#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Construction in Thailand >  >  Promaster RV Build

## dennis4558

Just a thread on my van build, this will be a learning experience before I start house build in Roi-et.

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## Switch

Good morning. When does it start? The RV build?

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## Luigi

> Just a thread on my van build


Do continue, please.  :Smile:

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## Chittychangchang

A few mates that have made their own,saved themselves thousands of £'s and done pretty decent alternative jobs.

Considering a camper van build myself, but with my DIY skills it might prove problematic. 

Buy a mini bus, preferably a long wheel base with a high top for space.

You've got a decent area and factory windows already built in.

Next stage is the get the interior lined and insulated...

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## pseudolus

Where is this being done? Roi Et or Farang land? 

https://www.truck2hand.com/ is a good place to pick up a vehicle to work upon. Seems to be slow as fuck though but it lists vans, trucks, coaches, busses etc all throughout Thailand.

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## dennis4558

> Good morning. When does it start? The RV build?




I've started on the build, I just need to get pictures together and will start posting them.

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## dennis4558

> Where is this being done? Roi Et or Farang land? 
> 
> https://www.truck2hand.com/ is a good place to pick up a vehicle to work upon. Seems to be slow as fuck though but it lists vans, trucks, coaches, busses etc all throughout Thailand.


Farang land, I figured I needed some practice posting pics etc. before our house build in Roi-et next year.

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## dennis4558

> A few mates that have made their own,saved themselves thousands of £'s and done pretty decent alternative jobs.
> 
> Considering a camper van build myself, but with my DIY skills it might prove problematic. 
> 
> Buy a mini bus, preferably a long wheel base with a high top for space.
> 
> You've got a decent area and factory windows already built in.
> 
> Next stage is the get the interior lined and insulated...


I watched a lot of you tube vid's on this but everyone does it a little different so it's planning as I go and use tips I've seen before.

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## dennis4558

> Do continue, please.


Hope to get started soon, when holiday activities slow down.

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## Thai Dhupp

> I've started on the build, I just need to get pictures together and will start posting them.


Looking forward to this 'build', *Dennis*....bring it on!!!

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## Fondles

> Where is this being done? Roi Et or Farang land? 
> 
> https://www.truck2hand.com/ is a good place to pick up a vehicle to work upon. Seems to be slow as fuck though but it lists vans, trucks, coaches, busses etc all throughout Thailand.


Can a foreigner even get a licence to drive a truck/bus/coach ?

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## dennis4558

Thanks for stopping by TD,
question for someone, what size of picture does TD accept?
It's not letting me upload images, I'm guessing it's because of size.

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## SKkin

> what size of picture does TD accept?


Not sure myself on the size limit, but there's this:




> *Attachments and Images*
> 
> *How do I attach a file to a post?
> *
>  To  attach a file to your post, you need to be using the main 'New Post' or  'New Thread' page and not 'Quick Reply'. To use the main 'New Post'  page, click the 'Post Reply' button in the relevant thread.
> 
>  On  this page, below the message box, you will find a button labelled  'Manage Attachments'. Clicking this button will open a new window for  uploading attachments. You can upload an attachment either from your  computer or from another URL by using the appropriate box on this page.  Alternatively you can click the Attachment Icon to open this page.
> 
>  To  upload a file from your computer, click the 'Browse' button and locate  the file. To upload a file from another URL, enter the full URL for the  file in the second box on this page. Once you have completed one of the  boxes, click 'Upload'.
> ...


from here: Reading and Posting Messages

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## Maanaam

> Can a foreigner even get a licence to drive a truck/bus/coach ?


I was wondering that. There's some good buys on that site. Thai Winnebago quite possible.

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## BoganInParasite

I've posted up to 4.5Mb but have had issues with some 'disappearing' later. Dropped the size down to 150Kb and can put several into a single post without issue. Once you do get beyond whatever the hurdle is your experiencing always check once you've posted a pic to check that the photo file name/s are listed at the bottom of the post. If not there, edit/delete photo/import again and save. regards, -BiP



> Thanks for stopping by TD,
> question for someone, what size of picture does TD accept?
> It's not letting me upload images, I'm guessing it's because of size.

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## SKkin

Edit...test pic removed

I've had a long time interest in RVs. Hope you get it figured out. I'd like to see your pics.

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## dennis4558

This is when we picked up van in Ft. Worth, Texas

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## dennis4558

I guess it works from file out of my computer but still haven't figured it out thru Imgur.

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## dennis4558

The drive from Texas to North Dakota just about drove me nuts. It was like driving in a tin can. I had to stop and pick up some ear plugs. That solved two problems, then I didn't have to listen to the other half either.  :Smile:

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## dennis4558

Van at the home place and a look at the empty shell.

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## baldrick

> what size of picture does TD accept?


I resize all the pics I want to post to 1024 x 768 pixels and save as a suitable name and have no problem uploading a few at a time

and the 1024 x 768 does not hinder people viewing on smaller screen resoluitions

as a note , that is the size I use when emailing pics - small file size , but well viewable

and as a second note - learning to use your image program to strip exif and metadata from your photos is always a good idea if you intend to put them anywhere on 'tinternets

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## qwerty

The van looks pretty clean.  Did you go for a Cummins diesel or a gas V8?

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## Chittychangchang

Fair bit of space to work with, can you stand up in it?

The vans I've been looking at have all been high top low long wheel base, mind I am a lanky git. 

Your van looks similar to an LDV i converted in the UK, 15 years ago.

Looking forward to your updates.

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## pseudolus

> Can a foreigner even get a licence to drive a truck/bus/coach ?


No reason why not. It is all covered by a Class 2 license which has no restrictions on who can get it above the normal for a Type B. I would assume that restrictions come in if there was a commercial use for driving the vehicle etc but if you own a coach you turn into a camper I can't see any legal reason why not. That's never stopped  plod from extortion though.

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## Chittychangchang

I know a couple of expats in Bangkok that specialise in relocations they both drive removal vans.

