My new E-350 Extended van

[coultergeist]

Most of my LED light strips have arrived in the mail now.  I will be trying to get the cabinet and area lighting finished up over the next few days.  I also have to take care of getting the rear heat and air conditioning ducting rearranged. 

 

[Laughing Richard]

Hello Coultergeist,<br><br>I just found this build of yours. Thank you for taking the time to share all your work with us. You've given me several good ideas for when I get to the point of constructing the inside area of what I hope to be a future E350 extended van. (still out of the country).<br><br>Just have a question for you. I've seen where others doing a conversion say to do the insulation first before doing anything else. What your thoughts on the insulation part?<br>Thanks again,<br>Richard

 

[coultergeist]

Hi Richard,<br><br>Thanks for the interest.&nbsp; The order you will build will depend on a lot of things.&nbsp; Generally, you should do the insulation first.&nbsp; This is especially true if you start with a cargo van.&nbsp; In my case, the way it is being built gave me a little latitude.<br><br>The only area I can't get to with the cabinets built is the windows.&nbsp; Those I insulated and covered first before I did any wood working.&nbsp; Due to the way everything is built my sidewalls are still completely accessible.&nbsp; I could have done the insulation down there first, but it would have made wiring and attaching things more difficult.&nbsp; I will insulate my sidewalls after all my wiring is done.&nbsp; That should actually be in the next week or two.&nbsp; <br><br>Again, thanks for the comments and good luck with your build when you get it going.<br><br>Patrick.

 

[Laughing Richard]

Hi Patrick,<br>OK that makes sense to me now.<br><br>Another question I have is about the <span id="post_message_1277504380">36 x 24 </span><span id="post_message_1277504380">shower pan. Is that mounted in a permanent spot on the floor with a drain or is it something that you put down only when you take a shower and then store it away afterwards?<br>Thanks,<br>Richard<br></span>

 

[coultergeist]

Hi Richard.<br><br>I'm doing it as a pan that I put down when I take a shower and then store away when it's not needed.&nbsp; I wanted to conserve as much floor space as possible.&nbsp;&nbsp; I wanted it to be and feel as roomy as possible.&nbsp; The bench seat folds against the wall when not being used.&nbsp;&nbsp;That gives a really big space between it and the kitchen counter.&nbsp; <br><br>The shower pan will sit in that space.&nbsp; The shower curtain bracket is attached permanently to the roof above it.&nbsp; The shower hose will attach to the kitchen faucet with a quick disconnect when needed and stowed when not.&nbsp; <br><br>The shower can also be used outside if in a place that will work.&nbsp; The faucet can swivel to the rear out the door and the hose can reach outside to take a shower there.&nbsp; The windows in the side doors are covered with water proof material.&nbsp; Open the doors and hang a curtain between them.&nbsp; Place the pan on the ground and it should be good to go.&nbsp; I haven't tried it yet outside, but it should work well there too.<br><br>Hope it helps.&nbsp; Let me know if I can help any other way.<br><br>Patrick

 

[Seraphim]

You're doing a really nice job - good to see it coming along so nicely.

 

[coultergeist]

Thanks Seraphim.<br><br>It has taken a bit longer than I thought it would to get to this point, but I'm happy with the progress.&nbsp; I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.&nbsp; I'm getting anxious.&nbsp; Ready to go from the building it stage to the using it stage.&nbsp;

 

[coultergeist]

I worked on television related stuff today.<br><br>I started by finishing up wiring and cabling.&nbsp; I ran the coaxial cables first.&nbsp; I plan on being in a lot of remote locations pretty far from transmitting stations.&nbsp; I wanted the best cable to help receive distant stations.&nbsp; I used RG-6 quad cable.&nbsp; It has the best characteristics.&nbsp; It is a little more expensive, but I think it will be worth it in the end.&nbsp; <br><br>After I made and ran all the cables I made and installed cable guides.&nbsp; I used Velcro straps to attach the cables and wires to the guides.&nbsp; It keeps things really organized, but also allows me to add more cables or move things around as needed quickly and easily.&nbsp; <br><br>At present I have a number of different cables ran.&nbsp; One for television power, an hdmi cable for the dvd player, an audio/video cable for external security camera, and one coaxial cable for antenna or cable tv hookup.&nbsp; <br><br>There is an outlet box at the back door that has connections points for the antenna and cable tv.&nbsp; They go from there to the wall power adapter for the winegard antenna I'm using.&nbsp; It has an amplifier built in.&nbsp; When turned on it amplifies the antenna signal and sends that to the tv.&nbsp; When off it sends cable tv signal to the tv.&nbsp; It also has a port for satellite connection if I decide to add that in the future.<br><br>After finishing up the cable, I worked on the bracket that secures the tv in the bed area while in motion.&nbsp; The second picture is the bracket.

