fantastic vent and solar install to conversion van

[vanguy]

hi guys. just wanted to post some pics of what i've been up to.

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hi guys. just wanted to post some pics of what i've been up to. first off, do you think this roofline could be any more busy? why did they have to make it so complex? it really hindered how i wanted to do this. originally, i just wanted to have the solar panel longways (front to back) on the roof, and the vent fan just in front of the rear 3rd brake light. but the position of the roof beams wouldn't allow it. so this was the easiest way to get it done.also, it's hard to see in pics, but the area in front of the brakelight has a dip that pools water when it rains so water would have been pooled in front and in back of the vent. too risky for me.

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i also wanted the panel to pivot in case i find myself boondocking. took some thought, then it hit me i could just use door hinges. that worked well. it can be raised vertically now if i wanted. i drilled 3" bolts all the way through the roof and beams, then sandwiched them in with large washers, lockwashers, and nuts. (and window weld at the top). so the panel can be removed without disturbing the anchor bolts. to install the panel itself, i just put more big washers around the nuts on the roof and more nuts to secure. i also sandwiched rubber grommets between the nuts to keep the constant pushing and pulling of the panel and the wind from stressing the anchor bolts. i hope this is making sense, i am NOT a fabricator lol but it turned out OK no leaks and i just got the solar system completed. more pics to come.

 

[Patrick46]

Woo-Hoo!!! Great install!!!


(Now I've got solar panel envy!!)

 

[wagoneer]

Wow coplicado roof design probally some sort of airo-dinamics taking place I got the bubble with no under-structure another problem but working off the gutters helps me not cutting in the shell. Lookin good

 

[LFM]

Whats the make of that fan,looks like it will move a bunch of air.

 

[Donedirtcheap]

You will love the fan. I have the model with the remote control. It will run at a very low speed, draw very few amps and is excellent for those times that we don't need to run the ac or heat. Easy on my batteries.

 

[vanguy]

it's called 'fantastic vent'. http://www.fantasticvent.com/
i just got the cheap model (it was still 100 bucks), but it seems great so far. pulls a ton of air.
i spray painted it black. looks more discreet and matches the van better

 

[vanguy]

well, i got the roof put back together.

this is the bulk of the solar system. i found an old wooden box i made back in wood shop class long time ago, works almost perfect for this. luckily, an electrician shop near me had 4AWG welding cable. the rest is 8AWG.
fuse on the side is 100AMPS, IIRC. i drilled a hole in the top blade and a U-shaped hole in the bottom blade so i can pull to disconnect the batts. if i needed. inverter is Cen-Tech Modified sine wave (80 bucks harbor freight) 1000W/2000W surge. works great with both playstation 2 and my playstation 3 which i was afraid would get fried. but no, it works without complaint. important because it's the only internet i'm gonna have out there. it picked up my router from about 5 stories away and 70% signal which i think is pretty good. if it can do that it can pick it up outside mc donalds, lol.
the red inverter grounding wire snakes under the box to the seat frame which is bolted to the body. i may ground it to the frame later but i think this is fine for now. the batts. are the Costco 6V deep cycle golf cart type.
i also detailed the van well but this pic is lousy.

i pulled the cover off my rear fan and the filter was clogged, probably never cleaned. i replaced the foam pad with 2 layers of dryer sheets. probably just as useless as the foam was. by the way, dryer sheets keep mice away. they hate dryer sheets.
that's it for now, more to come