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## mikenot

> Can a foreigner even get a licence to drive a truck/bus/coach ?


Not if it has yellow (commercial vehicle) plates on it, that would come under the restricted occupation rules.

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## thailazer

Surprised you decided to built one yourself.  There are so many used RVs in the US market you can always find one and negotiate it down to a reasonable price.   Craigslist is loaded with them.

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## pseudolus

> Not if it has yellow (commercial vehicle) plates on it, that would come under the restricted occupation rules.


No it wouldn't. Anyone can get yellow plates on their truck. Most don't bother as it costs more but does allow you to carry 9 (or 12 cant remember) people in the back.

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## dennis4558

> The van looks pretty clean.  Did you go for a Cummins diesel or a gas V8?


I went with gas, I thought about the diesel but I think the gas motor will last for the miles we'll put on and it will be easier for me to service myself.
I also read a lot about the Fiat diesels ( not Cummins ) some people getting lemons, seems factory workmanship isn't the best. If it would have been Cummins I probably would have went that route.

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## dennis4558

> Fair bit of space to work with, can you stand up in it?


I can, I'm about 6' 1" and before I started there was about 6' 3" so should still have a little clearance when I'm finished.

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## dennis4558

> Surprised you decided to built one yourself.  There are so many used RVs in the US market you can always find one and negotiate it down to a reasonable price.   Craigslist is loaded with them.


There are, but I wanted one that could get through all the narrow roads that you find in some parks where regular RV's cannot pass. 
When looking for narrower vans that were converted the cost is very high, I figure I can convert this one for about half the price.

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## dennis4558

> The van looks pretty clean


The van is very clean, it was used by a security company in Texas. I could have found vans closer to me but most would be starting to rust because of the salts and chemicals that are put on the roads in the northern states in the winter.

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## dennis4558

The van had one dent pushed out on the left side from something hitting from the inside. The following pictures will show that and what I did to eliminate it.

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## Chittychangchang

Is that your electric hook up above?

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## Maanaam

> Not if it has yellow (commercial vehicle) plates on it, that would come under the restricted occupation rules.


Not about driving, the question is can a farang get the license to drive. I suspect he may have trouble.

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## Chittychangchang

Bought and sold several RVs about 15 years ago before the prices spiralled, a lot of people buy them as a tax dodge theses days because they hold their value and some mint ones gain in value. 

Look at the prices of VWs in the past 20 years!!!

VWs that I sold for for four figures are now five figures.

They have an almost cult following now..

Gonna post up some pics when I get a chance :Smile:

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## pseudolus

> Not about driving, the question is can a farang get the license to drive. I suspect he may have trouble.


We seem to be going around in circles. One person has said 2 of his friends has the requisite license no problem. I have a friend who has a yellow plate on his truck (asked for it, paid more and got it). So really, all of your thoughts on the matter are null and void. A farang will get the license and can get the yellow plate. Licensing for a business activity is completely different and determined by a different department.

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## mikenot

#5 of the prohibited occupations is driving a vehicle (for pay) :

Driving motor vehicles, or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally.
A foreigner driving a commercially registered vehicle, such as a bus, with yellow plates is opening up a can of worms and will invite scrutiny, even if it has been converted and you are not actually driving it as a commercial enterprise. But if you could get it registered with normal black plates then no such problem, and I have seen foreigners driving RVs here in Thailand, saw one at Mega Bangna a few weeks ago.

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## pseudolus

> #5 of the prohibited occupations is driving a vehicle (for pay) :
> 
> Driving motor vehicles, or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally.


its nothing to do with an occupation though. Anyway that's a different thread. .

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## Fondles

> #5 of the prohibited occupations is driving a vehicle (for pay) :
> 
> Driving motor vehicles, or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally. 
> A foreigner driving a commercially registered vehicle, such as a bus, with yellow plates is opening up a can of worms and will invite scrutiny, even if it has been converted and you are not actually driving it as a commercial enterprise. But if you could get it registered with normal black plates then no such problem, and I have seen foreigners driving RVs here in Thailand, saw one at Mega Bangna a few weeks ago.


Was the RV a converted truck/bus/coach ?

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## dennis4558

> Is that your electric hook up above?


Yes it's a 110 volt hookup

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## Chittychangchang

> Yes it's a 110 volt hookup


Cool, what electrical appliances do you intend to fit?

I spotted this bad boy today, only £30k!



Might do a build myself or get something cheaper like...

6ft 6" standing room in this..


Bit underpowered though






rear seat belts

room for two up top


Only £1.5k

Engine size is a big issue as it will only do about 30mph flat out downhill with a good wind behind.

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## Chittychangchang

This is looking a more reasonable and practicable mid priced option..









*Description*This Compass Clipper would make a great starter van, it has many of the conveniences for spending time away from home, it is built on the Talbot chassis with the 2.5 diesel engine and 5 speed manual gearbox, it comes with remote central locking with Cat.1 Clifford alarm/immobiliser, power steering, Bluetooth stereo, gas fire, carver water heating (gas or electric), fridge freezer (electric or 12v), air ride adjustable suspension, colour rear view camera, rear parking sensors, rear cycle rack, roof storage, oven with separate grill and gas hob, towbar, microwave oven, Fiamma awning with full privacy room, 5 berth consisting of over cab double bed, the dinette easily makes another double and the long single side couch, bathroom with flushing toilet, kitchen extractor fan, leisure battery, new habitation service including damp check certificate, long mot to Sept 2019, please bear in mind this vehicle was a part exchange and is over 26 years old but it will be sold serviced so you know everything works when you drive away and as such we will include 3 months motorhome and engine warranty provided by World of warranty, great starter van, delivery available 

£9k

or there's always the self build option...

Buy a mini bus and rip out the seats and have a blank canvas for £2.5K..

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## VocalNeal

..and there is me thinking

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## SKkin

> this vehicle was a part exchange and is over 26 years old


Looks pretty damn good for being that old. I would think dual wheels on the rear of it would be in order. For better stability.

