Doin' the buildout

[zemio]

Interesting project! I use the same jerry cans for water and gray as well, but I have a sink and hand pump. Are you planning to fit one/either? I've always thought that the secret to a good livable build is a ready bed (that you have, looks comfortable!) and a usable galley. Somewhere on this site is a link to a (Avanti?) box kitchen. Mains powered, but no reason why you couldn't fake something like. I have lived out of a Trangia cook set, they work pretty good and can be easily fixed in place.

 

[MrNoodly]

The cabinet (slightly reconfigured) is now anchored to the van via a bolt through an existing hole in the floor and to the steel partition. And the bed is anchored to the cabinet via longer bolts through the frame. Now, even though the bed legs don't have bracket or struts, the bed can't move end to end, side to side or twist.<br><br> <br><br> <br><br>I also plugged holes where the original cabinets had been mounted to the floor. I squirted silicone into the holes and used fender washers above and below.<br><br> <br><br>I've figured out how to anchor the metal cabinet in the ex-passenger area. I'll have photos of that tomorrow. And maybe of the solar panel finally mounted.

 

[MrNoodly]

Here's my solution for anchoring the metal cabinet in the former passenger seat area -- sooner than I expected. I got some slotted angle iron and cut two pieces long enough to go between the seat bolts and two longer pieces.<br><br> <br><br>Since the seat bolts are larger than the holes in the angle iron, I drilled them larger (Hole on the right end with the Sharpie mark). Also, the holes aren't spaced quite right, so I cut a slot for the other bolt (see the left end)<br>A stack of 1/2" washers go on the seat bolts because the bolts are recessed. Then the short piece can be bolted down (nutted down, actually).<br><br> <br><br>The longer piece can be bolted to the short piece with carriage bolts. You can bolt through the narrow side or the wide side, whichever works better. And you can use as many carriage bolts as you have room for.<br><br> <br><br> <br><br>The trick is positioning the holes in the bottom of the cabinet. And the bottom of this cabinet isn't that heavy duty, so I'll reinforce it with plywood. The feet that come with the cabinet are adjustable, so they can add additional stability.

 

[MrNoodly]

Finally, the solar panel is mounted.<br><br> <br><br>And the roof is dirty.

 

[MrNoodly]

I got the steel cabinet all mounted where the passenger seat used to be (see earlier photo). It almost required the assistance of a child's small hands, but I was able to get my beefy old man hand into the tight spot. I also installed a bolt latch to keep the drawer closed. I drove around a while and everything seems secure. I just need a connector strap to the door post to make it extra stable.<br><br>Tomorrow the big shelf/cabinet unit that came with the van is going back in.<br><br> <br><br>We're gonna need some bigger bolts.

 

[MrNoodly]

Whee, starting the wiring.<br><br>

 

[MrNoodly]

I got a heavy duty retaining ring for my propane tank. These are usually for forklifts and such. But when I went to put the tank in it, the arc of the ring was slightly too small. I think it warped when they welded on the mounting bracket. <br><br>No problem. Get out a sledge hammer and pound on it a little. Aaargh, manliness! (See hammer marks.)<br><br> <br><br>Now it fits just fine. Failure to conform will mean more beatings.<br><br>

 

[MrNoodly]

The Adrian cabinet that came with the van is all bolted down and anchored at the top. Thanks to Bryan for turning the bolts inside the van while I was underneath holding things. Some of the nuts were in very hard-to-reach places. I now appreciate hoists more.<br><br> <br><br> <br><br>The solar charge controller, meter and inverter will mount to the side of the cabinet by the sliding door. the batteries will go inside the cabinet -- properly insulated from surrounding metal, of course.<br><br>The next big thing is cutting the roof and installing the vent. I guess there's no easy going back from there.

 

[MrNoodly]

The upper door on the cabinet folds down to a good desk/table height. Now I need to figure a good way to hold it flat. Chains or cables at the corners, perhaps.

 

[MrNoodly]

Mood lights, anyone?<br><br> <br><br>So many tiny wires.

 

[Coffee Tim]

This is looking really great!&nbsp;

 

[MrNoodly]

The past month living out of my friend's 6x12 trailer with my crap stashed inside has taught me a few things.<br><br>One is that 80% of that crap is still packed away. There's so much I don't need day-to-day. I go through clothing (sweat and dirt) but not much else. All the useful items I thought I would need? They are still waiting to be used.<br><br>I don't miss most of my "cherished" possessions. I looked in a container the other day and wondered why I have those things. There will be a lot of winnowing in the coming weeks.<br><br>I don't need to bathe twice a day or even daily. It has become rather pointless with the muggy heat we've been having. A minute after washing I feel exactly like I haven't.<br><br>Time flies when I have something to do. It drags when I don't. And I happily spend a lot less time online. I've watched maybe three hours of TV the past month. I barely miss it. But I'll need to keep up with "Breaking Bad."<br><br>Once in a while I have to remind myself that I have no schedule, that I can just do what I happen to be doing without needing to rush on to something/someone waiting. It's great.

 

[cygvan]

noodly,<br><br>not sure how but i missed your thread until now.<br><br>looks great.&nbsp; ill be watching.<br><br>about your audio, i didnt know that our vans dont use a double DIN. according to crotchfield its like 1.5 DIN?&nbsp; they sell a mounting kit that converts part of the space to storage.<br><br>i always thought it was double DIN....just by looking at it, its huge (stock).<br><br>i was going to leave my cab totally boring bone stock except maybe for a carpet rather than the vinyl pad but i recently was jonesing for some tunes.&nbsp; i can do the fm transmitter thing from my droid bionic but it would be nice to have a decent stereo that incorporates all of the bluetooth audio and cell hand free stuff.<br><br>how do you like that kenwood? and can i actually use double DIN?<br><br>also, i like the vantech line of roof racks. nice to see it installed. how was it to mount the angle to mount the panel?

 

[MrNoodly]

It's DIN and a half. The sound from the Kenwood is great but the user interface is disappointing.

 

[cygvan]

good to know. maybe the storage spot is a good place for a switch panel. i love switches. even if they dont do anything lol.<br><br>your build has me reminiscing about mine. even got the same table saw <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

 

[cygvan]

do you have a shot showing the entire roof with the roof rack and solar panel?&nbsp; id like to see how you spaced the crossbars.

 

[MrNoodly]

Like this?<br><br>

 

[cygvan]

perfect. thanks. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

 

[psytechguy]

That's looking great!

I'm getting lot's of ideas from watching your build.
Now I've just gotta find a van!

 

[daminc]

that looks really good like that<br><br>