2003 Dodge Ram Van 3500 Build - Part Time Traveler

[faded1004]

good day guys, finally wanted to post up my build.

at the time i am writing this, i am about half way through the build and i am excited to get started enjoying the road.

background:

so i have a wife, whom is battling breast cancer. pregnancy induced. no family history. for the last year and a half, we have been stuck in the house, minimal friends, no playtime for baby. i am tired of not enjoying this time as a family. so i came up with the idea of making a travel van that i can use for the family. go to areas that aren't crowded (infection risk) and have the ability to rest when ever we want anywhere we want on the way. it also gives me the ability to go out on trips with family with out actually getting a dedicated aux travel vehicle.

shortening the story, i wanted a trailer. i always loved camping. but couldn't afford any (medical bills suck!) and started looking for a conversion van. i found a few for 2k and 1k used, but after seeing them and how i would have to put in alot of attention, i decided "no go".

so, i had this bright idea of using my work van. 2003 dodge ram van, 50k miles. very reliable, no leaks, no problems. just beat up since it is parked in the sun in a parking lot for 13 years.

so, here is my idea, and goals:

work -
no hindrance to carry 2 pallets of raw materials
bonus, adding strap tie downs
bonus, adding ventilation
bonus, adding insulation

personal use -
bed, full size minimum + pack and play crib area
3 seats, 1 with baby seat anchors mandatory
water - rinse and drinking
insulation
ventilation
110v 1000w minimum
dimmable lighting


so, let's see how i started. i mapped out how the van is, naked... with cargo inside. bonus to my idea is that we will transport raw materials safely, cause we did it with out straps for 13 years. i was always scared when i hit the brakes... so not it is time to fix that. my idea is a build in box on each side. it will hold the rear pallet and a floor guide for the front pallet.



here is a picture of it with out the pallets. the green boxes are basically all i needed to build. it will hold up to 8 batteries and all electronics.



i plan on making 3 bed panels all on piano hinges for easy removal with a full mattress from ikea. may be foam? i didn't want air mattress and i didn't want to use camping mats.



now, in order to convert to my personal use, i will then slide the bed planks in



and lay the mattress on top of the bed planks



i wasn't sure how to install the seats, but in my dreams... i wanted it to be removable?



so, over all, i thought, 1 to 2 weeks max... not too much building... should be easy with simple tools. hahaha... that didn't happen.

my budget was 1k... given that i had stuff i could use. like 5 optima batteries, a van, and some other stuff i would later add on the way. here is the van i am working with.

 

[faded1004]

so, here is my first few steps.

insulation:

i planned on a 4 layer process. sound proofing, radiant barrier, rigid foam, cosmetic cover

sound proofing, i just used flashing material. layered it about twice. may be 3 times in the center of the large panels.



for my wall second layer, i used reflectix and tried to cover up all the areas with out any major gaps. i then layered on top the rigid foam. i cut the foam so well, it wouldn't go in... so i cut it just to make it easier to install. i used 3m spray adhesive for all the layers.



i went to anderson plywood, local wood dealer. and picked up 3/4 baltic birch for my box to start the build. according to my calculations, 3/4 would hold my weight standing up and only deflect .1" in the center with a point load. you can find a calculator on google for that. pretend it is a book shelf. all the panels and stuff were cut professionally so i could get parallel sides.



by this time, i was very happy with the progress. only about 2 days in and i was almost done with the insulation for the walls! so looking at the stained floors, i decided to go ahead and replace teh wood. it was curling up on the edges, some of the screws were not holding any more. just not safe to walk bare footed inside. so, i ripped it out and replaced it. this extra job consumed a week! i didn't think it would be so hard. but making the whole floor in 3 pieces with all the intricut wall details was very challenging.



but after i was done... the birch looked just amazing!



after that huge detour... i started on the roof. i decided to go with a maxxfan because of the low profile built in rain shield. and personal issues with the possibility of the rain sensor of the fantastic fan breaking. my van already has a indent for the fan, so i didn't have to worry about the roof grooves and sealing everything. i was thinking also, i could get away with out buying a cut off tool, so i attacked it with my dremel. 45 wheels later... i finally cut the hole.



