Can't think of a catchy name but I'm ALL IN now.

[oPAULo]

Insulation

The one night we slept in the van we used our little buddy heater. It was maybe 40-45 degrees outside.
We've used this heater in a tent with great success on cold nights by throwing a tarp over the tent to hold some heat.
Within a half hour it was 175 degrees inside the van. The van was packed with house insulation around all
the walls, blue foam board in the ceiling, nothing in the doors. You could see the fiberglass floating in the sunlight
as I tore it out. I hate that stuff so it's gone.

I understand why to insulate. More efficient heating and cooling and sound damping.
Wife wears hearing aids and I have tinnitus from years of loud machines at work and subwoofers in my younger days
so the sound damping is lost on both of us. Compared to a tent, it's quiet in there.
I don't foresee a problem with heat either. We won't be doing arctic expeditions for extended periods.

We plan to have the bed sideways across the back of the van so leg/head room is at a premium.

 

[dar395]

"If you're mounting your house batteries inside,". In my build it was so simple to use OME frame mount battery trays, if one looks on the drivers side you will find the mount holes for the trays and these are available for the cheap, I used a RV charger/fuse box combo new off ebay for about $75 bucks, the charger and all electic control is in one place with a cut off battery switch in the driver door step well this has works great, two batteries work in the mount and it's an auto switch to the 110v if pluged in. With this system you do plug in when you get a chance, I used an RV cord thrught my body, after reviewing other builds if you look back I think to "Mexican Cowboy's" build you will learn to use hidden areas for things like wire and water access, much cleaner than mine. Enjoy the build and travels!

 

[oPAULo]

Thanks so much!! If it's a factory battery tray bolt on and go I really might be interested in that route. Looking into it.
Got a link for the RV charger fuse box combo?

Thanks again!

 

[Mwilliamshs]

The rv charger fuse box is in nearly every RV. It's a 110v breaker box, 12v fuse box, 110 to 12v converter, and battery charger all in one. Usually under the fridge or thereabouts and behind a hinged door that flips down. Like most RV factory parts, they're barely adequate for anything and ideal for nothing. They're more designed to not overcharge batteries plugged in all the time than recharge batteries.

There are some kits available to replace/improve the battery chargers in them but it's all more expensive and complicated than what you need, especially since you have few if any 110 needs that wouldn't be supplied by an inverter, which have their own fuses.

Video of RV breaker box/charger.

What are your 110 needs? How often will you plug in to shorepower while camping?

 

[oPAULo]

What are your 110 needs? How often will you plug in to shorepower while camping?

Hard to answer now that camping will be SOOOO much easier. There's no telling where we'll go and for how long.
Best guess will be 3 day weekends without shore power. Thinking about a little genny to recharge if needed.
I doubt that I start right off with a fridge and microwave unless ebay or craigs throw me a deal I can't refuse.
That part of the van will be modular so I can upgrade in the future.
Even then only the microwave will need 110. Maybe charge a laptop but I think I can get a 12V charger for it.
12V needs will be DVD and a little flat screen. Few LED lights. Charge phones. Run the roof fan.


Dreaming of sitting in a hot spring somewhere. Never been to a hot spring. I want to see death valley.

Thanks again Mwilliams!!

 

[maelgwn]

Hard to answer now that camping will be SOOOO much easier. There's no telling where we'll go and for how long.
Best guess will be 3 day weekends without shore power. Thinking about a little genny to recharge if needed.
I doubt that I start right off with a fridge and microwave unless ebay or craigs throw me a deal I can't refuse.
That part of the van will be modular so I can upgrade in the future.
Even then only the microwave will need 110. Maybe charge a laptop but I think I can get a 12V charger for it.
12V needs will be DVD and a little flat screen. Few LED lights. Charge phones. Run the roof fan.


Dreaming of sitting in a hot spring somewhere. Never been to a hot spring. I want to see death valley.

Thanks again Mwilliams!!

IMO - Fridges are indispensable in making quick weekend trip easy and improving the general camping experience.

I had a 12V charger for my laptop - I ended up blowing it up and it was not repairable. So I bought a $20 inverter at Wallmart that charges the laptop when needed, much cheaper and can be used to charge anyone elses laptop and camera batteries when needed. This worked out better for me because it was more adaptable.

