Here are some pics and descriptions on my conversion. <br /><br />I started out by removing the seats in back and bolting a gang box to the deck. The gang box will be used as a strong box to denture theft. It has a recessed lock. And I am using a combination lock. This way while at work or away from the van my essential items will be secure. Also I can use this a work bench and dinner/kitchen counter. I also layed down some indoor out door carpet and a large welcome mat to help with the dirt.
My 2003 E-150 Conv. van
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Journeyman
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Looks like my van.
Next I drilled a 3" hole through the deck and installed a 4" dryer flange I purchased from HD. I also bought a 4" pipe plug to seal the hole while driving. This hole in conjunction with my fan unit will draw fresh air in to the van and will exit through the cracked front windows (If in stealth mode). The fan unit is an old plastic Chicago bears license plate I never used. I hole sawed a 3" hole through it and mounted a variable speed fan that runs off a usb port. Then i glued AA battery holders along each side. 10 AA rechargeable battery = 12v's. This fan on the lowest speed will run up to 24 hours on fully charged battery's. I can also run the fan off the starting battery. This fan will draw cooler air from under the van and force the hotter air out through the drivers and passenger cracked windows. I bought the rain guards that allow you to leave your windows cracked while keeping the rain out. I didn't want to cut a hole in the roof for a roof fan and + this is has a lot more stealth. I also have 2 other battery operated fans. Another thing I did was I made screens for the drivers and passenger windows held up be Velcro for when stealth isn't necessary or if in stealth mode the skeeters are really bad.<br /><br />Edit: I did not explain it but the fan just sits on top of the flange when needed.
To power the fans and light/lanterns I will be using rechargeable battery's. To recharge these battery's I bought 2 quick charging battery chargers (one to two hours). These chargers will be powered by the starting battery or shore power. I replaced the starting battery with a deep cycle one. Also I ran "so cord" to the rear of the van back by the hitch for sore power when available. To keep the starting battery topped I purchased a 40 watt solar panel. I did some testing and the battery charger's do take the starting battery very close to 50%. So when I am not driving and recharging through the ALT. the solar will supplement. I also have a small inverter for small 110v loads.
Beside the gang box for security I have added locks to the rear and side doors so even if the windows are broken the doors will not open from the outside if locked. I don't have the money for a real security system so for the front door's I bought some of those personal alarms. I taped these under the seats and with some strong test fishing line I can attach to a hook in the doors. If armed and someone opens the doors it will pull the pin on the alarm and the siren will go off (120 db if i remember correctly). Cheep security. One other thing I did to prevent the theft of the van was to install a disconnect near the battery post. I can remove the screw knob on the disconnect and take it with me. The van will not start.
To cover the windows in back I bought black out curtains from wall mart and cut them to the size of the windows. These are white on one side and black on the other. I bought some green sheer curtain and attached this over the white side which faces the inside. I used hot glue and staples to attach these together along with velcro. Wish I knew how to sew as they would have came out alot better I believe. The curtains are attached to the windows with velcro that is screwed to the window frame. As a divider from the front area I used the black out curtains with a shroud up top. My rear window are at 15% tint so at night no light escapes.
As for a bed I made I made mine out of 2"x4"s and used lawn chair replacement webbing woven together. This took almost exactly 5 2"x4"s to make. This frame is pretty light weight and sturdy. I am using a full size futon mattress with it. This is very comfortable as I didn't want to skimp on this aspect. This bed allows for a lot of storage under it.<br /><br />BTW...I only used the 45% kickers on the sides and the back of the frame so as to not interfere with getting storage out and back under the bed. As seen from the second pic from the left.
I went to Lowes and came up with a sink that I can drain into the same hole that I am receiving fresh air from in the above post. This sink will be keep in storage until needed. Originally I was going to just us a large funnel to drain dirty dish/wash water, but I am hoping this will work out better as this can also hold water if needed.
Well that's the bulk of the mods I have completed so far. I'm sure when I hit the road permanently things will evolve. A couple small things I wanted to note. I fount this tent basket from coleman that's pretty cool should work out good for keys, wallet, phone, ect. The military 5 gallon water cans fit perfectly in the side door well (Ford). I found some scrap steel laying around and screwed into the door to keep it in place. I also added some eye bolts to the decorative wood up by the roof to hang miscellaneous things. Mounted a co2 detector and smoke alarm. My van has just over 100k on it but it running great and gets decent gas mileage. I just had all the fluid changed (trans, rear end, motor, power steering, brakes, coolant) Also had the injectors cleaned and new plugs.
Nice.. the military 5gal. just answered a question I was thinking.. I also removed the 2 middle seats (saved 130 lbs) and was wondering about the seat belts.. they retract in the walls ... did you have/remove these.. ?? (weight savings ?) how easy, 'n w/out doing damage <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> 2000 e150 mark III conversion
Zil
Well-known member
Nice job. Be careful of engine exhaust with your floor vent.
Hi J<span style="white-space: nowrap;">oshua, Yes I had to remove the seat belts as they were attached to the seats. </span><br><br><span style="white-space: nowrap;">There is a small clip that attaches to the bulkhead that I left. They are not in the way and weigh next to nothing.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: nowrap;">Thanks Zil, I too was concerned with gasses so I made sure and siliconed around the flange. </span><br><br><span style="white-space: nowrap;">Has been about a year now with no problems. Did one long trip (1200 miles) in cold weather with the windows up,<br><br>Zero issues.</span>
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