@@TheirHappyTrails oh man i watch to the very end and was thoroughly intrigued cause i got an astro with issues in the beginning of this year as my first car and have still been working on it. It runs now but i will not drive it until my suspension Replacement is complete, out of having comfort when carrying loved ones. But you have been a huge inspiration for a lot of features i want too implement!
wow! I have an Astro here in the UK (16 years now)! Converted using old wood from boat yard but yours has to be the best I have seen. Some real skill there guys. Love it!!
Wow, I have a 96 Astro and wow, you guys did an amazing job!! That is my style absolutely mine! I was going to build my bed in the back but more people are doing a bed down the side and now my plans have changed … again. 😉
Very nice Astro build. Probably the best I've seen on the passenger version with Dutch doors. My cargo version build is not even half as nice but I only had $1500 to work with.
I never had any doubt you could do the build, but I really did expect it to take at least 2 weeks or more. Great job, awesome budget, & unbelievable start-to-finish time!
Thank you David!! Yeah, it went faster than we expected also! But we were also on a tight timeline so I was working on it a lot!!! Luckily the van is a small space so that helped a lot too!! Glad you have followed it all the way through!! We appreciate your support!
Hope your astros still running good, I’m going to buy one today and it has 285,000km so seeing your comment with 322k miles makes me less worried about the mileage
@@BrandonPrive1432 maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. I wish I knew what I know now 10-15 years ago. I've had issues with misfires which haven't led to anything too serious yet (fortunately), and besides her slightly off idling she's doing alright. They do burn a quart of oil every so often so keep them handy, and change every 3000 miles!
This is prolly the best van build out video I have ever seen!! You did an amazing job of showing all of the steps to create this beautiful home on wheels! Bravo!! 😍😍😍
Thank You Kellene!!! I really appreciate you saying that :) if you need more step by step videos we have a play list that goes more in depth on this van! Cheers!!
These men are amazing and a blessing.. so much hard work.. but they are dedicated and want to create something magical and this is so dope.. great job...
So happy for you and your new home on wheels. Also very grateful for you awesome friends and the help they have you. I also love that they gave you the space to do a lot of the work yourself so you can own the build as well as have those amazing helping hands, giant, tiny and furry! LOL Good luck with your adventures and hope to see your channel up soon. 🙏✌💖
Hey! Thanks for commenting. Glad you enjoyed it. We are actually in Costa Rica looking for another van to build, and then travel all around the country! Comments like this make the journey so much more fun thank you.
Thank you! it might look heavy, but it’s actually maybe only a few hundred pounds heavier than an originally was. Those seats are super heavy! Plus, this fan is rated for quite a bit weight
Oh my, all that wood must make the van weigh a ton. Regardless, it was inspiring to see this build in a Chevrolet Astro. Well done. Will look forward to seeing more vids on this topic. - Fred
Hey Fred! Matt here. To my surprise, and probably yours, we really didn’t add as much weight as one might think. By the time we took the captain chairs and everything else, then added the new material we were only about 200 pounds over the original weight! If you haven’t seen the the videos that came prior to this one, they are worth checking out!
@@TheirHappyTrails I am glad it's not too heavy. With gas prices these days, every pound matters. I will be sure to check out your other vids. Thanks Matt!
Amazing and very impressive. Learned a lot. However, I'm sure without the help of the dog and the kid this would have taken much longer than just 9 days ; - )
Hey! Matt here. Thanks man!! Well if you need any advice to make it as nice as possible feel free to reach out! Theirhappytrails@gmail.com We’ve build full skoolies and this was my first time building a van. It was a lot harder than I thought, but still a great time!
@@TheirHappyTrails The biggest obstacle is only having a jigsaw and drill on hand, so it's not the prettiest build, but functional at least! Thanks, I'll be sure to reach out if I have any questions!
@@RDuude yeah I get that! A jigsaw can do just about everything! Might take a little longer, but can be done!! And yeah, for real, reach out at anytime
Outstanding! Your build is amazing! Any chance you have plans to sell? I second the comment that this is the absolute BEST Astro conversion. Thank you for sharing your build.
Just bought my Astro today! Do you by chance have an Amazon wishlist or some equivalent for the breakdown of all that you used in this video as I love the layout and the price! Thanks so much 🤗
Hey Alyssa! Matt here. I built this van for a friend of mine. We are definitely open to building for other people, and/or giving advise! Go to www.theirhappytrails.com to get in touch with us :)
Hey y’all !!! Awesome build out! I’m in the middle of doing my 99’ Astro right now.. what’s the name of the black wrap you used on the windows and exterior trim??
