Weekender 4WD Crew Build for family

slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Finally got my hands on my own 2019 4WD high roof Crew van to do a weekender build. I built fair amount of these already, but not exactly how I would like to build them as well as I got some new stuff to try out that I haven't been able to do on the vans I have worked on. First things first, within 30 minutes of having it dropped off...tear it apart and start putting holes into it! I have a solid build plan which is typical set up for a family weekender...electrical, insulation sound deadening, fan, solar, aux battery, heat, basic audio upgrade, flooring upgrade, wheels, tires, lagun table, swivels, vented windows, ...just a nice basic weekender build.

Starting out with stock crew van pull everything out. Cut a hole for the fan (measure, mark, mask, clean, wash) to ensure there are no metal debris. I also am making room for much larger 17" wheels so a Van Compass fender kit goes in as well as I will be putting in a full size spare so I will be using the Agile kit to expand the rear rack.

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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Here is a comparison of the wheel openings now that the fender flaps are back in. The kit was fairly easy to install if you are comfortable cutting into your brand new van and have a cutting wheel or a nice air saw, I tweeked their instructions just a small amount to make it a bit nicer and used my own hardware as the hardware they gave wasn't to my liking. I have done something similar with no kit as well that worked real nice on a 2WD, but I needed a lot more room for tires in this van so I thought I would use a kit rather than do a total DIY kit or change the lower fender all together which would not only take at least same amount of time but also be much more expensive and not color match the van. 275/70/17 tires are the max size before it messes with the adaptive cruise control and this size is just right for this van. Wheels are back ordered for another week...so no eye candy for now.

Pics of the openings.

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Tomorrow I will tackle putting the solar panels on the roof, cutting a hole for the gland for the wiring and put on the Aluminess Nerf Bar steps and maybe even do some wiring or install dual aux battery trays in the engine compartment. I also need to finish bending the spare tire rack to fit the bigger tires in this van.
 
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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Another 14 hour day on the van today. Decided to do pre-wiring first, this always starts out what looks like a mess but one wire at a time it all gets organized. I also got the solar panels on and pre-wired that as well to the wall. Going to be putting a bunch of 12v outlets and usb outlets through out this van so it's all set to add a kitchenette, fridge, power a small inverter, and charge phones no matter where you are in the van. You don't need 110 power in a campervan unless you have to have to run our microwave, coffee maker, or blender...this is a weekender and to keep costs down this just isn't needed nor is there the space to put this stuff in the van. The idea is to keep this simple but functional. A heater will be a better investment rather than an inverter and locating the battery under or in the van which would be required if I was to add one.

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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
I also got to adding Aluminess nerf bar steps. The van looks a bit naked with these on without bigger wheels...those are back ordered and hopefully here end of the week. Once wheels are put on this van...it will start to come together cosmetically nicely. I also had to expand the rear tire carrier also to get ready for the big wheels. (not the easiest thing to do without a expansion bar) The van is so high you have to have a step so the kids or dogs can get into the van easier. I could have done electric step but these nerf bars keep the grocery carts from banging up the sides of the van and they are a lot less...and really smart choice for a family as well as nothing to break down or fail. They do affect ground clearance a bit, but this van isn't going to do any rock crawling.

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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Aux Battery. This van came with no auxiliary battery so I will be adding one (actually two) in the engine compartment. These 2019's are a bit different than the older vans there are quite a few things that are technically different from an up-fitter stand point and this is one of them. A lot less room in the engine compartment requires that you put one battery on passenger side and one on drivers side (two 6v deepcell AGM's in this case). Its a bit more work than the older vans for sure...not super complicated, but more time consuming for sure. Wiring is as well a bit more tricky to run. The battery trays by RB Components however fit well and are fairly straight forward to install, but you need a plus nut tool, not a regular rivnut tool. Why did I not use Lithium? More expensive, more sensitive to cold, more sensitive to voltage fluctuations, all of which can be addressed with enough $, but there is more than enough power in this van to run fridge, heater, fan, lights, charge laptops/phones, fridge with the solar...24/7 so why for 2-3 times the cost? Just not needed and being a weekender the electrical system won't be deep cycled like a van if you lived in it 24/7. The batteries charge by the alternator as well as solar so from my experience they are more than satisfactory for this type of build. 224ah is ideal for most campervans, especially with solar. I also wanted the batteries in the hood, not under the van or inside. I want to keep these areas clear for aux gas or water tank or gear...so the hood is ideal and batteries are kept out of the elements and the safest place to put them.

