riffraff's quick & dirty conversion

[meangreenlisterine]

The van is looking lovely riffraff!! It seems they do fine work at custom van and truck but I'm wondering how their prices are? I'm in the sac area and have limited knowledge and was unaware of companies that would help with van conversions. Any information is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[riffraff]

Both Gary and the guys at Happy Vans (Jesse and Jose) normally work on high end conversions satisfying the customers who live in the area (who usually have $ to spend on such things). The standard rate is $90/hour + parts. Gary gave me a discount on the labor considering my situation is dire. Total time spent was about 6-8 hrs for a dual battery system with inverter and another 4 hours to mount the panels/run the wires. It's not easy work (nor cheap).

If I had to do it over again I'd probably start smaller.. with one battery and no solar (to maximize stealth and to save money for gas/food/rental storage). Other than that I'm really happy with how things are moving along. Okay time to go do that bed frame!

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riffraff, I noticed your electrical outlets on your inverter have the ground up and the two blades are below that. That i wanted you to know meets National Electric Codes requirement for Commercial bldg.s as a safety feature if something metal should fall @ outlet.

I had no idea. The orientation of the inverter was mostly about easy access so any codes being adhered to was by accident =)

Good Luck to you!

Thanks!

 

[highdesertranger]

looking good. are you planning on paneling the walls? that would hold the insulation in place. highdesertranger

 

[riffraff]

Yep the paneling should be the last bit to go up , will do that in the next couple days. Spent most of the day at the Home Depot parking lot, this time finally getting to the bed frame. I'm not sure if it's done yet but it should work for the time being. First time using a power drill. I'd like to say it was easy but working inside the van without clamps or someone to help hold things in place, it was more difficult than I thought. Still it turned out ok!

Decided to use 2x4's and 2.5" gold screws. Fun Fact! 2x4's are actually only 1.5" thick. Plan accordingly =)

Starting from the top of the bed working to the base, I made the initial upper frame. Added some joists to the center for support.



Only had the tools rented for 4 hours so I didn't capture every step in photos. I didn't expect it to take me so long but getting those screws to penetrate the 2x4's was hard work even with the power drill. The mostly finished product with a piece of 3/4" plywood on top:



(btw that 2x4 in the middle isn't attached, just was thinking how to make it more sturdy) I was thinking I need some more support in the middle area so I didn't finish screwing down the frame to the floor yet. Until I do it'll probably move around a little bit when I drive. I'll be plopping the mattress right on top tomorrow morning and removing any remaining belongings from the house so will see how close I am to the roof when it's all said & done. I'm happy there is room for my duffel bags full of clothes and even a laundry basket. I'm unsure how sturdy the whole thing is.

A few random questions:

Any tips on keeping the mattress in place (full sized twin)? Right now it's just going to be sitting on top of the plywood.

Should I get some kind of waterproof mattress liner? I read somewhere that it's a pretty sad day when your mattress gets wet (doesn't rain often here and I don't expect any leaks.. but better be safe than sorry? dunno)

I also bought some laundry detergent at costco and did a couple loads at the laundomat. The kind I bought has a spigot (keg type) and I noticed if I use the cap to measure my detergent then it tends to drip all over the place. I'm obviously not doing this right =) Used to the normal containers where the excess detergent returns to the container once you replace the cap. There's some common-sense thing I'm missing here =)

Anyways this is my last night sleeping in a house. Tomorrow the adventure begins.

 

[Bdog1]

I had read about moisture collecting under the mattress and being FL is always 90* humid, my first bed was built on slats. Since that effort I switched to 5/8" OSB without issues. (I did cover the OSB with mat since then, for no particular reason.)

My mattress (8"futon) stays put while driving without any issues. This also includes some trails and off roading.

 

[sephson]

I also have the spigot type laundry detergent dispenser. What I do to avoid dripage is I rinse the cap while the washer is filling before I shut the lid. Granted, I don't know if the washers at the laundromat will allow you to do this, but it's worth a shot.

 

[riffraff]

I also have the spigot type laundry detergent dispenser. What I do to avoid dripage is I rinse the cap while the washer is filling before I shut the lid. Granted, I don't know if the washers at the laundromat will allow you to do this, but it's worth a shot.

Sounds like a plan. Also I noticed some leaking from the "vent" which I neglected to close. Thanks!

...I switched to 5/8" OSB without issues. (I did cover the OSB with mat since then, for no particular reason.)

