Cabinessence!

Ianmoore

Member
She was originally Apollo 2500, our touring vehicle. I got her new in early 2008 and put 200,000 joyous and well cared for miles on her. I had to retire her from touring use, as our requirements are much heavier than the RV set, but she still had a ton of life in her, and i kept her maintained. I drover her from Austin to the Seattle area( where we live) last June and started working on her last fall. I still have a few details to work out, but much of the heavy lifting is done, and I need to spend some time to see if i want to change some of the details.

I have a few trips this summer, including a PCH northern Cal trip with wife and son, to get an idea of how she is taking to her new life.

For now, here are some pics showing her general being-My fishing buddy owns a cedar shop so i have some real pretty ceiling boards.
The plywood is mostly Sapele, with some baltic birch for structural.
I used thinsulate in ceiling and walls, and rigid foam in floor.
I'm gonna give my current copper propane setup some time, but am thinking i may go to flexible hose(steel reinforced) depending on how it holds up over the next few months.
My water system is simple( 7 gallon clean, 7 gallon grey, with spare 7 gallon in garage)

The battery system is a bit weighty with 4 88AH batteries, but I got such a good deal on them i couldn't pass it up. I have a ML-ACR from my starter to the AUX bank. Really digging the Samlex inverter/charger, which to my research was the best bang for the buck. Marine grade wiring, etc. Victron battery monitor(bluetooth is awesome!) and MPPT controller with single 320W panel on top

-Diesel Espar heater with simple start

We are going to sew our window coverings with blackout material, thin thinsulate, and the reflectix that is shown in the pictures. Still fine tuning the magnet situation, and trying to figure out if i will use that or velcro for main passenger windows. We are gonna mount a curtain rod to the cab shelf for an insulated curtain between cab and main area.

Here goes-
















I also still have to mount my awning.
 

ranchworld

'06 158 2500 Passenger
The photos did not load for me. Are you clicking the "go advanced" button under the reply section? Then clicking on the paperclip button? Then click upload and then posting into your message by clicking the paperclip again and selecting your image.
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
Looking good. What is your post conversion weight? Its hard to tell, but did you balance your battery wiring? It might be, but I can't see for sure.
 

rjz5400

Member
I would accelerate the replacement of the yellow connector pipe. Our local propane inspector told me they are only meant for one-time setup.... meaning bending and retightening ect WILL lead to a leak or a failure, I was using it in a semi-mobile application also. (work hardening? or fatigue)

I am looking into adding a flexible QD option to add a stove/water heater line to my propane tank.
 

Ianmoore

Member
I would accelerate the replacement of the yellow connector pipe. Our local propane inspector told me they are only meant for one-time setup.... meaning bending and retightening ect WILL lead to a leak or a failure, I was using it in a semi-mobile application also. (work hardening? or fatigue)

I am looking into adding a flexible QD option to add a stove/water heater line to my propane tank.
Yes, this is a temporary solution. I am looking at my propane ends and going to decide. I have been looking at quickconnects. The way i have it currently set up I have a T that goes to 2 valves. I plan on either cooking inside or having a longer hose to cook under awning. I kind of like the idea of having only one hose and less chance of an errant open valve.
 

Ianmoore

Member
Looking good. What is your post conversion weight? Its hard to tell, but did you balance your battery wiring? It might be, but I can't see for sure.
Finally got it weighed: 7340. This is with our full water system, full propane, all of our tables, chairs, etc. This is without our clothes, food, and us. I know max is 8550.

Mostly will be my wife and I, though our first trip will also be with our son.
 

rjz5400

Member
I plan on doing the same with QD hose to add to my on-demand heater for showers or maybe an outside propane grill. be sure to update on the final setup and great job so far. everything looks well thought out.
 

Ianmoore

Member
I plan on doing the same with QD hose to add to my on-demand heater for showers or maybe an outside propane grill. be sure to update on the final setup and great job so far. everything looks well thought out.
We just got back from our first real trip. We did 9 days from Seattle through Big Sur and back. Everything worked remarkably well. Had to do a quick fix on an overhead cabinet hinge that split the wood. Grabbed some epoxy and some c-clamps in some Coos bay and we were back in business!

The propane set up is awesome! I would recommend both the high pressure solenoid(with switch) as well as the pressure guage. I had some intermittent vapor lock issues that i think are with my quick connect, and i was able to quickly look at the guage to tell if the system was operating correctly. The solenoid is a game changer. You can turn your tank on and off from the front(or wherever you install your switch) and as long as your 2 connections before it are tight you will have zero propane loss. My locker worked great-I have 2 vents, out and intake.

Electrical system was great. I have 4 AGM batteries i got really cheap, so i have a little extra weight there, but i have 350AH and it looks to be more than enough with most anything i will run into. The lowest i got was about 88%, and that mainly came from using a kettle in the morning. I have 320W of solar on the roof, as well as the ML-ACR. I am still fine tuning the system and gaining understanding of how best to utilize it, but i was able to get the battery almost fully charged every day between the two. I would put the ACR on auto until the battery got around 95% and then switch it off, letting solar do the rest. I had a few times where my victron MPPT would go to float too soon, but i think this is something that i can tweak to what i need it to be. It sounds like there is a new update that deals with some of these issues.

Our bed was amazing! It's actually more comfortable than our mattress at home. I put in 2 maxxair fans, which worked great in tandem. It was nice and cool most nights, but even on the hot nights, with both running, we were able to stay cool. My wife put together DIY window shades. We used blackout material on the outside, thinsulate and reflectix, with nice fabric on the inside. The reflectix wasn't necessary, but i used that to make my templates, and we put it in. It's amazing how well they work. It literally looks like the van is totally dark. It also keeps out any light. I guess our next task is figuring out how to use the fans without letting in light.

I have to keep working on my drain from my water system. I am using quick connects on my clean water, which are awesome, but not usable for the drain system. Right now i have some hose that goes to a 7 gallon container. It tends to kink up a little. Need to refine that.

We were able to find a mosquito net that fits the screen door perfectly for $30. Put some magnets on the top and some velcro along the sides. We ended up leaving it up the whole time

Overall though I am really happy with the design and functionality of the build. Doing it all DIY, with some great help from the forums, and some great products from folks like Impact Design, I feel like I was able to create something that caters to our needs and aesthetics really well
 

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