My new E-350 Extended van

coultergeist · May 11, 2013

Thanks Bruce.  It is coming along.  If the rain will hold out for a little while I should be able to get most of the interior done in the next week or two.  The painted bumpers make it look much much better.  Hard to believe it made such a difference in how it looks.  The battery box will bolt through the floor into the area under the bed.  It will be just a little bit behind the power distribution panel.  It will be just to the rear of the axle.  Should keep weight distributed pretty well.  It will also keep cable runs to the inverter, and other devices very short. The platform that the bed sits on is not screwed down.  It just sits in place and can be easily removed.  The spacing between the cross beams is wide enough where the box will go to allow me to open the top completely and drop the batteries in from directly above.  They're heavy but it should work just fine.  I will add a vent to the box as well.  Just haven't gotten that far yet. I'm hoping to have the box in and it and the inverter and power panel wired in the next few days.  I only have one battery now.  I will get the other two when I get paid again.  Patrick

Zil · May 11, 2013

Nice job. The battery box is a nice touch also. Be careful of fumes (acid mist and hydrogen gas) when charging (also when heavy discharge). I'm wondering if a small computer fan to vent the box while charging?

coultergeist · May 11, 2013

Hi Zil, There will definitely be a vent in the battery box.  I haven't decided exactly how to do that yet.  It will probably end up being a small computer fan.  I will have a 55 amp power converter to charge the batteries when I have shore power and solar all the time.  Should be easy to have the fan installed so that it vents whenever it is charging.  Patrick

Laughing Richard · May 12, 2013

Hello Patrick I came across something about battery boxes by Jack Mayer. Here is what he came up with:  http://www.jackdanmayer.com/images/Electrical/KSBattbox2_x.jpg  this shows the photo of how he used flexible vacuum cleaner hose for his vent line <a href="http://www.jackdanmayer.com/images/Electrical/KSBattbox2_x.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="file:///C:\Users\Standard\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg" class="bbc_img"></a>If you have to move the battery location you need to build a new battery box that has proper venting. I have used plastic storage containers for this with great success. Look in K-Mart, Wal-Mart and home centers to find a properly sized container. I use flexible vacuum cleaner hose for the vent line. Take the vent from the side of the box near the top; place a hole the same size as the vent on the opposite side of the box, near the bottom. Convection will assist with venting. Make sure that the box is secured, as well as the batteries within the box. Vibration and movement will kill your batteries very quickly by damaging the plates. Your build is looking good. I like the bumper paint job definitely makes it stand out. Your battery box is much stronger than his, this is just a suggestion on venting if you were still contemplating that. Thanks for all your information that you're sharing with us. You give me good ideas, Richard <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w

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coultergeist · May 16, 2013

Thanks Richard. I appreciate the help.  I like the lower and higher holes for venting.  I think that would work just fine.  Might not even need the fan.  I will definitely incorporate some of that into the design. Patrick

coultergeist · May 16, 2013

It's been a busy, tiring week.  Haven't gotten a whole lot done.  I did mostly small things.  I took off the front grille and headlight bezels and got them painted using the same paint I used on the bumpers.   I think it turned out pretty well. 

coultergeist · May 16, 2013

I also got a bit more insulation done.  I finished up filling all the crevices on the passenger side with bubble wrap.  I then went back and taped up all the holes with heavy duty duct tape. Should do a great job as a stationary air gap.  I still have to put the rolled insulation in front of that.  It's getting there.

coultergeist · May 16, 2013

I finally got a tiny start on working on the curtains for the back and driver side window.  I am using curtain rails from an old pop-up camper.  The first picture shows two of the rails.  There will be one at the top and at the bottom of each window.  Little plastic clips slide in the track.  The curtains will snap to these little clips.  The idea is that they will be secured at the top and the bottom.  I will either have snaps or Velcro on the sides and middle so that they can block out as much light as possible. The second picture shows the first rail in place.  There is a little recessed part behind where the track is.  I intend to cut a piece of reflectix to sandwich between the top and the bottom rail for privacy and to keep out heat when the van is parked.  The combination of reflectix and solar insulated curtains should do a pretty good job to keep out heat.  I will post pictures of the curtain setup when I get it done.  It will be a work in progress for a little while.

coultergeist · May 24, 2013

I didn't feel real great most of this week so progress has been kind of slow.  I did get the curtain tracks installed completely on the back doors.  I also got the upper one installed on the side window behind the bench seat.  Still deciding if I need the lower one there.  I also have a track that will go on the ceiling at the front of the van for a blackout curtain.  I have to decide on a few little things before I install that one.  I did get the other batteries for the battery box yesterday.  Hopefully, I can have that mostly done this week.

