PAV Adventure 4x4 Build

[ddunaway]

I enjoy checking in on this thread from time to time. Great resources and creative solutions. Thanks for the effort put into sharing results.
I came back today to review heating. I've been using a Wave 6 Olympian radiant gas heater with a 20# propane tank, and just am uncomfortable using explosive fuel, so am rethinking a shift to a D2.
Other things. I don't see mention of toilet or refrig here, and can share results. I have a Campco portable toilet which has served me well. To me the worst part of RV life is black water tank dumping. Dumping the portable tank is much nicer.
The other thing is refrigeration. I'd had a great Dometic refrig in a trailer, and after using an ice chest while I decided to spend the $500, went with their portable 44 quart model. It is compressor cooled, but uses tiny amounts of battery (also works on 120 AC). It is quiet. Can be either refrig or freezer. For another $50, I bought the insulated cover. I just park it on the floor behind my passenger seat. It has been a total success.
I'm another Seattle guy. I saw some mention of getting together for coffee. How about all of us gather some day for a show and tell?
Dave

Dave,

I do really like the D2....highly recommend it. I have been doing a bunch of updates that I am getting ready to summarize....one of which is the fridge.

Be happy to meet sometime ...one of us Seattlites just needs to coral the crew.....you're not the first to suggest it. I know as least 4 or 5 and there are probably 5X that number. Maybe a weeknight to be sure to get the recreationalist fraction (which would include me). I never commit to anything on the weekend except mountains maybe somewhere like a park.......Gasworks?

 

[ddunaway]

Sub

Built a sub out of MDF and an 8” infinity speaker (also from Inertiaman). I stuffed it with a bit of left over thinsulate. It is installed over the passenger side wheel well. The sub can be removed and unplugged from the speakon connector if needed to allow for more space.

Sounds great by the way. The 9 speaker system and 5 channel amp really take it all to an amazing level. Very happy with this improvement…..

 

[ddunaway]

More L-track to various walls

Horizontal and vertical L-track to passenger side rear lower panel. I diced up the gray OEM panel to fit in between the L-track. 5 gallon water tank can and the new sub are strapped in place now (see pic).

Vertical L track to bed support wall (see pic). Strapping in water container and at times mountain bikes here.

Added 2 horizontal rows under mid ship windows on drivers side (see pic). These will be used to attach various things ….fridge, drawer, as well as a table/counter.

Walls under the driver’s side window here made of ABS glued to ¼ in ply with M90….I wanted this stronger to be able to attach things to with screws if needed. Also, the ABS glued to polycarbonate in the upper rear panels are bubbling in very subtle ways. There are cutouts for auxiliary 12V panel, amp, and 1000W inverter.

 

[ddunaway]

Water container pump experiment

Installed a sump pump in a 5 gallon military water can. The hose comes out of the cap and has a switch at the end. The whole setup is a bit rough but I wanted it to be completely self contained. It works OK though the cheap 12V plug has a bad connection. Need to fix that. You have to keep the tube up to prevent a siphon leak after pumping. The pump does not always prime easily but it can pump very fast, which is nice. This was all super quick to test functionality.

The Rule iL200 pump
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O892R0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[ddunaway]

Fridge, Counter, Storage

Installed Truckfridge 49 and drawer above with small section of bamboo counter above (see pic). There is still room in front to install the OEM seat when I want to use it. This little section of cabinet is made of 25 series 80-20 mixed with plywood panels…… continuing the aluminum-birch motif. All the 80/20 and fasteners etc took a bit of time to figure out and order. There is also a custom drawer, drawer slide, and Southco latch (see pic). An aluminum plate is bolted to the floor under the fridge to attach the lower section of 80-20. Lots of stuff to figure out in a small area……

The fridge is an awesome improvement! I really love coming back to cold drinks. With the 200W of solar the 230Ahrs of house battery really never drops very low. Usually above 90% SOC after any evening and quickly returning to 100% during the day. It should be able to run continuously in all but snow covered conditions. The fridge is just a tad noisy. It is not the fan but the compressor. I thought it might bother me but it does not really. The first time I used the fridge I turned it all the way up and returned from a 3 day spring ski traverse of the Chiwakum range to frozen guacamole. #4 seems to be about the right setting.

