144 4x4 for Family of 4 (and a dog)

[asimba2]

I know you don't want to hear this but the Espar is my favorite thing in the van. There's nothing like knowing you have true 4-season capabilities and can keep the fam warm and happy regardless of what's going on outside.

I typically set it for about 52 deg overnight and when I wake up I crank it to 70-deg. (The thermostat can be reached from bed.)

One of my favorite times in the van was in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone when the skies went from sunny to sleeting in 15 minutes. We ran for the van, cranked on the heat and had lunch while the tourists scrambled like Trump's impeachment defense team. It was that moment that I realized the van was worth every penny I spent on it.

 

[ken@yvr]

Stumbled across your write up. Cool, I am almost following your build plan as it happens without previously seeing this write up. Bought the new van November 30, 2020; only its a Ford Transit AWD. Had previously purchased a used Sprinter 4x4 crew in October from a guy that subsequently sold the van to someone else between taking my deposit and delivery to me. He asked to drive it for another month until his new van came. Thought would have been ok as it gave me time to sell my 2wd Pleasureway Sprinter camper. Did not think he would be unscrupulous A**##e and he sold it for more money to someone else. I threatened a lawsuit but decided I did not need the stress or bad Karma and let it go after I got my deposit back forthwith. Hunted around for another unicorn used Sprinter 4x4 and looked a couple of new ones, but ultimately found a new Ford Transit AWD for $25K less than a new MB. Since all vehicles depreciate, decided that the savings were better invested in my up-fit. I’m frugal. Mercedes does have better fit and finish but Ford isn’t that bad.

Swivel seats were first, now the windows are in. My first cut was the hardest as I did the sliding door with CRL, then the drivers side. There is huge fear in taking a brand new $50K vehicle and cutting big holes in it while your wife asks - ‘are you sure you know what you’re doing....’ of course I do. I did cut a sunroof in a $500 car when I was under 20; but that was 45 years ago! Insulation is partially in now, as we went camping first weekend and froze when it snowed in blank panel van. We are using 3M Thinsulate also. Installing 8020 track system for cabinets etc. Currently running wiring and roof vent is next as soon as rains lets up, I also bought diyvan adapter which finally arrived today in the mail. Ceiling is insulated except for panel Maxair is going. Having to work around multiple delays in product availability really as stuff arrives. Adhesives are hard to find in Canada and stuff takes longer if Amazon has to ship from US. Lots of things arrive and 1 or 2 parts are backordered for weeks so you have to work on what you can when you can. Thank god I’m retired with no firm deadline to live by.

My van is moving along and will be partially completed enough for the next short camping winter camping trip in a couple of weeks. It will still be camping but we will have both the Webasto heater and the plug in electric heater (with CG hookup) and insulation, so we should be a little more comfy for weekend 2. My electrical system should be mostly done by then but I do have the shore power component already in. We are under partial lockdown due to Covid so it is my Covid project. Covid is real (unfortunately, I have lost 2 friends to it), stay safe and be kind. Our camping trip is at a campground 30 miles away (local change of scenery).

 

[Travelroqs]

So, what's the verdict...a heater in your future? I'm personally on the fence.

Still no verdict...gonna have to test more. One of the biggest "plusses" is the idea that it will help control condensation. At this point I would consider it a luxury item. Would it be nice? absolutely. Is it an absolute necessity? At this point I would say no...but I will take it out in the cold a few more times and maybe I will change my mind.

 

[Travelroqs]

Stumbled across your write up. Cool, I am almost following your build plan as it happens without previously seeing this write up. Bought the new van November 30, 2020; only its a Ford Transit AWD. Had previously purchased a used Sprinter 4x4 crew in October from a guy that subsequently sold the van to someone else between taking my deposit and delivery to me. He asked to drive it for another month until his new van came. Thought would have been ok as it gave me time to sell my 2wd Pleasureway Sprinter camper. Did not think he would be unscrupulous A**##e and he sold it for more money to someone else. I threatened a lawsuit but decided I did not need the stress or bad Karma and let it go after I got my deposit back forthwith. Hunted around for another unicorn used Sprinter 4x4 and looked a couple of new ones, but ultimately found a new Ford Transit AWD for $25K less than a new MB. Since all vehicles depreciate, decided that the savings were better invested in my up-fit. I’m frugal. Mercedes does have better fit and finish but Ford isn’t that bad.