after the fan was installed, it was time to insulate the ceiling. here i used the nicer pink extruded rigid foam. at this point, i could really tell the insulation was helping a lot. i used the same method, sound, radiant, rigid...



here, you can see i had an idea to just use thin plywood to cover up the ribs of the van to minimize the build up thickness.



at this point it has been 2 weeks of building, 8-10 hours a day after my full day of work. let me tell you... i am tired. but i need to press on! family time is on the horizon!

 

[faded1004]

okay, 3rd week in...

everything i planned is still kinda on track. basic list of components:

gopower 1000w inverter
sunsaver solar charger
300w mono panel
optima d31m x 5 (i want to have 8 total)
5m led strip with touch dimmer panel
maxxfan
dual 12v socket
4ga wire general power
10ga wire solar and accessory connections
ujor seat brackets
2014 grey sienna reclining seats

this week, i started on building the boxes for the sides of the van. totally thought this would be easy too... but nooooooooooooooooooo... i had some complications.

each box would hold the batteries in a separate area to prevent touching and brace for any aggressive braking and turning. i also wanted to mount the box to the ribs of the van for a sure stable attachment to the van. here, i was workign with out the new flooring. even though i know with work, it will get all beat up. i was hoping to save the damage until after i finished up the van.



i used wood glue and 2.5" screws for all the connections.



i checked and layed in some of the batteries just to make sure the dimensions i had were correct. as you can see, i inset the inverter on the front face of the box. it would also provide an air intake and push the air to the rear of the box later will be described in more detail. i plan on trying to hook it up the tail light vents. that way i don't have to make any unnecessary holes in the side.



here, i went and test stained the bed panels and temporarily placed them into the van. top is in pallet transport mode and bottom will be in personal use mode for the bed. the stain i got was initially really dark for my taste, but i think it is starting to grow on me.



after getting the frame of the box, i started on the electrical breaker panels and basic wiring. i was thinking, if i could confine the wires into 1 box, none of them would get hit and take any damages. the inverter panel and the voltmeter would go on the side wall panel.



after laying out the boxes, i started on the top lids. my original idea of 1 super large door lid proved to be too hard to handle. so i chopped them up into smaller lids. at this point, the van is coming together very well. and it actually looks like the original digital design i had made.



i went ahead and threw the flooring in and test fitted everything. oh it looks so nice. this helped me to setup where i wanted to mount the seats. and i came to the conclusion, NO Removable seats for me. i would only install 1 in the back. hard bolted to the floor between both the longitudinal and transverse frame beams of the van.



now was the step to get the seats ready! i installed the ujor mounts to the seats and got them ready to install. pretty easy to do. happy i was able to get my hands on these seats and ujor sells the mounts.



after everything was set, i layed out where the seat would go and made sure there was room to recline and a pallet would clear the front of the seat when i use the van for work.

 

[faded1004]

i am not sure why the links to the photos aren't working correctly... am i putting too much into 1 post? i am trying to portion it out... let me know if anyone you guys see this or know how to fix this.



okay, so at this point, i was dying to go test drive the van.



it also happened that a friends family invited us to dinner at a campsite so i took the van out for a spin. i can't explain how happy i am with the sienna seats. it holds so well. feel so safe. the dinner test was very successful. wife was content with my progress, baby had so much fun she knocked out hard on the way back.



after the test drive, the passenger front seat needed to be replaced. it was just too uncomfortable. good thing i bought a pair of seats! so i went to work on mounting it to the front. this is why testing while building helps to make the best fitting van! at this point i thought to try out the backup camera. but it was a fail. such cheap quality, i ended up returning it cause the quality was so bad. i am in search of another one.



after mounting the seat... i had more technical difficulties. it was just too tight. opps! so yea, i couldn't even close the door. i will have to work on making a new bracket from scratch.