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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Installing the battery trays is really fast compared to wiring everything up. With the batteries in two separate places, the firewall changed a bit, its a lot more time consuming than the NCV3's. I have to use different fuses and of course much longer lines to get everything to fit nicely. Some pics with the wiring in place with the isolator, solar, and power supply line to the house fuse panel. You really now can see its a tight fit. RB components Tray's. The thing on top is the ECU that has to be relocated on top of the battery. In the past it was located below/front of the battery when you could place two batteries together in this same place. Blame the re-routed brake lines and LED lights for that.

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The new stock OEM starter battery is much smaller than in the past. (used to take up the entire space) Not something you want to run any of your accessories with. There is an option I believe for a larger one (70 vs 94 ah?) ...but we only need this for starting the van...

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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Fuse panel under passenger seat and got the heater wiring and heater fuel line just about done. I put it here so you can easily access it. A popular kit puts it in the drivers side with only a few positions. Poor choice which is why I don't use a pre-wire harness kit. Once you have a seat swivel in you can't get to the panel if its under the drives seat. You notice as well I have all the grounds here for each connection...this makes trouble shooting easier for a wire fault as well as you have 12 slots...plenty to have enough connections so each outlet or device has a dedicated fuse and wire. I don't daisy chain any outlets. You see the wiring starting to clean up as well as the heater will goes here. Easy access. Needs a bit more tidying up to do and the heater vent and related wiring completed. I put a circuit breaker here next to the panel as well as the battery has a auto reset breaker just to keep things super clean. The breaker also allow the panel to disconnect easily if you want to work on the wiring or outlets in back. No need to disconnect main power. Makes it really easy to work on wiring. I have 12v cigarette style outlets and USB outlets all throughout the van so that a fridge, kitchenette, small inverter for a lap top, and phone/pad charging can be done any place in the van. All just in the right places.


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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
What kind of wires are you using?
It all depends on the function. Always use stranded 100% copper. (not copper clad) Size depends on load, plenty of places to find technical information on recommended wiring size. I would refer to technical and manufacture guides always. Your factory stuff is 16-18 gauge mostly for outlets, I go bigger for sure...its not expensive to do so why not? For inside a van DC connections in back to USB, lights, fans, and 12v outlets- 12-16 gauge is most common that I use. I always ground at panel and each outlet has an independent line, no daisy chaining connections because I am lazy or cheap. Grounding at panel also allows trouble shooting to be easy if you have an outlet that is not working.

Don't take my word for it, read up on the tech, understand what you are doing, its not complicated and worth the time to educate yourself rather than just getting a quick answer. Too many people just read stuff in a forum thread and run with it and it might not be the best product or instruction. I can honestly say I have spent thousands of hours reading about a technical aspect in building vans/cars...and have made plenty of mistakes doing this for over 35 years and well into hundreds of vans and cars, but that is how you learn. With the internet, blogs, and you tube...its way easier now than it was pre-internet back in the day, no excuse to not be able to learn something today. Just takes TON of time reading and many cases a fair amount of money buying the wrong stuff or redoing something. That's part of the fun building cars. Technical Disclaimer: This build post is not intended as a technical reference, more of an inspiration thread and detail showing the sequence of a build. Later when I sell this van sometime next year (when I can finally get my hands on a low roof crew 4WD again) one can look at what I did and feel confident it was done correctly and why.
 
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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Found out today that relocating the ECU as RB recommends can interfere just a bit with the window wiper mechanism. I will have to mount it a bit lower, just need like a 1/4 inch more. Great example of trial and error...even with "instructions" nothing is as it seems usually. Super easy fix, but an example of a lot of stuff I encounter that needs some "messaging" to get to fit right. Actually now that I think of it...its just about everything! Also batteries did not fit right either in trays. With these trays...the battery hold down bar are a bit too low/tight...had to make a spacer to clear this particular brand of battery. Every battery might be different by a small amount...another example that out of the box...the battery tray did not exactly work perfect...run to the hardware store and some ingenuity took care of the problem. Very typical of of aftermarket non-OEM parts. I have never built a car or van that did not require some of this or in most cases a significant amount of "customization" as they say. :smirk:

Also left the factory seat at my fabricator shop to do the new Lagun table mount adapter for the newer bench seats. Better location and easier to install than the older bench seats adapters for the NCV3's due to the new seat design in the 2019's. Hopefully in a week or two I will have the prototype back and they will jig it up so they can duplicate it easily. First one hurts...generally to mock up the first one its a days worth of work and the jig another day...at $150 an hour its becomes a very expensive piece of square tubing. They are not made in China and fabricators I use are gnarly good plus it supports local economy putting regular people to work. I will post more on this when done with photos so if someone has welding fabrication skills it will be easy to duplicate from a few photos like the older one I made to make there own...its actually pretty simple once you get all the details right. First one took 3 pro-types to get right. This one I am hoping will be much easier based on what I learned on the first one.
 
