made the entire RV a giant 3000 pound brick.

Of course this happens as we're feet from parking, while blocking a shared driveway. And the neighbor came home. 

Tractors and brute force to the rescue! With a spare tire on the forklift attachment, some pushing (on the bumper only, NOT THE BODY) and careful steering, we got her backed up enough to park, chock the tires and grab a beer to celebrate.

We took 2 before videos and put them on UltraVan 201 for posterity.

And here we go....

What's The Worst That Can Happen?

Since we are firmly in the grip of a lingering New England winter, everything.

Seriously.

The major thing we've done for the last 2 months is plan, plan again, rethink, and make a new plan. Until we can actually get ourselves stuck in and inspecting everything, the assumption is whatever we see is actually 3x worse. 

So, a spreadsheet was made. Broken down by area of work then type of work, it's a "what will be needed to take this down to the shell and back again?"

As we get stuck in on the project, we'll share the spreadsheet we created for each area of the renovation. 

Estimated total cost for renovation in total currently stands at $27,235 US. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring that down with upcycling, repairs and using what we already have to hand.

Making a Plan

 With winter not ready to let go yet, we've had extra time to plan and budget. This has been a blessing in disguise!

UltraVan is 24 feet long, 8 feet wide and 9 feet long at it's highest point. That being said, the entire vehicle with its 3 tanks empty weighs less than a standard modern mid-sized sedan.

With a full remodel ahead of us, we really needed to consider that lightweight factor in all our decisions.

There were so many options out there but very few descriptions of actual costs or item weights for what is available for the everyday person without a contractor's license or a manufacturer's contract.

That left us on the backfoot, starting from a disadvantage. Having this extra time to plan has been necessary just to answer our own questions about which items are best for which area. It's also meant that there has been a lot of rethinking and overthinking each and every decision, but that's probably normal for anyone starting a DIY project for the first time.

Before we start going through each section of our budget and explaining why we are choosing the materials that we are using, let's talk money.

Renovations of any vehicle are NOT CHEAP. And when your vehicle is twice the size, has plumbing, 2 electrical systems AND a heating system? You know this is going to start getting pricey.

So how to pinch pennies without sacrificing safety?

We are stacking as many coupons/shopping programs as possible.

Starting with an online shopping program, MyPoints. MyPoints acts as a shopping portal in your web browser. Simply shop as usual, starting at the MyPoints website, be sure your checkout purchase email matches the one you have registered with MyPoints and watch your points rack up. You can then cash those in for store gift cards, PayPal transfers or Visa gift cards.

Military / Veteran Discounts

Then, see what automatic savings your can get. With one of us being a retired veteran, there are some companies who offer a military discount year round. You'll need to verify your status with their shopping programs, but the discount is applied automatically at checkout.

For this renovation, we know we'll be using the following for certain:

• Lowe's The My Lowe's program gives a military discount of 10% for all eligible purchases (exclusions apply, such as Bulk or Contractor purchases, so watch carefully!)
• Home Depot Home Depot also offers a military discount of 10% for all eligible purchases with exclusions, but there is a maximum annual discount of $400 total, so check your receipts.
• Joanne Fabric gives a 15% discount for veterans and active duty every day. It can't always be combined with their coupons, so check for the best choice.
• Michael's Crafts offers 15% off all items, including sale items, year round.

Are there more sites who offer military discounts? Of course. We probably won't be using them on this project, but we'll be checking before each purchase.

Now that you have your coupons and discounts sorted, you'll want to save more, right?

Shopping at Amazon? Use your Amazon credit card to earn rewards for your next purchase.

Shopping elsewhere? PayPal Rewards gives cash back to your PayPal account with qualifying purchases.

Capital One also does discounts that can be combined with those store-specific rewards programs. But you need to shop through their website, not use MyPoints or a similar point portal.

Why does this all matter?

Our budget currently sits at $30,052. Admittedly, this is a "worst case possible" and not accounting for us using materials we already have.

