Doin' the buildout

[MrNoodly]

I needed latches for the cabinet doors I built. (See earlier posts.) I had one of those falling-to-sleep ideas.<br><br> <br><br>Screw hooks. Turn to open, turn back to close. So simple.<br><br>Oh, and about the tap lights I mentioned yesterday -- put two side-by-side and you have boob lights. Or Bender's eyes.<br><br>

 

[IGBT]

We used that same FRP material in the inside curved section on our truck camper build.&nbsp; I couldn't get 5mm plywood to bend around the inside radius without snapping and I didn't feel like trying to steam it like I did on the outside roof curve.&nbsp; Seems like good stuff.&nbsp; Double sided carpet tape will stick to it if you wanted carpeted walls.

 

[MrNoodly]

It's the big day. I cut the roof for the vent. No going back now! (At least not with some welding and such.)<br><br>I had already measured placement and cut away the insulation from the inside. I drilled small holes at the corners. Then I went topside to measure and mark everything, making sure it was square. One of the drilled holes was a little off, but I still had enough reference points.<br><br> <br><br> <br><br>Introducing the implement of destruction.<br><br> <br><br>Angle grinders make quick work of steel.<br><br> <br><br>However, if you've already insulated, the sparks from the grinding wheel can melt the insulation.<br><br> <br><br>And it's probably a good idea to use low-tack painter's tape instead of duct tape. I forgot about the eagerness of cargo van paint to peel off.<br><br> <br><br>But I had some white spray paint on hand. The cut edges should probably be painted with something anyway to discourage rust.<br><br> <br><br>But the vent fits. No further cutting needed. While it was in place, I drilled holes for the screws. After drilling two corners, I put in some screws to keep the vent from moving while I drilled the other holes.<br><br> <br><br>It's time for a lunch break. The great sealing adventure commences this afternoon.<br><br><br>

 

[cygvan]

looks awesome so far. i had the help of a body shop friend when mine was cut but i was still kind of nervous. looks like a nice clean job so far. good luck with sealing later.

 

[MrNoodly]

I decided to combine two ways of doing this. One is the standard butyl tape &amp; self-leveling caulk method. The other is 3M Windo-Weld -- the stuff used to install vehicle windows.<br><br>Here's the first of two layers of butyl tape (yes, I pulled off the tan backing later). I built up the low spots on the roof with two extra layers.<br><br> <br><br>Then I applied Windo-Weld to the vent, making sure to get it around the screw holes.<br><br> <br><br>After I put the vent in place and screwed it down, I used a piece of cardboard to spread the excess Windo-Weld around the edges.<br><br> <br><br>It's not pretty, but I'll let the Windo-Weld set overnight and then go over everything with the self-leveling caulk.<br><br>If I had this to do over again, I'd install the vent before insulating. That way I could use nuts and bolts instead of sheet metal screws.<br><br><br>

 

[cygvan]

that looks great and it should work well. good idea on using the butyl to build up the recessed part.<br><br>if you want to clean up the windo-weld.&nbsp; before you caulk, apply some blue painters tape around the perimiter of where you got the window-wel to go, maybe a little further out, and then use a cheap throwaway paint brush to apply more windo-weld. it will clean it up real nice...after it cures for a few hours or overnight, remove the tape and youll have totally straight lines. it looks great like that.<br><br>i found the sheetmetal screws to be more than adequate so i wouldnt fret about not using bolts. just make sure to cover the screw heads with something. either the windo-weld ( i used a brush) or the caulk.<br><br>do you have a rain cover in mind?&nbsp; im using the maxxair2 and its amazing how i can have the vent open and the fan running in any weather. since the maxxair2 wasnt specifically designed for the fantastic fan, the fantasic fans vent cover doesnt open to the fullest extent but it still works really well.<br><br>now they have a few other models that are made for the fantastic fan.<br><br>really nice job.

 

[wrcsixeight]

If you let condensation form on the van tonight, without cleaning off all the micro steel dust from the angle grinder, you &nbsp;will see lots of little rust spots in a few days which will eat through the paint.<br><br>My fiberglass roof has looked as if it is rusting out when cutting metal near my van. &nbsp;Even when I took a blower to it after cutting.<br><br>Always use masking tape. &nbsp;if you are worried about it peeling the paint off on removal, blunt the adhesive on it by lifting lint off your shirt before applying it, and only press it firmly down in the one edge next to the butyl, caulk, ect. &nbsp;I always have regretted not using tape when applying caulk/sealant/epoxy/paint.<br><br>Also cheap tape should not be bothered with especially in the presence of a solvent, which many caulks/ butyls have in them. &nbsp;Scotch blue is pretty resistant to it.<br><br>Pull the tape soon as the material can no longer run.