 

[coultergeist]

This shows it all put together.&nbsp; This is the tv stowed in the bed area position.&nbsp; It can also rotate around and latch facing the front of the van.&nbsp; <br><br>I got a small start on cabinet lighting today.&nbsp; Hoping to get a lot of that done tomorrow.

 

[Laughing Richard]

Hi Patrick,<br>I really like your portable shower pan idea. It frees up some space and also lets you shower outside when convenient. I might have to borrow your clever idea.<br>Richard

 

[coultergeist]

Hi Richard,<br><br>By all means, borrow away.&nbsp; I'm posting all of this so maybe it will help or give folks some ideas to help with their own conversions.&nbsp; Also, if you think of anything I could do different that you think might be better, let me know.&nbsp; I'm always on the lookout for better ways to do things.&nbsp; I appreciate good ideas too.&nbsp; <br><br>I should get going on the waste water cooler connections in the next few days.&nbsp; That's kind of the other half of the coin so to speak. When the shower is used outside, it would just get dumped there.&nbsp; When used inside the water will be poured down the sink (I might add a small pump if its needed).&nbsp; I'm using a wheeled cooler to store waste water.&nbsp; All the lines to it will use quick releases so that it can be connected and disconnected easily.&nbsp; It will also have a bilge pump inside of it that connects to an outside drain point.&nbsp; That way I can dump it by either removing it and taking it to a dump site (campgrounds mainly) or by pumping it out while it is still in the&nbsp;vehicle.&nbsp; I plan on having two switches for the bilge pump.&nbsp; One on the main panel by the kitchen area; the other by the drivers seat so it can be dumped while on the road.&nbsp; &nbsp;

 

[coultergeist]

I basically worked on wiring most of today.&nbsp; I got my 12 volt receptacle installed by the back door.&nbsp; The outlet box right below it is where the antenna cable and cable tv line will attach.&nbsp; Tried them out today with the new cable installed.&nbsp; With no other changes I picked up three new stations from 65 miles away.&nbsp; The RG-6 quad cable definitely makes a difference when it comes to pulling in distant stations.

 

[coultergeist]

I added this light strip and switch for area lighting.&nbsp; It will give me enough light combined with the kitchen counter light for most normal things.&nbsp; If I need more light I can always turn on the dome lights.&nbsp; <br><br>I still have to run the ground wire to finish installing it.&nbsp; It will attach to the cabinet wiring ground on that side and I haven't installed that yet.&nbsp;

 

[coultergeist]

I did get all of the cabinet lights installed on the passenger side today.&nbsp; They are LED light strips.&nbsp; The camera makes them look much brighter than they actually are.&nbsp; They provide indirect lighting from the back of the cabinets so you can see what's in them at night without having to turn a lot of lights on.

 

[coultergeist]

With the cabinet lighting control wires ran I was finally able to finish up the main switch panel today.&nbsp; A few of the switches are not being used at this time.&nbsp; They will be available in case of future needs.&nbsp; All that remains is to add the labels to the switch plates.&nbsp; Will work on that tonight.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