Another section of bamboo counter can be installed to extend the counter over the fridge (see pic). This is the normal configuration when not using the OEM seat (most of the time). I need to install a forward support down to the L-track for 2nd end of the bamboo counter.

The plan is to strap in storage bins under the forward counter section (see pic). In general food will be stored in these bins to make it easily removable from the van when not in trip mode. I still have yet to settle on the bins…. Buckhorn has some that sound interesting. Bins can be bungied in between the L-track ring fittings and floor seat attachment bars.

 

[ddunaway]

Next up - upper cabinets above counter, ie. above drivers side mid ship window

I need to figure out the design of the upper cabinets. I am struggling between all wood construction and something like GeorgeRA's design of 80-20 but with birch ply panels....that is the Aluminum wood motif again. Also, I am not sure whether sliding doors or doors opening up with hinges would be preferable.

 

[Graphite Dave]

Suggest you consider upper cabinets with baskets instead of doors. Very convenient to just reach into the basket without having to open a door. A side benefit that was unexpected is the hand grab rail you get the full length. Use the hand rail all the tme.

 

[ddunaway]

Suggest you consider upper cabinets with baskets instead of doors. Very convenient to just reach into the basket without having to open a door. A side benefit that was unexpected is the hand grab rail you get the full length. Use the hand rail all the tme.

Dave,
Is there somewhere I can find pictures of what you are suggesting? Perhaps a post # on your a build thread...

 

[Graphite Dave]

I am traveling and do not know how to cut and paste on this tablet.

Search: orton DIY - overhead cabinets" Post # 31.

In Transit I changed the design to by rotating the baskets 90 degrees so short side is facing out. That gave me one more basket on each side. Made the cabinets a bit deeper. Could do that because the high roof Transit is taller than the high roof Sprinter.

One thing I found helpful was to string a rope to locate the bottom front of the cabinet so I could determine the best location. Could check how much clerance I had sitting up in bed.

 

[DieselFumes]

Fridge, Counter, Storage

Installed Truckfridge 49 and drawer above with small section of bamboo counter above (see pic). There is still room in front to install the OEM seat when I want to use it. This little section of cabinet is made of 25 series 80-20 mixed with plywood panels…… continuing the aluminum-birch motif. All the 80/20 and fasteners etc took a bit of time to figure out and order. There is also a custom drawer, drawer slide, and Southco latch (see pic). An aluminum plate is bolted to the floor under the fridge to attach the lower section of 80-20. Lots of stuff to figure out in a small area……

Nice use of 80/20! It looks like you found an interesting fastener between the 80/20 and the l-track. What did you use to connect the alu bracket that holds the vertical 80/20 in your fridge cabinet on to the l-track with? I've been using these RB components ones but yours look much neater.

 

[ddunaway]

Nice use of 80/20! It looks like you found an interesting fastener between the 80/20 and the l-track. What did you use to connect the alu bracket that holds the vertical 80/20 in your fridge cabinet on to the l-track with? I've been using these RB components ones but yours look much neater.

DieselFumes,
That connector is very similar to the one you used. It is the one with higher strength (not that it matters) and a lock nut. It is just a stud connector and an aluminum angle. Maybe the angle of the picture makes it look different.
http://www.cargoequipmentcorp.com/Wheelchair-Tie-Down-Sure-Lok-p/fe200739.htm?CAWELAID=120174060000017292&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=19822361644&CATCI=pla-128434464484&catargetid=120174060000018086&cadevice=c&gclid=CMGIlcDky84CFU-CfgodTEkOSQ

 

[DieselFumes]

DieselFumes,
That connector is very similar to the one you used. It is the one with higher strength (not that it matters) and a lock nut. It is just a stud connector and an aluminum angle. Maybe the angle of the picture makes it look different.
http://www.cargoequipmentcorp.com/Wheelchair-Tie-Down-Sure-Lok-p/fe200739.htm?CAWELAID=120174060000017292&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=19822361644&CATCI=pla-128434464484&catargetid=120174060000018086&cadevice=c&gclid=CMGIlcDky84CFU-CfgodTEkOSQ

Darn. I thought you'd found some new and very sexy attachment method. There are some different ones in use in Europe that aren't available here. I've also used plow bolts in a couple of places.