My mattress (8"futon) stays put while driving without any issues. This also includes some trails and off roading.

Okay I'll just assume my mattress will stay put. I probably should secure the frame to the floor. I don't really like how they charge my card for $75 security deposit to rent a power drill.

Not sure what OSB is.. some kind of wood?

 

[LeeRevell]

OSB is a press board product, cheaper but heavier than similar thickness plywood. Better than the old-school particle board that turned to mush when it got wet. Some have concerns about glue out-gassing - I don't know if that is true or not?
My shop building walls are painted OSB, and have weathered some thirteen years of Florida rains and humidity with no issues. Good stuff if you don't mind the weight.

 

[Patrick46]

Hey RiffRaff...

Great job on the build so far!! You're sure getting alot done in a short amount of time.

Yeah, your mattress should stay on the bedframe just fine, as long as you keep the van on all 4 wheels! :s (I know how you Cali guys like to 'drift' your rigs!)

I don't really like how they charge my card for $75 security deposit to rent a power drill.

they don't charge your card for this UNLESS you don't return the rented item. If need be, then they've already got it on file with your John Henry authorizing the expense.

Keep up the good work!!

 

[riffraff]

Taken with kindle...


Magnets are awesome.

 

[Bela's Mom]

It's looking good, riffraff You've done a lot in a short amount of time! I know that you've had some unexpected problems but you sure are taking it in stride and getting your little home together. Thanks for sharing your progress!

 

[highdesertranger]

to keep the mattress in place use some 1x4 around the edge. really though if you stay on road, like Patrick said it will pretty much stay in place. osb is oriented strand board, it is another type of particle board. contractors use it because it is cheaper than plywood. I personally would not use osb for anything, the right type of plywood is a much better product. I suppose a lot of people are going to start saying osb is just as good as plywood, I just ask them when they say this. do they make marine osb? the answer is no. I rest my case. highdesertranger

 

[Bdog1]

Yes. OSB is cheap and as I understand resists sagging better than plywood.

Marine ply isn't available for $11 a sheet around here.

I fashioned supports into a homemade ply-lam beam effort...

The unit is free standing without contacting the van walls (no squeaks) and is anchored to the subfloor in six places.

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16" section lifts out for isle.

 

[riffraff]

95 degrees today. The fan-tastic fan helped keep me sane. Did some shopping at Target and Home Depot. Target has nice restrooms. Using the chancellor's WiFi from the parking lot. It's really fast. Busy and crowded parking lot tho. Paranoid someone will hit me. Time to work on a cab/living area separator with the stuff I bought earlier. Maybe I should move first. This parking lot is super busy.

 

[highdesertranger]

like I said cheap. whatever osb can do, plywood can do better. I never said you have to use marine plywood I was just stating they do not make marine osb. there is a reason for this. highdesertranger

 

[riffraff]

That should of said the laundromat's WiFi, not the chancellor's. Thx kindle

 

[riffraff]

First night sleeping in the van went okay! Was still very warm at 8pm, cooled down a lot by 10:30pm. I put up one of those blackout curtains sideways using hook magnets and these rings that had clamps on them which worked fairly well but I think I want 2 of them.



Really cooled down early in the morning, had to turn the fan off and then get under a blanket. Had one car shine it's headlights thru my windshield for what seemed like forever.. thought it was the po-po on night #1 but eventually they went away. Woke up several times and had 2 or 3 really strange dreams. But overall got a good night's sleep.

I underestimated the cramped factor, need to make more use of the space on top of my safe and battery box. No way to sit down, comfortably for using the laptop. Closest thing right now is sitting on the floor. In one book I read they strongly recommended this strongback chair. Not the cheapest and probably still too tall to sit inside the way my floor was made so thick but may look into getting something like that.

Did my first shower-at-the-gym just now. Would have liked it to be a bit more private but whatcha gonna do?

Still no panels for the walls.. kind of a low priority at this point. I like having the exposed beams for hooking/sticking magnets to, so I might not bother.

 

[Patrick46]

have you checked out your local Habitat for Humaity Resale Store??

You can buy ALOT of building supplies really cheaply!!

 

[riffraff]

No, I am unaware of that store, Patrick.

I should probably buy stock in rare earth magnets at this point tho

 

[Bdog1]

Probably be worthwhile to get some of that styrofoam up on the roof too. You can jam a thin sheet into the gap between roof and frame to help support it.