hi coultergeist, you have done some real nice work on your van, some good ideas, and a lot of people interested in this build, the van was a great score, the size, the height the style, layout.......I don't&nbsp;want to pick on you but I see a lot of people make what I perceive a mistake when they are building.&nbsp;I have come to believe after&nbsp;5 vans, 4 builds,&nbsp;that&nbsp;building a van is a bit like&nbsp;building a boat the lighter you keep it the more efficient it will be and done right it could be stronger. &nbsp;In my opinion&nbsp;if you use anything bigger then a 3/4 x 3/4 inch framing and 1/4 inch panelling/ply you are overbuilding. 2x4, 3/4 inch ply and I even see that you got 2x6s with heavy bolts and steel brackets, This&nbsp;IMO is overkill I cant see anywhere you would need this.&nbsp; I&nbsp;realise you have built this to last and wanted it sturdy, &nbsp;I have no doubt&nbsp;you have accomplished &nbsp;that and I don't want to pan you as you have done a great job,&nbsp;&nbsp;but&nbsp;if someone else is considering a build the weight&nbsp;factor will affect the effeciency, cost twice as much to build, burns more fuel and strains the drive train.&nbsp;Don't get me wrong I like your van and I think you did a great job I just question some of your material choices. happy vanning

 

[coultergeist]

Hi flying kurbmaster,<br><br>I appreciate what you're saying.&nbsp; In a lot of ways it is overkill.&nbsp; The majority of my paneling is 1/2 inch plywood and most of my framing is 2 x 4s.&nbsp; Eisenhower once said "you can have absolute security or absolute freedom, but you can't have both."&nbsp; Similarly a line must be drawn somewhere between strength and efficiency.&nbsp; I wanted as much strength as possible in a somewhat reasonable manner.&nbsp; I've been involved in several roll-over accidents with 15 passenger vans years ago in the military.&nbsp; Those were in the back of my mind when I was building.&nbsp; I will occasionally have other passengers with me.&nbsp; I'm not too concerned about myself, but I never want to be the cause of harm to them.&nbsp; It certainly could have been built lighter and less costly, but it is worth it to me to have the extra peace of mind in case of an accident or something worse.&nbsp; <br><br>I do welcome the feedback and thanks for the praise.&nbsp; I don't suppose you have any suggestions on how best to re-route some air conditioner ducting from the rear air conditioner?&nbsp; That's my next thing to figure out.<br><br>Patrick<br><br>

 

[Ballenxj]

Still following and learning from your posts. Looking good so far. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"><br>-Bruce

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I am glad you didn't take my post poorly, as it was not my intention to sound negative, we all do things for different reasons, I am not sure about your ducting or your AC, what came to mind&nbsp;&nbsp;being a big fan of light weight,&nbsp; is a section of alluminium downpipe from a gutter systems, with elbows and connection pieces, to move it around the corners, may be available a&nbsp;large box stores&nbsp;if not certainly available form&nbsp;alluminium or siding distrubutors.&nbsp;there are two sizes the smaller one is around 3 inches square perhpas it &nbsp;could be adapted or the round plastic kind( pvc)&nbsp; With the round one you could just get or rent a hole saw and perhaps go through your cupboards. That alluminium down pipe in black looks pretty good even if it was left exposed. I know you are aiming for stealth but here is something I found out when I was looking for windows, and didn't want to pay new prices. I was at an RV dealer one day and was asking about used windows, they directed me to an old bus they had parked out back wich was loaded with all shapes and sizes of second hand windows and locker doors, a lot of junk but &nbsp;I managed to find some stuff that worked for me....it is worth asking sometimes to go through their junk room,&nbsp;most&nbsp;business have these and&nbsp;usually forget what is in there. &nbsp;&nbsp;..cheers FK

 

[coultergeist]

Thanks Bruce.&nbsp; It's been more of a challenge than I thought it would be, but I'm hanging in there.&nbsp; Should have the inside done in a few more weeks I think.&nbsp; <br><br>Thanks FK, I looked at the downpiping today after work.&nbsp; It might work.&nbsp; I have to measure the duct outlet on the rear air conditioner and see how well it would match up.&nbsp; They also make flexible 6 inch ducting for homes.&nbsp; It is a little bigger, but also might be a good fit.&nbsp; Will have to see which is a closer fit.&nbsp; <br><br>The rear heater outlet is very odd sized.&nbsp; I'm not sure at all what will be best to do with that.&nbsp; I have an idea but I won't know until I get the other duct done if it will work.