E-250 stealth conversion

[ilovemyvan]

Having someone asking you to build their van is quite a compliment. Congrats.

Nicole

 

[daminc]

no word about the sprinter build yet….

all the wiring and plumbing is finally done, and all the tank sensors are calibrated today.
going to finally start the cabinet and counter finishing tomorrow. the misc odds and ends will trickle along. Feb is in the plans for a florida trip for a week or 2. It will be our first official test. we are planning on staying at my moms place, and visit many other cousins in the area too.

here are the recent pics of what is going on. We also decided on white cabinets and doors instead of the cherry finish.. we think it would be to dark in the van, so white it is. With all the diff shades of gray, it should blend nice

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[daminc]

a few more update pics….
Ok, its not looking so stealthy anymore…. :dodgy:

 

[daminc]

todays progress

 

[daminc]

there was a post last week about designing and laying out the inside of a van, and what size bed you can get across the van. Here is what I ended up with. the seats unfolded flat are 72" which is the short side of the van. 4' over on the other side of the bed, I measured 74-1/2" wall to wall.
hope this helps someone with their build.

here you see where the walls start pushing out

here's another project I'm working on… a fold down frame for a tv that we had doing nothing. the tv runs on 18v dc, so I found that dell laptops use the same power adaptor with a diff plug on the end, so I cut the end off the ac adaptor, and soldered quick connect plugs on all the ends and power adaptors, so now I can use the tv AC or DC by just switching the plug from 1 to the other..

here is the frame I made so far, but now it extends past the ceiling area I have in the back of the van… If I use a metal frame instead of wood top and bottom, I should gain the 1-1/2, and be inside of the space I have planned
the tv is also wifi, to use internet tv… my phone is also a internet wifi hot spot. and everything works very well together

when not in use, and traveling, the tv will fold up to the ceiling to protect the screen, and the frame and back of the tv will have carpet on it to blend into the ceiling of the van.

 

[vanguy]

excellent build. what's that on top of the roof in front of the big vent?

 

[daminc]

excellent build. what's that on top of the roof in front of the big vent?

that is one of those whirly gig sewer vents for the holding tanks

 

[TALLMAN]

As an ex Allstate, Nationwide Insurance agency owner, both used to have rules against insuring a van or bus converted into a camper. Don't know if you have run into that or not.

 

[daminc]

not yet, I had insurance through allstate years ago though

 

[TALLMAN]

I don't think I would tell them its been converted to a camper.

 

[daminc]

I really wasnt planning on saying anything to them. I'm guessing if it was in an accident they would only cover it as a cargo van, and not cover anything put into the conversion which is fine with me.. then I would assume they would not insure it after that point after they saw it. i saw a couple places online that will insure diy campers, I would probably find one that will insure it as an rv, hopefully

 

[sassypickins]

Daminc, brilliant design and execution. You’ve DIY’d in a small space like I’ve not seen before. Thank you so much for providing so many photos as you progress. Having such a complete bathroom in this tiny space will be a wonderful convenience. Am I right that I don’t see any 2x material being used? (I think I want to avoid 2 x 4's if I undertake a conversion project.) What is your cabinet/wall/framing material and is it just glued and screwed? Did you have to do anything extra besides screw to the ribs to last through all the mobile stress? Do you think the tube lighting will bother your eyes when you are sitting on the couches? I may have missed it, but what is your flooring? I like your thinking about keeping the color scheme light. Thank you in advance! Sassy

 

[daminc]

the upper cabinets are made in place, and actually screwed into where the top screws into the roof, I used many 1-1/2 self tappers to secure them to the old roof. they are also attached to the wood strips in the top too,with metal brackets . the bathroom is very small, but does the job in the smallest space I could use. I didnt use any 2Xs, the weight of the lightweight mdf is about 45lbs a sheet, and I used 5 sheets total which only comes to around 200 lbs if you figure all the curves and waste I had off every sheet, and I still have a half sheet left over..
yes, everything is glued and screwed, and with the fuzzy fabric covering, I get more joint strength .. I used LED self adhesive lighting. the wife and I have been sitting in there for many hrs planning the van finishing, with the lights on without any problems, they are the same LEDs that I use under all my custom kitchen cabinets. they also have a dimmer, and each section has its own switch to cut down power usage. I used a vinyl plank flooring on top of 1/2" plywood, on top of 1/2" foil insulation board.. the rest of those pics must still be on the old forum.
after filling all the tanks to calibrate them, the van didnt drop down at all, I figure I had about 500 plus lbs of water at one time. I was worried about weight seeing I put the 3"drain connector below the running boards, but I just measured it again yesterday, after I took it out for a drive… its still 8" from the bottom of the pipe to the ground.. I think the mdf was a great way to go now for weight savings.. the walls have 1/2 insulation board, and reflectix insulation. I used 1/4" plywood over all that. I used corrugated plastic sheets with foam and vinyl over them for the ceiling, just trying to keep the top lighter then the bottom of the van. we were going to use a cherry finish for the cabinets and doors, but we figure, paint is easy to touch up when something gets scratched… I hope I covered all the questions.. just ask if you need more info. I'm glad it could help someone… also, weight placement is very important in a van, it does its best with the heavy loads between the wheels, I've had 3 full pallets of floor tile in that van, and it barely moved with several thousand lbs of tools and shelving, but put a lot of weight past the center, and the rear will sag fast.

Jerry

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here is the floor, I use a commercial runner carpet over that, it makes the floor warmer when its 20 degs out. I put the floor down first, because I made the rear seating, and all the lower cabinets removable, if I needed to move something big, or get 20 sheets of plywood or drywall for work. I saved the cargo mat, and I'm going to also custom fit it around the bathroom and the sink if needed

 

[sassypickins]

Thank you for the information. Floor is yummy. Can't wait to see more photos! Sassy

 

[Jim_Rockford]

I think the stealth factor was lost long ago..lol looks nice though.

 

[rinella]

This is an amazing thread! You do great work, and it's certainly giving me ideas while I plan out my build!

I noticed in one of your pics you had cut out the inside sheet metal on the rear doors did you build some shelving into them? If so, do you have any pics of what you did?

Thank you!

 

[kevinmadison]

Can you provide some more pics. That's really awesome!

 

[daminc]

I'll take some updated pics this weekend, sorry I havent been on here much, I've had some login problems every time I come here.
We've been using it for cross country traveling and camping so far. planning some tweaks for next spring already

 

[Mobilesport]

What are you going to use the box in the floor for?  , like what's going to go in it?

 

[kitesurfer]

thanks for all the pictures.  My build will be very simple compared to yours.  the the self taping screws, did you pre drill the wood?   i've never used them before so sorry if this is a stupid question.