1988 Nissan Stanza wagon - Dina

[erw1988]

<div>These are the basics of Dina -- my and my wife's '88 Stanza conversion:</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>We took the back seat out and built a full sized bed. The bed is made out of pine and the top of the bed is made from eucaboard. Our "mattress" is made out of three foam mattress toppers and two blankets. Underneath the&nbsp;mattress are two yoga pads. On top of the bed is a thick tiger blanket and a comforter, which has been more than&nbsp;enough when the temps drop down to 20&nbsp;Fahrenheit&nbsp; surprisingly. The bed sleeps firmly and I haven't had any back problems.&nbsp;In fact, it's been the best bed I've slept in so far.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>

</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The eucaboard was split in half so we could lift up either side to get underneath the bed, where our stuff is&nbsp;held. We've got our camping things, cooking things, food stuffs, some of our clothes, etc.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>

</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Our power system consists of a 100 watt Grape Solar panel from AMSolar. The charge controller is a Sun Charge&nbsp;SC-30. Right now, only the solar panel is mounted -- everything else will be mounted or installed within the next&nbsp;week. We made a custom mount for the panel, with 1 inch aluminum pegs, cut into 6 inch lengths. The solar panel&nbsp;can be taken on and off and they're held onto the pegs with wingnuts. The pegs are bonded to the car with 3M 5952&nbsp;VHB tape, which we put down last night. Even at just 70% bonding, those things don't feel like they're going&nbsp;anywhere.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Solar panel</div><div>

</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Pegs with VHB tape</div><div>

</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Lastly, we tied a hemp line between the bed and the front of the car. We drape a bed sheet over that line to make&nbsp;a "wall" when we sleep. We fashioned some pop-in/pop-out window coverings. The coverings are made from cardboard,&nbsp;with Reflectix on the cardboard. They are then wrapped in thick black garbage bags. Once we get a little bit of heat in there on a cold night, these have helped trap it.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>

</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>More to come when we get the solar power system set up!</div>

 

[erw1988]

Gah. I haven't gotten the hang of dropbox yet. I'll post the pictures when I do.

 

[Suanne]

We made a custom mount for the panel, with 1 inch aluminum pegs, cut into 6 inch lengths. The solar panel&nbsp;can be taken on and off and they're held onto the pegs with wingnuts. The pegs are bonded to the car with 3M 5952&nbsp;VHB tape, which we put down last night. Even at just 70% bonding, those things don't feel like they're going&nbsp;anywhere.

<br><br>Thanks for the description of you solar panel mount.&nbsp; For our RV, I'm thinking something simular would work for us.&nbsp; I'm looking forward to being able to see your pics too.<br><br>Suanne ... will be traveling in a Prius hatchback soon

 

[erw1988]

Okay, pics are up!

 

[Stillwater]

Hey?! That looks familiar, color and all! Great cars. I developed a transmission issue around 200k but nothing else. All my friends called it the "cockroack" because it would just never die. <br><br>I loved the pillarless side sliders. I never took the back seat out but did a similar build with a wooden sleeping platform - with storage beneath - that could be unfolded with seats down for sleeping.<br><br>

 

[HoboBerg]

Thanks for the pics, and the post! Interested in trying some car dwelling myself.

 

[Rollin]

Very interesting idea on how you mounted the brackets for the solar panels. Very&nbsp;curious&nbsp;to hear how they hold up.&nbsp;

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

That is really awesome.&nbsp; I love seeing innovative ideas!&nbsp;

 

[erw1988]

Thanks for the replies, y'all.<br><br>We ran into issues with the tape and the pegs today, and had a couple of things working against us. The tape was bonded in a cool atmosphere, rather than a warm or hot one like recommended (though for the initial bond, we used hair dryers to raise the temp around the pegs.) Also, it rained today and water got into small crevices that we didn't account for. When that happened, we were able to just take the pegs off with no force. Bad thing. So, this is what we're gonna do: put new tape on the pegs, let the tape bond to the pegs first and then bond the pegs to the car. After that, we're gonna put rubber sealant around the pegs to keep water out.<br><br>We'll see how that does -- I'll keep y'all updated. If all else fails, I'm just gonna break down and drill into the roof. But, I really don't want to... that means we'll have to cut into the upholstery.

 

[erw1988]

Stillwater: that's cool! We bought the car at 83,000 miles. It had been sitting in someone's garage in Dallas for the last 15 years. She runs great!

 

[erw1988]

We're doing round two of the pegs and tape. This time, we're letting them set for an hour while a blow dryer heats them up. The directions say that an hour at 150 degrees will make them bond totally. I've put the solar panel back on them for weight so there is more contact between the metal and the tape (we also stacked some extra tape on the pegs so they would level out.)<br><br>Once the drying is done, we'll be sealing them with weatherproof silicone sealant. That should keep the moisture out, since that was the reason they fell off in the first place.

 

[erw1988]

We also got stuck in Texas through the rest of January for some unforseen reasons. I'm heading off to New York City on business in the first week of February, but right after we're taking off. We're both bummed out that we missed the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. There are just a few things left we need to do before we head out:<br><br>Change spark plugs, spark plug wires and the fuel filter<br>Buy the AGM battery and wires<br>Hook up the solar system

 

[Kevin H]

<p>Great ideas. &nbsp;Makes traveling in a small economical rig a real option.<br><br>A thought occurred to me regarding the tape and legs. &nbsp;In the current configuration the tape is actually only adhering to the top layer of paint. &nbsp;It is conceivable that strong wind, such as highway speed winds, could cause the paint to separate with a catastrophic loss of the panel. &nbsp;</p><p>What if you sanded to the bare metal and then applied the tape? &nbsp;Then seal around the foot with a thick gap filling paint such as a pick-up bed liner or at least caulk to keep moisture away from the bare metal.<br><br>Any body shop experts chime in. &nbsp;This was just a thought.<br><br>Happy Trails!! &nbsp;-- &nbsp;Kevin</p>

 

[erw1988]

Well, the directions say to scrub the surface of whatever you're sticking tape to before you put it on, probably for the reason you just pointed out. I scrubbed the paint last time, but I don't think enough. This time, I got steel pan scrubbers and some sand paper and scrubbed off the paint so the tape would have access to the metal underneath the tape.<br><br>Hopefully it works!

 

[WanderingRain]

Great setup! You may want to shop around for a used car rack that clamps onto the sides of your car so you don't need to drill on your roof. I think the racks that carry skis would be perfect for your solar panel...

 

[erw1988]

We FINALLY got it to work. The tape is on there, and we sealed it, and we've been driving it for two weeks. The tape works great.