Swivel seats were first, now the windows are in. My first cut was the hardest as I did the sliding door with CRL, then the drivers side. There is huge fear in taking a brand new $50K vehicle and cutting big holes in it while your wife asks - ‘are you sure you know what you’re doing....’ of course I do. I did cut a sunroof in a $500 car when I was under 20; but that was 45 years ago! Insulation is partially in now, as we went camping first weekend and froze when it snowed in blank panel van. We are using 3M Thinsulate also. Installing 8020 track system for cabinets etc. Currently running wiring and roof vent is next as soon as rains lets up, I also bought diyvan adapter which finally arrived today in the mail. Ceiling is insulated except for panel Maxair is going. Having to work around multiple delays in product availability really as stuff arrives. Adhesives are hard to find in Canada and stuff takes longer if Amazon has to ship from US. Lots of things arrive and 1 or 2 parts are backordered for weeks so you have to work on what you can when you can. Thank god I’m retired with no firm deadline to live by.

My van is moving along and will be partially completed enough for the next short camping winter camping trip in a couple of weeks. It will still be camping but we will have both the Webasto heater and the plug in electric heater (with CG hookup) and insulation, so we should be a little more comfy for weekend 2. My electrical system should be mostly done by then but I do have the shore power component already in. We are under partial lockdown due to Covid so it is my Covid project. Covid is real (unfortunately, I have lost 2 friends to it), stay safe and be kind. Our camping trip is at a campground 30 miles away (local change of scenery).

ken@yvr, good luck with the build! Hope you can learn from some of my mistakes! Oh...and I almost bought the Ford too. I agree...so much more inexpensive. But I took one for a test drive and it broke down on me during the test drive. I know that isn't representative of all the Transits...but I just couldn't get over that. Felt so bad for the sales guy.

 

[Travelroqs]

I know you don't want to hear this but the Espar is my favorite thing in the van. There's nothing like knowing you have true 4-season capabilities and can keep the fam warm and happy regardless of what's going on outside.

I typically set it for about 52 deg overnight and when I wake up I crank it to 70-deg. (The thermostat can be reached from bed.)

One of my favorite times in the van was in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone when the skies went from sunny to sleeting in 15 minutes. We ran for the van, cranked on the heat and had lunch while the tourists scrambled like Trump's impeachment defense team. It was that moment that I realized the van was worth every penny I spent on it.

I definitely agree it would be nice to have. We have tent camped in Yosemite in the snow...the van is a definite upgrade from that. Just don't know if it is a priority at the moment....

 

[Travelroqs]

Made a quick decision to head to Brianhead to ski/board for a couple days. How shall I carry those skis. No roof rack or any way to mount them to the outside of the van. Quick mod to my bike rack...nah. Gotta be inside. But I don't want all that melting snow in my van.

This is what I came up with. All from scraps from the rest of my build.

A scrap piece of 1/2 inch baltic birch as the base. A couple little scrap bits of 3/4 inch baltic birch to hold the skis. Some scrap bits of 1/4 inch foam to protect the skis and hold them tight. My wife owns skis. My kids rent...so I had to guess a bit (Spoiler alert...I guessed wrong.)

I took the lower bed out of the van. The scrap piece of 1/2 inch fit perfectly without any cuts. I placed it where I wanted it and marked out holes that would match with the L-track (that doubles as the bed rail). With the bed fastened in place I put my wife's ski on it and marked the ply out. Took it out.



Cut 4x6 chunks of 3/4 ply to hold the skis in a vertical position. Screwed the 6 blocks in place and used double sided tape to stick the foam to the sides and back of the opening. Lovely.



I put the rack back in place, put the skis on it, and held them tight to the new rack with a strap.