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## Switch

I think it’s a bit like owning a sailboat. Plenty of stuff needing replacement, upgrades or maintenance. Emptying toilets in the right place and filling up the water tanks. Packing stuff up when breaking camp. It’s a money pit that aims to provide home comforts on wheels, but it does seem an awful lot of trouble for minimal relaxation.

Dont mind me, just been reading seekingass posts. lol

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## SKkin

> I think it’s a bit like owning a sailboat. Plenty of stuff needing replacement, upgrades or maintenance. Emptying toilets in the right place and filling up the water tanks. Packing stuff up when breaking camp. It’s a money pit that aims to provide home comforts on wheels, but it does seem an awful lot of trouble for minimal relaxation.


When we had our RV, more things seemed to go wrong with it when it was sitting parked and unused. Especially so over the winter season. 

You're right though, they are a money pit. I would have been happy with tent camping, but the wife wouldn't go there. So I bought a used RV. It's been 20 years now since I sold it.

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## pseudolus

> I think it’s a bit like owning a sailboat. Plenty of stuff needing replacement, upgrades or maintenance. Emptying toilets in the right place and filling up the water tanks. Packing stuff up when breaking camp. It’s a money pit that aims to provide home comforts on wheels, but it does seem an awful lot of trouble for minimal relaxation.
> 
> Dont mind me, just been reading seekingass posts. lol


Kind of agree. I've often thought about a camper but then can never think of a place I would like to go and stay that doesn't' have ample decent hotels there.

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## dennis4558

> Cool, what electrical appliances do you intend to fit?


So far the only electrical appliances will be induction stove, microwave, 2 fridges (my wife likes to cook and thinks she has to cook for everyone) and a hot water pot. Most of the time we go to camp sites with electrical so shouldn't be a problem. I have a 200 amp hour lithium battery so that will take us for a couple days if no power. Most of the time we use a portable gas stove and cook outside so it would mainly be the fridge requiring power.

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## dennis4558

> I spotted this bad boy today, only £30k!


That's an antique, I used to have a 68 GMC  stubnose like that for many years long time ago, had it made out with bed, stove and ice cooler.

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## dennis4558

The next thing I did inside was to eliminate or reduce the noise when driving. I installed a rubber adhesive backed material to do that, one brand is called rattle trap, it doesn't need to be the full area of flat metal only portion of it. Here are some pictures of it getting installed, even had the wife helping to do that.

Even supplied some beer and had a friend help cut while I rolled it on.

And a look at the finished results.

The areas not covered are for powered ceiling vent and window in the sliding door.

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## dennis4558

Few pictures of insulating the walls and ceiling, where ever possible I used 1" dense foam board with foil facing on one side. The box and bungee cords were used to hold the insulation in place until the adhesive dried.


On the ceiling I had to screw a strip of plywood in place to hold the insulation and also used good old duct tape to help hold it in place.

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## dennis4558

Lately the weather hasn't been cooperating for working in the van, but I have a few pictures of cutting in the power vent before it got cold. It's a little scary cutting a hole in your roof.

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## dennis4558

Here are some pictures of the floor installed, forgot to take pictures of insulation under 1/4" sub-floor plywood. What I used was 3/4" rigid foam insulation glued to original floor. I tried to take out black floor that was in but it was glued very good and I would have had a hard time trying to get it up so just went over it. Where ever you see seams in the plywood I glued down 1 1/2" wood strips to staple the 1/4" plywood to it. Foam board was glued down and wood strips were glued and screwed, trying to eliminate any squeaks. You can see on last photo next to wheel well the wood strips.  The 1/4" plywood was also glued to wood strips and foam board.

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## dennis4558

Started insulating and sheeting sides. There is 1" foam board and 2" mineral wool insulation behind 1/4" plywood. I used mineral wool insulation because it doesn't absorb moisture but very ugly to work with very itchy.

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## dennis4558

Wheel wells boxed in and filled in with mineral wool insulation.

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## dennis4558

The carpet is there to protect the bare plywood from me dragging in snow and also easier to knee on than hard plywood, knees don't work as good as they used to. The carpet is used that I got from a friend that installs carpet. The price was right (free).

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## AntRobertson

Great thread, dunno how I've missed it previously??

The build looks to be coming along nicely. Good luck with it all.

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## baldrick

a man with a van with a plan

good thread

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## dennis4558

Thanks AntRobertson & Baldrick, 
Things are going slow now because of the weather I need around 32F or 0C to do any work because of using glues, I want them to dry before freezing, hard to keep it warm enough if colder.
I did build a swivel for the passenger seat and have a section of a chevy volt battery converted to 12 volts that I was able to work on in my garage so I'll get some pics of doing those items.

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## NamPikToot

Dennis,

I too missed this, great thread and thank you for taking the trouble.

There are some really good U Tube vids on fitting out Long Wheel Base Hi Top Panel Vans in the UK but looking at it you seem to have all your plans in place.

So far though I've not seen you say what you final spec is; you said about Kitchen - 2 fridges, Cooker, Electrics

For the rest what are your plans.

What are you plans for sleeping? Fold down?

Are you planning a shower / toilet. In the UK you can purchase all in ones with a toilet that doubles as a shower seat. In these the back of the van is sectioned off and has a wardrobe one side and shower the other, the back doors then are only used as access for emptying the toilet cartridge.

Lastly i take it you may be using it during the colder time of the year, are you considering heating?

Sorry for the interrogation.....

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## dennis4558

Thanks for stopping by NPT

The bed will be across the back, Promasters are wider than other vans at 6' and I will gain another 3" by indenting into the sides above the main side beam. It will be about the size of a full size bed 54" x 75". Permanent bed don't want the bother of setting up and taking down every day.

No shower but will have a portapotti in a hide a way drawer, always hated making that trip to the restroom at 2 or 3 in the morning, more often if it was a night of drinking.

As of now not going to add a heater, will just have a portable electric heater that can be used when at campsites with power. What I would probably get would be a small diesel heater, they have them on ebay for $150 to $200. I have the van insulated fairly well so wouldn't need much to keep it warm, most of our camping and traveling for the moment will be in the summer where staying cool could be more of a problem.

