Now that we have our van, the process of conversion seems pretty overwhelming. It feels like a huge cavern, filled with options and possibilities. I’ve been reading and researching for a couple of years now, so now everything gets real.
Welcome to our sub-site for documenting the build-out of our Promaster high roof van. Our intention is to use the van as a camping/biking/hiking support, and the goal is to keep it usable throughout the build process. It may not always be pretty, but it should be functional.
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 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.