I need guidance on a blank slate van build #2

[Tundrawolf]

Hi, I put together a live in van 3 years ago and found happiness living in it for 8 months.

Unfortunately my fiance told me it was infested with mild and she was right. I had to trash every sanded stained and sealed table, wall, everything.

I put a fiberglass topper on it, it will have 1,000 watts solar, air conditioning, 50" tv, cell booster, 4x4 sun deck, winches front and rear and will eventually be 4x4.

I looked at 2 other vans today, but I think the universe is telling me to turn my attention back to my old van.

Right now it's kind of used for storage, and the topper was too long so there's a shelf in the back.

I welcome ideas on how to deal with the seams where the topper meets the roof of the van, layout, etc.

I welcome all ideas, pictures below

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Quite unfortunate, sorry. Question, mostly for educational purposes, why/how did the mold get there?

 

[gizmotron]

If I were to do one thing I would build the cantilever support for the extended roof inside the bottom of the top at the back. That way you can get rid of the outriggers supporting it. This way you can open the back doors wider.

 

[Sofisintown]

I think you put too much weight on the roof, and the windows caved in (as seen in the picture), and leaked the water inside, thus the mold.

This topper is not made for this van, and the rear "hang-over" does not have enough support.
I 'm not even sure it is safe, as it is. Toppers are made to fit individual brands and models, and they are not interchangeable or modifiable.

 

[gizmotron]

 and the windows caved in (as seen in the picture), 

Did I miss something here? I could not see where the windows caved in. This van top appears to be attached at the strong point just above the rain gutters. The brace for the rear cantilever is attached at a point where it has not caused overloading damage.  I'm just going to guess that common condensation issues of people breathing and or propane heating and cooking in cold humid weather caused internal vapor buildup.

 

[MrsBackRoads]

How did you clean and get rid of the mold?

I watched a video of a guy who sprayed the inside roof with bed liner spray it helped control condensation from breathing and humidity. Has anyone else tried that?

 

[maki2]

Pull out the sliding windows up top. That style of sliders on that angle of a slope will always have rain water overun into the aluminum channels and on into the interior. .There is no way to prevent that. You have two options after removing them.

1. Fill them in with fiberglass. I can explain that option but it takes too long. So you can learn how by joining the Fiberglass RV Forum and then go to the thread on fiberglass repair and ask how to do it. It is a very long thread with lots of good solid advice how to do this specific type of large opening, hole filling, task. But I can tell you a few extra tips later before you begin if you decide to take that approach.Send me a private message about it.

2. Get a piece of tinted polycarbonate and cut it to fill the open areas where the windows use to be. You can cut the polycarbonate with a jigsaw or with a router guided around a plywood template. It needs to be put in with a rubber perimeter gasket much like a car windsheld. Their is a speciall tool used to help fit the gasket around the polycarbonate. Or you can have that work done at an auto glass repair shop. Pretty standard materials, there is nothing exotic about the job other than sizing the plexi panel to have with the right edge margin gap for the chosen gasket and mastering the use of the tool that helps get it sealed into position.

The fiberglass fill is the cheapest but most labor intensive and difficult to make look professionaly done. It also has less potential for ever leaking again.

The Plexiglass is more expensive but much faster to do. Done right it will resist leaks as well as a car winshield does. It provides extra daytime lighting.

Fortunatly I do not have to make your mind up for you on which approach to take. But you need to get rid of those sliders as you can't reliably stop the leaks they are causing. They truly do have to be taken out.

 

[JamesAdam]

Cool Van! I'd keep the old van and rebuild the interior without propane, anything. Propane is mostly water vapor. It has been the cause of many motorhomes rotting from the inside out!

Airflow! Those Fantastic fans work great.

With that much Solar, go electric! Ditch the Propane!

 

[Tundrawolf]

I think you put too much weight on the roof, and the windows caved in (as seen in the picture), and leaked the water inside, thus the mold.

This topper is not made for this van, and the rear "hang-over" does not have enough support.
I 'm not even sure it is safe, as it is. Toppers are made to fit individual brands and models, and they are not interchangeable or modifiable.

This reply honestly turned me too to this thread until now. Yes, there is far too much weight on the roof, however I reinforced what weight is up there and it is now able to handle 4-5x as much weight.

You're right. It's for a 76 Chevy Santana van that's longer than my dodge. I chopped part of the Chevy roof off and staggered welded it to my dodge roof (completely different manufacturer).