Being only 1/2 inch ply it was a bit wobbly for my liking. It needed some kind of support. Had a spare hinge lying around. Another little scrap piece of 3/4 (about 6 inches wide too), and a scrap piece of 1 by 4 aluminum angle. I used this to make a bracket/support piece that would go from the back of the "ski rack" to the horizontal L-track on the wall.


Hmmmm still a bit wobbly since the bracket only held the center tight but not the sides. I just added a strap to the top to hold it tight from all directions. Worked like a charm.


Also placed the whole thing in a long/low plastic container so all the snow melt would end up in there. Boots would go there too.



Friday morning...pick up the rental skis. One pair fit. The other...needed some quick mods to the rack. No worries. Move one set of blocks. Add a couple extra layers of foam...good to go. I snowboard...so I just put my board in my board bag...the snow can melt in there.

It all worked out well...If I was actually buying materials for it an not using scrap I would probably use 3/4. That would eliminate the need for the support piece/strap. I will also probably add a second row of blocks at the bottom to hold the skis at both the top and bottom just because. I might even add a way to close the ski holders and eliminate the strap completely. Or, I might eliminate the whole thing and buy a roof rack.

Oh...and the temps. It got down to about 23F overnight...we slept in a hotel so our warm bodies weren't in the van to help keep it warm but the inside temp the next morning was 31F. Not sure what that says about my insulation....

 

[Travelroqs]

PROJECT 28: Re-modify the re-re-remodified third panel of my bed

So after a bit of time off the projects, to occupy my time I decided to finally re-re-re-re-remodify that third panel of my bed. I feel like I finally nailed it. For real. I feel like this is the one. (Watch this space….there is a possibility you will read about another re-modification but I genuinely feel like I finally got this right).

CHALLENGE: My wife is a teacher. I have two school aged kids. There is a global pandemic. I live in California where two drops of rain constitutes “Storm Watch 2021!!!” For those of you who don’t live here you can imagine how Covid is being treated. For those of you who do….

The challenge is trying to work on anything that involves cutting or sanding while your wife is trying to teach students via zoom and not disturb them. Not happening. I literally do quiet preparation work. 9 to 9:15 is break time...cut. 10:45-11:50 is lunch. Cut AND Sand. Oy vey. Can’t wait till they get back in the classroom.

Alright… a recap...I have two side cubbies above the wheel wells. I have two bed panels that fit between them and each tilt up creating a “couch” that can face either front of van, or out the rear of the van. I love these. The third panel is a work in progress. I suppose the ideal solution would have been the telescoping option like AdWag or like Hodakaguy has built. But I didn’t do that. I don't know if I have the skill or wherewithal to do such a thing, nor did I know where to source telecoping aluminum. I thought my attempts at a non telescoping version were decent at the time...but turned out to be a bit tough to install and remove.

For my newest solution I decided I was going to make a prototype first. For about $20 in glue I took all my scraps and leftover baltic birch plywood (I save all my scraps), and laminated them to make 1.5 inch thick sheets. I ripped them down to 1.5 inch strips. This, of course, would mimmick 15 series 80/20 should I eventually want to build it for reals out of that (overpriced) product.

Long story short, I built a box with this. This box stretches from the driver’s side wall, about halfway across the van. Said box completes my half of the bed to give me over 6’3 of sleeping room (I am 6’2). The box is divided into two sections for storage. I fastened it to the floor and wall on the L-track. Rock solid. I now cut covers for said storage compartments. Inset magnets into the lids and box frame, upholstered the lids and voila. Done. Lids are easy to remove. No dealing with latches. They are held on super tight.




Screw in some hooks inside the smaller storage compartment and hang a laundry bag...we have a hamper.



The larger section perfectly fits two milk crate style boxes I already had on hand. Full disclosure...I had to redesign my initial build of this to make sure they fit after I realized they could fit perfectly with a tweak to the design. Bonus because I didn’t have to buy new storage boxes.

Alright...my sleeping spot is taken care of. That makes me happy. What also makes me happy is when my wife gets to sleep. So….I guess I better figure out her side of the bed. She is shorter than me. She doesn’t need 6’3. Her side of the bed happens to sit over the toilet. Ya...I know. So, to access the toilet conveniently without making the girls fold themselves in half while peeing, I thought I would make the second half of the bed a bit shorter.



