The Bohemivan ('98 Roadtrek, lifted Chevy 3500 2WD)
- Thread starter Mat Mobile
- Start date
Mat Mobile
Adventurer
Thanks for the encouragement! And that's my exact thoughts. I think one of the things I say everytime I do a project/repair is: "Why does it always have to be complicated? Why can't it be simple for once!"
Photomike
White Turtle Adventures & Photography
I wanted to do a simple upgrade on my Transit headlights to LED. Bought the lights, installed and worked GREAT. Till I started the van. Then I got the warning that the bulbs were burnt out. Went to the supplier and they said that was not suppose to happen. I had to buy another type of bulb. Still happened. Then they said I had to buy a resistor. Still happened. Went to another supplier and they said I had the wrong resistor so had to take one out and put the other one in. STILL GOT THAT ALARM. I put the lights in 8 times, installed two resistor packs and still have my halogen lights in the van. WITH GUARANTEES from the suppliers that they would work. Got to be that I could change the lights in 2 minutes 
Mike you might have multiple records with that project.
Did you guys ever check Gregor’s ‘Not So Subtle Shuttle’ thread? It was either there or in his Garage Journal ‘Midcentury Moto Mecca’ thread that I first heard of ‘mission creep.’ OMG what a relief! Not only was I not alone; it’s so common it has a label!
Did you guys ever check Gregor’s ‘Not So Subtle Shuttle’ thread? It was either there or in his Garage Journal ‘Midcentury Moto Mecca’ thread that I first heard of ‘mission creep.’ OMG what a relief! Not only was I not alone; it’s so common it has a label!
Photomike
White Turtle Adventures & Photography
Mat Mobile
Adventurer
One of the improvements we wanted to make was the possibility of bringing some "toys" out in our travels. The main ones were a surfboard and a SUP. Unfortunately, storage is pretty limited in a van so we would have to find a clever way to do this. So I designed a surfboard rack for the outside of the van.
Here's the mock-up stage (front and rear view). There will be a tube welded at the bottom allowing the surfoard to be held up. It will be held onto the extrusions using locking straps:
I managed to simplify the design and will take it to the welder (I don't trust screws on washboard roads) and then for powder-coating:
Here's the mock-up stage (front and rear view). There will be a tube welded at the bottom allowing the surfoard to be held up. It will be held onto the extrusions using locking straps:
I managed to simplify the design and will take it to the welder (I don't trust screws on washboard roads) and then for powder-coating:
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Mat Mobile
Adventurer
In addition, I decided to raise the bed 4" which will be just enough space to fit the SUP's storage bag. I'm also taking the opportunity to remove the old framing for the L-couch that we never used. Having a big open space will allow for plenty of storage and possibly bringing the fresh water tank back inside the truck as a future project.
I first removed everything in the back:
I plugged the hole of the old dinette (a wooden plug and construction adhesive) and then gave everything a good sanding before applying DIY bedliner:
DIY bedliner is not the best but it should be fine for this application. I used the version with accelerant based on reviews and was pretty satisfied with the result. It should help prevent things from sliding around, protect the fiberglass and possibly, with a bit of luck, prevent a little bit of road noise.
I then started building the frame using 8020.
The weight to strength ratio is pretty high! Once I put plywood on top and below it should be plenty strong! I'm also going to place 1" foam (the same size as the extrusions) to insulate that compartment from the cabin.
I first removed everything in the back:
I plugged the hole of the old dinette (a wooden plug and construction adhesive) and then gave everything a good sanding before applying DIY bedliner:
DIY bedliner is not the best but it should be fine for this application. I used the version with accelerant based on reviews and was pretty satisfied with the result. It should help prevent things from sliding around, protect the fiberglass and possibly, with a bit of luck, prevent a little bit of road noise.
I then started building the frame using 8020.
The weight to strength ratio is pretty high! Once I put plywood on top and below it should be plenty strong! I'm also going to place 1" foam (the same size as the extrusions) to insulate that compartment from the cabin.
Mat Mobile
Adventurer
I finished mocking up and installing the surfboard rack. And then I removed it again to bring it to powder coating.
It doesn't prevent me from opening the storage box:
And it doesn't stick out too much from the side (these vans are surprisingly narrow at the top):
Yesterday I purchased all the material to finish the inside of the "bedroom". Work started today but bolting the frame to the floor isn't really picture worthy... More to come!
It doesn't prevent me from opening the storage box:
And it doesn't stick out too much from the side (these vans are surprisingly narrow at the top):
Yesterday I purchased all the material to finish the inside of the "bedroom". Work started today but bolting the frame to the floor isn't really picture worthy... More to come!
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Mat Mobile
Adventurer
Finished most of the bed platform.
We started by adding 1 inch foam in between all the 8020 extrusions. And before anybody asks if I'm worried about thermal bridge, there was only 1/2 of plywood before so I'm sure we're way better off than before!
The next step was to add the 3/8" plywood on top. We used construction adhesive (PL Premium) to glue the styrofoam to the plywood.
I wanted to protect the foam underneath while adding as little weight as possible so I ended up using Markerboard (the stuff they use to make white boards). We also glued it to the foam. And to make sure everything was solid we used nuts and bolts to sandwich the plywood, extrusions and marker board together.
Since the bed is 49" wide and the markerboard is sold 48" wide, I'll be adding a piece of aluminum in the middle to bridge the gap and sandwich it all toether. The pieces of 2x4 are just a temporary measure we used to keep the center up while the glue dries.
We started by adding 1 inch foam in between all the 8020 extrusions. And before anybody asks if I'm worried about thermal bridge, there was only 1/2 of plywood before so I'm sure we're way better off than before!
The next step was to add the 3/8" plywood on top. We used construction adhesive (PL Premium) to glue the styrofoam to the plywood.
I wanted to protect the foam underneath while adding as little weight as possible so I ended up using Markerboard (the stuff they use to make white boards). We also glued it to the foam. And to make sure everything was solid we used nuts and bolts to sandwich the plywood, extrusions and marker board together.
Since the bed is 49" wide and the markerboard is sold 48" wide, I'll be adding a piece of aluminum in the middle to bridge the gap and sandwich it all toether. The pieces of 2x4 are just a temporary measure we used to keep the center up while the glue dries.
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