"Jackur" 2003 Ford E350 Diesel 4X4 Build.
- Thread starter shachagra
- Start date
Lost...Again
New member
Superb work Doug!!
And for the benefit of the forum members, the van will be a "Featured Vehicle" at the Overland Expo this year. Doug's modesty would have likely prevented him from sharing that info....
And for the benefit of the forum members, the van will be a "Featured Vehicle" at the Overland Expo this year. Doug's modesty would have likely prevented him from sharing that info....
I am using Interlux Brightside boat paint. I prime with Kiltz (from home depot) 2nd coat of primer is Interlux (Polyurethane) and finally the topcoat.
Featured Vehicle is little more than a parking spot they are giving me for free, but thanks anyway. It does have a nice ring to it.
The top is conceptually pretty complex, but amazingly simple in operation and actual complexity. The hard, insulated sides are also the top supports. Raising a full top is easy to understand but actually complex in getting 4 supports to raise at the same time, then you have canvas sides. I can lift the top into place with one motion, from one spot.
I notice you mention it hinging at the front-- there is no hinge at the front, only the sides are hinged. I'll post a video of me raising the roof without any mechanical assistance, thats the only way to show how simple the thing is.
It is very hard to get right, it took me 3 fittings, but once it works it is so simple, no mechanical raise mechanism to break.
I originally designed this with a regular pop top with canvas sides, but found that it was so hard to have insulated panels that fit in where the canvass is (for cold weather camping) It was messing with insulated inserts that I can up with the idea for the insulated sodes to act as the support and raising mechanism.
Not for everyone, but very simple.
I notice you mention it hinging at the front-- there is no hinge at the front, only the sides are hinged. I'll post a video of me raising the roof without any mechanical assistance, thats the only way to show how simple the thing is.
It is very hard to get right, it took me 3 fittings, but once it works it is so simple, no mechanical raise mechanism to break.
I originally designed this with a regular pop top with canvas sides, but found that it was so hard to have insulated panels that fit in where the canvass is (for cold weather camping) It was messing with insulated inserts that I can up with the idea for the insulated sodes to act as the support and raising mechanism.
Not for everyone, but very simple.
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Days work
First 3 pictures are of the gutter just behind the front wind deflector. The top closes over the lip of the gutter and the wind deflector protects the top at road speeds. I needed to glass the gutter as it is about the wettest spot on the van. I had mentioned earlier that I had water get in the front- it was from this unfinished gutter.
LED lights
The electrical closet. I'll post my wiring plan with calculations, but its pretty simple. The box on the left is a 1500W inverter. Shachagra has a 3000W perfect Sine wave inverter, but at $1700, this will have to do for the van. On the right is an Outback solar controller. Run the panels (2X 240W) to the controller, and then run it to the batteries and it does the rest. DC system- Solar controller feeds batteries (or truck, or charger) large 1AWG wiring to inverter, 6AWG wires to distribution panel and 10 to the circuits. There is also a Blue Sea Isolator to the vans electrical system and a rotary disconnect. The AC is from both the inverter and an external plug-in to the A/C distribution panel and out to the circuits. Reminder for those wiring a bank of batteries, it is important to have the positive lead to the load come off one battery, and the negative to come off the farthest battery in the bank. For charging it is the same but on the opposite terminals. This ensures you are not charging and depleting only the first battery in the bank.
A view back with the table and the new LED light.
First 3 pictures are of the gutter just behind the front wind deflector. The top closes over the lip of the gutter and the wind deflector protects the top at road speeds. I needed to glass the gutter as it is about the wettest spot on the van. I had mentioned earlier that I had water get in the front- it was from this unfinished gutter.
LED lights
The electrical closet. I'll post my wiring plan with calculations, but its pretty simple. The box on the left is a 1500W inverter. Shachagra has a 3000W perfect Sine wave inverter, but at $1700, this will have to do for the van. On the right is an Outback solar controller. Run the panels (2X 240W) to the controller, and then run it to the batteries and it does the rest. DC system- Solar controller feeds batteries (or truck, or charger) large 1AWG wiring to inverter, 6AWG wires to distribution panel and 10 to the circuits. There is also a Blue Sea Isolator to the vans electrical system and a rotary disconnect. The AC is from both the inverter and an external plug-in to the A/C distribution panel and out to the circuits. Reminder for those wiring a bank of batteries, it is important to have the positive lead to the load come off one battery, and the negative to come off the farthest battery in the bank. For charging it is the same but on the opposite terminals. This ensures you are not charging and depleting only the first battery in the bank.
A view back with the table and the new LED light.
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Howard- thanks for asking this question. I'm sure for every person that posts "great work" there are 10 that are asking themselves if this guy is an idiot! This stuff makes much more sense if I get the opportunity to field questions rather than be written off!
Flooring
I may be a bit early putting in the flooring but it makes such a big difference and I just felt like doing it today. The plan was to put down 1/2" rubber then an underlayment and then "Allure" rubber flooring, available at home depot. The 1/2 rubber is very heavy and may not be worth the weight for sound deadening it provides. I had to oder the Allure flooring I wanted and it arrived yesterday. It was trickier to put down the floor than I thought it would be, the floor was so banged up that there were some low spots that were noticeable even after rubber and underlayment. I put spacers below the rubber and it leveled out the floor nicely.
The picture of the floor with the rubber laid shows my router guide set up to cut a slot in the rubber that I could run wires from the electrical closet to the sink area.
Once the wires were stuffed and the underlayment laid and gorilla taped together just to hold it in place I laid the flooring, added a support along the step that will also hold the bode in step later, and I cut the excess, I used a saw and then a router with a flush cutter bit. Looks good.
I may be a bit early putting in the flooring but it makes such a big difference and I just felt like doing it today. The plan was to put down 1/2" rubber then an underlayment and then "Allure" rubber flooring, available at home depot. The 1/2 rubber is very heavy and may not be worth the weight for sound deadening it provides. I had to oder the Allure flooring I wanted and it arrived yesterday. It was trickier to put down the floor than I thought it would be, the floor was so banged up that there were some low spots that were noticeable even after rubber and underlayment. I put spacers below the rubber and it leveled out the floor nicely.
The picture of the floor with the rubber laid shows my router guide set up to cut a slot in the rubber that I could run wires from the electrical closet to the sink area.
Once the wires were stuffed and the underlayment laid and gorilla taped together just to hold it in place I laid the flooring, added a support along the step that will also hold the bode in step later, and I cut the excess, I used a saw and then a router with a flush cutter bit. Looks good.
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Lost...Again
New member
Doug, What a difference a floor makes! It really helps tie the interior all together and makes a dramatic visual difference. Freakin' awesome work:bowdown:
Thanks- it sure does, and it will be much nicer with a Cherry trimmed finish around the step up. What I think makes the van so much roomier than any I have seen is the absence of any configuration for a bed. My Dad converted an extended 1971 Dodge van into a camper back in 1977 and 80% of the floorplan was bed. That van was my college carriage..... so that 80% was well used, But, with the bed out of the way vans have surprising amounts of space.
Remember- I work for tips
Remember- I work for tips
Lost...Again
New member
Yup, I remember you work for tips. So here it is "Buy high--Sell low" It's worked for me throughout the years...........
Overland Hadley
on a journey
You are right, the floor makes a project. And it is looking really good.
Sorry if I missed it, what kind of plywood are you using?
Sorry if I missed it, what kind of plywood are you using?
On the floor I used 1/8' underlayment.
The cabinets are 1/2" sanderply, just a brand name for cabinet grade.