 

[faded1004]

so finally, this comes to this week. i found a mattress for a good deal and it came with a futon. it was better then i was thinking originally, and i couldn't pass up the deal.

as you can see, mattress is about 7 inches too long. it rides up the side wall a lot. almost like it was a reclined pillow area.



so i went ahead with plans and stripped the mattress covers and started to sanitize it all. down to the foam. that is when i found, this is a spring mattress!



so it took a little more work, but i managed to find a way to modify the length. only took 2 days of cutting, gluing, and waiting...



but again, all the hard work... perfectly fitted custom spring mattress! and i came in at my allowed 4.5" thickness so i can sit up on the bed and barely not hit the ceiling.



so my next few steps are...

finish the front seat mount
ceramic heat rejecting tint on windows
start on solar wiring
sand and spot paint the chips and small rust spots on roof
mount solar panel

 

[k9lestat]

Like it

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk

 

[mikracer]

Great looking build! It doesn't look like your side doors have windows. Are you planning on installing any? Just wondering if your daughter might get car sick if she can't see out at all.

 

[faded1004]

Great looking build! It doesn't look like your side doors have windows. Are you planning on installing any? Just wondering if your daughter might get car sick if she can't see out at all.

yes, i do plan on it later, right now money is so tight, i have to really pick and choose what i need to get on the road. best i found was like 350 for the set on ebay. i wonder if there are any van junk yards here in southern california?

i think i found the problem with the photo links... looks like after i uploaded, they got deleted... i am currently working on uploading again and linking again... thanks!

edit* okay, i think i fixed all the photo problems. let me know if the links aren't working... enjoy!

 

[faded1004]

holy moly... today was very successful... you have no idea how much work went into putting a seat in at the right position! wow...

so it took me about 3 prototypes... 1 day of planning, 2 days of building... and finally i got the best offset and alignment. here is a picture of the bracket i used. i also used the factory slider also. no damages to factory parts so i can always go back to stock.



here is the seat mounted in the car. i still want to break it down again and paint the steel tubing i used. but may be another day. as you can see, foot space is plenty, the leg rest even comes out. height and offset work perfectly just like stock seating position. just with the added ability to go back alot more.



i was also able to get the windows tinted. limo in the rear and 70% in the front. in person the front is barely noticeable. but the amount of heat rejection is amazing. no more burning arms! yes, i know the paint is bad. no budget for paint job right now, may be after i am done and get a few trips in and i am able to save alittle. for now, i have to just bare the "13 years of parking in the sun" damages.




looks like i can start preparing for the solar panel install tomorrow. going to start by spot repairing the paint that has chipped and peeled off. just gonna sand prime and paint in small areas. just so when i put the panel on top i don't have to worry about rust growing under it. cause i plan on making the panel very hard to remove.


so my next few steps are...

spot repair peeling paint on roof
install panel on roof
finish electrical
cosmetic cover walls

 

[ohpyramids]

Killer work in such short time!

If you end up going with a primer color scheme- it might not be that bad...

Japanese "dajiban" dodge vans

 

[faded1004]

this is an example of what i am trying to fix on the roof. there are some peeling paint areas, about credit card size or less. some have started to rust. barely. so, i sand it down, clean it up, the prime it like 5 times to even up the area and i can't see the metal underneath. the new primer is bright white, but much better then seeing rust or bare metal. the right side of the picture, you can see the bright white area i repaired. the gutter i am going to work on after i put on solar and i have a little more time. for sanding, i am using a 400 grit sand paper, green scotch bright pad cut in a circle and attached to my drill with a 3" velcro circle, then i primer the area.



more delays!

yesterday i power washed the roof in preparation for the solar panel mounting. and i found this. alot of rust dots everywhere! i can't tell if it was the particles from me cutting the vent hole? or something else? cause i can see the little pieces that have rusted and sitting on top. but the rust is staining the paint on the roof.