Hey Austin! I’m not sure the exact name of it, but it’s a high quality “air release” vinyl wrap. Hope the videos on the channel help! If you didn’t know we have a whole series the Astro Van on the channel 🤘🏼
hey! i’m building out my astro to live in for a while. i ripped out my rear heat and ac units for more space but now i have these large holes to fill! i plan on taking it in the snow so i need to have it waterproofed. i’ll use jb weld for the small screw holes but how should i fill the large holes?? do i need to weld more metal to cover it? i’m hoping for an easy fix i can do myself :) thank you!! love the videos!
Hey!! I would use fiberglass! Any Walmart will have it in the car section. Then you can sand it down, and put Bondo on it if you want it to look prettier lol
Great build! Very clean "cabin" look overall to my eyes. Would you mind sharing what wood you used for the siding and framing? Thank you for your video!
Thank you very much! The cabinets were built out of three-quarter inch plywood. The ceilings are a tongue and groove barn style from Home Depot. And the rest of the wood is cedar slats. The countertop is a type of project board that we also found at Home Depot. I hope that helps!
Hey there! I totally can help. Surprisingly the wood does not way down the van. We use lightweight materials like cedar to keep the way down. Plus we removed all the chairs so the weight kind of adds up to being almost the same. It's a little bit heavier than before but nothing that actually affects the driving or fuel mileage!
No reason really, just didnt. We installed a diesel heater that keeps that van toasty even at below freezing temps. Im sure the insulation would have helped, but this isnt a full time living quarters
@@MinutemanMedic yeah that would have work well for us also, but it was much easier todo a few metal screws compared to having to metal tap every single one 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Excellent work! Just curious of your choice of the diesel heater. I've read (or listened to...) the debates / preferences / pros and cons of either the propane Little Buddy (or other propane heaters....), or diesel -- which also require the electric pump.... Have you tried / compared both propane and diesel heaters, and why do your prefer diesel? (Thanks again for your video and any reply.)
Diesel heaters are much better. Watch the electrical video we did. That basic set up runs the heater for a long time. Also the Mr. buddy/heaters ran from propane caused a serious amount of condensation inside of the rig. So if you run a propane heater, you can count on your windows sweating and eventually causing water damage over time. Plus they use a lot of propane and are not recommended for indoor use overnight while you’re sleeping. the diesel heaters dry the air and are very very efficient on electricity and diesel fuel. We live in a 40 foot school bus and have two diesel heaters. One of them heats up the whole entire bus with no problem so in a small van, it hardly uses any fuel to keep it nice and warm 1 gallon of fuel can last easily three days if it’s not running hard it is definitely the way to go. Hundred times better than a Mr. buddy heater.
![[How to] Expandable / Pull-out Bed for your Camper Van | Van Life & Conversions | Chevy Astro](/img/n.gif)
Probably the best conversion of the astro Ive seen yet!
Thank you very much!!
We have a whole call series on the build on our channel
@@TheirHappyTrails oh man i watch to the very end and was thoroughly intrigued cause i got an astro with issues in the beginning of this year as my first car and have still been working on it. It runs now but i will not drive it until my suspension Replacement is complete, out of having comfort when carrying loved ones. But you have been a huge inspiration for a lot of features i want too implement!
@@Skummy123 awesome man! Good deal! Glad the videos helped! That was definitely our intention!
Any way to see more content on this build? New stuff?
The best Astro Van conversion ever ❤🎉
Thank you very much!
wow! I have an Astro here in the UK (16 years now)! Converted using old wood from boat yard but yours has to be the best I have seen. Some real skill there guys. Love it!!
Very cool! Thanks for the complements!!! -Matt
Your dog is an excellent helper!
Haha! He definitely thinks he's helping!
Wow, I have a 96 Astro and wow, you guys did an amazing job!! That is my style absolutely mine! I was going to build my bed in the back but more people are doing a bed down the side and now my plans have changed … again. 😉
Awesome!! Yeah, this worked best for my buddies needs! Hope you got some inspiration!
Thank you sooooo much ! Im going to build it exactly like this and stay by the beach and save thousands of $$$ I’m done living in apartments.
Heck yeah! Im glad the video is helpful to you! -Matt
Very nice Astro build. Probably the best I've seen on the passenger version with Dutch doors. My cargo version build is not even half as nice but I only had $1500 to work with.
