2008 Dodge Grand Caravan Conversion

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I was going to build a mini-fold-up trailer to haul extra stuff in. Actually, I got about half way through with that. But it was taking me way too long, and the idea of hauling that thing around behind me all the time just started to get a bit daunting. So, I dropped that idea and decided to just get a hitch rack and put a cargo box on it. 



I got the hitch rack from Harbor Freight for $80, and got the plastic truck box at Tractor Supply for $100. I also picked up some reflective stickers for about $8. 

You will notice that I offset the box toward the rear a couple of inches. I even had to leave off the rear railing on the rack to make room for that. This is so I would be able to open my rear hatch on my minivan with the box installed. I even left a little extra room so I wouldn't break my fingers when closing the thing.


I took what would have been the top, rear rail and attached it parallel to the bottom rear rail for additional strength. 

Sorry it is a little hard to see the gap in the next to the last picture. I hadn't realized that the trailer (the one I gave up on) was sitting in just the wrong position back there.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

Here is how I attached the box to the rack.

1. I set the box on the rack and got it in just the right position. Checking the closing of my minivan hatch several times. 
2. I used a bungie cord to hold the box in place, and double-checked that.
3. I marked some spots on the rack showing the outline of the box, in case I accidentally moved it.
4. I laid on my back and squeezed my head under the rack and then marked the box on either side of the rack parts where I wanted to drill through. (None of the parts I drilled through are weight supporting members. They are just cross pieces, tack-welded into place to keep things from falling through. They are strong enough to hold the box in place, but drilling them did not affect the weight carrying capacity of the rack itself.)
5. I also marked where I wanted to drill the bottom of the box for the square-U-bolts.
6. I flipped the box over and drilled my holes. (I drilled holes just smaller than the size of the bolts, so I had to screw the bolts through the holes and pound the square-U-bolts through the holes. This was for better water resistance.)
7. I put the box back on the rack.
8. I temporarily bolted the square-U-bolts in place to hold the box as steady as possible.
9. I drilled through holes in the box into the aluminum cross braces. I still used the slightly too small drill bit.
10. I used a Phillips bit in my drill to drive the round-head bolts through both the plastic and the holes in the aluminum. I did not drive them all the way down yet. I used fender washers to spread the stress out around the holes.
11. I put Lexel Sealant all the way around the bolt holes on the inside, under the fender washers. (Lexel is the best thing I have found for gluing and sealing just about everything. It even sticks to wet surfaces. You can get it at any home supply store.)
12. I screwed the bolts all the way down, squeezing the sealant out and all around the bolt and washer. (I did not screw them down completely tight on the rear row of bolts. The bottom of the box is not directly against the aluminum rack there, so I didn't want to deform the box too much. It is just tight enough so the box doesn't bounce around.)
13. I put fender washers and stop-nuts on the bottoms of all the bolts. (I chose to not cut off the bolts to length so that it would be more of a pain for someone to try to unscrew the nuts. I also did not tighten these to tight. Just enough to hold things in place. The fender washers are so the aluminum doesn't eventually deform and cause the bolts to become loose.)
14. I removed the bolts from the square-U-bolts, surrounded the holes with more Lexel, put the plates in place and bolted the things back down. (Again, not so tight that it deformed the box too badly. Just enough to hold it down securely. This is the part that actually keeps anyone from stealing my box. The nuts are on the inside. I used one regular nut and one stop-nut on each "bolt part" of each square-U-bolt.
15. I cut pieces of wood to lay in the bottom, to hold my bins just above the heads of those bolts. (They are cut this length to just fit the tubs that I will keep in there.)

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

Here is why I am super happy about this cargo box:

All these Rubbermaid Roughneck small tubs fit perfectly into this box.


Notice how the boards I put down (glued down with that Lexel stuff) are just long enough to hold up the two center tubs over the nuts while holding the two side tubs in place to keep them from sliding around. This also has the effect of lifting the center tubs just enough so the lips on the tubs overlap. This is the only reason all four tubs will fit across this box. It is such an amazingly perfect fit, I couldn't believe it. 

There is still some room for tarps lain on top of the tubs or tucked down between the tubs and the rear side of the box. 

I will be storing mostly my light-weight but bulky stuff back here. Nothing heavy or expensive. Mostly spare clothes and stuff. 