so at the moment, i think i need to hard brush the roof, power wash again. then prime the whole roof now. totally wanted to throw the panel on today. this will take me like another 3 days to complete? i am thinking about just priming the area near the solar first and try to attach the solar tomorrow. wife actually wants to do the 1 nighter test this weekend! so i gotta try to make it.

on a side note, i was able to test the work mode today. i was able to load in a 45" pallet inside even though i was only anticipating 40" wide pallets only. the load was only about 700lbs (not the max 2200lbs load per pallet). but it was stable. very safe. didn't slide around. great improvement over the regular open floor plan setup.



wife picked out plum colored thermal curtains that i am going to try and cut down and hem with magnets for the back windows. i am not sure how i am going to curtain the front window, but i plan on doing something up front also for better insulation.

got the new reverse video camera also, i should be able to test it tonight and get it mounted once everything passes and works correctly.

i will update again soon after i figure out this lame rust spot issue.

 

[philos]

haha, dajiban. or is it dajibaneru?

 

[Mwilliamshs]

GREAT WORK. I have a tip though...

...yesterday i power washed the roof in preparation for the solar panel mounting. and i found this. alot of rust dots everywhere! i can't tell if it was the particles from me cutting the vent hole? or something else? cause i can see the little pieces that have rusted and sitting on top. but the rust is staining the paint on the roof...so at the moment, i think i need to hard brush the roof, power wash again. then prime the whole roof now...i will update again soon after i figure out this lame rust spot issue.

Had a similar thing happen to my van but it was from a brake pad that delaminated and sprayed the whole passenger side with tiny metal flakes. Couldn't see anything at first but after a couple rainy days I had rust specs just like your pic. I scrubbed the van with a white scotch brite pad (3M, in the sandpaper section of Lowe's) and Barkeeper's Friend (Lowe's cleaning aisle, gold cardboard tube of powder like Comet but totally scratch-free). This removed all the rust and the metal that was causing it without damaging the paint underneath. Been a couple months now and no rust has come back.
.
Also, primer has little to no UV or water resistance and should really be covered over to prevent rust from coming through it. I'd just use a gloss white spray can.
.
Finally, where'd you get the big sheets of TiteSeal flashing you used? I can only find rolls like 4-9" wide.

 

[faded1004]

Finally, where'd you get the big sheets of TiteSeal flashing you used? I can only find rolls like 4-9" wide.

i can get it all the places here? homedepot and lowes. i usually use the thicker kind, "peel and stick"... but thought this would work better. i still think peel and stick is better. i had to layer more. and the aluminum is alot thinner also.

i will work on covering the primer later. right now i am on a super tight budget. for the van, i feel i get about half a year to a year before i see any rust come through the primer. i had some previous tests and finally say 1 or 2 spots that showed rust through it. for top coat, i was kinda thinking about trying the epoxy appliance paint? i wonder how UV resistant it would be?

i spent another long night working on the van. lots of good progress again.

so yesterday at lunch and a little after work i managed to get the roof cleaned surprisingly. it was a little scary standing on the roof. but it did hold. i also attached my mounting tabs to the solar and also got it on to the roof with the forklift. there was no way i was going to try to take it up with out it. i think my panel weights like 60 pounds or more?



with the solar panel being so large, i was very cautious about how many mounts i wanted to use. alittle air and i bet this sucker can catch alot of force to fly. i know most use 4 mounts, another guy recommended 6 total for rv mounting, so i used 8. 3 sets regularly spaced and 1 set added to the front driving forward.



i managed to get it on, with sticky tape and 3 of 16 screws. and drove home... slowly... good thing i got a deal on a pair of these, so if anything happened i was covered. i love how low profile it is. i am glad i didn't go for the ladder rack mounting like i originally thought. i plan on attached it this way:

solar panel - sticky tape - Stainless bolt set - mount - sticky tape - outdoor metal coated #10 self tapping screw - car



once i got home, i finished installing the screws to the mounts and water proofed everything with lapping. the hardest part was getting behind the mounting tabs under the solar panel. i wish they made curved nozzle tips for the lap. i attached my 10awg solar wire, and brought it in through the roof using regular grommets. i bought a gland and other bulkhead fittings. but i just thought this simple method would be okay to try for now.