Thank you Mark! That’s a huge compliment. And yes, we have different budgets for sure!
I never had any doubt you could do the build, but I really did expect it to take at least 2 weeks or more. Great job, awesome budget, & unbelievable start-to-finish time!
Thank you David!! Yeah, it went faster than we expected also! But we were also on a tight timeline so I was working on it a lot!!! Luckily the van is a small space so that helped a lot too!! Glad you have followed it all the way through!! We appreciate your support!
Beautiful work! I wish my 322k mile Astro got a solid facelift like this!
Hope your astros still running good, I’m going to buy one today and it has 285,000km so seeing your comment with 322k miles makes me less worried about the mileage
@@BrandonPrive1432 maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. I wish I knew what I know now 10-15 years ago. I've had issues with misfires which haven't led to anything too serious yet (fortunately), and besides her slightly off idling she's doing alright. They do burn a quart of oil every so often so keep them handy, and change every 3000 miles!
Thank you!
This is prolly the best van build out video I have ever seen!! You did an amazing job of showing all of the steps to create this beautiful home on wheels! Bravo!! 😍😍😍
Thank You Kellene!!! I really appreciate you saying that :) if you need more step by step videos we have a play list that goes more in depth on this van! Cheers!!
@@TheirHappyTrails Subscribed! ❤❤❤
@@Brelinka128 yay!! Thanks for the support!
Im just about to do my build before winter hits... Great video guys 🙌🏻🤙🏻
Awesome!! Hope it goes good for you!
These men are amazing and a blessing.. so much hard work.. but they are dedicated and want to create something magical and this is so dope.. great job...
Thank you Very much!!! Those are some really nice words ❤️❤️
I have a well maintained 1999 AWD Astro with almost 188,000 miles located in NM... Would make a great camper van
Oh nice! Are you trying to sell it?
@@TheirHappyTrails ... yes, it's for sale. I'm 70 & have other cars
Thanks for showing this! I’m about to try to tackle one like this and needed ideas.
Awesome!!!
It's always better to panel the walls completely first so you don't have a very drafty van when you're done. It's easier to do it that way too !
So happy for you and your new home on wheels. Also very grateful for you awesome friends and the help they have you. I also love that they gave you the space to do a lot of the work yourself so you can own the build as well as have those amazing helping hands, giant, tiny and furry! LOL Good luck with your adventures and hope to see your channel up soon. 🙏✌💖
Thanks Bella!!!!
This is one of my favourite van build videos. Loved it!
Hey! Thanks for commenting. Glad you enjoyed it. We are actually in Costa Rica looking for another van to build, and then travel all around the country! Comments like this make the journey so much more fun thank you.
@@TheirHappyTrails oh so cool! I look forward to seeing the new one. Have an awesome time 🤙
@@naomig7004 thanks!!! We look forward to showing it!
Y’all should help me get mine ready for winter here in New Hampshire
Absolutely gorgeous, but I have to say it looks heavy.
Thank you! it might look heavy, but it’s actually maybe only a few hundred pounds heavier than an originally was. Those seats are super heavy! Plus, this fan is rated for quite a bit weight
This is excellent! Makes me want to redo my Safari camper 🤔
Thank you!! Do you have a video of your rig on your channel??!
@@TheirHappyTrails I do have videos about it over on my channel! Feel free to check ‘em out. Going to have to make some upgrades are watching this 😂
Oh my, all that wood must make the van weigh a ton. Regardless, it was inspiring to see this build in a Chevrolet Astro. Well done. Will look forward to seeing more vids on this topic. - Fred
Hey Fred! Matt here. To my surprise, and probably yours, we really didn’t add as much weight as one might think. By the time we took the captain chairs and everything else, then added the new material we were only about 200 pounds over the original weight!
If you haven’t seen the the videos that came prior to this one, they are worth checking out!
Thanks for tuning in!
Also another side note, more than half the wood used was cedar so that super light as well! 😃😃
@@TheirHappyTrails I am glad it's not too heavy. With gas prices these days, every pound matters. I will be sure to check out your other vids. Thanks Matt!
@@TheirHappyTrailsI was thinking the same thing about the weight, but 200 lbs is pretty good.
One cracking build guys👊
Thanks man!! -Matt
This is awesome! Definitely carpenter approved!
Thanks Isaac!! Means a lot coming from you!!!
Nicely done
Thank you!!
Love the dog
Amazing and very impressive. Learned a lot. However, I'm sure without the help of the dog and the kid this would have taken much longer than just 9 days ; - )
Lmao!! Thank you!! Yes they where great helpers 😂😂
Wow! Mine next please!