...continued below....

 

[Travelroqs]

....continued from above...

Also...I had the lagun table mount. I used ¾ inch ply to make the table. I could never figure out a place to store the table conveniently when not in use. It ended up heavy and somewhat inconvenient. (Probably not the best time to mention this...but I have a lagun table mount for sale if you are interested...for real). So...why not dual purpose...table and rest of the bed.

I made the table to fit the spot between the passenger wall and the newly created 1.5 ply box. ½ baltic birch. Reinforced in strategic places. I had an old Coleman camp kitchen in my shed that hasn’t been used in years. Took a leg from that. Used the aluminum angle (¼ inch by 1 inch) that was originally the trim piece to the rear floor of the van as a hook at the end. Magnets to hold it all down. What? I know. That made no sense. Hopefully this pic helps describe that better...but if not... Let me try again...




When in bed position...The table sits on a bracket which is fastened into the L-track on the passenger side and sits on top of the box in the middle of the van. It is all held down with magnets. The table leg is held firm to the table with a velcro strap.



When in table position….Fold leg down and I hook the little hook device, I so eloquently described above, onto the L-track on the driver’s side wall. Soooo much easier and lighter than the Lagun...and it is dual purpose which I love. (Did I mention I have a Lagun for sale?).



In the pic on the right you can see yet another of my errors. Rushing to get it done I glued down the cross piece without first routing out a slot for the aluminum "hook.". So....I first thought about routing a slot into the end of table and sliding it in...then decided to just route out the entire thing, then cut a piece of 1/4 inch ply to fit in. Dumb. But typical of me if I'm being honest.

While I was at it I also modified the side cubbies. I un-second guessed myself and went back to my original design creating top access, rather than the side access. I left the side access because...why not? The tops now get secured with, you guessed it...magnets. Love those magnets. (This is the part where someone will make a comment like “let’s see how much you love those magnets when you crash and those lids are missiles in your van...to which I say...fair point. Let’s hope I don’t crash).

I didn't take great pics of this, but in the post above this one you can see the little holes I put in the lids as handles...

All in all I am very pleased with this modification. Much more pleased with the modification than you are with my write-up about said modification. But I am fine with that.

Oh...and my homemade 1.5 inch thick ply...I kind of dig it. I don’t think I will switch to 80/20….at least for a while…

 

[rhymes with]

Most awesome... the best how-to-convert since the 'ahimsa' videos...so damn useful!
1000 thank yous for your postings and your build out...very impressive
Thanks

 

[Travelroqs]

Most awesome... the best how-to-convert since the 'ahimsa' videos...so damn useful!
1000 thank yous for your postings and your build out...very impressive
Thanks

Thanks @rhymes with. I am hoping others can learn from my mistakes...

 

[Travelroqs]

PROJECT 29: Aux Lighting - ROOF GLAND AND WIRING

Got my switch pro all wired up. Well...not ALL wired up. I ran the wiring for my rack lights. I used the same marine gland as Hodakaguy to go through the roof. That guy knows what he is doing and his work is impeccable. I would be doing myself a disservice to not at least try to follow his lead.

I obviously had to remove the ceiling panel and insulation first...then before I started making a mess I used magnets (yes..I love those things) to put plastic on the ceiling to catch any scharf that might fall. And if you have drilled holes before you know that crap will be everywhere.

I am using 12 ga wire. I used the smallest provided tube to drill the holes through the rubber of the gland. I did some careful configuration on the roof to figure out where I wanted it, then drilled two pilot holes for screws and fastened it into place (temporarily).

My punch fit into the holes in the rubber perfectly so I could accurately and expertly mark the holes in the roof for the wires. I also marked the rest of the screw holes at the same time since that is the kind of guy I am.