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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Got the van 80% insulated and sound deadend walls and roof (easy part). The sound deadening is RAAM mat, its superior to the other stuff most people use, non-asphalt based. Not cheap either. You can tell the difference when you pick it up, its a superior product just from the feel of it in comparison to other alternatives. (hushmat, noico,fatmat,...) This is the closest alternative to Dynamat Extreme. It has no fancy logos or slick marketing, but it s a bit less than Dynamat Extreme. A layer of thicker 3M Thinsulate on top makes this is really very effective combo, and you need the combination, its a huge difference. One for vibration one reduces noise. I also stuff it in nooks and crannies (after I ran wires in them), you don't get this in the "kits" that are pre-cut...not hard to pull a pair a scissors out and save a buck or two. Use upholstery scissors...they make cutting this stuff very easy. You can single or double layer it, I find a single layer is fine as it lofts up pretty well. It takes me about 18 hours to insulate and sound deaden the walls, doors, and roof - at my speed which is very fast, figure to do usually an entire van similarly for most would be much longer. For the floor I am going to use closed cell foam...easy, economical, water/mold proof and really effective. . I am not going to lay down Raam Mat on the floor....you can if you want to really go the extra mile. Its a lot of material and I generally find its not needed. The van ends up as quiet as my 2019 Forester...so usually acceptable for most.

Got to as well add a longer seat rail so the van can seat two bench rows. I posted more on this on a different thread.


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Will be finishing up the heater install, flooring, panels, and electrical coming up soon. Then the fun stuff (eye candy) during the end of this build that will pull it together.
 

slamit

www.cacampervan.com
what color is your van?
Selenite Grey Metallic "992" I would have preferred something different, but this color could not be changed...I have owned a few vans this color...its really nice looking especially when I get some wheels on the van to tie it all together.
 

slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Ok...busy last two days. Yes, this took two really long days, and that's not banker days either. Anyways, got longer seat rails installed for two rows, figured out all the trim to finish it out, drill the 4th mounting hole (that exist in a crew) insulated the floor and installed interwoven vinyl (google it) on the floor. I have had this stuff for a very long time...finally decided to put it into a van, kinda hoarding it for another van...but decided why not put it in this one. Its an alternative to coin flooring, not as durable, but certainly as water proof. Its used on boats all the time. As with anything different grades...various price ranges, but its all very expensive but gives you a really nice luxury look and has a cushion feel. Figure $130-$150 a yard...so a floor for 144 will cost you easy $600 just for the material. (and shipping maybe) You glue it down and cut it with a razor blade...super easy to work with compared to coin flooring. I used a very expensive glue (it cost me $900 for glue and applicator, but it for more than one application) to glue it down, but I would imagine there are other alternatives to glue down, follow mfg spec. It lays down much easier than coin flooring and is very durable, but not as durable as rubber coin. I think you will see a more of this in future...coin is played out, but I still think its one of better alternatives and I wanted a nicer upgraded look. Living in so cal this type of flooring is ideal for the beach and it just looks super nice and has a padded feel as well. (nicer stuff does)

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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Another long day...feel like nothing got done as everything looks for the most part the same! (sound familiar?) I always say its what you don't see that takes so much time. Finally got the heater all connected up, vented to the inside, and running. Finished connecting all the electrical connections in van for all the 12v outlets (lots of them), LED lights, insulated rear doors (takes longer to do these than the walls!), added rear speakers to the doors (still have to figure out how to turn on rear fader on the factory radio...that will happen this week hopefully), unplugged the front center speaker (now the stereo sounds 100% better), all of this took pretty much 10 hours. Feels like nothing got done as you can't see any of the work except for the rear speakers mounted and they don't even work yet.:smirk: Just mentioning this so you who are building your vans don't feel so bad...I have done hundreds of vans and even I can blow this stuff out in a few hours if I am doing it correctly.