 

[MrNoodly]

The weather here held off just long enough to get that vent installed. It started raining last night and the forecast shows another week of it. So far, <em>no leaks</em>, even without the self-leveling caulk. Fingers crossed.

 

[MrNoodly]

<p>Rainy, crappy, depressing day, but no roof leaks. So <em>that's</em> good.<br><br>I spent the day loading my belongings into the van for a test fit. It went better than I feared.</p><p> <br><br>There are four 55 quart bins under the bed, along with two tool boxes, and a box of documents (which will be store elsewhere eventually). I need to find room for an empty bin to use as a sink/wash basin. I also need room for dirty clothes. I'll add some hooks for wet towel, jacket, etc.<br><br>The solar charge controller, meter and inverter will mount to the cabinet, above the propane tank. The batteries (two 104 Ah) will anchor to the floor under the cabinet. I built a cardboard model to the dimensions of the battery to make sure they will fit. There's still room in the cabinet I made for canned and dry food. I'm going to screw some canisters to the top of that cabinet.<br><br>I got a cell phone booster/antenna and installed that. Besides better reception, it give the van a bit of commercial vehicle vibe.</p>

 

[MrNoodly]

Peek-a-boo, I see you.<br><br> <br><br>Got the rear view camera installed. During a break in the rain.<br><br> <br><br><br>

 

[MrNoodly]

To make better use of whatever AC or heat I pump out while driving, I ran a piece of dryer vent hose from the far right passenger vent toward the back. The cabinet in the former passenger area was a good place to attach a hose clamp.<br><br> <br><br> <br><br>The hose came with a flange that I cut and bent then screwed to the dashboard.

 

[ilovemyvan]

Very Clever,<br><br>Nicole

 

[MrNoodly]

I figured a fairly easy way to hang a blackout curtain (found at Walmart, just the right size) between the cab and living area: small "hitch pins."<br><br> <br><br>I poked holes in the curtain and slipped the hitch pins through them. Then I clipped the hitch pins onto the edge of the headliner. Now I just need to come up with a good way to hold the curtain to the side while driving. I like to be able to see out the back windows.

 

[MrNoodly]

And I love this thing. Bear Extender Long Range Wi-Fi 1200 for my MacBook Air running OSX 10.8. Cheap, effective, fast. Wish I'd had one sooner.<br><br>

 

[MrNoodly]

The batteries arrived! And they fit. 12V, 104Ah each.<br><br>

 

[cygvan]

very nice. concordes are really good batteries. mind if i ask their cost?

 

[MrNoodly]

$304 each with "free" shipping.

 

[zemio]

Sweet conversion! Loving the backing camera, I really want one of those! I'm also thinking a second cam looking sideways right at the back on the passenger's side (left side, in my case) that I can switch to so I can get out of angle parks with confidence if I dont have someone in the shotgun seat.&nbsp; Just a thought, I notice you have your monoxide detector up high next to your smoke detector. Smoke rises (well d'uh!) but CO is heavier than air and will fill your van from the bottom up......

 

[MrNoodly]

I found this regarding placement of CO detectors:<br><br><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.015625px;"><strong><span style="color: #999999;">When considering where to place a carbon monoxide detector, keep in mind that although carbon monoxide is roughly the same weight as air (carbon monoxide's specific gravity is 0.9657, as stated by the EPA; the National Resource Council lists the specific gravity of air as one), it may be contained in warm air coming from combustion appliances such as home heating equipment. If this is the case, carbon monoxide will rise with the warmer air.</span></strong><br><br></span>Since the heater and the engine would be the only likely sources of CO, and since those two things generate heat, then the CO would probably be rising.

 

[zemio]

Fair enough! I did have a smoke detector in the camper, but it got ripped out after the 10th time cooking vapours from the stove tripped it off and nearly caused an underware incident. I've compromised by never having anything running, heaters, stove etc, while I'm away or asleep.