I was disappointed to discover that Rubbermaid does not make these tubs any more. And the reviews I have seen say that Rubbermaid has changed the plastic they use in their tubs so they are not durable any more. So, I'm glad I bought so damned many of them when I did.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

Oh, one more post about the box. I put weather stripping around the parts of the lid that were close to the box part. It seems to do a pretty good job of keeping the dust and rain out of the box. But, even if some rain gets in, the tubs are super water and dust tight too. If you look close, you can see the line where the dust did not get past the weatherstripping. 



I put two "rings" of weather stripping. Most of it was the 5/16" x 9/16" size to fill the gap. The two sides and the front (toward the bottom of the picture) are 1/4" x 5/16" and compresses flatter. The self-adhesive on the weatherstripping doesn't stick the best, but being mashed down for several days seems to have gotten it to stick good enough. I put it in the lid instead of around the top of the box so it would have less chance of something catching on it as I pulled things in and out of the box. 

The hasps on the box do not pull the lid tight enough to completely seal the weatherstripping. So I use those two bungie cords that you can see in my first post about this box to keep it completely tight. I also use them to keep the padlocks from rattling around.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I've got a bit of time tonight, so I thought I would catch up on some more of the build photos from this spring.

Here is the shelf that goes behind the "backboard" for the laptop area:

I put those trash bags up there between the uprights and the ceiling to keep the ceiling from getting snagged as I shoved things around to make things fit. Later, after everything was finished, I used the plastic bags as "masking" so I could paint the boards in place without getting any paint on my ceiling.


Here is a tiny little shelf behind my plastic drawers:

To keep stuff from falling off this shelf when I pull out a drawer, I just taped a sheet of cardboard to the back of the plastic drawers. Then I painted it grey like everything else, so you can't even tell it is cardboard. I figured, why put a heavy piece of wood there if I don't need to. 


Finally, here is the backboard for the laptop area:

As you can see, it wasn't anything special. If you look close to the left side (toward the rear of the vehicle) you can see that I overestimated how much the ceiling curved down. I think I will survive. You can also see that I write all over my projects as I build them. I think I said that already.

Once I had all the parts fitted, I cut out the holes for the "doors":

I set some minimum rules for the width of the various parts. Like, 3" min width for supporting parts like the outside edges or supporting a big shelf, and 1" minimum from any joining member. I violated those rules in a couple of spots where I would have ended up with a 2" tall opening. What I did is:

1. While the thing was still fitted together with Gorilla Tape, I reached inside and drew lines along the tops and bottoms of every shelf and where any other pieces joined. 
2. After I pulled it apart, I drew lines following all my rules.
3. Then I adjusted based on reasonableness.
4. I just used a soup can to draw the arcs for the corners.
5. I drilled holes where I thought I was going to put hinges for the cabinet doors.
6. I was very careful to not mess up while cutting so the cutouts could be the doors. 
7. I drilled holes for the wood screws through all the boards from the sides where I drew the lines. These were the larger holes for the shaft part of the wood screws. I used #6 x 1 3/4" screws so I would have less chance of splitting my boards. I would have used longer if I could have found them. 
8. I used a countersink "bit"  to countersink all the holes from the front/outside.
9. I pieced the entire thing back together using Gorilla Tape to make sure that everything fit. 
10. Then I strategically took some parts back off so I could pre-drill the pilot holes for the wood screws. 
11. I pieced everything back together, installing the screws as I went. (I screw the screws almost all the way in with the drill, but then use a hand screwdriver to finish up so I don't strip out any of the holes. I didn't use glue, just in case I need to pull the thing out in the future to repair something. Amazingly, it is solid as a rock. I can yank on that cabinet and it shakes the entire vehicle rather than budge the cabinet out from where it is seated.)
12. I used wood putty to fill all the holes from the screws. 
13. I painted the entire thing with acrylic paint meant for porch floors, so it is really durable. I used a crappy paint brush so you can really see the streaks. I really don't care. 

After getting everything back together, I decided I like how it looks without the doors. So I just didn't put doors on. It feels more open and less claustrophobic.

 

[Txjaybird]

CC  Thank You for posting the pics and the details on your mini van build.  I've been wondering if I can get what I need in my Safari hightop conversion van if I add a hitch carrier.  I've even been looking/thinking about a newer bigger van.  I also have a Aliner pop up that I think I need to sell because I can no longer set it up by myself. I have worsening pain in my neck and back that will continue as time goes by due to degenerative disk disease.

Anyway your build gave me some ideas that I think might help me on the interior of my van.  I've been working towards some nomadic living going on 2 ys now.  I changed tow vehicles and T.T.s once already too!