Absolutely!! We can help with that! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Great looking build! Doing my own Astro van build but no where near as nice as this lol
Hey! Matt here. Thanks man!! Well if you need any advice to make it as nice as possible feel free to reach out! Theirhappytrails@gmail.com
We’ve build full skoolies and this was my first time building a van. It was a lot harder than I thought, but still a great time!
@@TheirHappyTrails The biggest obstacle is only having a jigsaw and drill on hand, so it's not the prettiest build, but functional at least! Thanks, I'll be sure to reach out if I have any questions!
@@RDuude yeah I get that! A jigsaw can do just about everything! Might take a little longer, but can be done!! And yeah, for real, reach out at anytime
You should add a box to the space under the bed
What do you mean?! The bed is a box itself? So like another box within the box that I might put another box in? Lol
Outstanding! Your build is amazing! Any chance you have plans to sell? I second the comment that this is the absolute BEST Astro conversion. Thank you for sharing your build.
Hey! Thank you Scott! That’s a huge compliment!!
Jolly good what..carryon pip pips 😁happy trails
lol!!! Thank you!
@@TheirHappyTrails ..😁pip pips
Awsome !!
Thank you!!
Very nice music selection. 🥰
Thank you 🙏🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼🎶
Beautiful!
Thank you!! 🙏🏼
Very nice ❤
Thank you! Cheers!
Just bought my Astro today! Do you by chance have an Amazon wishlist or some equivalent for the breakdown of all that you used in this video as I love the layout and the price! Thanks so much 🤗
Hey! We do! It’s not a list of lumber, but it has all the electrical and a few other things in there also!
Hi! Do you guys convert vans or is this your personal build? It’s beautiful!
Hey Alyssa! Matt here. I built this van for a friend of mine. We are definitely open to building for other people, and/or giving advise! Go to www.theirhappytrails.com to get in touch with us :)
Hey I'm curious with that black rap stuff you did on the outside of the Van is what is that material
Hey there! It’s professional grade vinyl wrap used on cars 👍👍
Hey y’all !!! Awesome build out! I’m in the middle of doing my 99’ Astro right now.. what’s the name of the black wrap you used on the windows and exterior trim??
Hey Austin! I’m not sure the exact name of it, but it’s a high quality “air release” vinyl wrap.
Hope the videos on the channel help! If you didn’t know we have a whole series the Astro Van on the channel 🤘🏼
hey! i’m building out my astro to live in for a while. i ripped out my rear heat and ac units for more space but now i have these large holes to fill! i plan on taking it in the snow so i need to have it waterproofed. i’ll use jb weld for the small screw holes but how should i fill the large holes?? do i need to weld more metal to cover it? i’m hoping for an easy fix i can do myself :) thank you!! love the videos!
Hey!! I would use fiberglass! Any Walmart will have it in the car section. Then you can sand it down, and put Bondo on it if you want it to look prettier lol
@@TheirHappyTrails amazing thanks! i didn't realize something like this existed
@@ashislame absolutely! Just watch some videos on how to use it. Fiberglass is easy once you a time or two!
What type of screw did you prefer for fastening to the body of the vehicle? For the floorboards, ceiling, etc. Do they poke through anywhere?
We used teks metal tapping screws. They do not poke through anywhere
Like it better with the retro plastic. Made the same mistake putting all the wood in .
@@tu0ootu what?
Great build! Very clean "cabin" look overall to my eyes. Would you mind sharing what wood you used for the siding and framing? Thank you for your video!
Thank you very much! The cabinets were built out of three-quarter inch plywood. The ceilings are a tongue and groove barn style from Home Depot. And the rest of the wood is cedar slats. The countertop is a type of project board that we also found at Home Depot. I hope that helps!
Very cool
Thank you!
How about the wood and isolating materials?
What do you mean??
I have a ld Astro Van..
Can you make to conversion for me exactly yours.
When you used heavy wood, not over weight for car?
Hey there! I totally can help. Surprisingly the wood does not way down the van. We use lightweight materials like cedar to keep the way down. Plus we removed all the chairs so the weight kind of adds up to being almost the same. It's a little bit heavier than before but nothing that actually affects the driving or fuel mileage!
WoW.........
Thanks! Well, at least I hope that’s a good wow!
@@TheirHappyTrails Yes.... It's wonderful HomeOnWeels😊💫✨💛✨💫
I'd be happy to take those middle row bucket seat bases of your hands for a fair price.
