2006 118" Sprinter Conversion

[PaulJensen]

(above) The stainless steel countertops will have aluminum edging...

(above) Starting with 1/8" x 1.25" flat aluminum bar stock, it was laminated to a piece of pine 1/2" x 1/2" with a rabbet to have the aluminum flush with the wood... After that dried overnight, it was positioned on the countertop and pilot holes were drilled through the wood and into the underlying stainless...

(above) With the pilot holes all drilled, adhesive was applied to the the trim pieces......

(above) Trim head screws were used to fasten the edges to the countertop...

(above) Next, U - channel aluminum was cut to fit over the wood/flat aluminum... Silicone caulking bonds the wood to the aluminum and provides the necessary waterproofness between the aluminum and stainless steel...

(above) Tapped snugly into place with a soft faced hammer, the caulking line cleaned up next, then the masking tape is pulled... Tomorrow the corners will be sanded with 220 grit to be flush and the sharp corners eased slightly...

(above) The tin ceiling tiles finally arrived... I taped a few to the plywood backing to get a sense of how it will look...

(above) At first it seemed out of proportion, but I think it will balance out all the darkness of the cabinetry and add some lightness and levity to an other wise cave-like ambiance... Good choice Tyler...!!!...

 

[Vandit]

I've never seen anyone use tin ceiling tiles in a van before. Definitely will be a unique touch and I agree it should brighten up the interior nicely. Great work so far, keep it coming.

 

[PaulJensen]

(above) The rear cabinet doors all have keyed alike, cam-locks for security... The vertical corners all have 1/8" x 3/4" aluminum corners...

(above) Inside the lower cabinets are painted white to help see what's in there... Black would be way too dark...

(above) The 10 gallon water tank has a fitted plywood retainer screwed to the floor... The 2" nylon strap that is screwed to the walls keeps the upper part of the tank from wandering...

(above) The stamped tin ceiling is glued and tacked in place... The wood braces are left in overnight to keep the tin tight to the sub-plywood...

(above) The overlapping corners of the tiles are now screwed in place... Aluminum flat stock, painted black is screwed to the ceiling around the sides...

(above) The bed frame support rails are aluminum, 1/8" x 1.5"... Bolted through the sidewall of the wheel-well cabinets in the rear... The bed support will be close to flush, removable and will also be a bench seat (below) and a motorcycle ramp...

(above) The bed support has been cut in length to fit between the wheel-wells... 1/8" x 1.5" aluminum seat supports are bolted through the wheel-well plywood... The back bench seat stop is temporarily just clamped in place... The seat angle is 5 degrees from horizontal and the back to seat angle is 100 deg... Feels good... In the picture covering the aluminum temporarily is 1/8" masonite... Took a while to plan this out, but it turned out better than I imagined...

More later...