Ballenxj · May 24, 2013

Patrick, It's OK to take a break. Get better soon. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> -Bruce

coultergeist · May 24, 2013

Thanks Bruce. I'm just really impatient.  It's so close to being done on the inside.  I just want it finished.  I am trying to figure out a good way to hold down the batteries in the battery box.  They will have spacers around them so they will be a snug fit in the box.  They won't shift from side to side.  I am concerned about them hopping up if I go over a big bump.  360 amp hours of battery hitting the top of a grounded metal box just can't be a good thing.  The box has spray on rubber insulation on the inside including the top, but one good scratch that makes it to the metal underneath could be a catastrophic short.  Any ideas on a good way to hold them down? I have an idea I think will work, but I'd love to hear some other ones before I commit to it.  Patrick

Ballenxj · May 24, 2013

About the worry of having secure insulation for the lid, (to prevent shorting) maybe you could cut a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to fit tightly inside the lid? You could then use short self tapping screws to drive in around the edge of the lid to secure it? It would only need four, (two per side) to hold it. At thi point even if a battery did manage to bounce, it could make full contact with no adverse reaction. Also a piece of rubber cut to fit the bottom, and sides surrounding the batteries would help to dampen vibration. PS, don't block your vent though. Just a thought.  <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> -Bruce

Laughing Richard · May 24, 2013

coultergeist, I've been giving thought to the same subject and one way I'm thinking to secure them is to run an eye bolt through the bottom of the box  and into the van floor ribs or all the way through to the underside of the van to make a strong anchor. doing this on each side of a pair of batteries and then use a ratcheted tie down strap to cinch them down so they never move. This would accomplish two things, it anchors the battery box and the batteries so neither would move.  Just a thought. I'll be curious to see what other ideas there are. And Bruce's idea sounds like a good preventative as well. Richard

rokguy · May 25, 2013

On the battery hold downs, I used two lengths of all thread one per side, each screwed into the floor and a piece of 3/8 ply perimeter cut around the terminals, vents, cable route bolted down on top through said all thread. Similar to what ballenxj said. Geoff

Zil · May 25, 2013

pep boys, napa and others have battery hold downs you could use.

coultergeist · May 30, 2013

Thanks Bruce, Richard, Geoff and Zil.  I appreciate the responses.  I think my approach is going to be a combination of all your ideas.  There will be a pair of wooden runners in the bottom of the box.  Bolts will go through these and through the bottom of the van.  One bolt will be in each corner.  This will anchor the box itself.  The wooden runners will slightly elevate the batteries and allow for better airflow around them.  There will be rubber layered pieces of wood to space out the batteries in the box.  The batteries will sit on a layer of heavy duty foam just on top of the wooden runners.  All of that together should help to dampen and absorb any vibrations.  The hold downs will be a combination of ingenuity and readily available pieces from the auto parts store.  There will be four eye bolts that will bolt through the center wooden runner and the bottom of the van.  This will further anchor the box and provide a rock solid anchor point for each battery hold down.  A long J-bolt will loop around each eye bolt and then a battery hold down will attach to the j-bolt on each side with a rubber washer and wingnut.  This should keep each battery nice and secure.  I will also use a piece of foam just like the batteries will sit on to insulate the top of the box.

coultergeist · May 30, 2013

I took a little time over the last few days to get the main vehicle battery replaced.  It was really old and wasn't holding its charge especially well.  Also, the wiring was just kind of a hodge podge from previous owners.  The first picture is of one of the battery cables the way it was when I got the van.  I didn't take a picture of the other terminal, but it wasn't any better.  I removed the old battery and fixed up the connections and installed them on new terminals.  I then installed a brand new group 24 deep cycle marine battery.  It fits better than the original equipment type battery did and has plenty of starting power.  It will also make it much simpler to attach the cable to it from the rear battery box.  The second picture shows it all installed.  The cable for the rear battery box is ran already.  It will be connected to the positive terminal as soon as all the connections are done in the back.

coultergeist · May 30, 2013

I did some of the prep work for installing the battery box.  I installed the upper vent tube in the battery box.  It is the angled fitting.  I also installed the fitting in the floor that it will vent out of.  A hose will connect the two.  I also installed a cable feed through for the negative ground cable to attach to the frame.  With those holes drilled and their respective fittings installed I can now work on the box itself.

coultergeist · May 30, 2013

I worked on the battery box today.  I cut and test fit all the wood pieces.  The first picture shows the general layout of those pieces in the box. I then put the batteries in the box and test fit them and measured to determine where to drill all the necessary holes.  Tomorrow I will get the holes drilled and start installing it all in the van.