Thanks for all the questions, makes it easier to find things to talk about. I watched a lot of the van conversions on U tube so got most of my ideas from there and then came up with what would work best for how we would be using the van. Most of the conversions were with people living full time in their vans which we won't be doing.

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## dennis4558

This is the section of Chevy volt battery that I purchased on ebay. It this photo I have already installed 4 pieces of 1/4" threaded rod to hold the battery together. The lower rod on both sides I made longer for attaching the battery to the floor of van.

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## AntRobertson

> No shower but will have a portapotti in a hide a way drawer, always hated making that trip to the restroom at 2 or 3 in the morning, more often if it was a night of drinking.
> 
> As of now not going to add a heater, will just have a portable electric heater that can be used when at campsites with power. What I would probably get would be a small diesel heater, they have them on ebay for $150 to $200. I have the van insulated fairly well so wouldn't need much to keep it warm, most of our camping and traveling for the moment will be in the summer where staying cool could be more of a problem.


Do you have to get licensing and registration for self-containment?

I know in NZ it's a requirement if you're running any kind of wiring or plumbing. Kinda like a test / safety certification.

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## dennis4558

Here's another view of the battery from the side. You can see the two holes above the mounting brackets that's where the cooling fluid went through to cool the batteries, for my use that's not needed because my usage will be a much slower amp draw.

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## dennis4558

Here's a couple pictures of what I had to do to convert it from 1 - 48 volt battery to  4 - 12 volt batteries. I had to make 3 cuts separating the cells, the tape is just to keep me from shorting out the cells while cutting them.

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## dennis4558

This is the final result after wiring the 4 - 12 volt sections in parallel. I will have to make some kind of cover for it because there are a lot of exposed connections that would be easy to short out if someone drop any kind of metal on it.

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## dennis4558

If you look at the last picture there is a 18 pin connector on the top of the battery, that is where I will be plugging into to monitor the voltage of each cell, there are 12 cells in the battery. On lithium ion batteries you have to keep all cells as close to the same voltage as possible also watch the high and low voltages, too high or too low can damage the cells,  I will have more on that when I do the install of the monitors later on in the build.

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## NamPikToot

> If you look at the last picture there is a 18 pin connector on the top of the battery, that is where I will be plugging into to monitor the voltage of each cell, there are 12 cells in the battery. On lithium ion batteries you have to keep all cells as close to the same voltage as possible also watch the high and low voltages, too high or too low can damage the cells,  I will have more on that when I do the install of the monitors later on in the build.


Great stuff Denis, seems like you are fairly handy with this stuff, re the battery are you a beginer with this type of thing or are you familiar with it ?

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## dennis4558

> re the battery are you a beginner with this type of thing or are you familiar with it ?


As far as the volt battery this is a first for me, I did a lot of research before I committed to buying it versus spending triple the money for a ready to go rv lithium battery. I have a background in electrical, so it wasn't too big of a challenge.

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## dennis4558

Here are some pictures of the swivel seat bracket I made.


Two plates with holes drilled.
Holes in plates had to be counter sunk so bolts didn't hit other plate when turning.
Seat in swiveled facing back position.
Seat partially turned so plates can be seen.
Top side of plate with bushing for wires to go thru 
Lower side of plate showing bushing and wires.

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## dennis4558

There is also a teflon sheet (wife's cutting sheet from the kitchen it's about 1/16" thick she has several so hopefully she won't miss one)  :Smile:  between the plates.

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## baldrick

> I have a background in electrical


some large diameter heat shrink on the exposed electrodes might be an idea before you fit the cover

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## dennis4558

> exposed electrodes


If you're talking about the battery, all those u shaped bars on top are exposed live connections, I would have to heat shrink the whole top of battery to make it insulated from electrical shorting, don't think I could find anything to do that and I would still need access to + and - terminals. But it would be nice to do that.

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## cisco999

> You're right though, they are a money pit. I would have been happy with tent camping, but the wife wouldn't go there. So I bought a used RV. It's been 20 years now since I sold it.



Second happiest day in your life?

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## baldrick

> exposed live connections


yes - I cannot measure your terminals - but you can get 50 mm , 75 mm diameter and up heat shrink - if you cut a piece 50 mm long and slipped it over the unused connectors and shrunk it - they would be insulated

you may also manage to do it with the ones with lugs on them - depending how much higher your cover was going to be - iven if you shrunk only the height of the teminal is would still minimise the risk of a bolt coming loose and shorting a terminal

it may be overkill - just an idea

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## dennis4558

Got a little more insulation done, reflective bubble wrap on the ceiling over the foam insulation, the 1/2" plywood strips are anchored to the roof supports.

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## dennis4558

This is a picture of the plywood strips that are holding the reflective bubble insulation up and the anchors that I used, bad choice on the anchors, they had a tendency to slip on the steel, they would be better used on a soft material like wood or sheet rock, I should have used a body anchor as shown

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## dennis4558

Had the wife varnish the ceiling boards, giving her a sense of participation in the project. 



I'm using a 1/4" x 3" cedar tongue and groove boards, will add a nice smell. 

This is the finish I used on the wood.

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## dennis4558

Another set of boards she's working on, it took 17 boards to span the width.

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## dennis4558

Had a couple days where the temp got close to 32 so I installed the ceiling boards. I use a construction adhesive at the plywood stringers and also brad nailed into the tongue side so basically you can't see any nail holes. When the cabinets are in I'll put a small board over the one seam.

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## Chittychangchang

Looking good, it's a marathon not a sprint.

Like the knots in the timber, the stain has brought them out.

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## dennis4558

Sorry for the lack of info on here but the weather in February was miserable, never got above 32 F most of the time it seemed like it was below 0 F.  
Now that it warmed up I got the van pulled out of the snow bank and took it to a friends heated shop and installed the flooring. Actually a bother in law did it for me I supervised.  :Smile: 
Here are a few pictures of the finished work.