 

[oPAULo]

IMO - Fridges are indispensable in making quick weekend trip easy and improving the general camping experience.

I had a 12V charger for my laptop - I ended up blowing it up and it was not repairable. So I bought a $20 inverter at Wallmart that charges the laptop when needed, much cheaper and can be used to charge anyone elses laptop and camera batteries when needed. This worked out better for me because it was more adaptable.

Ha! Just sitting here talking with Amy about fridges. Think I'll try to move it closer to the front burner. If I could just snag one of those Monster energy fridges with glass door and lights.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Truckfridge is the best balance of $/quality I can find. VERY well reviewed at thesamba and iboat. A portable fridge would be perfect for you. Carry it inside, run it on 110 a day to thoroughly cool it, cool your groceries in your home fridge, then load up and head out. No ice, no mess, and you can stay packed till the next trip if you plug in or add solar. The prechilling isn't mandatory but makes a big difference. The fridges can cool very efficiently but making it to do more than it has to is just more work for your batteries.

-Matt

 

[Belltownbikes]

Info

I found this site a very informative read when designing the electrical system on our bus conversion:

http://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

We have 3 house batteries, a really nice Magnum inverter/charger, a Blue Sea ACR isolator and a Bogart Engineering battery monitor. We can stay off grid for 4 days without a recharge - running the fridge, lights, music, charging all of the kid's devices, etc. We keep the bus plugged in at home and the Magnum keeps the batteries healthy. We have a bus - so a gigantic alternator - but can recharge all of our batts in a 2 hour run no problem. We don't run any solar because we are in the northeast and prefer to park in the shade - and we haven't found that we need the recharge. But, out there a panel might be good idea to keep things topped off.

You said you had plenty of time to read! Good luck - looks like a nice van. B

 

[Cdiggy]

You really might want to consider insulation for your rig. Even in mild weather the sun can turn your rig into a sauna. The insulation actually keeps the temperature inside stable cold or warm. I currently am doing a Grumman step van and will be using spray foam for mine. My aluminum body really just takes the heat of the sun and when it is cold it sucks the heat right out. Quickly. Nice van that you have.

 

[oPAULo]

Thanks so much for all the links and info guys!! Very much appreciated.
I'll certainly think twice about insulation. Most of the walls and ceiling would be empty space between the support ribs anyway so may as well throw in some insulation. Was mostly thinking about where the bed will be and trying to gain a few extra inches. I could do some thin stuff in that area.
It does get pretty hot in southern Indiana.

 

[oPAULo]

Ever since we bought the van I was seeing black ants. Like, 1 every 3 days. Here there and yonder. I looked everywhere. Then it got colder and haven't seen one in over a week. Found them tonight tearing out the last of it.


Little water damage. Yup, window leaks. Fancy sealant added to the list.



This will get a steel cross beam tying it all back together.


Made the first purchace. Rivnuts and hardware for fixing the frames to the supports and some steel square square tube.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Surprised by those ribs being sawn through (okay now I'm hungry). If you go to Sportsmobile's DYO Studio you'll see what's structural. They have little blocks that say "Beam here. No windows." Insulation is a good idea. Even driving on the highway your dash heat and ac likely won't make things comfortable with a giant coldsink/oven behind the front seats. This is exaggerated when camping because the body will be way more conductive of hot and cold than your tent. Ventilation in a good tent is practically limitless in summer whereas a van has very small openings relative to its volume. It has a lot more mass to steal heat from you in winter and it has air underneath. Think of a mobile home's under-pinning. That's to keep cold air from circulating under the floor in winter because it's raised above the warm ground, like your van. My point is sleeping in an uninsulated van is hotter in summer and colder in winter than being in a sensible sleeping bag on a Thermarest in a good tent on the ground.

 

[rockbender]

I don't think there is any problem with those beams being cut through. They are simply there to support the side panel. If you take a look at the SMB Design Your Own section, it shows structural members / window limitations for the Ford vans, but not the Chevy.

 

[oPAULo]

I think it's a standard location for a window. Seen a bunch with one right there. It may be a little low but it works. It takes a lot of force to flex the sidewall and window but I'm going to add a bar to stiffen the structure.

Opinions on welding inside the van to the van? Unhook battery? Pull all the fuses?