GeorgeRa
2013 Sprinter DIY 144WB, Portland OR
My priority in conversion was to subcontract as much as I could at a reasonable cost. Found machining services and all fasteners from 8020 to fit that goal.………………….
As to 10 series not looking right to your eye... I'm most interested in maximum function in a small space. With 10 series, I gain a full 2" in opening width across my back gear garage which has 3 bays. This is huge when I'm trying to fit 24" wide sailboards in the righthand bay, 2 bikes in the middle, and the utility cabinet on the left.
Also for drawers in my galley--an extra 1.5" in width is available for same outer galley dimension and sink bay dimension. Vertically, an extra 2.5" in total for drawer heights in a 4 drawer bay.
As for aesthetics, some people like Craftsman style with wide trim and others like European frameless cabinets. I happen to like both, just depends on the house they're in. For my van, I'll have a utilitarian function-driven design. For my taste, I'm not seeing any reason to use double the amount of aluminum at double the weight and cost, while sacrificing precious space, just to have 1.5" extrusions. But that's the beauty of a DIY conversion, to each their own!
For various bolts and nuts I preferred using SS and found McMaster Carr to be the best vendor with huge inventory and very easy and logical ordering online system.
I eliminated wood in lieu HDPE, no finishing work, and very easy to work with wood tools like table saws or routers.
To minimize edge finishing work most of my ¼” HDPE panels are inserted into 15 series slots and vibration proofed with 1” strips of 8020 #2178. I would prefer frameless design but framed one was easier. Inserting ¼” panels to 10 series could be difficult.
All HDPE surface panels, drawer fronts, cabinet doors with rounded corners were machined on CNC (Hein).