If we can save 10 percent on any of those purchases, we are going to do that! Also, by using our rewards and cards, we can make purchases in stages. Then use reward points and credits from Purchase 1 to lower the price of Purchase 2 and so on.

Now, on to the actual budget....

Where to begin?

 As promised, pictures were taken during our initial walkthrough. As we got into it, we discovered that previous owners had "upgraded" the Ultravan in their own special ways.

What does that mean? A LOT. The biggest problem we found were that the fiberglass roof hadn't been sealed before priming, meaning the entire length of the body has leaks. That was followed by discovering that there was no insulation that we could see anywhere!

This walkthrough drove home why a hard budget is needed, to plan for all the worst case scenarios which will likely crop up as we go.

Here's a quick view of the coach from the Ultra Van Motor Coach Club. Ours is 2 feet longer than standard, but this gives a good view

Our interior isn't as clean, of course, but here's a picture of each zone:

Welcome and come on in!

Just pop your shoes off here next to the door...

Do you want to sit back and watch the road go by?

Or take the wheel, yourself?

The bookcase and drop leaf table

Plenty of space to cook dinner with a whopping 8" deep sink, too!

Wash up before bed?

A restful night's sleep ahead...

This is going to be a top-down strip and rebuild. But for us to do that, we need to evaluate the budget and spend wisely.

Where Did It Start?

 Before moving on to the "Now" photos, let's give some happy thoughts about what Ultra Van used to look like.

Circa 1964, this was one of only 9 Ultra Vans made to the 24' length. Designed to be lightweight and mobile, the interior design was still peak 1960s design. Think we're kidding? Take a look at some of the early photos and promo materials:

And some of the original promotional and ordering information:

1964 Ultravan Flyer

UltraVan Options List 

What colors would you have gone with? 

The UltraVan Restoration Road

 It Begins... Initial Walkthrough

201 has officially moved to New Hampshire!

Here in our little corner of the country, we already have a collection of a few Chevrolet Corvairs. (And many spare parts, as you never know when you'll need them!)

What's an UltraVan, Anyway?

From Norm Helmkay, Archivist of the UltraVan Motor Coach Club:

Unlike other motorhomes, the Ultra Van was built like an aircraft, with monocoque construction and no frame or chassis. The front and rear are mostly molded fiberglass and the center section is all aluminum, made with “C” shaped ribs to which the aluminum skin is riveted. Cast aluminum “A” frames are mounted in aluminum front wheel-wells which double as seat platforms. Unique front-end geometry allows the wheels to turn 50 degrees right or left, providing a shorter turning circle than most pickup trucks.

The 110 hp Corvair engine (optional 140 hp in later models) and PowerGlide automatic transaxle were tucked under an enormous rear bed measuring over seven and a half feet square. Forward of the bed is a toilet/shower on one side and a clothes closet on the other. Overhead, all around the rear are lightweight cabinets neatly fitted to the curved hull. At the front, a full galley with sink, refrigerator, three-burner stove and oven. Again, overhead cabinets are sculpted to the ceiling curve much like cabin bins in modern airliners.

The whole UltraVan is light enough to run on four inexpensive, easy to find, 14″ automobile tires. Unlike the huge bus tires used on many motorhomes, these can be changed easily on the road by anyone with a simple car jack and tire wrench. Ready for the road, with fuel, water, food and two people aboard, the Ultra Van usually weighs under 5,000 pounds, contributing greatly to the fuel economy of 15 to 18 miles per gallon achieved by most Ultra owners traveling 55 to 65 miles per hour.

 

So what does that really mean? The UltraVan is a 24 foot long camper which weighs less when empty than a 2016 Dodge Charger! And with 373 ever made, it's definitely something we won't see everywhere we go with it.

What's Next?

Really, what's first?

We just did a full photo walkthrough, created a budget spreadsheet broken down by area of work and are simply waiting for some snow melt before we can start demo.

Up next, we'll share some of those photos and the way we broke down our spreadsheet, so stay tuned!