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PLAN B : THE VAN BUILD

Started by VanGuy Steve, July 12, 2017, 04:39:15 AM

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VanGuy Steve

GOT THIS OFF CRAIGSLIST FOR 1200 BUCKS
Drove it over 200 miles home.Had it legal the next day and been driving it daily ever since.
Runs and drives like new,no rust. We love it.Put a couple thousand miles on it and haven't had problems with it at all.
This is it the day after we brought it home.



Nice shape but not what I want or need. Time to change it up.


VanGuy Steve

Yanked out the rear bench and captains chairs.

Built a bigger bed with storage.

Front and rear opens.Will be hinging the top sides to open sideways up against the outer walls too.

Built a cabinet. Was thinking a place for a camp stove to sit on and a little work area beside it. Got a call from my brother right after finishing this .Turns out he had just scrapped out a camper. So made a trip to see him and had to change plans on the cabinet.

VanGuy Steve

Little brother hooked me up.Got a propane Stove/Oven,sink,power inverter with built in battery charger and tons of stuff. So had to redo the cabinet a little. I'm not a carpenter by any means.never did work work but nobody else is going to do it. This is Plan B as of tonight. WIll change more tomorrow I'm sure.


Camper_Dan

Nice van!  Great van that you'll never lose money on short of wrecking it or blowing up the engine  or something similar.

Great choice & money saver keeping the existing floor, walls, & ceiling too.

Remember that a cheap 10" 12v window fan is just as effective as a roof vent, and won't leak. 

Keep us posted!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

VanGuy Steve

Yeah but think I'll have to go roof vent.For the stove for one and because none of the windows open besides the front two doors.There are small slide windows in back but very small.

Camper_Dan

My experiences with roof vents has been very disappointing when compared to my current window van.  My few opening windows only tilt out at the bottom about 1".  They still provide much better ventilation than even 2 roof vents did, and roof vents always leak sooner or later.

Every experienced full timer I have ever met has always said to never put any holes in your roof.  After fighting my roof vents in previous vans I have to agree.  I got my bed drenched once when the rain sensor failed, and again when the wind ripped off my closed roof vent lid.  My floor was soggy for months when a front vent decided to start leaking, only 2 weeks after it was professionally installed.  Took until summer to get it dried out.

I would go the floor vent route before I would ever get another roof vent.  Two floor vents in diagonally opposite corners, the exit vent would have a PVC pipe going up to the ceiling to suck out the hottest air with an inline fan.  The inlet vent only goes halfway up with double elbows on it so the air can be directed in any direction desired.  I had an old step van that came with this system when I bought it, and I believe it was from the factory.  It worked exceptionally well.  I would much rather drill a couple of holes in my floor than cut a hole in my roof that can leak.

Good Luck!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

VanGuy Steve

Dan. I like that idea a lot. May just go that route.

Crawley camper

Wow this makes perfect sense.
My van build interior (no windows yet) was 41 degre yesturday and it was only 30 outside.
Going to go the floor vent route but in line fan??

Vantwat

I've bought a roof light for my conversion but I'm leaning towards leaving it off and getting a couple of small windows

Camper_Dan

#9
Quote from: Crawley camper on July 18, 2017, 08:20:19 PM
Wow this makes perfect sense.
My van build interior (no windows yet) was 41 degre yesturday and it was only 30 outside.
Going to go the floor vent route but in line fan??

Greetings!

You can get an inline marine blower like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Attwood-Quiet-Blower-White-4-Inch/dp/B003BMATFK/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_200_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JQ8NF3GMFFB3HMC2SRVW

And add a PWM controller like this:

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Controller-Regulator-Modulator-Indicator/dp/B00DVGGWC0/ref=pd_sim_200_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00DVGGWC0&pd_rd_r=A8CNNCDMHHDAEXBFXQEK&pd_rd_w=uL9nZ&pd_rd_wg=SrpDn&psc=1&refRID=A8CNNCDMHHDAEXBFXQEK

Then you'll have a continually variable inline fan for your ventilation system.  Technically it won't move as much air as a fantastic or maxair fan, but in reality, it will be much more effective.

Make sure to add a screen on the outside ends to prevent bugs or rodents from entering.

These also work great for a quick & dirty replacement for stock heater fans as well.  They can be ordered online, or found in many marine supply stores.

You only need one fan on the outlet end, because it will pull the air in from the inlet end, and/or any open windows. 

I added two slip fit elbows on the inlet end of mine.  The first allows left/right movement, and the second allows up/down movement, so you can adjust the airflow in any direction you wish.  You can make the inlet pipe whatever height you wish, but for best results you want your outlet pipe to go up to near the ceiling so it pulls the hottest air out.

I actually went a step further with mine, and added a T in the outlet pipe, and shut off valves on both ends of the T and also on the intake end.  In the winter, with this setup,, I could shut off the intake, and redirect the heat from the ceiling back down to floor level inside to create even heating from top to bottom inside my van.  I ran the end of the T under my bed, to right by where my feet are when I'm lounging inside.  Just like forced air heating in a house. ;)
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

Camper_Dan

Quote from: Vantwat on July 18, 2017, 10:04:53 PM
I've bought a roof light for my conversion but I'm leaning towards leaving it off and getting a couple of small windows

I like windows a LOT!  My current van is a window van, and the amount  of free heat you can get in the winter, and the great ventilation in the summer is a real blessing.  You can get 12v ten inch desk/window fans at many truck stops or online in the ~$20.00 range.  Much cheaper, and way more effective than roof vents, and without the leakage problems.

Having  a window van really improved my quality of life.  The views are fantastic, and being able to see what's going on around you, is huge in the safety factor as well.  Even though my window van in reality is the same size my cargo van was, this window van feels sooooo much bigger inside with all the windows.

I also discovered that window vans and NOT trying to hide is much more stealthy than cargo vans and trying to hide.  Everybody knows exactly what I'm doing now, but instead of being a creepy guy in a cargo van, now I'm just a harmless camper, and they're okay with that.

Good luck on your build, and keep us posted!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

Crawley camper


Vantwat

Thanks for that , I think I'm gonna go for a couple of 300mm square ones in

VanGuy Steve

Got the sink all plumbed up and a 12 volt pump feeding from a 10 gallon fresh water tank under it. Stealth shore power .It is in place of where the front gas tank used to be. Looks wild with a cord ran into the gas filler cap.Anyone asks I'll tell em I have a small smart car inside for emergencies and I'm charging it lol.





Here is the sink finished up. Plan on some wood flooring and staining all the wood inside later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC80ppRLYJY

Camper_Dan

Looks comfy!

"A smart car inside & I'm charging it..."  I LOVE IT!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!