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## dennis4558

Didn't think of taking a picture until last piece left to install.



View from side door.



View from back door. I still have some metal trim to put on the edge at both door but will do at a later date when I can drive to carpet shop to find something that we like and will fit.

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## Maanaam

It's coming together.

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## dennis4558

> It's coming together.


Now that the weather warmed up I hope it comes together a lot faster.  :Smile:

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## baldrick

you want it usable before next winter

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## Texpat

Nice project. Wish I didn't have 10 thumbs.

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## dennis4558

> you want it usable before next winter


I hope to have it done this year, the kids want to go out the end of April so I should have a bed and maybe more by then.

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## dennis4558

> Nice project. Wish I didn't have 10 thumbs.


Thanks Texpat, I hope I still have 2 thumbs by the time I finish if only just beat up a bit.

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## dennis4558

Closeup of the flooring, it's 6" x 48" called vinyl planking








These are some behind the scene supports for paneling that will go over the reflective bubble insulation 



Angled piece of 1/2" plywood to get around the curve. It will probably get covered with felt material or something similar

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## baldrick

you might want to check out this vid - the aluminium unistrut type stuff at the 12 minute mark you might find useful

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## fishlocker

Looks great. Almost reminds me of my clubhouse build and my first house. Problem is neither are mobile.
The Who tune comes to mind. Watch the police and the tax man miss me. I love it. Looks like a nice escape for you and yours.

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## KiCanCummins

those "Allstar threaded inserts are almost the same as "rivnuts" and need a special tool to insert these. Just google rivnuts, there on ebay amazon & also lazada here in LOS. once compressed they work great.

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## dennis4558

> you might want to check out this vid - the aluminium unistrut type stuff at the 12 minute mark you might find useful


I seen that vid, but at $36 for a 4' length it would be way over my budget and a wrong cut would be very expensive       ( which I make too many)  but thanks for the idea.

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## dennis4558

> Looks great. Almost reminds me of my clubhouse build and my first house. Problem is neither are mobile.
> The Who tune comes to mind. Watch the police and the tax man miss me. I love it. Looks like a nice escape for you and yours.


Thanks, be a little more comfortable out camping, before we used a small van to sleep in,  with the 8 grand kids ages 4 to 12 it'll be a little more relaxing.

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## dennis4558

> those "Allstar threaded inserts are almost the same as "rivnuts" and need a special tool to insert these. Just google rivnuts, there on ebay amazon & also lazada here in LOS. once compressed they work great.


Yep that's what I should have used but too late now that part of the project is finished, I thought I could save a little by using the collapsible anchor but I had problems with them slipping/spinning when installing bolts and also stripping out the threads if I tightened them too much.

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## dennis4558

Here are a few pictures of the walls getting sheeting, it's 1/4".











On the last 2 photos it shows how I will be able to gain about 4" for me to fit in the bed, without the indent it would be 6' with it I gain almost 4" inches.



I ran out of plywood so couldn't finish the other side, will pick that up then next step will be to start on the cabinets. I started to scribe the wall contour on cardboard for both sides so it should speed up the process once my friend ( that know more about building cabinets ) stops by this week to help with that.

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## baldrick

coming along nicely

would it be worthwhile to put rubber grommets in the wiring penetrations of the ply to protect the wire insulation during the vibration of travel ?

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## dennis4558

> would it be worthwhile to put rubber grommets in the wiring penetrations of the ply to protect the wire insulation during the vibration of travel ?


Thanks Baldrick,
I don't think it will be necessary because the wire is double coated, one coating on the wire and a second on the outside of both. It would have to be rubbing on  a sharp surface and tried to keep the wires fairly solid by pushing insulation next to them on corners or where they could rub against something.

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## dennis4558

Got started on the cabinets, decided on only 2 tall floor to ceiling cabinets, also wired the 110v outlets but will have pictures of those later.





I also finished installing the exhaust fan, tested it and ceiling lights.

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## Maanaam

I'd suggest you scew some reinforcing slats on the underside of those shelves as with time they will sag if loaded.
It's all looking great!

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## dennis4558

> I'd suggest you scew some reinforcing slats on the underside of those shelves as with time they will sag if loaded.
> It's all looking great!


Thanks Maanaan, and you're right it's only 1/2" ply so it will need support, the face frame on the front will also help support it but any shelf that has any amount of weight will get supported.

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## dennis4558

Haven't had time to post here, it's been a mad rush to get it completed enough to use for Memorial Day weekend. I'll try to get caught up in the following days to where I'm at now.
Added a box behind the drivers seat for battery, battery inverter and space not used for electrical will be for storage, also will be a bench seat, opted out on making it a side out bed. Wife's decision, guess she didn't want additional travelers.

 







Few pictures of making the upper cabinets, one for the front above bench and one above the bed.





View of both of them

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## baldrick

taking shape - good stuff

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## dennis4558

> taking shape - good stuff


Thanks, slow but sure

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## dennis4558

Just got word, it's going to be an August start on our house in RoiEt, first they will be doing the north perimeter wall. Can't start on the house until Sept., that's when the moons will be inline lol.

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## Chittychangchang

It's a marathon not a sprint!
Enjoying your thread and it's inspiring me to get my arse in gear and convert a van myself.
Keep going, the hard work is done.
It's all about the finishing touches now and where you'll be taken her/him.
Have you given your campervan a name yet?
Most people the other side of the pond do.
Where are you going to be taking the van with no name on its maiden trip? :Smile:

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## dennis4558

> Have you given your campervan a name yet?


No name yet, maybe I'll check with the wife see if she has any ideas for one.




> Where are you going to be taking the van with no name on its maiden trip?


Took it for it's first voyage this last weekend, about 30 miles south on the river in a campsite with 2 daughter and their families and another couple with their kids and we had the third daughter boys, had one nice day the rest of the time it rained typical memorial day weekend. Fed the 8 grand-kids breakfast both mornings in the van, had to do it in shifts, pancakes, eggs and pan fried toast. Didn't have the kitchen counter in yet so had to use a portable table to do the cooking on. Had AC at the camp site so used a induction stove to do the cooking on.

