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Our first attempt to build a simple but comfy campervan.

217K views 416 replies 78 participants last post by  HDH 
#1 · (Edited)
The build thread starts here: Our first attempt to build a simple but comfy campervan.

The original pictures disappeared when PhotoBucket decided to charge a small fortune for our own pictures. I reposted most of the original pictures starting at the link above.

Wheel Tire Vehicle Sky Vehicle registration plate




We purchased our Transit 250 MR with the 3.5L E.B. engine back in July. The plan is to turn this van into a simple but comfortable campervan. We got the tow package so we can pull a trailer with my motorcycles.


Due to business travel and some motorcycle trips this summer I haven't been able to do a lot to the van or even drive it a lot. At this point there are only 2,000 miles on the odometer. The original plan was to do some of the work myself and have other work done by a local van builder. However, after getting several quotes I have decided to do it all myself. This is a learning experience and if I don't like how it turns out I can always change it. The plan is to make everything modular and removable and make use of the holes that are already there.


The link below shows the build up to this point:
Factory Transit roof rack and ladder


The picture below shows the van as it is today:
 
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#2 ·
Platform bed install.

We took the empty van on a weekend camping trip. This was great but we decided that the first thing we needed was a bed. I decided that I would go with a removable platform bed. The platform bed had to sit high enough so we can utilize the space underneath for storage and transportation of large items. The advantage of raising the bed it that I can sleep sideways since there is more space higher up.





I installed some angle iron on the side walls and used existing holes. I painted the angle with bed-liner paint left over from the ladder paint job.
I used a Harbor Freight motorcycle ramp that was exactly 69" long and took it apart to turn it into my bed frame. See picture for details:





I used 3/4" plywood for the bed platform and covered it in cheap carpet with underlayment.


 
#11 ·
We took the empty van on a weekend camping trip. This was great but we decided that the first thing we needed was a bed. I decided that I would go with a removable platform bed. The platform bed had to sit high enough so we can utilize the space underneath for storage and transportation of large items. The advantage of raising the bed it that I can sleep sideways since there is more space higher up.
HDH, Nice to see a RWB (130") conversion. Thanks for posting, I like your layout and am learning from your build.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Temporary curtains.

Now we have the bed but I like my privacy so we had to install some temporary curtains. I used a shower curtain rod behind the seats. This fits exactly in the indents of the Styrofoam blocks. In the back I installed a shower curtain rod as well that fits perfectly above the cable trays in the back. For the sliding side door I used a bungee cord. Then we bought some cheap black out curtains at the local Fred Meyer that had the prefect length of 63".
With the curtains closed you can't see that the lights are ON inside the van and inside the van it stays completely dark.











I also bought 2 foam pads and cut them to fit our new bed.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Second camping trip this past weekend.

Now with the bed and the curtains ready we had to try the van so we went on a weekend camping trip to central Oregon. We went to Smith Rock state park and had a great weekend with great weather.
I used a folding table as our temporary kitchen and secured it to the van wall with bungee cords.





We wanted to use the awing but it was storming Saturday when we arrived at the camp ground. I had to park the van crooked to keep the wind out for when we opened the sliding door.





We had fun and love the van!
 
#5 ·
Anoying cargo lights!

During this camping trip we found out that the cargo lights stay ON for 30 minutes with the sliding door open and reset every time the door opens and closes. This had me worried since we don't have a house battery setup yet.


The 1st thing I did today was replace the cargo light bulbs for some LED bulbs. We have 3 cargo lights in the medium roof cargo van. I also removed the cable tray on the side to see if I could do something with the wiring and install a switch. Behind the cable tray I found a connector that goes to the 2 lights in the front of the cargo area. By disconnecting the plug the front lights switch OFF. The wiring for the rear cargo light is wrapped in the wiring harness and difficult to get to without ripping the harness apart.


As a temporary solution I disconnected the power supply wire to the rear cargo light. I don't need this at the moment since it is behind the rear curtain anyway.
I installed a switch in the wiring from the plug to the 2 front cargo lights so I can switch it OFF when I want to. This works great as a temporary solution.
In the Ford Transit upfitters manual I read that the power supply for the cargo lights is connected to pin C2-1 of the Body Control Module. I will probably move this to another point where I have continuous power regardless of the door position. Once I have the house battery, solar panel and rest of the electrical system ready I'll move it to the house system away from the car system.
 
#6 ·
During this camping trip we found out that the cargo lights stay ON for 30 minutes with the sliding door open and reset every time the door opens and closes. This had me worried since we don't have a house battery setup yet.
Nice work! I went with a Harbor Freight moto ramp based panel bed as well. I like your simple curtain solution too.

As far as the slider, there is a plug that is easily accessed just aft of the slider door opening (in an open cavity) that you can unplug to stop the slider from triggering the lights. With that unplugged and the master dome light switch to off, I don't have any problem keeping the van dark camping as long as I just use the slider to go in and out. If I open a front or rear door, the lights stay on for a minute or two. Not a problem if not stealth camping.

JP
 
#7 ·
HDH and JP4- Great idea with the aluminum MC ramps!

