Sleam
Explorer
Same idea for me, simpler is better. A stove, sink, cutting board space, and storage. I try to keep it as minimal as possible. I'll be following you!
s
2004 AWD Chevy Express 1500 - First Van!
- Thread starter BigC
- Start date
Same idea for me, simpler is better. A stove, sink, cutting board space, and storage. I try to keep it as minimal as possible. I'll be following you!
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CherryBomb
New member
Heres a good link; camperize.com
I found this while searching for insulation. Theres a good write up on the different types of insulation and outgassing considerations etc. I think I'm going with 'duck' brand water heater insulation! Its recycled cotton, 1.8" with an R value of 6 something, comes in a 48" x 75" roll for $20 or maybe cheaper online some where. What you think about this?
I found this while searching for insulation. Theres a good write up on the different types of insulation and outgassing considerations etc. I think I'm going with 'duck' brand water heater insulation! Its recycled cotton, 1.8" with an R value of 6 something, comes in a 48" x 75" roll for $20 or maybe cheaper online some where. What you think about this?
Yeah, I'm keeping it very simple for now, and as soon as I start figuring out what I really want, I'll add it in as I go. Thanks for following along!
I actually really like the look of that stuff! It's a bit thicker than the Reflectix for sure, but it has a slightly higher R value. I think I'm sitting at around R5.5 with just the Reflectix. I wish I'd done some more research into it before installing, apparently stacking it offers very little extra insulation value. But that stuff should be great, way cheaper than Reflectix too.
Update: Drawers
Sorry for radio silence for so long guys! Been busy, and just not feeling like sitting down and writing some stuff up. Got a lot done on the van last week, and still got a ways to go, but it's all starting to come together. First thing we'll take a look at is the rolling drawers in the back. Here's a look at how they're set up.
They're not perfect yet by any stretch, they need some tuning, and I want to replace the channels with somethings stronger and more stout, but all in all I'm happy with the way they turned out. Big suckers too, 8 cubic feet a piece!
I used some rollerblade bearings that I got at a local skate shop for 20$ for a 16 pack, hell of a deal! I bought two, and used roughly one pack for each drawer. The rails I got from Lowes along with lags and washers for the bearings. The plywood is 3/4" sanded Oak, no finish as of now, but I may change that.
Sorry for radio silence for so long guys! Been busy, and just not feeling like sitting down and writing some stuff up. Got a lot done on the van last week, and still got a ways to go, but it's all starting to come together. First thing we'll take a look at is the rolling drawers in the back. Here's a look at how they're set up.
They're not perfect yet by any stretch, they need some tuning, and I want to replace the channels with somethings stronger and more stout, but all in all I'm happy with the way they turned out. Big suckers too, 8 cubic feet a piece!
I used some rollerblade bearings that I got at a local skate shop for 20$ for a 16 pack, hell of a deal! I bought two, and used roughly one pack for each drawer. The rails I got from Lowes along with lags and washers for the bearings. The plywood is 3/4" sanded Oak, no finish as of now, but I may change that.
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Update: Kitchen/Lighting/Miscelaneous
The kitchen is also coming along, got it all framed out and the countertop installed. Decided to go completely basic with it for now, so no inserted stove or sink. I'll just be using a two burner stove on the countertop, and leaving it entirely open at other times. The water container there is a seven gallon jug with a tap head on it. Should work smoothly for now. I want to do a sliding drawer beneath it to make use of that small space effectively. The other side is just a cabinet with a shelf in the back half of it.
So still a bit of work to be done there, but it's functional now. You can also see the Yeti 400 in that picture, it's my battery for the rear of the van.
Next we have the lighting, in this picture you can also see the paneling installed on the roof.
I used two LED lights I got locally, one is 340 lumens at about 6 watts and the other is 170 lumens at 3 watts. However I ran them through a dimmer mounted on the side of the kitchen so I can not only increase efficiency, but also really set the mood in the van
Gotta grab a few more bits and pieces of wiremold to install, but it's very nearly done. Running both of them at full brightness, it's like a nuke is going off back there, more than enough light.
And just some general stuff. Got the roof rack up and liking it, cue 18 cubic feet extra enclosed storage space, and necessary ski storage area. Such an easy little upgrade, but so necessary. Also have a bike carrier on the other side. For long distance drives I'll be putting the bike inside, but just around town it'll be nice to have the ability to put it up top.
So yeah, lots done, lots more to go! Next up I'm going to be installing the new stereo and backup camera, stay tuned!
The kitchen is also coming along, got it all framed out and the countertop installed. Decided to go completely basic with it for now, so no inserted stove or sink. I'll just be using a two burner stove on the countertop, and leaving it entirely open at other times. The water container there is a seven gallon jug with a tap head on it. Should work smoothly for now. I want to do a sliding drawer beneath it to make use of that small space effectively. The other side is just a cabinet with a shelf in the back half of it.
So still a bit of work to be done there, but it's functional now. You can also see the Yeti 400 in that picture, it's my battery for the rear of the van.
Next we have the lighting, in this picture you can also see the paneling installed on the roof.
I used two LED lights I got locally, one is 340 lumens at about 6 watts and the other is 170 lumens at 3 watts. However I ran them through a dimmer mounted on the side of the kitchen so I can not only increase efficiency, but also really set the mood in the van
Gotta grab a few more bits and pieces of wiremold to install, but it's very nearly done. Running both of them at full brightness, it's like a nuke is going off back there, more than enough light.