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## SKkin

I really like what you did with the ceiling. Nice!

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## dennis4558

> I really like what you did with the ceiling. Nice!


Thanks SKkin, wife and I think it turned out nice too.

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## dennis4558

Little more info on the upper cabinets, the doors are made out of glass board, it's fiberglass panels used in bathrooms or wet areas, it's about 3/32 thick, real flimsy when in the 4' x 8' sheets but when cut down to smaller sizes it's fairly rigid. On the bottom it's in a 1/4" aluminum track and on top I have a wood block behind it. I did have to put a wood block on the end where the knob is to kind of pinch it when closed or it would rattled when I drove. The wife said it wasn't going to work until I got it finished now she likes them. Don't have to worry about special latches to keep the doors closed.

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## dennis4558

Getting the bed deck down, measured twice and still too long, but better than being to short.

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## dennis4558

As you can also see, I got the chest fridge install and auto carpet on the wall insets, will get some more photo's of the fridge from the front.

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## dennis4558

This is what I used for bed supports, it's 1 1/2" X  1 5/8" steel studs with pine inserts, makes for a very sturdy bed, either one by themselves was very weak but put together works great.

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## Chittychangchang

Thought  you might of utilised the cab space with swivel  seats and an open plan area, every campervans different 
And yours is coming along nicely.

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## baldrick

> I got the chest fridge install


is it worth it to be able to utilize the heat exhaust from the fridge ?

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## dennis4558

> Thought you might of utilised the cab space with swivel seats and an open plan area, every campervans different 
> And yours is coming along nicely.


Thanks, we did eliminate a cabinet to increase space in front and passenger seat does swivel, I didn't do the drivers seat because it is too high already and by putting in a swivel it would be too high for me, I thought about cutting down the base but it's made of pipe so hard to do.

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## dennis4558

> is it worth it to be able to utilize the heat exhaust from the fridge ?


Very little heat from fridges, one is 110 volt and the other is 12 volt or 110 volt. The only propane I'll use is for a portable stove.

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## dennis4558

Hear are some pictures of the window install in the sliding door. It was a little scary drilling the first hole but it turned out to be a fairly easy job other than putting the window in upside down and having to take it back out with all the glue mess but it turned out ok.



Drew it out on the inside, drilled corner holes then went outside and connected the dots, taped it off and used a jig saw to cut it out.




The tape was to prevent scratching the paint with the jig saw.



My assistant to hold the metal as I cut it out.



Test fit of the window.



Finished installing window.



Inside view of installed window, still need to insulate and finish with paneling.

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## aging one

What a great thread. Especially when compared to all the shit that clogs up the board these days. *I look forward to checking in and seeing the progress you are making.  Thanks.*

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## dennis4558

Thanks aging one, more to come I'm a little slow getting things posted in the summer too many things to do.

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## dennis4558

Couple pics of back door getting paneled.





I'll try to remember to get another one of the door open so you can see the full door.

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## dennis4558

Rear doors paneled.

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## Loy Toy

Such a wonderful thread and the joint creation of something you and your wife can enjoy for years to come is special.

Well thought out and superb craftsmanship.

Well done Dennis!  :goldcup:

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## dennis4558

Thanks Loy Toy,

We've had it out a couple times so far and it's been great, still a few things left to complete and then it'll be done, we're planning a trip to a state park in South Dakota next month for a long weekend so I hope to have it finished by then .

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## dennis4558

Pics of porta potty installed. This was a must, no more trips to the bathroom at 3 am.





Bit of a problem trying to decide on what to cover it with, a door front would be a problem when using it, a swinging door would hit the handle of the chest fridge so it couldn't be opened far enough, so we decided for now it will be a curtain covering the clothes hanging space above it and also covering the this space. We'll see how it goes, can be changed later if it doesn't work.

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## dennis4558

I'll try to cover the electrical equipment, anyone having a question please ask.



This is a circuit breaker panel and also the remote display and on/off for the 12 volt to 110 volt inverter.



Closeup of same panel.



Switch panel above the sliding door, only using 2 for now, main lights and water pump I also left in the factory lights which are connected to the engine battery, they can be turned off/on when door opens timed / and on continuous. On the times we've been out haven't used the factory lights, the other light bank has led lights that stay on all the time that works as a night light which is great, I measured the amount of current they draw and it's very minimal like .02 amps.



Light and USB charging bank in the bedroom made a shelf to hold cellphones when charging, switches are for bedroom light and fan.



Closeup of same.



Electronics are in the bench seat behind drivers seat.



Inverter 1500 watts, panel with circuit breakers and disconnect switch for engine alternator charge controller, reason for disconnect is if charge controller is left connected to battery it will drain the battery so when not driving it will be turned off.



Upper left is engine alternator charge controller, center is 110 volt 8 amp battery charger, upper right is battery charge controller, below battery charger is lithium battery, to the right of battery is black module which is a 12 volt solenoid, only operates when engine is running, that is to prevent discharging of engine battery when not running.
I needed to use charge controllers so as not to over charge lithium battery, lithium battery can only be charged to 12.6 volts max., the controllers can be programmed for cutout voltage, I have them cut out at 12.5 volts.



This is a 110 volt ac power strip, the orange cable feeds the van 110 volt outlets, it stays plugged in here when on shore power, if using the inverter I plug orange cable into inverter to get power from battery.

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## dennis4558

One of the problems I encountered was the way battery chargers are made now they don't show a voltage on charge leads unless they see a battery, when connecting to the charge controller the charge controller won't turn on unless it sees a voltage from the charger. For now to get it to work I have to jumper the battery voltage to charger voltage terminal until charge controller turns on than jumper can be removed. If this works I will install a momentary switch to get things to work.

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## dennis4558

Trimmed out the edge of the floor with some aluminum nose edging rear and sliding doors.

