minivan RV

Over the last few years, I've stripped several old RVs for parts as well as a couple conversion and minivans, accumulating parts for a developing plan for a minivan RV.

I'm planning on using a Dodge Grand Caravan or Chrysler Town and Country as the base, adding a ready made high top or custom building one to fit my needs.  I've found that there are currently about three different models available for the minivan, ranging from around 6" to the highest at 12"

Being just over 6', I would consider any smaller than the 12" a "little" short for my needs, but if I found one cheap enough, I'd make do with it.   I did find one of the 12" models at a local Pull-a-Part, but after removing ALL the screws holding the strips on the roof, as well as the interior panel, I couldn't get it to come off the van... I returned a few days later with a cordless sawsall, and an extra battery, intending to cut the roof off, and get it home and figure out how to get it off later... but found that they had already crushed the entire row of vehicles...  what a loss... I'm sure the fiberglass top made them nearly zero dollars as scrap, and I would have been giving them $200 - $300 for it.

Since then, I've stopped in frequently, but havn't come across another like it yet, so I think I might have to do a custom build of my own.   I plan to use rigid foam board, with a layer of fiberglass, inside and out, with some plywood strips embedded in it at places for attaching, roof top cargo box at some later date, as well as well as awning(s) on the passenger and driverside.  If I have to build my own, I plan to go 18" with the same slope on the front to match that of the front windshield, I've seen one (on a Toyota minivan) that has a small vent window at the rear, and think I'll go with something like that, and adding small fans to help with ventilation.

The bed will run from behind the drivers seat to the rear hatch, I already have the mattresses (foam matts, from the bed over the van in a Class C RV, to unfold/slide open to allow for two people to sleep on it (a bit snug, but sufficient) as well as the passenger seat having a swivel base.  A counter on the passenger side, from behind the sliding door, to the rear hatch, at or just above window height, to hold a microwave, sink and faucet.

I plan to tow a small cargo trailer behind the minivan, that will carry my generator, water and propane tanks, as well as several different grills, camping gear, shower tent, etc... and other gear I might have.

I already have several different size sinks, table tops and counters with detachable support legs, as well as the electrical boxes, inverters, light fixtures, cabinet doors, shower heads and faucets that I stripped from RVs.

Another option, is using one of the vans that have been modified for wheel chairs, which have the floor lowered 10" which would allow for a lower high top or just addtional head room.   They come in two models, a side door ramp option with most of the floor being lowered, and the other, which uses a ramp in the rear, which just has an area in the middle of the floor lowered, from the rear hatch to just behind the front seats.

While I like the additional head room, the problems I have with the "ramp" vans is for one, the price of starting off with one of these, is a little higher, they don't have quite the road clearance, and most important, I'm not sure if I could mount a trailer hitch to the rear of one, with the alterations that have already been done to them.

*So a little more research on those for me, before I make up my mind. (at least for the first one........)