And just some general stuff. Got the roof rack up and liking it, cue 18 cubic feet extra enclosed storage space, and necessary ski storage area. Such an easy little upgrade, but so necessary. Also have a bike carrier on the other side. For long distance drives I'll be putting the bike inside, but just around town it'll be nice to have the ability to put it up top.
So yeah, lots done, lots more to go! Next up I'm going to be installing the new stereo and backup camera, stay tuned!
CherryBomb
New member
Nice work BigC! What are you using for your paneling? I did my first panel last week, with 1/4" ,sheet of birch I think it was, I'm thinking I should maybe go with 1/8" . I didn't fir anything out just going straight to the steel framing. Got a 3rd. captains chair and a swivel base, now my wife can up grade from the bean bag chair in the back while my son rides shotgun. None of the bolt patterns matched up so I had a local welder rig something up for me which turned out really nice, I'll have him mount it tomorrow or the next day so I can get involved on the bed and stuff. How high is your bed, it looks tall?
Keep posting up. I dig the photos.
Keep posting up. I dig the photos.
For paneling I'm using the same stuff, 1/4" birch from Home Depot. It works fantastic, really forms to the curves of the van. And I love the way it looks too. For attachment I just used some smaller self tappers and went into the metal supports. Good work on getting that third chair in there, sounds like a pretty necessary upgrade for your situation! What chair and base did you go with? My bed is definitely a little high. Right now the top of the mattress sits at about 29" leaving about 25" for headroom. In the future when I have the time I'd like to reverse those numbers and go for about 30" up top. This should work out fine in the meantime though. I'd like to see some pics of your van, you doing a thread on it anywhere?
Update: Stereo and Hitch
Another update here, just finished up with the stereo and hitch installs the other day. Hitch was nice and simple, super easy bolt on mod and the wiring harness went in easy as well. Got it from a local store, just the basic Curt hitch. Super solid, and I like the way it looks.
Then here's the new radio, 6.5" LCD touch screen deck. Bought it as a kit that also came with a very nice backup camera that replaces the third break light and looks really clean. Plus it gets the camera nice and high up for a good view.
Replaced the stock speakers with some new 6.5" Morels. In the future I may want to add in a third speaker in the rear, but until then, this is more than sufficient. Nicest sounds system I've ever had in one of my vehicles haha.
Another update here, just finished up with the stereo and hitch installs the other day. Hitch was nice and simple, super easy bolt on mod and the wiring harness went in easy as well. Got it from a local store, just the basic Curt hitch. Super solid, and I like the way it looks.
Then here's the new radio, 6.5" LCD touch screen deck. Bought it as a kit that also came with a very nice backup camera that replaces the third break light and looks really clean. Plus it gets the camera nice and high up for a good view.
Replaced the stock speakers with some new 6.5" Morels. In the future I may want to add in a third speaker in the rear, but until then, this is more than sufficient. Nicest sounds system I've ever had in one of my vehicles haha.
CherryBomb
New member
Nice. BigC. I'm slower than a tortoise when it comes to doing stuff for my van. I'll post up some pics once it actually starts to look like something is happening. I found the chair on ebay, $130 included shipping, and I got a swivel base which locks in the forward facing position from discountvanandtruck.com. None of the holes matched up so I had to take it to a local welder and do a little rigging but it works now. Once I get it mounted and move on to the paneling and more exciting stuff I'll get some pics involved, hopefully by this weekend.
Herbie
Rendezvous Conspirator
You can make the DVT swivel lock into the rear-facing position as well by just putting a notch in the swivel plate. Not for driving like that, but it makes the seat more comfortable to sit in since it isn't wiggling all over. Check my build thread for an example.
Nice, wish I could find stuff that cheap shipped up here! Unfortunately shipping anything to Alaska is no bueno. Good thing the van will be moving south here in a month or so! Looking forward to those pictures, let me know when you get em up!
A little Drive..
Went for a little drive yesterday, about 200 miles through some mountains in questionable weather. Was wet and slick and slushy roads for the first bit, and then frozen and snowy roads from there out. Last 20 miles of the drive was on a small road with 3-4" of fresh snow on it. The van tackled it all and was completely fine! Was towing a trailer with one of my other cars on it, and I had the back loaded down heavy as well, so all the extra weight helped with traction, but regardless I was very impressed and happy with how it handled.
The newly installed backup camera proved invaluable for keeping track of the trailer. The piece of mind it gave me just being able to watch the load and keep a good eye on it was great.
Moving a bunch of stuff out to store at my parents place so I had the back of the van really loaded down as well. If I'm not thinking about living out of it, there's still plenty of space back there for it to function as a cargo hauler which is very nice.
While I'm out here I'm gonna take advantage of my dad's tall (and warm) garage to install the roof fan, any advice?
Went for a little drive yesterday, about 200 miles through some mountains in questionable weather. Was wet and slick and slushy roads for the first bit, and then frozen and snowy roads from there out. Last 20 miles of the drive was on a small road with 3-4" of fresh snow on it. The van tackled it all and was completely fine! Was towing a trailer with one of my other cars on it, and I had the back loaded down heavy as well, so all the extra weight helped with traction, but regardless I was very impressed and happy with how it handled.
The newly installed backup camera proved invaluable for keeping track of the trailer. The piece of mind it gave me just being able to watch the load and keep a good eye on it was great.
Moving a bunch of stuff out to store at my parents place so I had the back of the van really loaded down as well. If I'm not thinking about living out of it, there's still plenty of space back there for it to function as a cargo hauler which is very nice.
While I'm out here I'm gonna take advantage of my dad's tall (and warm) garage to install the roof fan, any advice?
Thanks for the tip Herbie! Will keep that in mind when I get around to ordering and installing one in my van.