I bet you can’t guess what I did next. If you said “drilled the holes” you are really good at this game because that is exactly what I did. I first used a very small traditional drill bit. I then followed up using a step bit. Side note: I wish I had learned of step bits before day 1 of this build. They are wonderful. I digress. I then drilled all the holes to the correct size. Except one. I lost focus and went one step deeper. What an idiot. It is a step bit. It doesn’t create an instant hole. How did that even happen? Whatevs. That wire probably wants more room anyway.



Clean up holes. Paint holes. Wait for paint to dry.

Much like Hodakaguy, I decided to use SikaFlex221 to make sure this thing was water tight. Unlike Hodakaguy, who spread a nice thin/neat coating on the rubber gasket, I spread it on like a peanut butter sandwich. Put it all in place. Dip each screw in Sikaflex. Screw it into place. Push wires through. Wires now coated in SikaFlex. Get SikaFlex everywhere. Use rubbing alcohol to clean up SikaFlex. Pretend didn’t get SikaFlex everywhere and be proud of work.

Now that the wires were through it was time to crimp on the appropriate female ends of the waterproof connectors for the wiring harnesses for my lights. I did so swiftly and expertly. Check it. I was even smart enough to put the shrink wrap on the wires before I put the connectors on. A rare moment of brilliance. Crimp. Heat gun. Split loom. Bob’s your uncle.



Now for the interior. Remove plastic. Carefully. To not spread scharf everywhere. Vacuum the bits that got away. Admire work. Grab wires. Get sikaflex all over hands. Clean up SikaFlex with rubbing alcohol. Look around with panic to make sure I hadn’t touched anything with my SikaFlexy hands. I hadn’t. Phew. Re-admire work.

Now the fun part. Time to run the wire from the ceiling to under the hood where my Switch-Pro would live. I had previously made a plan to run the wires down the B-pillar, behind the driver’s seat to the wire chase that runs between the seats, under the dash to the rubber wire chase by the auxiliary battery under the hood. I called an audible.

I removed all the plastic steps and such on the driver’s door and realized there was plenty of room there. So I went down the B-pillar pushing the wire through all the same spots as the factory wire. Side note...I taped all the wire together and put a protective anti-abrasion sheath on it out of an abundance of caution. I followed the wire down to where it goes under the driver’s seat. I went behind the little plastic wire holder, used 3M dual lock to stick the wire under the lip of the floorboard along the step. Later added duct tape in a few spots cuz...I am a man...and...duct tape...around the corner, then under the plastic trim piece by the hood release. Fished it though the rubber wire chase. Roberto is your tio.



While I had it open, I snuck some sound deadening and thinsulate in the step. Then came the hard part. Getting that effing plastic step trim piece back on. The screw holes are on a weird angle...and I couldn’t seem to get it on just right. Took a minute. A few cuss words, and a minor temper tantrum, but I finally got it on. And damn does it look pretty.

As luck would have it, two nights later it rained like a motherf#$&er. Bone dry on the inside. Nice. Too much SikaFlex? No such thing.

 

[Travelroqs]

PROJECT 30: Switch Pro/ARB Compressor Hook Up…

I decided to use a switch pro to control all my accessories rather than trying to do a bunch of different switches on the dash and make them look good. There is a real hole in the sprinter market here for nice OEM looking dash switches. 3D printing opportunity alert!!

The switch pro is expensive but everyone raves about it so...why not? It allows eight different devices to hook up. On my rack (which I don’t have yet) I will have white reverse lights and amber lights on each side (controlled independently). I am going to mount whites and ambers on the little step on the bumper in front and also have an ARB Compressor. Two of the spots are yet unaccounted for.

So now I got my wiring all run. Time to hook all this crap up. Seemingly forever ago I had fabricated this custom mount. I can’t weld, but can I rivet the crap out of stuff?!? The first step was spending a stupid amount of time figuring out where to put it. Once I decided, my creativity juices started flowing. Look through the scrap aluminum pile. Experiment. Trial. Failure. Failure. Trial. Perfection.