now that solar panel wires were in, i can now get rolling on inside electronics. the first thing i found? ebay 4awg is not the same as regular 4awg... here you can see the blue vs the red... so not cool. i ended up with barely enough for the project not using any of the blue.



here is a picture of the wire nest i am making. very hard to keep everything organized in a small confined space. but all i can do it try. i could have totally used a little more space.



i also ran out of butt connectors so i need to go get more this morning. only got 4 hours sleep again, but excited and energetic to work on the van more. i should be able to power up today. looks like 1 of 5 optima batteries started to leak at the terminal yesterday. so i am going to only hook up 4 batteries for now. i am hoping i can find 4 more soon so i can load up all banks asap. i cut a little foam and put it on the bottom of the batteries for a little cushion. the car has such firm suspension so i thought it might help it out.

View attachment 295545

 

[faded1004]

man, thunderstorms here in southern california... hampered my progress... but i was still able to get some work done.

last night i was able to finish up the wiring for the 1 passenger side box. this side will hold most of the electronics. the driver side will only hold 4 more batteries and the inverter. since it was raining and i didn't want to move the box alone, i decided to test out the carpet i bought. to my surprise it was very easy to attach to the box. it also feels softer and there is no fear of splinters now. only draw back is i used a whole can of adhesive just for the top of 1 side. i love the orange pull accents for each of the doors.



i also attached alittle carpet to the ribs, so when you close it... it doesn't make this super huge crash noise that the hole block can hear. alittle loud still, but definitely more damped and not as harsh.



i was able to get a friend to help me to move the box in as it is now getting too heavy for me to hold on my own. good neighbor to the rescue! after getting in i was able to get 1 bank attached and tested the lighting. i am thinking about putting a strip of leds in the van, but i am not sure how i am going to attach or how i am going to cover it up. for sure... there is plenty of light. makes it look like bright daylight inside the van at night.



so for today, i started on getting power to the power box up front, where all my breakers and switches are. here, i finally got power from the solar and power from 1 bank of batteries. woohoo! celebrated with a nice cold soda. it is about 92 right now and super humid from all the rain.



so on to mating the batteries to the solar. i was hesitant to just hook it up so it took me a while. i wanted to check ALL my wires again to make sure i didn't have any mixed up polarity and stuff. but yea, everything worked perfectly. since by batteries are full, it only said there was 4 amps going in. but, i was able to get my phone charging! FREE POWER! who doens't love that? i also attached up my battery fuel gauge also to make sure it works correctly. this part, i had to redo the wires, cause there was no power going through. not sure why, but i just replaced with another run of wire and everything was good to go.



man, so here is a overall view of the passenger side box. the battery cables look so big and the carpet looks so nice. i am going to let the solar run for a bit and run some lights and stuff before i attach up the second bank in the box. i want to check the charger and the 24v to 12v buck converter temps.



i tested all a few items at full power for the basic items. as of right now, i am running load power through the solar controller except the inverter. the charge controller can handle up to 15 amps output. so with lights on full, fan on full, and charging 1 phone, and voltmeter on i was pulling a little under 3 amps at 24 volts. which i don't think is too bad? if i am reading the meter correctly... i am using .3 amps from the battery and rest from solar? i am going to have to go through the manual more and find out if i am right.

my 12v converter dropped to 12.4v under max load (12.5v no load) and battery voltage is 23.8v? that seems alittle low to be 100% still? the charge controller is saying full too? so weird.



while raining, i was able to cut the display panel in the garage. i layed out the displays the way i wanted them. for easy access when standing right at the doorway.



after i pocketed all the holes i test fitted them and started on staining the panel to match the floors.



i am getting much better at staining now. i use a spray bottle and sheep skin to apply and spread out the stain. very happy with the results.