AT IT AGAIN: Paul and Mike Convert a Mid/Tall T1N Sprinter Cargo

[PaulJensen]

#29

(above) With the electrical wiring 99% done, with only extensions of the battery leads to be made, the focus was now on finishing up the kitchen cabinet and making the upper cabinet end panels and cabinet trim...The drain valve and elbows for the holding tank were hand tightened on...Mike will use a garden hose to drain the tank...That blue pipe is for the water heater pressure relief valve...Metal would have been better, but space is tight...It's unlikely that valve will ever open so I'm not too worried about it...

(above) Under the sink...The raw plywood is the framework for the drawer guides...Everything was kept as open and accessible as possible...

The drain pipes for the sink were placed and braced...The replacement water pump is hooked up and the fittings to the supply tank are done...

I'm pleased how this all turned out, given what is in there and the space that was available...Pleased indeed...

(above) The electrical work in the cabinet is complete...The round thing on the far left is a battery monitor...The breaker panels are 12 volt on the left, 110 volt to the right...That white thing on the wall is fabric to prevent the sliding plexiglass panel from getting scratched...The details never end...

(above) The countertop is siliconed in place. as is the undermount stainless steel sink...The faucet is loosely fitted with the final hookups to happen after the silicone hardens up...The induction cooktop is in and plugged in...Looks perfect...

(above) Mike was hoping for a Corian type of material but the cost was in the $2K range (******?), the stone (including the small slab on the curb side) and the sink were $425...Deal...!!!...

(above) I brought the cushions out...Tomorrow the curb side ones are ready to be picked up, so I'll bring these along for a final going over...

(above) Once you sit down, you don't want to get up...Once you lay down, it's the same...

(above) "Hey everybody, let's hang out in The Hiscox Lounge...!!!..."

 

[java]

Almost there!

 

[PaulDavis]

2 questions/observations:

Mike/Paul: how well does that induction plate work for boiling water compared to a euro-style induction kettle?

Why does everyone building things that end up as sofas in van conversions leave the base horizontal and the back vertical? All the most comfortable seating has an angle for both of these (down-at-rear for the base, back-at-top for the rear). Just too complex?

 

[PaulJensen]

Quick reply on the seat cushion...

I fully agree...

The existing bolsters were simply recovered as was the bed cushion...No changes there...

I had the new jump seat back cushion built as a wedge...

Photos tomorrow...

 

[mhiscox]

Mike/Paul: how well does that induction plate work for boiling water compared to a euro-style induction kettle?

Not sure, Paul, but this cooktop, the same as the one we use at home, is a bit faster than the 15,000 BTU gas burner we have, and it's also a bit faster than a Zojirushi-style AC water boilers.

Why does everyone building things that end up as sofas in van conversions leave the base horizontal and the back vertical? All the most comfortable seating has an angle for both of these (down-at-rear for the base, back-at-top for the rear). Just too complex?

That one's simple to answer. As Paul Jensen mentioned, that "sofa" is first and foremost the bed. We'll be sitting on the mattress. And not only is there the issue of the straight base and backrest, the required bed width is substantially too deep to be ideal for sitting. Those big backrest cushions are the best compromise we've ever found, though, and it's actually pretty comfy for 5'10" me, though the base is still too deep for the 5'3" wife.

This right angle thing is a frequent compromise in boats and RVs (and Frank Lloyd Wright houses) where the furniture is built-in. When you get a space big enough that the seating doesn't have to do double-duty as seating or casework, people seem to more commonly move to upholstered furniture. Your suggested configuration is wise, but as you noticed, doesn't seem to be widely implemented.

 

[PaulDavis]

Thanks for the info Mike. We use a 1200W induction kettle at home all the time, and I'm reluctant to go all the way up to a 2000W inverter just for this one purpose. But if using an induction "burner" gets close at the same time as being more general purpose, then it could be worth considering. OTOH, mostly focused on propane for cooking at present. I do like how that unit looks in your granite, though.

I'm planning to do a bed/sofa conversion in my Sprinter that will "do the right thing". It is a bit complex and I don't have it fully worked out yet. The key is trying to copy aspects of a futon bed frame that we have, I think, which manages to be flat as a bed, but angled as a sofa.

 

[mhiscox]

Thanks for the info Mike. We use a 1200W induction kettle at home all the time, and I'm reluctant to go all the way up to a 2000W inverter just for this one purpose. But if using an induction "burner" gets close at the same time as being more general purpose, then it could be worth considering. OTOH, mostly focused on propane for cooking at present. I do like how that unit looks in your granite, though.