 

[est1980]

Darn. I thought you'd found some new and very sexy attachment method. There are some different ones in use in Europe that aren't available here. I've also used plow bolts in a couple of places.

Would 8020 work on the walls and floors instead of the l track? I was thinking of building something similar but thought I might be able to use all 8020 (on the walls and cabinets) instead of the two different products...

But then again the l track looks pretty sweet, and the 8020 looks great with the birch.

 

[ddunaway]

Would 8020 work on the walls and floors instead of the l track? I was thinking of building something similar but thought I might be able to use all 8020 (on the walls and cabinets) instead of the two different products...

But then again the l track looks pretty sweet, and the 8020 looks great with the birch.

Est,
I suspect the L-track is significantly stronger with the attachment points. The other key benefit of L-track is the easy removability of the fittings. If you are going to want to quickly attach and remove things then L-track is probably better. For more building of permanent structures 80-20 is likely fine.

 

[Pchild]

Hey, I'm ready to install the Espar D2. I am not finding any guidance on side clearance. Do you need more clearance only for access for maintenance, or what? I may need to be pretty snug on the side away from the cord, because of location of frame members below.
Also, how much heat comes from the exhaust? It appears it goes through the floor tight to the hole. Any issues with heat there?
Thanks

Dave

 

[Pchild]

Gasworks Park sounds like a good choice.
Any weekday evening will tend to be okay for me.
Others? Can we narrow this down? Who's listening?

Dave

 

[Graphite Dave]

Est,
I suspect the L-track is significantly stronger with the attachment points. The other key benefit of L-track is the easy removability of the fittings. If you are going to want to quickly attach and remove things then L-track is probably better. For more building of permanent structures 80-20 is likely fine.

80/20 makes modified carriage bolts that drop in the slot and turn 90 degrees. Easy to attach anything to the extrusion anywhere along the slot.

https://8020.net/shop/3300.html

I use them with a female eyebolt and a plastic washer to attach a tiedown loop to an extrusion. Pictures of the assembly:

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showpost.php?p=351716&postcount=116

The ones in the pictures on my Dakota used a standard carriage bolt that had to be end loaded. Later I figured out that if I used the special modified carriage bolt I could insert them anywhere in the slot without needing to end load.

 

[DieselFumes]

Gasworks Park sounds like a good choice.
Any weekday evening will tend to be okay for me.
Others? Can we narrow this down? Who's listening?

Dave

Maybe this should be a new thread. Also, consider Marymoor park in Redmond if you want more room and some more of the East siders to show up.

 

[ddunaway]

Hey, I'm ready to install the Espar D2. I am not finding any guidance on side clearance. Do you need more clearance only for access for maintenance, or what? I may need to be pretty snug on the side away from the cord, because of location of frame members below.
Also, how much heat comes from the exhaust? It appears it goes through the floor tight to the hole. Any issues with heat there?
Thanks

Dave

Pchild,

The cover comes off the top, so no side clearance needed for maintenance. The top is easy to take off and put back on. The heater is made to bolt on a plate. If you install it right, then the exhaust tube is under the van. I used exhaust clamps to attach the exhaust tube to the van....I had a long exhaust run, so needed to buy extra hangers. The hot air to the van can get to ~170F, so no insulation near that tube. Overall though the heater does not really get hot. I had run it (and felt it) many times before I decided to put the battery right next to it.

I'll PM you about hooking up, and DieselFumes is right, we should start another thread about a general get together in Seattle.

 

[kcshoots]

Did you do anything to waterproof your garage? I am thinking of making my bike garage in the back of the van waterproofed to be able to contain mud from bikes and snow from skis, as well as take an occasional shower. Essentially a large shower/waterproofed garage that can drain out.