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!