I decided to mount it to the auxiliary battery tray under the hood. I decided to do so using the existing bolts for the battery tray. I remove the bolts from said battery tray and promptly drop one into the abyss. I grab a magnet. (There is that word again). Screw it to a stick and probe my engine bay like it’s out wedding night. After that thirty seconds I continued probing it for an hour more trying to find where it could have gone. Didn’t find it. Then I did this. I asked my son to grab his long board. I proceeded to drive around the block accelerating hard, stopping hard, swerving violently, hoping to shake it loose. My son followed on my long board to hopefully pick it up when it fell out. I didn’t fall out. I did, however, win the father of the year award for the exceptional display of parenting and example setting. So that’s pretty cool.



Luckily I still have the other three so I’m golden.

So step one is grabbing a piece of angle aluminum as the foundation of the mount. I had some ¼ inch left over from a bracket I made. Stout. That will do. It didn’t extend far enough to be able to hit the battery tray and be out of the other nonsense Mercedes put under the hood to “make the van go.” Solution. Rivet on some flat bar (aluminum). Nice. But...there is a weird little lip that needs to be overcome. Solution. Cut a gap in the flatbar to slip around it. Nice. Mark the holes to match the battery tray. Drill the holes. Vacuum up the super lightweight aluminum shavings that get everywhere as the constant wind refuses to die. Now rivet on another piece of flat bar to fit both the Switchpro and the terminal strip. Looks good. Mark the holes to mount above items. Drill holes. Rattlecan this work of art. This will work just fine.




Now this is the part that is vintage me. I put this beautiful mount in a box and left it there for like four months. All the knowledge was fresh. I just spent days at the university of youtube earning my bachelors in switch pro mounting. I should have just done it. But I didn’t. Now here I am this past week having to re-learn it all. Oh well.

This part was pretty easy. Switch-pro doesn’t recommend using a terminal strip. Everyone seems to. I’m not always a follower, but when I am, it’s usually because Hodakaguy or Ourkaravan does it. Hodakaguy used one so I did to. Cut wires. Crimp. Label each section of the terminal strip 1-8. Mount it. Connect wires from lights from my last post. Connect all the grounds (I connected everything to the battery negative for now, but I am going to change that when my negative bus bar arrives from amazon in a few days). Connect the positive battery wire...done. Well...that’s not true.
There are three more wires.



Trigger wire...pink...I routed this back up inside the van. I am going to connect it to another switch inside the van. That way I can turn on the passenger side lights from the switch by the slider door or the switch pro...a little porch light. The trigger wire allows me to do this. I would also allow me to connect my lights to the high beam wire if I so desired so lights would come on when I switch to high beams, but I elected to do the porch light instead. This one is easy.

Ignition Wire...blue...it needs to hook up to an ignition on wire, or tap a fuse (they provide a fuse tap). The switchpro needs this wire to sense the 12v activity when the engine is running which will activate the system. Toyota Tacoma/4 Runner folk generally use the fuse tap for this...Sprinter folk can’t because the fuse tap is smaller than the fuses used in the Sprinter. Sprinter folk seem to use the EK1. I was too lazy to take off the seat again so I haven’t connected this yet...will try to do so this weekend.

Headlight Wire...this is the one that gives me indigestion. You have to tap into a positive headlight wire. This will dim the backlight on the switchpro when the headlights come on. Convenient feature. There are about 2.5 million wires that go to the left headlight. Ok. Maybe there are only 6. But that is a lot. And none of them are red. Which I would assume is the positive one. I guess I just have to poke each wire with a multimeter to see which one is the positive. Then tape them up??? I don’t know. Anyone who wants to comment on this and give me the advice I need is more than welcome. Or if you happen to know which is the correct wire...that would be cool too.



Oh...the ARB Compressor...for a few bucks, Switchpro sells an adaptor for the ARB to connect it. That makes it super easy. I bought that. You still connect the power for the compressor directly to the battery (positive and negative) and the switch pro controls the on/off situation.

 

[fireball05]

Just read through your build, quick note to say THANKS for sharing and I will enjoy following along!

 

[Travelroqs]

GREAT NEWS!

I completed the install of the switch pro. I unplugged the connector from the driver's side headlight. Jammed a multimeter in each connector and figured out the YELLOW AND GREEN WIRE is the POSITIVE. Now my backlights will dim. Now one more wire....the ignition wire....

