Scout the Van - '95 Dodge Ram High Top

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as far as removing bolts like that what i do is clamp on to the bolt head or nut which ever one you can get onto the easiest and will provide interference for the grips which will not let the bolt or nut turn thereby letting you remove it when you have no help. i have done this countless times and it works like a champ.P.S. i keep 4 kinds of vice grips the small/med/ lg of the reg kind and the long nose. i can't imagine a tool box without at least 1 vice grip.
 
I'd seriously consider a redesign without using big windows if possible.
They often are ill fitting, often leak and invite potential peepers to get a good look at what you have that they may want.

Dave
 
@ballenxj: thanks for the link!

@caretaker: thanks for the bolt removal method, I think I'm going to hack away at the wood for now to remove a majority of the wall and get some more cleaning done and then strategize about bolt extraction a bit later. 

@djkeev: definitely working on a redesign of the window situation. After cleaning the van out a bit more I'm going to take a seat inside and come up with a plan. I'm considering expanding my search to the "all glass look" windows just in case they have more options on trim ring size. Also opened up a window specific can of worms on another thread to pull in more input. https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Installing-Windows-Clamp-Ring-Sizes

Of to scrape of more fiberglass. Gonna be a very relaxing day...
 
Fiberglass scraping is coming along. One of the guys and the local hardware store pointed me to De-Solv-It Contractor's Solvent. A combination of spraying that on, waiting, and scraping is working. Never thought I'd actually get it off the walls, but at this rate it looks like it will actually happen. I don't think I'll ever eat cotton candy again. 

[img=640x480]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/kaytieflo/IMG_0747.JPG-1_zpskrpntwcq.jpeg[/img]

This picture is form the middle of the day, so that back panel is now almost clean, and the others are much better!

It's raining today and I have to keep all doors and windows open while using the cleaner so I'm taking a planning break for the day. I got so excited when I finally brought the van home that I just wanted to dig in, but I'm finding that I have to get a couple of steps ahead of myself so that I can make sure all of my plans work together. 

Right now I'm strategizing about a water system. Thinking of installing a tank up high in the rear so that I can use gravity to pressurize my sink. Only problem is filling it up there. Another plan is to have two tanks. One down low in the rear that is easily filled, hooked up to a higher tank that I can use a foot pump to fill. This tank would then feed the water supply to the sink up front. This plan would allow me to have two smaller water tanks that are easier to store, the lower one could be mobile, and the higher one can be stationary in a cabinet and won't need to be moved. 

I'll be hydrating 3 people and one of my travel buddies takes her hydration very seriously so I'd like a good amount of water on board.

To be honest I'm not totally clear on how I'll be getting water along the way. Campgrounds are an option. Hoses on the farms I'll be staying on is another. But part of me doesn't trust outdoor water hookups to be supplying all of my drinking water. 

Back to research...
 
Regarding water resupply, most towns of any size have those filtered water dispensers at a grocery store or Walmart. It's usually fairly cheap for 5 gallons. I know in Quartzsite in the winter there is an RV service center open where you can dump tanks, and purchase either filtered or unfiltered water. I usually carry about 20 gallons at a time myself, and that is good for 2 people and a dog for 10 days - but I'm very frugal when it comes to cleaning - use mostly Clorax wipes.
 
Between weather, family storms, and planning it's been a while since I've posted an update. 

Since last update I have: 
  • scraped all of the insulation off the walls
  • ordered my windows, solar kit, and roof vent
  • installed two windows 

The windows look good but the process did not necessarily go smoothly. Day 1 was lost to a hunt for butyl tape, which I thought was going to be easy to find. I ended up with 3M's 5/16" butyl tape. It was the black tape, and more of a putty than I was expecting. 

I'd say cutting the window was the easiest part. Making the pattern and installing the windows was much more difficult. With horizontal slider windows, the side that faces the interior of the window (which would be the best to trace to make a pattern) does not sit flat an cannot be traced. My holes ended up being too small which led me to have to do some very precarious jigsaw shaving of the edges to expand the hole (too much for a file to handle). 

[img=480x640]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d.../d33/kaytieflo/IMG_0852_zpshnashztt.jpg[/img]
 
I think the windows both turned out pretty well. At some points the outer edge of the window frame sits directly on the van, and others the butyl is pushing out between the frame and van. We'll see how it handles the rain this week. I will probably be adding some additional sealant as I've heard many people do, just to be safe. 

[img=480x640]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/kaytieflo/IMG_0865_zpsyxglqgzp.jpg[/img]

[img=640x480]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/kaytieflo/IMG_0866_zpspeq2jzdg.jpg[/img]
The windows themselves were made for the left rear door of a ford. They were the only windows that DK Hardware sold that both opened and fit the space that I had available to add a window. They both have a slanted left edge meaning that one window points forward and the other window points to the back of the van. I don't mind it at all. They may also be less contoured than I was expecting because they were not made for the side of a contoured van. The clamp ring took care of that.