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## dennis4558

At last the bedroom is done.







The wife did her final touches with the butterflies and I finished the carpet trim.

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## dennis4558

After looking at the pictures I see a little more to do, some wood to cover behind the cabinets with carpet and the wife needs to paint the kreg screw holes, but minor things to add to the list.

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## dennis4558

Pictures of the kitchen counter



Counter with drawers and temporary knobs so we could use it on our first two trips out.



Installing the drawer faces.



Drawer faces and handles installed.



I had the water jugs setting on the bottom but decided a lot of wasted space so I install a raised shelf, more storage.



Counter top and sink installed, single water faucet from ebay, and sink from menards, made the counter top with 3/4" plywood with live oak face, free formica from friend that was leftover from job.



Finished counter with curtain my wife sewed.

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## dennis4558

I'm waiting for a usb outlet above counter, then I'll figure out a way to finish that part of the wall so it looks better.

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## dennis4558

Some final photos, this projects about done other than a few minor details which I'll post as I get them done.







Bedroom curtain from some leftover material that was used on cut down pillow covering.



Wife made some pillows from left over bench cover material and some brown she had.



Put some hooks in to hang the bikes, didn't like the idea of having clips on the floor for bike forks, figured they'd always be in the way.

Thanks everyone for following along on this thread, hope it wasn't too boring. End of this month or beginning of next we will be starting on our house build in RoiEt, will start a new thread for that.

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## dennis4558

Got a few more things completed on the van. First is the awning



This is a 12' X 10' it was designed for mounting on a building so we had to cut the hanging flap the wife still wants to sew a trim edging back on but still hasn't had time.



View from the back.



Closeup of one of the brackets an ex brother-in-law built for me. The bracket that clamps to the square tubing came with the awning the rest he made.



This is the T-post on the roof of van that we had to mount to. It took a lot of grinding to get a good fit, I put a rubber pad under each bracket to protect the van roof .

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## dennis4558

I don't have room to extend the awning out to show a picture of that, we're going out this weekend so if I remember I'll take pictures of it extended and the poles and weights I made to help support it just in case of wind gusts which are common around here.

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## NamPikToot

Dennis, thanks for the update - my view - for wind resistance and weather proofing is it not wise to make some cover for the canopy fixed in place and you have the bolts.

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## cyrille

dennis...if you don't understand that it may well not be just you.

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## dennis4558

> Dennis, thanks for the update - my view - for wind resistance and weather proofing is it not wise to make some cover for the canopy fixed in place and you have the bolts.


 :Smile: 
Not sure what you mean but the canopy will be retracted and the extension bars velco strapped when not in use or driving, the awning itself is weather proof so doesn't need a cover.

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## baldrick

looks really good 

you and your wife have done a really good job

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## NamPikToot

> Not sure what you mean but the canopy will be retracted and the extension bars velco strapped when not in use or driving, the awning itself is weather proof so doesn't need a cover.


Just me being belt and braces, i would have a shaped metal cowl; 1) to protect the rolled ends from weather when you are on the move - wind and wet hitting it at 60-70 mph aint good 2) to cover the top of the roll from weather particularly sun to help it last longer etc.

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## dennis4558

> looks really good 
> 
> you and your wife have done a really good job


Thanks Baldrick, just got back from a weekend at a park with all 3 daughters families and had a great time. First time we used the awning and it worked great, forgot to take pictures maybe the next time out.

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## dennis4558

Some before and after pictures of some things I got finished.





I got the door post covered with carpet and my usb charging outlet installed, the usb outlet also shows battery voltage so it's a little more convenient to monitor voltage without getting the meter out.

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## dennis4558

> Just me being belt and braces, i would have a shaped metal cowl; 1) to protect the rolled ends from weather when you are on the move - wind and wet hitting it at 60-70 mph aint good 2) to cover the top of the roll from weather particularly sun to help it last longer etc.


Thanks for the advice but sounds like a lot of work, the awning is made to take the weather elements, and if I do drive in the rain I'll have to remember to roll it out to dry so I don't get mold. I've seen some RV awning that are covered and some that are open just like mine, I'm sure the covered ones will last longer but I hope to get more life out of mine by removing it in the winter and around here if you get 5 months of camping you're lucky.

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## dennis4558

We had a problem with the paper towels unrolling while driving or with the door open and the wind blowing through the van. This is my fix.







All it is, is  a hinge foam taped to the towel bracket, just the weight of the hinge keeps the towel from unrolling.
I haven't applied for a patent on it yet. :Smile:

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## dennis4558

Hi Everyone, I ran into a problem and wondering if someone out there has a solution.

I installed my new 30 amp programmable charge controller on leads from my vans alternator everything works as planned only I'm getting too many amps for controller and wires. It appears the lithium battery will take whatever the alternator puts out and leads, connection points and relay are getting hot. All my wiring is rated for 30 amps so I know it's charging at a high amperage then that to get everything hot. What I need to know if there is a device where I can regulate the charging amps from alternator, I've been looking but haven't found anything yet. Maybe we have some dc experts out there that can point me in the right direction.  

When I read up on this before, everything I read said there wouldn't be a problem, but I think they were charging lead acid batteries not lithium batteries.

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## Norton

Perhaps an in line current limiter will do the trick. Sometning like this.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32957574524.html

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## dennis4558

> Perhaps an in line current limiter will do the trick. Sometning like this.


Hi Norton, thanks for doing research for me but what that is, is a dc motor control it regulates voltage, that's what I've been finding, voltage regulators. I may have found a solution, I'm tricking my battery charge controller to operate a solenoid / relay which has 150 amp contact that I'm running the charge leads through. I just have to manually start the charge controller with a momentary switch after I start the van. If anyone is interested I can scratch out a block diagram of what I did. I'll still need to test it but now the battery is charged so when it's discharged I can test it.

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## dennis4558

Had to do a somewhat humorous fix the other day, it involved the porta potty, the wife was having problems with the porta potty siding back in when she was trying to use it, here's my fix.



