TMG's Van Thread! (Picture-heavy.)

[closeanuf]

Thank you so much for the explanation and especially the pictures.

Allen

 

[hepcat]

Tip: don't buy RV light fixtures, buy 12v LED strips instead.  I got a roll for a few bucks and have been having fun with them. I ran some through polyethylene tubing from the hardware store (white translucent tubing) to create a diffuse lighting option in the back of my van. It's tucked tightly above my cabinet doors.

I also ran a strip uncovered on three sides of my full length mirror to create a REALLY bright vanity type light.

These things are much more versatile and cheaper than buying fixtures and they look great if lighting underneath a cabinet etc.

Likely the easiest (and cheapest) way to have LED lighting in a factory-finished B-van like ours is to order LED 1151 18 SMD soft white replacement bulbs for the existing fixtures.  I ordered twenty of them on eBay for $14 with free shipping.

I bought some flat disk LEDs in 1156 bases some years ago, but the were expensive.  I used one in each fixture with an 1156 in the other side, but I'll be replacing them with the 18 SMD versions as soon as they arrive.

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[TMG51]

I put the same LED bulbs in my RV fixtures. But I wouldn't buy a new fixture to put light elsewhere, I'll just use LED strips.

 

[TMG51]

Installed Barker Auto Drain electronic dump valves on my holding tanks.

The switches I installed in the cab so I can operate them without getting out of the driver's seat. I spray painted the switch for the gray tank gray for idiot-proof color coding.

For those who may question the logic in this - I don't use my "black" tank for toilet functions. I do that elsewhere. These tanks only receive water from my sink and shower. So, it's convenient for me to be able to dump them this way. Or maybe one day in the event of an especially aggressive tailgater...

 

[highdesertranger]

I like the tailgater aspect. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

i was thinking the same thing except just a manual bypass on the gray tank if i can get to it

 

[PathofAsha]

Hey that's not bad at all. I like it. And for less than 10k! I'm impressed.

 

[closeanuf]

Thats what Gunny needs for his trailer.

 

[Gunny]

Just saw this... Now to research it. Looks promising. Thanks.

Rob

 

[TMG51]

Just saw this... Now to research it. Looks promising. Thanks.

Rob

Sure. They're easy to install wth a few bolts and they don't require removing the existing valves. The most time consuming part will be running the wiring inside your vehicle if you want a clean install (I spliced the provided cables, extended them, and ran the wiring behind my interior).

 

[TMG51]

I built a cabinet door contraption.

The cabinet over the refrigerator is where I store miscellaneous kitchen stuff. It's always been awkward to get into, for a few reasons. The door was hinged to swing upwards, and in a narrow section of the van, so you sorta had to crouch sideways to avoid hitting yourself in the face with the door.

Then, because the door was hinged to swing up, it wouldn't support itself open and would sag in front of the open cabinet, necessitating propping the door on top of your head to dig into the cabinet.

Also, in order to accommodate the hinges, the designers used about 5" of wood at the top of the cabinet, concealing 5" of precious usable cabinet space!

Here's how it used to look...

...and here's how it looks now. I simply built a sliding door portion. It's not finish quality pretty, it's just way more functional and it cost me $9 to build. It latches up securely, is easy to unlock, slides down totally out of the way on those side rails, and at top I have only a 2" rip of wood for the frame, meaning I have an additional 3" of usable cabinet space.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Very clever!! Not opening up or down saves a lot of space there!!

 

[Jaketheone46]

Great thread, I just read it all today. Now my questions are mechanically related. What happened that made you have to replace the engine and tranny at the same time?? Did the engine blow, develop a rod knock, burn a lot of oil, or?? And same with the tranny. Also what stock engine did it have?? 318 or the 360? I had a 88 dodge b250 van with the 5.9 and it had good power even at 200,00 miles and burning through a quart of oil every 300 miles. I decided to replace the engine with a known good 318 engine. Definitely noticed the difference in power even going from a worn out 360 to a 318. But in my experience every 318 I’ve ever owned was unbelievably reliable and didn’t burn oil. The 318 was also out of a old car with 70,000 miles which could have been tuned more for that vehicle having less torque more hp verses a van/truck 318 being more of a higher torque setup. Either way I could tell the difference but it still did well even pulling my motorcycle trailer. It was a good van. I’ve had Chevy,dodge, and now a ford van and my ford seems to be the strongest of the 3 towing wise.