Thanks Again

JewellAnn

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

Anyway your build gave me some ideas that I think might help me on the interior of my van.

Thanks. I'm glad it's helping. That is why I go into the details instead of just post pictures to show off my completed project. Like Bob, I want people to see that they can learn how to do this stuff themselves.

 

[Doubleone]

Love your build... Great repurpose of the natural voids. I appreciate the intricate fitting of the panels. I know that took time and effort to pattern and fit everything to the van. Very nice work... Well done!

 

[ckelly78z]

I'm just seeing this build for the first time, very well done, I agree with removing the rear plastic/insulation, and hideaway seats, you achieved alot more room, than is normally visible in a minivan. I also like the rear cargo hitch enclosure, but won't that occasionally drag on bumps, and driveway entrances ?

This gives me new ideas for building a van other than the standard white cargo van, and this would be far stealthier in an urban setting, not to mention a smoother/easier driving unit....good job !

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I also like the rear cargo hitch enclosure, but won't that occasionally drag on bumps, and driveway entrances ?

: 
Yup. Here is a link to my update on this issue. There are some entrances that I just can't go in. I am working on other solutions in that other thread. 

....good job !

Thanks.

 

[becida]

Looks good, real good!

When I did the '05 T&C I just did a bed behind the drivers side, it was high enough so I could slide 10 gallon Rubbermaid tubs under it. I kept the pass side middle seat to sit on and used all the under storage (seats gone) for other stuff. The batteries were in the back on the pass side to balance my weight (that was my theory . Plus it was easy to run the wires from the solar panel down to the batteries.

 

[regis101]

Very very very nice. I am in awe.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I'm back to post some more build pictures. These are from November, when I went to the Enigmatic Nomadic Build Party. I had volunteered to help other people install their solar, but my teak kinda fell apart. I kept trying to get assigned to another team but Jamie was always too busy to point me in a good direction. I just gave up and decided to work on my own build instead. 

OK, I had previously decided that I wanted to put as much solar on my roof as I could. So, when I stopped by Northern Arizona Wind and Sun (NAWS), on my way to the build party, I picked up two 305 watt, Canadian Solar panels. Yes, for a total of 610 watts on top of a minivan. I also bought my charge controller, inverter, and a BattleBorn 100 Amp-hour, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo) battery. Even though it was outside of the previously stated discount time, James went ahead and gave me the 7% discount just because I said I recognized him from Bob's video. The whole package cost me $1,800. Which is $800 more than I had planned on spending. I was going to just get two AGM batteries, for a total of 100 Amp-hours (50, usable), but that was gonna cost $600. So, I just went ahead and spent the extra $200 for the BattleBorn. And I'm glad I did. I'll talk about that more in the solar section. 

So, the dudes at NAWS insisted that they load the panels into the inside of my minivan. That left things a little crowded, but they fit because I had designed my build to fit large items if necessary. I arrived at the Van Build Party that same night and just slept with the panels next to me. The next morning I figured out how to strap the panels onto the top of my minivan, just to carry them around, because I didn't want them just sitting on the ground in that insanely crowded area. I spend the next few days trying to find people to help while stewing on how I was going to mount the panels on my roof. 

I finally settled on two 2x10s, mounted on edge on the tops of my existing roof-rack-rails. The reason I didn't just use 2x4s is because I wanted to be able to store things on top of the roof, and under the panels. 

Before I mounted the panels, I decided to lay down strips of white Gorilla Tape on the part of my roof that would have tubs sitting on it. This is so grit wouldn't get under said tubs and grind through the paint, thus causing the top of my van to rust through. So, I had to spend almost a whole day at the car wash scrubbing all the decades worth of tree sap off the top of my car. Then I put down the tape.



I am not going to store anything under the front solar panel. Once the tape was down, I popped of the plastic covers on the ends of the roof-rack-rails and made sure all the nuts holding it down were good and tight. Unsurprisingly, some of them had worked loose over the years. 

Next, I traced the curve of the roof-rack rails onto the lightest of my 2x10s (I knew I was going to be putting it up and down dozens of times while I made everything fit just right. To hold it in place, while I was tracing the line, I just clamped my one, giant C-clamp onto the bottom edge and put tubs up on the roof. I have learned, over the years, to never trust another person to hold something while you mark it. For some reason, they never pay as much attention to what they are doing when helping someone else as they do for their own projects. 