I confess. I am an idiot. For those of you who haven't read my previous posts there is plenty of evidence of this above. For those of you who haven't....I am about to present more evidence. I have been avoiding this task forever. I know I have to connect this ignition wire to the EK1. Yet, I tried and tried to find another way. Why? Because I didn't want to have to take the seat off again. Why? Well...last time I took the seat off it was a total pain in the ass. I got three of the torx bolts out easily. but one of them was in such an odd spot. I had me and two neighbors and all of our combined tools and adaptors trying to get this stupid bolt out. I cussed Mercedes engineers out the entire time. WHY WOULD YOU DESIGN IT THIS WAY? I just did not want to deal with the hassle again, so I worked hard at not having to take the seat off again. A couple nights ago, laying awake at 3 AM thinking about van projects as I so often do it suddenly hit me. SWIVEL THE SEAT. That's right. I owe the Mercedes engineers an apology. Although there may be other things to cuss them out over....this seat is not one of them. Turns out I am just an idiot. So today, armed with time and this 3AM theory, I had the courage to remove the seat. Turns out it was pretty damn easy when you swivel the seat out of the way. My word. Sometimes I amaze myself with my stupidity.

I connected it to EK1. Easy. Seat back on. Easy. Tested the switch pro...works beautifully.

MORE GREAT NEWS...Finally finished another project that has been kicking around...no fear for this one...just wasn't a priority...

PROJECT 30: Drawer Faces

You know how I have mentioned a few times I procrastinate on some things…..well...I finally got around to building my drawer faces for my pull out kitchen….

These drawer pulls/handles are actually for speaker boxes I think. They were a bit too big to add to the stove drawer (within the drawer) so I just cut a handle in. I didn't use locking slides on that drawer (reason described in the drawer build post I think) so just used a hitch pin to secure it in place. Easy. Only now that I have the face on it, that no longer works.

I am thinking I will just do something similar but through the bottom of the main drawer above it...but please give me your suggestions...

 

[RVBarry]

I am thinking I will just do something similar but through the bottom of the main drawer above it...but please give me your suggestions...

Hi, if the top drawer latches, you could latch the bottom drawer to it.
Something like this, but might need a longer pawl?

Southco Inc M1-63 Flush Pull Latch .475 to .675 Panel Thickness, Non-Locking (Pack of 2): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Southco Inc M1-63 Flush Pull Latch .475 to .675 Panel Thickness, Non-Locking (Pack of 2): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

Add a metal catch/plate to the bottom of the upper drawer if needed.

 

[Travelroqs]

Hi, if the top drawer latches, you could latch the bottom drawer to it.
Something like this, but might need a longer pawl?

Southco Inc M1-63 Flush Pull Latch .475 to .675 Panel Thickness, Non-Locking (Pack of 2): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Southco Inc M1-63 Flush Pull Latch .475 to .675 Panel Thickness, Non-Locking (Pack of 2): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

Add a metal catch/plate to the bottom of the upper drawer if needed.

That should work well. Thanks for that!!

 

[Travelroqs]

PROJECT 31: RACK AND LIGHTS

I'm not sure if it is fair to call this one a project. I really had nothing to do with the rack itself. Well, that's not true. I sent some emails. Perused some photos. Asked for some modifications. I also laid down my credit card, so there's that.

I chose a local company in So-Cal...Rugged Design Concepts. Super cool people. And I think they make the coolest designs out there for racks and ladders...but especially ladders. They added some rings on my rack to mount my MoonShade awning which is cool. I went with the basket style. He also modified their basket design on my rack (and future racks) to make it a bit closer to the van/lower profile. I think it turned out great.




After getting the rack and lights mounted (I did make the harnesses myself...so it's not like I was a complete passenger here). I also mounted some Baja Squadron Sports on the front of the van. I went back and forth a few times about this but eventually just decided to buy the RB Components mount. It wouldn't have been hard to make one myself I think, but to be honest, I just got lazy on this one. Decided to buy one instead of reinventing the wheel. The hardest part of the install was separating the plastic bumper liner to hide the wires. And that wasn't hard at all. These things are BRIGHT. Love them. Will be great for those dark back roads.