I think we do actually have those. Email me. Theirhappytrails@gmail.com
Damn son wanna do my safari I just got today 😂
Haha!! Bring it on!!
@@TheirHappyTrails where yall at?
@@BigSlushi4k right now we are in the Sacramento CA area 👍
Hey there! What's the black stuff you guys applied to the lower outside areas of the van?
Hey Scott! It’s just a vinyl wrap for looks 👍👍🤘🏼
@@TheirHappyTrails It looks great!! Thanks dude! ✌️
@@finball70 thanks man!
Is there a reason y'all didn't insulate the covered window behind the kitchen cabinet?
No reason really, just didnt. We installed a diesel heater that keeps that van toasty even at below freezing temps. Im sure the insulation would have helped, but this isnt a full time living quarters
Awesome build ! Do you think. Roof fan would have been a good addition? Why do people choose not to install those
Hey, absolutely it would be. But this van lives in the mountains of Colorado so it’s never really hot. So it just wasn’t necessary
And thank you!
@@TheirHappyTrails that makes sense! Thanks for the response:) using your channel to plan my build. Appreciate it!
@@nicoletacerveza73 absolutely!! Glad the video is helpful!!
🙌
Buenas noches donde puedo hacer mi van asi
¿Quieres que alguien te lo construya?
Si y cuanto saldria
Hola
What wood did you use for the ceiling ???
Hey! The wood was bought at home depot and it is pre finished with that look! Made it much easier and faster
I see, what was the thickness ?
For the cross boards on the ceiling that you guys mount the roof flooring pieces to. Are y’all driving the screws through the roof?
No we are not. That would be silly lol!!!
Glad I asked because it looked like that was the case and I felt like that wasn’t a good idea lol… what are you drilling them into?
@@carterstevens8553 there are metal studs that drop from metal roof giving a perfect place to add some framing 🤘🏼🤘🏼
@@TheirHappyTrails I screwed my panels straight to the metal studs. No framing. Holding up so far
@@MinutemanMedic yeah that would have work well for us also, but it was much easier todo a few metal screws compared to having to metal tap every single one 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Excellent work! Just curious of your choice of the diesel heater. I've read (or listened to...) the debates / preferences / pros and cons of either the propane Little Buddy (or other propane heaters....), or diesel -- which also require the electric pump.... Have you tried / compared both propane and diesel heaters, and why do your prefer diesel? (Thanks again for your video and any reply.)
Diesel heaters are much better. Watch the electrical video we did. That basic set up runs the heater for a long time. Also the Mr. buddy/heaters ran from propane caused a serious amount of condensation inside of the rig. So if you run a propane heater, you can count on your windows sweating and eventually causing water damage over time. Plus they use a lot of propane and are not recommended for indoor use overnight while you’re sleeping. the diesel heaters dry the air and are very very efficient on electricity and diesel fuel. We live in a 40 foot school bus and have two diesel heaters. One of them heats up the whole entire bus with no problem so in a small van, it hardly uses any fuel to keep it nice and warm 1 gallon of fuel can last easily three days if it’s not running hard it is definitely the way to go. Hundred times better than a Mr. buddy heater.
Ps I build this van for a friend
What size is the bed?
It’s a custom size. But I’d Guess around 6.5 feet long and 4 feet wide when it’s pulled out
Can i hire you guys to do my conversion?
Send me an email theirhappytrails@gmail.com
MN where yall located at. I’ll drive to y’all to help me do this. 😊
Hey! We live in Costa Rica now lol! Would be quite the road trip! lol!
@@TheirHappyTrails damn! Yo friends too?! lol put a call in I need that help! And congratulations!! My guy!!! Glad you got out of this dang country!
@@thecapothedon Bree, if you need any advice, just reach out! Theirhappytrails@gmail.com
Bet the dog didn’t get any credit for the build.
Lmao. Nope. But she was great moral support
Who could help me do this too my Astro van? I’m in Illinois
I didn’t know how to do any of this, when I first started! All of us can learn!
I want this for my SUV,can you hook me up?
Thanks! Glad you like it! We are currently living abroad and not building. Thanks for asking tho!
Just two ex miles avenue riders building a bus
Yeah man!!!! Crazy!
Beautiful. Nice work.
I am sorry you can't seat straight inside your van
What do you mean?
@@TheirHappyTrails you can't seat straight without touching the ceiling with your head.
Where is the wet bathroom?
All the tress outside! lol. This is a super small adventure camper, not a full time living space.