And, it did take dozens of fittings to get the board to sit perfectly on top of that roof-rack-rail. Fortunately, I have a Stanley SurForm tool, which is kinda like a cross between a rasp and a plane. So, even though it was an inside curve, it was shallow enough for my SurForm tool to take off the "high" spots. Then I made sure that the wood did not touch either of the two end caps or the roof itself. This way, all the weight is on the rails, where it belongs, and no grit can get trapped under it and scuff up my roof. 

Because I wanted it to be at least a little aerodynamic, I sloped the front panel down in the front, as you can see here.



Notice how there is a "barb" of sorts on the front, with another slope down to the edge of the roof. This is for the air dam, which you will see in the next post. 

Cutting the second side was much easier because I had a template. But it still took a bit of fitting to get it right.

Then I cut a cross-bar to go between the two uprights and keep them from falling to one side or the other. Much to my surprise, the roof-rack-rails were not completely horizontal on the top, so my uprights were not perfectly vertical. So I had to taper in the sides of the cross-bar a little.



Notice that the cross-bar is cut so that it does not touch the roof of the car. And, I took out some of the wood to lighten it up a little. I had thought about taking out some of the wood for the side pieces (the uprights) but someone reminded me that then people would be able to reach in and try to steal things. I may route out some of the wood on the inside of those, later. That will be a pain because I do not plan on taking this monstrosity off of the car ever again.

And here is a kind of front angle view of the uprights and cross-bar mounted on the roof-rack-rails.



If you look close, you can see that the uprights are held onto the rails with square "U"-bolts. I bought extra cross-straps for the u-bolts so they would take more tension. I also put both the nut that came with the u-bolts AND a nylon-insert, "lock" or "stop" nut. I use "stop" nuts on everything. 

I'l talk about how I mounted the panels in the next post.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

In order to mount the panels on the uprights, I had planned to just use some "L"-brackets and drill holes into the bottoms of the solar-panel-frames for bolts. But some dude came along and insisted on brainstorming various other options. I was mostly just humoring him, when he reached up and felt that there was already a hole in the panels (which were sitting there to check the fit before I started marking for the "L"-brackets) right over the tops of the uprights, at all eight points where the panels sat on top of the uprights. He suggested just putting a screw down from under the panel into those holes and into the tops of the uprights. Now, normally, one would think, "How the hell am I gonna get a screwdriver in there?!" However, the screws I had already bought had hex heads on them. So, I realized I could use a wrench to put the screws in. 

I carefully marked the holes, got a tall friend to help me lift the panels off yet another time, drilled the holes, and got the same friend to help me lift the panels back up in to place. I was able to take a 5/16 box-wrench and slowly screw down each screw. Yes, it took absolutely forever. OMG, my fingers had such a cramp. There wasn't enough room for a socket, so I had to turn the screw 1/3 of a turn, move the wrench, and do it again. But the best part of it is that someone else would have to do the same thing in order to steal my panels. Yeah, thieves are lazy, they ain't gonna do all that. 

Here are some pictures of the panels, mounted in place:



You will notice that I hadn't put on the air-dam in the very front yet. Notice how it looks as if there is nothing holding the panels down at all. 

You can also see that I put another cross-bar behind the rear panel. This will hold the hinges for the rear hatch-door to enclose the storage area. Because I use the longest lag-screws I can find to join these cross-bars, it adds a lot of rigidity. Remember, don't just use a screw long enough to keep it from falling off. Use the longest screw that will reasonably fit in there so it adds lots of additional strength and rigidity. The difference in weight between a 1/4"x4" lag screw and a 1/4"x6" lag screw is minimal. I didn't want to go with fatter lag-screws because my rear cross bar was only 1.5 inches wide. I didn't want to weaken it at the very point where it needed strength. I also used fender washers, instead of regular washers to spread the stress around further, instead of just mashing a dent into the wood. That would have weakened the joints as well. I did not glue anything, just in case I do need to remove it at some point.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

And here are some pictures of the electrical. I'm not going to go into how everything is wired up. I mostly just want to show off how neat and tidy it all is   .



I was able to route the wires down from the roof, all the way to the space under the floor, without drilling any holes in the body of the vehicle. That way, I don't ever have to worry about any leaks. The wires come down, behind the door, along the back edge of the column to the rear of that door. Then I made a small loop so water would drip off, and then came back up through a slit in the bottom of the seal. Because that slit is at the bottom, and well protected, no water will come in. The wires then run under the plastic trim at the bottom of the door, and loop over into the space under the floor. I just used Gorilla Tape to hold it in place. Because I never step there, those wires are very safe from wear and tear. You will then notice an extra couple loops of the solar panel wire. It is always good to leave extra, just in case. The rest of the wires are only as long as necessary, because they are short. It is cheaper to just cut a longer piece later, if necessary. 