I highly recommend propane if you're going to be away from mains power for more than a day or two at a time, simply because no matter the size of your inverter, big current discharge rates are tough on your battery bank and shouldn't be a routine event. A bottle of propane will let you do an heck of a lot of cooking. (And, FWIW, you could get a propane cooktop like the excellent two-burner Dickinson I had in the first Sprinter:



and set it in granite and replace the butcher block cover we had with a granite cover. That'd look about as trick as flush-mounting an induction cooktop.)

I'm planning to do a bed/sofa conversion in my Sprinter that will "do the right thing". It is a bit complex and I don't have it fully worked out yet. The key is trying to copy aspects of a futon bed frame that we have, I think, which manages to be flat as a bed, but angled as a sofa.

I hope that works out. I always start out looking at futons and other folding setups, but never end up using one. The average futon "seat" always seems too deep and I'm never willing to give up the under-platform storage space that the futon's low "ground clearance" prohibits. But it's worth the effort if you can make it work, for sure.

 

[mk216v]

Looking stellar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hiscox Battleship Lounge it is.

 

[_hein_]

Very nice progress and work as always. Which model cook top is that? Can you tell me where you got it? I was planning on a free standing cook top but that thing looks sexy. One recommendation: Put a cover over the AC breakers. The screws are hot and easy to touch.

 

[PaulJensen]

One recommendation: Put a cover over the AC breakers. The screws are hot and easy to touch.

There is a cover that came with it, I'll be sure to get it covered...How about the 12V DC...???...

 

[PaulJensen]

#30

(above) The jump seat cushions...

(above) Double duty seating...Facing forward it's good for travel, facing the bed it's perfect for eating, reading, lounging...I'm glad the width was increased from the original idea...

(above) The seat belt is solidly anchored to the plywood casework, which is solidly anchored to the floor and side walls...

(above) The right length of battery cable was made up at the local battery store...It was interesting talking with a guy with 23 years of crimping / soldering experience about THE RIGHT WAY to make electrical connections...Avoiding voids in the cable / crimp connection is the key...Minor arcing is the eventual failure point with just crimping...Filling those small voids with solder is better than no solder at all...

(above) Cables in place just needing a final wrenching...

(above) Mike sent me a template for a custom passenger side floor mat...Nope...I'll make one worth building...

(above) Back in the shop, the final painting of drawer faces has happened as is drying...

(above) The upper cabinet end panels are primed, the modified kitchen cabinet drawer boxes are final painted...

 

[Jr_Explorer]

(above) The seat belt is solidly anchored to the plywood casework, which is solidly anchored to the floor and side walls...

You do FANTASTIC work! I love your build threads. One word of caution... Wood anywhere in the force distribution path will NOT survive an accident. I'm not a big guy and was in a '93 Ford Explorer at a dead stop when I got rear ended by a late model Corolla doing about 30-35. The force of that impact BENT the drivers seat back about 20-25 degrees! I doubt that position is intended for occupation during long trips. Just wanted to relay my experience.

 

[PaulJensen]

... One word of caution...Wood anywhere in the force distribution path will NOT survive an accident... I doubt that position is intended for occupation during long trips...

Sure...Here it's intended for very occasional use...My thinking is it's better to have at least some kind of restraint, than none at all...

 

[PaulJensen]

#31

(above) Mike wanted to know if a pair of Pico folding chairs might fit behind the driver seat...Nope...

(above) The other one could go here...The other location, at the rear doors turned to to be not big enough...

(above) After some blind wrenching , the plumbing connections under the sink were finished...

(above) Time for the water test...The plug was pulled and it barely drained...

(above) Plumbing 101 says drain lines must be vented...So one was added to the high point of the drain tank...Problem resolved...

(above) Next the upper cabinet end panels were glued and nailed in place...A piece of cove molding was added at the ceiling / cabinet juncture...

(above) All the drawer faces were installed...Poly-urethane glue and screws where the pull will go hold the faces in place until the glue sets up...

(above) ...and on the kitchen side...

(above) Wall trim at the fabric wall was nailed to the underlying plywood then puttied, sanded and painted...

(above) A quick round of touch up painting happened...

(above) I'm loving how this is turning out...

(above) At the headliner this fabric cover piece covers the last gap...

(above) Masking tape and paper pulled...

(above) There was an un-cover strip of plywood that is now covered, right above the door...

Tomorrow the flooring gets installed and I head off to Japan...

 

[southpier]

lots of details