I outfitted this van with front and rear winches and have taken it places that would wreck normal 2wd vans yet the topper has remained stout and able to be sunbathe on, with over 100 lbs of solar panels, steel, a sun deck... At one point I had over 500 additional pounds up there with no issues.

The windows are only out because the wood accents were removed for re finishing and the windows would have fallen out had I not have removed them.

I have a van with a 50" TV, cell booster, 4x4 foot sound deck, almost 1kw solar, 6kwh batteries, toilet with septic, full pressure running water with sink, propane stove/oven, mood lighting with hifi, queen size bed, hammock, fridge, 120v pure sine wave, that I can stand up in for less than 4k because I "put things that belonged specifically somewhere else and used them where they don't belong." The septic tank is out of a seventies Era Ford van ffs. I made it work. I literally found happiness in my frankenvan and I don't care what people have to say about it.

I just want help making in my rolling palace of love. Be it self love or a partner (s).

Thanks.

 

[Tundrawolf]

Pull out the sliding windows up top. That style of sliders on that angle of a slope will always have rain water overun into the aluminum channels and on into the interior. .There is no way to prevent that. You have two options after removing them.

1. Fill them in with fiberglass. I can explain that option but it takes too long. So you can learn how by joining the Fiberglass RV Forum and then go to the thread on fiberglass repair and ask how to do it. It is a very long thread with lots of good solid advice how to do this specific type of large opening, hole filling, task. But I can tell you a few extra tips later before you begin if you decide to take that approach.Send me a private message about it.

2. Get a piece of tinted polycarbonate and cut it to fill the open areas where the windows use to be. You can cut the polycarbonate with a jigsaw or with a router guided around a plywood template. It needs to be put in with a rubber perimeter gasket much like a car windsheld. Their is a speciall tool used to help fit the gasket around the polycarbonate. Or you can have that work done at an auto glass repair shop. Pretty standard materials, there is nothing exotic about the job other than sizing the plexi panel to have with the right edge margin gap for the chosen gasket and mastering the use of the tool that helps get it sealed into position.

The fiberglass fill is the cheapest but most labor intensive and difficult to make look professionaly done. It also has less potential for ever leaking again.

The Plexiglass is more expensive but much faster to do. Done right it will resist leaks as well as a car winshield does. It provides extra daytime lighting.

Fortunatly I do not have to make your mind up for you on which approach to take. But you need to get rid of those sliders as you can't reliably stop the leaks they are causing. They truly do have to be taken out.

Thank you for this intelligent reply. I do want the light so I may actually do the plexiglass thing. I also have some ballistic glass I may put on the escape hatch as a "sunroof"

 

[Tundrawolf]

Cool Van! I'd keep the old van and rebuild the interior without propane, anything. Propane is mostly water vapor. It has been the cause of many motorhomes rotting from the inside out!

Airflow! Those Fantastic fans work great.

With that much Solar, go electric! Ditch the Propane!

I may do just that. It's propane for now, but I guess I have the batteries and solar to go electric. I also am going to have electric a/c

Too bad DC stuff is so expensive right now.

 

[Tundrawolf]

Quite unfortunate, sorry. Question, mostly for educational purposes, why/how did the mold get there?

That's a great question. Before I had to gut the van it had full carpet, cloth and insulated interior and roof. As my ex fiancee pointed out, it was jam packed full of mold and she was 100 % correct. It was causing terrible fatigue, depression, insomnia, irritability and memory loss. Now when I assemble it it will have layers of mold fighting primer, between hard insulation and etc. I have another similar van and she will be getting the same treatment. My other van is 18" longer which is a welcome thing.

 

[Tundrawolf]

How did you clean and get rid of the mold?

I watched a video of a guy who sprayed the inside roof with bed liner spray it helped control condensation from breathing and humidity. Has anyone else tried that?

I gutted all wood/cloth/foam. All that's left is metal and paint. I also pressure washed it three thorough times with mold killer everywhere on the inside.

 

[Tundrawolf]

If I were to do one thing I would build the cantilever support for the extended roof inside the bottom of the top at the back. That way you can get rid of the outriggers supporting it. This way you can open the back doors wider.

That's a good idea. I bought another van I thought was the same van but it's actually 18" longer, has a v8 and 4 speed and gets better mileage and plenty of power, I am probably going to build a topper for it and have it overhang like my other van. This van will probably go up for sale. I literally just measured them. My plan was to swap drive train and live in the one with the topper. But I kind of like that extra 18" and drive train.