The second picture is looking down, into the space left when I removed the right-middle Stow-N-Go seat. The breaker in the lower right is mounted on the column behind the passenger's seat. It is high enough for me to reach it from my bed, without moving anything. That is the main breaker for all the 12V stuff, after the battery. You can see that, with the BattleBorn battery, I only used less than half of the space. There is room for another battery in there, when I get the money. 

I don't know if you can see it, but the charge controller and inverter are mounted on a little ledge toward the rear of that compartment. That is where the hinges for the seats used to be. Yes, it turned out to be just the perfect height to hold those components. So, the components stick about half-way out, over the battery. And, because it is a LiFePo, I can mount the battery on its side.

I mounted the inverter such that the switch is below an area of my floor that is not covered by the tubs for my bed. I then cut a hole in the floor, so I can switch the inverter on and off just by sticking my finger through the hole. I can reach that switch while laying in bed, while sitting at my desk, from the driver's seat (thanks to very long arms), and even just from leaning in from the outside of the vehicle. When everything is in place in my vehicle, that hole is just two inches to the left of the bottom of the tub that sits over the inverter. So, I never step on that hole in normal use. Sorry. no picture of the hole. This is a family web-site  .

You will also notice that I label everything, like a maniac. If you ask someone to help you fix your system, and you don't have anything labeled, it will take them about five times as long to figure everything out. Yup, I even label my tool batteries. Not because I'm afraid of you stealing them. But because I know I will eventually leave them behind somewhere, and I want you to know which idiot to call to give them back. 

I then wired in two power strips. One is just inside my left sliding door, and one is in my computer space. You will see it later.

Well, that's enough pictures for now. I'm kinda typed out. Time to look at some YouTube videos using the awesome reception I get here at, what I now call, the Big River site.

 

[Turtlelady]

I like the way you think. Your creativity, patience, and attention to detail at all levels impresses me. Seeing your photos and reading the descriptions of your thought processes and then the actual builds definitely will help me as I evolve solutions in my van. Thank you for taking the time to share so fully. Best wishes for your journey.

 

[Cammalu]

Really neat and tidy. Now please come to Quartzsite and organize my rv [emoji16]

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Nice job, good work, nice build report so far.
Fyi, I built an 18" high plywood box on the roof for storage and to mount my panel. Sloped the front like you. Gained lots of storage, barely noticeable effect on mpg.
Check my threads for build if interested and maybe some ideas as well.

 

[ByeBye]

Wow...I'm impressed with your creativity, craftsmanship and documentation skills...you rock!!

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I have finally finished the hatch for my storage compartment, under my rear solar panel. Here are some pictures:

Here is what it looks like, closed:


Here is how I had to modify the hinges so the hatch would sit flush:

I had to wander around in the hardware store for quite a while before I realized that I could do this with simple T-hinges.

Here is the reinforcement I manufactured out of the leaves of a door hinge, so it is harder to pry my hatch open:

I made this using nothing but my drill and jigsaw. You'll notice the drill hole size is not exactly the same as the width of the slot that I wanted. Sometimes you just gotta work with what you got. I was amazed how well a standard metal cutting blade for my jigsaw just cut right through that thick metal plate. It is held in place by really long screws. That way, the screws are distributing the forces as far back into the board as possible. Also, notice how thick that board is. It is 1" thick plywood. Arlington Hardware (in Arlington, WA) will sell plywood by the inch, so you don't have to buy a whole sheet, thus giving you more options if you can't afford things like whole sheets of 1" plywood.

And here is a view of the hatch, opened up and laid down on the solar panel:

Now you can see why I put those four rubber feet on the outside of the door. I had to adjust their positions so that they would all sit pretty flat on the solar panel, thus distributing the weight. 

Finally, here it is with all the tubs from my cargo box moved up to the "attic":

Now you can see why I put that plastic trellis over the tops of the 2x10 uprights and under the solar panel. It holds my tubs down so they don't bounce up against the bottom of the solar panel. It also holds the lids of all the tubs closed, so no rain gets in. (Those RubberMaid tubs seal pretty well.) You can also see that there is just enough room for my folding chair to fit back there as well. I did not plan that part. It just worked out that way. Lots of things in my build just happened to work out better than I had planned.