Next Steps: I have to do some work on the passenger side window because I forgot to paint the raw metal edge of one section that I filed while trying to fit the window. I'll probably remove the clamp ring and try to sneak a paint brush in there to paint it.

Lessons: 
  1. Spend more time making the pattern and avoid having too tight of a fit. Even with water sprayed on the van wall (to make adjustments easier with the the butyl tape) the butyl will stick to the van in ways you don't want it to while trying to fit the window in a tight space. 
  2. Remember that the clamp ring must also fit on the inside of the van wall, so consider that when deciding where to place your wall.
  3. Everything takes longer than you expect it to.
  4. Have all materials before work day, and don't assume anything is easy to find. 
  5. Be careful when screwing in clamp ring screws, they will make their own holes in the metal of the window that are not deep enough to actually secure the clamp ring. 
  6. Have adhesive remover on hand to clean your hands after working with butyl tape. 
  7. Paint the edges you file when perfecting your window hole. 
  8. Take lots of pictures to send to all the people who thought the idea of you installing your own van window was nuts. 
Overall feeling: Like a badass :D
 
another thing that works easier for cleaning your hands is before you wash for the last time of the day,,a good coat of hand lotion, let it adsorb a little then wash, what it does is gets underneath the glue and will soften the glue. and when i have stubborn stuff i use dawn dish soap and a green scotch brite pad, its not as bad as it seems and works BETTER then anything I've found.
 
also, DUDE get that rust spot REAL soon, if it was mine it would already be done, don't worry about going to a body shop right away. just a little sanding,primer and paint and viola. it looks like its started to penetrate, and I'm seeing bubbles,,not good
 
Trying to accelerate my work by planning a bit better so I can have materials shipped while working on another step, etc. 

I went out to the suburbs to work on the windows, and now I'm back to city sidewalk work. While waiting for another chunk of time in my cousin's driveway I am going to work on handling the rust I've found inside the van now that all the insulation is gone. Problem is, the beautiful floor I have was installed before I got the van and I have no idea if they did anything to treat any rust they found on the bed of the van before laying the floor down. 

[img=640x480]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/kaytieflo/IMG_0799_zpsphckg3di.jpg[/img]
**Some of this is just dirt. I'll be able to see it all a bit more clearly when I wash everything out tomorrow. 

After that I'll get to insulating. So far my plan is to use spray adhesive to put two layers of 1/2" polysio on the side walls and in the doors. I'm wondering about the best approach for the ceiling. As far as I know the horizontal part of the ceiling has an inner and outer wall and is about an inch think. I'm unsure if it has any wood in it, but previously a thin wood trim was secured to the roof with screws to hold up the overhead lights. Wondering if I should just adhere the insulation and then screw the wall (most likely bead board) through the insulation and into the fiberglass, or if I should install wood now that the bead board can then be attached to. Back to the conversion threads to do my research!

Research Topics (suggestions always welcome!)
  1. Dealing with interior rust
  2. Hightop ceiling insulation
 
Thanks @caretaker for the suggestion about hand grease and grime. Re: the rust, it is the next on my list. My schedule is ruled by the availability of driveways w/ power hook ups to do certain work so have I've jumped ahead to take advantage of my "time in the suburbs".
 
the windows look good. you shouldn't use any other sealant on the window seal. if they leak the butyl was not installed properly, try again and ask here for help. get that rust fixed, rust never sleeps. are those holes in that last pic all the way through? highdesertranger
 
Thanks @highdesertstranger. 

I believe the holes were once all the way through, but were then topically covered from the outside during some body work by the previous owner. I'll have to check tomorrow AM when I'm back at the van. 

The PO was a mechanic's son and I think they used the van as a bit of a learning vehicle for him. When I saw the body work on the rear passenger side he said he had done the repair. What would have caused those identically sized holes in the area of a dent?

Not the best angle, but this is a shot I have of the area they repaired. 

[img=480x640]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/kaytieflo/IMG_0738_zpssmapvsfx.jpg[/img]
 
@highdesertstranger - any tips on working with butyl tape? I think I made the mistake of getting the round rather than flat tape.
 
get the flat tape, marine grade is the best. we have had several links to the good stuff hopefully someone will post it here. with the window out run the tape along the opening on the outside van wall. keeping it flush with the cut out. then install your window. after the window is tight take something that will not scratch paint, I use a carpenters pencil and trim the excess butyl tape. after a few days recheck the mounting screws for tightness and trim the tape again if needed. highdesertranger
 
I've seen the links to the good stuff in my travels on the site and can definitely search for it to find it again. I'm going to do some serious water testing of these windows and see if I need to reseal them. Most of what I've seen is applying the butyl tape to the window itself, but after doing two windows, I much prefer your approach. Thanks for the tips!
 
I have seen it done that way too. I don't see any reason to do it that way. I was taught to do it the way I described. I have put in hundreds of windows back in the days dinosaurs roomed the earth. highdesertranger
 
Those windows look great!! Nice job! Hope they're water tight and you don't have to do anything else with them!
 
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