Wow!! :Wow1:
That is really great! I was wondering what a really focused, experienced, shade tree wrench could do putting one of these together.
I'm sure you're thinking about interior options. What direction are you headed?
Great work!!
Well USUALLY I consider myself a 'Backyardshop Wrench', but since this wouldn't fit, I had to become a 'Shadetree Wrench'. Totally not my fault! And, without a shop full of tools, this would take someone a LONG time.
For example, do you have a drill that can turn a 3/4" bit? Do you HAVE a 3/4" bit for steel? Do you have a plasma cutter or a right angle drill? Do you have a welder? How about an impact gun? High quality long handle prybars? Not having these on hand would slow you down. I have gotten to the point that I rarely don't have a tool in my arsenal for the job at hand. Typically when I need a tool for a project, I just BUY it, and never get rid of it
Interior? I have some ideas... More than that, I have a critical path of needs to help me design it. I, like everyone, have a certainly lifestyle that I need to account for when thinking about how the Vantom should be laid out.
For me it comes down to 3 basic needs.
Bedding
Food
Navigation
I cover the Western half of the US as a sales territory, so I plan on doing a lot of weekend camping/work week working/weekend camping in this rig. My longest stay IN the van will be maybe a week, but typically long weekends.
I am tallish, and heavyish. Comfort while sleeping is important to me, so one way or another the bed will be about a queen size. It will be located at the rear of the van and may or may not be 'collapsable' to some degree
Food-wise, I have a very particular diet to maintain (think 6 meals a day, 7 days a week), and (cold) food storage capacity will be important. If I can't find the perfect fridge/freezer combo, I may run 2 separate units, one fridge, one freezer. Additionally, I have one of these, which i LOVE:
And it will likely be on a slide out coming out the back doors, along with the rest of my cooking gear. A microwave is critical (see frozen food needs), and nothing less than 1000W will do, so I will need a robust inverter, and likely a nice solar array on top to keep the fridge(s) going all week long.
Navigation. Beside needing to get random places between Kansas City and Los Angeles with ease, finding local gyms is of significant importance to ME. I know its silly to some, but again, different strokes. So if anyone knows of a nice GPS head unit that fits our vans, let me know!
Lastly, little things. I have to dress 'up' for work, so having a small closet for a few pairs of slacks and dress shirts will be a must. I'm not worried about a TV, I tend to entertain myself pretty well out of doors, but a bookshelf? That's not a bad idea...
Somewhere in that list of projects I will probably have a sink and clean water tank, no grey water (maybe a composting port-o-let someday) with an exterior shower handle connection would be superb for washing down after a day of mountain biking in Moab or something. (Thinking about it, this may move up my list.. )
Anyhow, sorry to ramble, my head is always thinking about how to organize and lay things out to maximize the utility of the vehicle.
