2001 Chevrolet Express 2500 - "Chief Dave"

[ArtW]

nice setup!

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Fabulous build! Love that hinge on the middle part of the bed!

 

[galladanb]

I had, at first, planned on the stud thing, but when I saw yours, I thought yours was the better idea! But, I still may go with the studs, then glue and staple...?

I have to get the insulation thingie dunn' then I will worry more...
I feel bad for my dear excellent neighbor, because I borrowered his air compressor many months ago. He had just bought it, and I asked if I might borrow it in a few months. He brought it over, that day, and it's been sitting over here ever since... Oh my!!!

 

[BobBski]

Very nice, two thumbs up

 

[waldenbound]

I like the bed, you're sleeping over the wheel wells. Nice job with the wood walls too.

 

[galladanb]

Vanada! U roc!

I luv your build! I totally copied yours in that I used that same t and g wood strips.
I put up stud covers first, then stapled to that. In most places, it works fine, in some others it still feels a little fragile.... Kinda krinklie like, not sure why?

I did screw the ends directly to the metal, and I'm gonna have to build in support for the rear cabinets.

So, you have 14 boards across the width of your ceiling? Dang, I've got to go get another package or two to complete mine...

And since my van is the 3500 extended version, I really need ten footers, so I will have a lot of splices up there... Bonus, however is that I will have a lottttttttt of left over pieces for the cabinets doors and walls, lol!!!

Such Fun!

 

[Vanada]

Thanks so much galladanb! I should say again your build is going quite splendidly and I'm glad that my posts have been of use to you.

I ended up doing alternating lengths of long and short boards at specific measurements for the ceiling so that I could go into the metal. Worth doing though because it's given me a series of anchor points which are very sturdy.

On that note, here is some more stuff!

The battery box with venting hooked up:

Vent passing into rear. Would like if it didn't kink so high so perhaps I'll tackle that another time:

The vent hole using a piece I got at the marine store. Had to modify it with the jigsaw and file, even then the clearance is about 1mm when closing / opening the door. I tried for ages to get a locknut on the other side and drove myself insane before eventually just sticking it in with some butyl. The dip tube inside goes to the bottom of the box with the theory that it should draw fresh air in.

The vent nice and concealed. To be honest I'm past the point of being stealthy but at least it meant not sticking a hole in the side of the van.

Solenoid installation. There are many like it but this one is mine:

Bed lift rigging with paracord:

Propane box:

Bike storage. I was so giddy when I got this to work. Timed it at about 2 minutes to put both in and 1 minute to remove:

Closer look at one of the fork mounts. The flower knobs go onto hanger bolts which slot through a piece of ply onto which the fork mount is mounted... Sounds over-engineered, yes, but it means not having to remove either bike from the fork mount to remove and they are stable once placed on the ground.

Cheers!
Tom

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Damn, that looks good!! Great work there!

 

[Almost There]

It does look good!

One little piece of advice though - paracord stretches under tension and then does not return. You're going to be adjusting the length of those cords on a regular basis.

Suggest you try a marine outlet for some amsteel. To learn how to handle it, head on over to hammockforums.net cause it's virtually impossible to tie knots in.

 

[Vanada]

It does look good!

One little piece of advice though - paracord stretches under tension and then does not return. You're going to be adjusting the length of those cords on a regular basis.

Suggest you try a marine outlet for some amsteel. To learn how to handle it, head on over to hammockforums.net cause it's virtually impossible to tie knots in.

Cheers! Checking out the Amsteel now. As a climber I'll probably swap out the paracord for some sort of static cord eventually. For now it's a good proof of concept though!

 

[CautionToTheWind]

Ain't you some-kind-of-wonderful. ha Great job.

 

[galladanb]

Tom, loving your build! Thank you for sharing all the details!

We are trying real hard to get away on our first journey, actually heading out on Wednesday!

I do have an issue I'm simply stuck on, so if I may? A question with maybe a picture
for me?

I simply can't figure out how to set up the alternator to house batteries trigger line.
Would it be possible for you to say and show exactly how you hooked up the trigger line?
What fuse location was used? I assume you found a circuit that is n with the key, but only after starting the engine?

Thx again, Tom!

 

[Vanada]

I simply can't figure out how to set up the alternator to house batteries trigger line.
Would it be possible for you to say and show exactly how you hooked up the trigger line?
What fuse location was used? I assume you found a circuit that is n with the key, but only after starting the engine?

Sure! Might take a little longer to get pictures due to my weekend schedule but I can say now there's another thread of mine, the last few pages of which involved a lot of back and forth with SternWake and others on this subject: https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Solar-lighting-and-more

Basically this is something I flubbed a bit and will probably revisit at some point. As a new driver, I put my hands up to not really understanding the different key positions. Either way, looking at the fuse diagram I think I used the IGN-E fuse. It was definitely a 10A fuse and they were all giving 12V with the key in the run position. Again, you might not want to follow my example because frankly I'm an amateur and don't feel qualified to be giving advice

Good luck and I hope you're about to get on the road soon!

 

[TheKarmaVan]

This is a great looking build. It seems that we've got a very similar idea with flooring and trim. We also have a very similar van HAPPY BUILDING!!

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Great build! Thought I'd check it out. Quick question... how long and wide is your bed?

 

[Vanada]

Great build! Thought I'd check it out. Quick question... how long and wide is your bed?

Sure! It's 182cm x 90cm

 

[Vanada]

I'm now 1 week away from moving in! I feel like I've held onto my rented apartment longer than I would like but at the same time it's been necessary up until now. Still have slightly cold feet but I think the biggest reason for that is just having everything in the van and constantly worrying about security, break-ins etc.

Some recent additions include mounting the roof rack I found by a dumpster, adding a ski rack and a vent fan cover. I went for the Camco Aero-Flo in the end which is supposed to be decent for air flow and has a nice profile. Also installed a hand pump for the sink with a 20L tank beneath since my plan to suspend a 10L tank with spigot above the sink went down in flames. Finally lots of little bits of organization with totes, baskets etc... The sort of stuff that will be a perpetual work in progress.

Pictures coming soon!

 

[galladanb]

Hi there again, I'm back... Sorry...
Back in post 53, you answered my query about the trigger line connection. I looked agin at the thread you suggested, and I'm I'm still not sure where to actually connect the wire in the circuit box... I seem to be obsessed with not hooking it to the wrong place....

Could I beg of you to shoot a picture of the breaker box showing where the trigger wire is attached to, please! I know men should not beg, but....

On a side note, after our last overnighter, I can see where the isolater charging system would be very useful. I'm going to make a write up and post it in "Captains logs" area!

Thank you for sharing, and indulging my silly needs! U roc!

 

[Vanada]

galladanb: I moved into the van today and relinquished my apartment keys after a couple of hectic days. Now all is calm so I should be able to get you those pictures soon!

 

[Vanada]

Sorry for the delay!

Here are the photos. Hopefully this answers your question but let me know if you need to see anything else.

[img=600x450]

[img=600x450]

Cheers,
Tom