We didn’t want too much weight up high, but needed more storage. I really like Peter Masson’s implementation of soft-sided upper cabinets using simple duffel bags, so we copied it.
The father of a friend is a retired machinist, and still has access to his friend’s machine shop, so we took all my T-slots pieces to the machine shop and counterbored all the required holes for the 80-20 anchor fasteners.
A toilet was a key component of our build, since we’ll often be camping well away from amenities, and we liked the idea of a “composting” (more properly a separating) toilet.
One of our key priorities for the van was more light and more airflow. We liked the awning window idea, and the best option we found for behind the driver was Eurovision windows.
At invitation of HarryN from the Sprinter Forum, we drove up to Livermore to check out his new shop. He does some nice work with prepackaged electrical systems, with all components built into a flight case:
I can’t remember where I saw the recommendation for this front windshield and window cover, but it’s great.
I got the bulk of our insulation completed before New Years, but some insulation and sound deadening dragged on. Today I made a bit of progress on the sliding door and rear wheel wells.
I’ve ordered a toilet and a window for behind the driver, but haven’t decided how to lay out the rest of the van yet. CAD to the rescue!
I’m so accustomed to the lack of rain here in California that I didn’t bother to check the forecast earlier in the week before taking the van to work. I had only half-completed the roof vent install, leaving the final waterproofing. One torrential downpour later I discovered that the waterproofing was needed!
I’m starting to look at how to wire a “house” battery system into the alternator for charging while driving, and I was hoping to add a fuse to the high-current fuse block, but like some others in the thread with 2017 vans, all my connections are full.
Now that we have a bed, floor and some insulation, the van is usable for overnight trips. My goal was to be ready for an overnight by year-end, and we made it! (albeit barely)
Once we were happy with the bed frame, a platform and mattress were the next step.
Cutting a 14” square hole in your new van to install a vent and fan has been covered extensively on various forums, Antoine and Isabelle’s FarOutRide Transit blog, and elsewhere, but I’ll write up my version anyway.
Back when I thought I would have access to an adequate machine shop with my TechShop membership, I decided to build bed and cabinets from 80-20 T-strut extrusions. I’ve never used aluminum extrusions before - most of my experience is with wood, so this would let me learn something new.
Looking on Promaster Forum and asking around, I didn’t see anyone using the Weather Guard roof rails, so I decided to order a pair for my 159” high roof.
Thanks to a great suggestion from proeddie, I added an RV handle from eBay at the slider entrance. Overall it’s working well, but I decided to use M8 rivnuts, since I have lots of them.
This is a temporary floor, so I’m using cheap 1⁄4” maple plywood, mainly to see how well it stands up. We decided to paint it with remaindered house paint, again since it’s temporary.
Between track saw and jigsaw, I’ve cut the 1⁄4” maple ply to fit, and test fit in the van. A good Thanksgiving project. I’m quite pleased with the tracksaw, although the Makita instructions are pretty brief and limited. I’m not convinced I’m getting the precision that it’s capable of, but it’s good enough for this project.