As you can see there's about an 1" gap under the drawer so it slides in an out easily.





As you can see I put a face on the front of the drawer that goes to the floor and on the bottom I glued a piece of carpet so it doesn't scratch the floor going in and out.
Another thing off the list, list is getting short now.

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## dennis4558

Another fix I did was the vent for the chest fridge, I tried to find a grille to cover it but because the opening is higher than wide I couldn't find one that looked good.



So instead of a grille I carpeted the wood and insulation, the boss said it looks OK that's good enough for me.

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## Norton

Damn Dennis, getting everything to fit and function is a blivet.  :Smile: 

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=blivet

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## cisco999

> I spotted this bad boy today, only £30k!


What year was that Chitty?
Maybe I should have held on to the 1969 similar bus /camper that put me back 12K DM.

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## NamPikToot

Dennis you need a charge controller i think - i'm no expert though

https://www.mastervolt.com/products/alternators-charge-regulators/

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## dennis4558

> Dennis you need a charge controller i think - i'm no expert though
> 
> https://www.mastervolt.com/products/alternators-charge-regulators/


Thanks NPT,
I read the specs on it, and it may work but I don't want to spend close to 300 to find out, I think what I've wired up now should work but I'll have to have someone monitor the wires while I'm driving to make sure they don't get too hot, the other option would be to increase my wire gauge to prevent the wires from heating up.

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## dennis4558

> Damn Dennis, getting everything to fit and function is a blivet. 
> 
> https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=blivet


Hi Norton, you got that right but I like a challenge, as long as I can find a solution, sometimes it can get to be a real head scratcher   :Smile:

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## dennis4558

I finally remember to take those pictures of the awning out.



Don't know if it would really need outer supports but I feel safer with them there just in case the wind would come up.



The pole is emt conduit cut to length and a 10 lb weights that were collecting dust re-purposed, I put a 1/2" bolt through the weight bolted it tight and drilled a hole in it so I could pin the conduit to it. Easy to assemble and disassemble.



The top is locked to the channel with a toilet tee bolt threaded into a dowel driven and epoxied into the conduit, the round piece is a piece of plywood with a furniture nut in it that tightens the tee bolt to the channel.



Closeup of the upper part that locks into the channel.



Finding a place to store the poles took a little thinking, what I did was cut and mount a piece of pvc conduit through the wall of the coat closet, that makes it easy to slide them in and keep them in place.

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## dennis4558

The one pole on the left is a couple inches shorter than the right, idea was that water would go to that corner, but it didn't seem to do that, with the rain we had this last weekend out, water ran off along the whole end.

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## dennis4558

Update, charging from van alternator is working, the wires get warm but not hot. The big relay on the left handles the charging current, the left charge controller only operates the relay coil, I do need to manually start the relay with the small micro switch which is located between relay and charge controller, when battery is fully charged everything shuts off. By charging from the alternator it is very fast, I only drove about 30 - 45 minutes from the time I started charging until we got home, it wasn't completely charged so I started battery charger and within a hour it had shut off, battery fully charged. With out using the alternator before it would take up to 12 hour to charge with 8 amp charger.

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## dennis4558

If you look at the above photo you can also see that I got rid of the cheap ebay ground strip and installed a good ground strip that I salvaged out of an old electrical box.

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## dennis4558

Added a shelf under the bed for bag chairs and Thai front door mat and whatever else I can fit, cleans up some floor space for bigger things.

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## dennis4558

Fixed problem with cabinet door opening every time we closed sliding door, the 2 magnetic latches weren't strong enough to hold it shut.



It's a (push to latch) latch



Latch in open position.



Latch in locked position.

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## dennis4558

Fixed another problem, whenever it rained water would drip on the counter and floor if we opened the sliding door. This is the material I used, E600 adhesive and 3/4" clear plastic wall corner protector.



The E6000 take 72 hours to cure so I had to tape it to keep it in place.



Finished product, hard to see what I did.



I left a 3/16" gap to catch any rain water.

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## dennis4558

The of the things I still needed to do was find a spare tire, none provided when I bought the van. I'd been searching for a rim for some time now, nothing local, online price was $85, I recently found one on line for $65 including shipping so I jumped on it. 



Went to a friends house who has a manual tire changer and mounted it, he also has a bubble balancer so got it balanced also.



Found a tire at a local auto wrecking yard for $25, has a few very small weather checks but for a spare it will do fine.



Tire mounted and balanced ready to be mounted under van.



Mechanism and tools required to lower and raise tire under rear of van.

 

Tire raised and secured under van.

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## dennis4558

A little update on the van, installed switch to select either 12 vdc or 120 vac for chest fridge



Before



After, it was the only place I could think of which kept the wiring to a minimum, not to hard to access when the fridge is partially out.

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## dennis4558

The reason I hooked up the 12 vdc to the fridge was the couple times we were out and didn't have an AC hookup we had the fridge running

with the inverter, but with both inverter and the fridge running it took too much of a drain on the battery, battery only lasted one day. 

Now that I changed it we can get up to 3 days on the battery. I also installed a DC to DC charge controller for charging from the van alternator

without it installed the lithium battery would take whatever the alternator could put out, and what I had read on this was it would be very hard 

on the alternator eventually shortening the life of it, with the controller it limits the charging to 20 amps, before I installed the controller the 10 gage

 wire to the alternator would get hot you could hold it but just barely, that should have handled 30 amps easily without getting warm. 



With this installed I only need to turn the inverter on occasionally when we want to cook or use some 120 vac device.

----------


## dennis4558

I'm presently working on a step for the sliding door so should have that finished tomorrow with a little luck, before I just had a wooden step stool

 that we used, daughters teased me about it so it was time to get something built that looked better.

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## dennis4558

Got the step finished, took an extra day  for painting.



Less then $10 plus some labor did most myself only had to take it to my friends shop and put up on the hoist to fit the back supports, 

if anyones interested on what the underside supports look like I can take some more pictures.



This is the previous step we used, I'll keep it to use when we're parked at home.

----------