Lastly...I got my ARB Compressor all hooked up and the airlines run. I just cut my own mounts similar to what Agile offers out of flat bar aluminum I had kicking around...easy. Now I can pump up my paddleboards without exhausting myself and air down when I want to.

 

[Travelroqs]

PROJECT 32: HORN REPLACEMENT
We have all been there. That guy (in a Prius) who is driving 45 in the carpool lane somehow doesn’t see the giant van passing him on his right and starts to move into the lane you are already occupying. You honk your horn to get his attention. You instantly feel shame. That feeling of shame is made worse by the look of confusion on Mr. Prius face when he looks, expecting by the feeble sound of the horn to see Ms. Prius next to him but instead sees said giant van. Well, I am here to tell you there is an easy (AND I MEAN EASY) way to never feel that shame again.

I decided to change out the horn. First I almost bought the agile off road horn kit. At only $100 it is quite reasonable. But then I found the PIAA horns on amazon for like$30. I’m no math wizard but that appears to be a savings of $70 which will buy me almost a gallon of diesel in California. Let’s take the savings.

I watched a couple of horn installations on YouTube. I think it is PNL van or something like that that is most useful. Remove three torx screws. Pull the plastic grill back.It gives you enough space to work. Rather than the agile mount I just looked through my tickle trunk of scrap materials (my fellowCanucks will know what a tickle trunk is). And made these mounts:


Yep. That’s right. A couple left over bits from new door knobs. Grind them a bit. Drill the holes a bit bigger. Rattle can. Bobs your uncle. I installed them in the same place as the agile kit would. Just did it for $70 less. Made a quick wiring harness. Cut the wire from the factory horn. Attached my harness. Remove factory horn. Zip tie my harness to where factory horn was. Replace grill. Roberto is your tio.
It was all soooo Easy. An hour at most. And most of that was waiting for paint to dry. It sounds better and sounds safer. People will hear you now. Highly recommend.

 

[Travelroqs]

Hi, if the top drawer latches, you could latch the bottom drawer to it.
Something like this, but might need a longer pawl?

Southco Inc M1-63 Flush Pull Latch .475 to .675 Panel Thickness, Non-Locking (Pack of 2): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Southco Inc M1-63 Flush Pull Latch .475 to .675 Panel Thickness, Non-Locking (Pack of 2): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

Add a metal catch/plate to the bottom of the upper drawer if needed.

RVBarry. I took your advice with the drawer latch. Turned out great. Thank you!!

 

[Travelroqs]

PRO-TIP!!!!!:

It is time to get your roof rack. You also plan on using a rooftop cargo box to store odds and ends. Before you order said roof rack...figure out which roof cargo box you plan to use. If you already own a roofbox and like it, factor that into the design. Make sure they position the hole in the rack for the fan appropriately so you can fit the roofbox you already own, or will purchase, on the rack in front of the fan. You definitely don't want to ignore this step and have your rack be one to two inches too short to accommodate the box you already own. This will force you to deal with the hassle of selling this roofbox, and trying to find a new one that will fit. Of course, I don't have first hand experience with this. You have read my previous posts. You know I would never make a mistake like that. I have just heard this can be an issue.

Oh. And while you are at it. Make sure you know how your box attaches to the roof. Plan for this as well. If you don't, you will be drilling holes in your beautifully crafted and powdercoated rack. And because it is so beautifully crafted, there is less than an inch of clearance between the rack and the van roof. This would make it very difficult to get the hardware installed and also to clean up the shavings from the holes you just drilled.

At least that is what I would imagine when I played these hypothetical situations over in my head. Of course it never happened.

Side note, completely unrelated to above. I installed a newly purchased SportsRack ski box on my beautifully crafted rack this weekend. It is not as nice as the Thule box I had for years and sold a couple weeks ago, but It holds my four inflatable paddleboards (barely). It opens from the back, which is weird. Good thing is, it fits well on my rack in front of my fan. Here is a pic...