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Still have a pretty big punch list:

Insulate and sound deaden front doors
Cut interior hole for Fan
Front Door Speaker Upgrade
Rear Audio Speakers connected and programmed to work with factory radio (have no idea still how this will be done...new vans are totally different)
Tires/Wheels
Awning
Lagun Table
Alpine Designs Swivels
Mule Bags
Trailer Hitch
Windows (vented)
Rear upper quarter Panels and trim around windows
Moab Bed
L Track
??? maybe a few more goodies for this phase 1 basic build
 
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slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Bit more done today, insulated and sound deaden the front and back doors, swapped the front speakers out using 3D Impacts speaker adapters. (disconnect that center speaker, that alone makes a huge difference). The doors alone take more time than the entire rear walls to do but do make a big difference, its a must do if you are insulating your van. You can tell from the before/after pic...I am pretty thorough when I do insulation/sound deaden in a van. This is just a small example of what I do and I use superior materials as mentioned so the end result is better than what most do. (Also takes a lot more material and time) I use over 120 square fee just in sound deadener alone. (not including the floor).

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Fanto

Member
Progress is looking good!

I read you don't need to apply sound deadening to more than 25% of the panel for it to be effective. Saves on cost and weight. Your front door seems pretty loaded with sound deadener. Did not want to take any chance?

Bit more done today, insulated and sound deaden the front and back doors, swapped the front speakers out using 3D Impacts speaker adapters. (disconnect that center speaker, that alone makes a huge difference). The doors alone take more time than the entire rear walls to do but do make a big difference, its a must do if you are insulating your van. You can tell from the before/after pic...I am pretty thorough when I do insulation/sound deaden in a van. This is just a small example of what I do and I use superior materials as mentioned so the end result is better than what most do. (Also takes a lot more material and time) I use over 120 square fee just in sound deadener alone. (not including the floor).

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Fanto

Member
Pictures are not showing. Could you please reupload?

Got the van 80% insulated and sound deadend walls and roof (easy part). The sound deadening is RAAM mat, its superior to the other stuff most people use, non-asphalt based. Not cheap either. You can tell the difference when you pick it up, its a superior product just from the feel of it in comparison to other alternatives. (hushmat, noico,fatmat,...) This is the closest alternative to Dynamat Extreme. It has no fancy logos or slick marketing, but it s a bit less than Dynamat Extreme. A layer of thicker 3M Thinsulate on top makes this is really very effective combo, and you need the combination, its a huge difference. One for vibration one reduces noise. I also stuff it in nooks and crannies (after I ran wires in them), you don't get this in the "kits" that are pre-cut...not hard to pull a pair a scissors out and save a buck or two. Use upholstery scissors...they make cutting this stuff very easy. You can single or double layer it, I find a single layer is fine as it lofts up pretty well. It takes me about 18 hours to insulate and sound deaden the walls, doors, and roof - at my speed which is very fast, figure to do usually an entire van similarly for most would be much longer. For the floor I am going to use closed cell foam...easy, economical, water/mold proof and really effective. . I am not going to lay down Raam Mat on the floor....you can if you want to really go the extra mile. Its a lot of material and I generally find its not needed. The van ends up as quiet as my 2019 Forester...so usually acceptable for most.

Got to as well add a longer seat rail so the van can seat two bench rows. I posted more on this on a different thread.


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Will be finishing up the heater install, flooring, panels, and electrical coming up soon. Then the fun stuff (eye candy) during the end of this build that will pull it together.
 

slamit

www.cacampervan.com
Progress is looking good!

I read you don't need to apply sound deadening to more than 25% of the panel for it to be effective. Saves on cost and weight. Your front door seems pretty loaded with sound deadener. Did not want to take any chance?
25% is effective, however more to a point is better and there is a point that there is a difference just not as much.At minimum 50% and focus on the large flat surfaces. The cost difference your talking about is $200-300 more in material...its a 100k van when done...not going to go cheap on a van this expensive nor would I do the same on my custom cars. It also makes the audio much better. You would notice a pretty big difference in this van compared to someone else who skipped on materials or used the wrong stuff. I once purchased a van that was done professionally with denim insulation and had been "insulated and had sound deadening" done. I honestly thought it had none till I pulled it apart and found it stuffed with denim stuff)...when I was done by changing everything it was a HUGE difference.
 

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