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Hello All, Not New to The Van Life But Just Made An Awesome Upgrade
Hello,
I just picked up this 83 Ford Econoline Camper Van and it needs a little TLC so I joined here to get some ideas and see what other people are up to. I'm not stranger to van life have done it for several years in the past out of a dodge grand caravan, it always got the job done but I thought it was time for something better.
Like I said the new van needs some TLC, I had to replace the vent seals on the of and install a new roof vent fan, which was well worth the money, also resealed all of the camper windows with new tact tape and silicone. The interior water damage was not severe but there is some heavier particle board deterioration in certain areas but its all trim.
What Im really looking for is cheaper ways to update this thing, I mean its almost 30 years old, so the lights are very inefficient and all of the plastic cabinet clasps have broken. Any Ideas would be awesome, also check out the photos and tell me what you think.






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Hi
That looks like a great project.
Good that you've got the leak fixed.
In terms of interior lights, I would always recommend replacing them with LED bulbs. They are really cheap now, and give a warm colour if you get the 3000K type. LEDs use much less power than standard bulbs, and will make the leisure battery last much longer.
You can probably find a LED bulb that will swap straight into the holder for your current bulbs. If not then you might need to change the bulb holder as well. Not a big job. You can keep the wiring and switches.
Not sure about your cabinet clasps. I would try and replace with something similar.
I assume you are in the US? I'm not familiar with the suppliers there to make a recommendation.
eBay.com is always a good place to look , especially for LEDs which are typically much cheaper.