Is 3/4 plywood necessary? I'm thinking 1/2 or even 3/8 would be plenty and a lot lighter since the re-purposed ramps should offer plenty of support.

I installed a center off toggle switch in my van for the interior cargo lights- center is off the lights, don't come on no matter what. Up they operate normally, well what Ford considers normal, and down they operate all the time regardless of what the vehicle is trying to command them to do.

I have a house battery but did not move the 5 cargo lights to it, they are LED in my van and use so little current not worth the bother to me, although it would be a simple matter to do so.
 
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#8 ·
The 3/4" plywood is probably overkill but I like to over engineer things. Since my motorcycle ramp is a 2 piece setup I had to split the 2 halves to give me the width that I needed. To bridge the 2 halves I use the plywood.
I saw on JP-4's build thread that he used a 3 piece motorcycle ramp.


Thanks for the tip on your cargo switch setup. I may end up with a similar setup once I get to the electrical portion of the build.
 
#10 ·
Yeah, the way I mounted my ramps (the angle iron is bolted to 80/20 rails on the walls) I needed them to be a little shorter. I took a tri-fold ramp, drilled out the hinges, and cut them down on my chop saw. I also removed the steel lips. I even moved one of the rungs on each ramp by drilling out the rivets and bolting them back on.
I used 1/4 ply but ended up gluing and screwing 2x2's either side of the ramp for more rigidity. It came out really light, but if I did it again if probably just use 1/2 ply and be done with it.
 
#12 ·
Built some upper cabinets for the van this weekend. Two large size cabinets over the bed on both sides of the van and a less deep cabinet for above the kitchen area.
All cabinets are removable just like the bed. I can remove the bed and all 3 cabinets in less than 30 minutes.
The cabinets need to be finished and I have to install doors but we'll try it like this to see if the size of the cabinets works for what we need.


Any recommendations on hardware for the doors? Is this something I should buy at the local hardware store or should I order special hinges and latches from a specialty camper store?


 
#13 ·
HDH, how did you secure those upper cabinets? have not decided how to do this yet.
 
#14 ·
The back plate of the cabinets is 3/4" plywood. I mounted this directly to the side walls of the van. Each cabinet uses the 2 existing M8 pre-threaded holes and I used 5/16 through bolts for the rear cabinets in existing holes where I could. There were a few holes where I couldn't install a nut and washers on the back side so I used 1/4" RIV-nuts instead.
The front kitchen cabinet is installed the same way but here I used the 2 M8 threaded holes and 1/4" RIV nuts for all the other holes. Each cabinet is mounted with about 7-8 bolts on the back side.

Since the metal chassis that the cabinets are mounted to flexes a little while driving on rough roads, I added 2 brackets for each cabinet to the front and attached this to the roof beams. The cabinets are mounted rock solid and I used only existing holes. No drilling required.
 
#15 ·
Sounds very solid, and I like the no drilling approach!!
 
#16 · (Edited)
My method will be a little different. The 80/20 cabinet front face bolts to three vertical 1/2" plywood tabs. The tabs bolt to an aluminum angle that bolts to existing holes on the side of the roof ribs. I drilled those holes out and used 1/4"-20NC pre-bulbed inserts. Could have run a long 1/4 bolt through the roof rib. The plywood tabs and 1/2" plywood floor thermally isolate the 80/20 from the van steel.

The bottom of the cabinet is 1/2" plywood that sits on a 3/4" wood header bolted to the van wall below the cabinet. Plywood will have metal clips to attach to the header.

Cabinets not done yet but do have one up temporary to check fit. Temporary installation uses cobbled up wall supports which will not be used on the permanent installation.

Pictures and other info on build at www.ortontransit.info Picture at top of the "using 80/20" page.
 
#22 ·
I admit to being overly cautious. While my spouse would be admiring the fancy granite drop-in sink covers on most of the new class Bs, I would be wondering what would become of those 15 lb stones in a collision!
 
#23 ·
Electrical.

I ordered a Fantastic vent and other bits and pieces needed for the electrical portion of the project. All the cables have been pulled and I installed switches and outlets for the 120VAC and 12 VDC devices. For now I keep it simple, I installed a Marinco 15A shore power inlet and keep the house system separate from the car battery. We either run on shore power or run on the house battery if shore power is NOT connected. I automatically activate a relay when shore power is plugged in and switch to 12VDC from a 120VAC to 12 VDC transformer. When not plugged in, the system will pull power from the extra battery, which is not yet installed. Solar power will happen sometime next year. For now I want to try the layout and systems. If we like it I'll pull everything out of the van and insulate it. After that I finish the wall and ceiling panels and finish the furniture.





 
#26 ·
See earlier posts for details regarding mounting of the cabinets.
The electrical panel is a temporary set-up until I get some house batteries. This panel will eventually turn into a box, which will house the additional batteries as well.
 
#29 ·
That's right. I am currently on a business trip and had some downtime so I ordered a kitchen sink, a pump and other stuff needed to complete my build. It should all be home when I get back. Can't wait to install and test it. We may have to go camp at the Oregon coast during some fall storms to test the van.
 
#30 ·
Kitchen unit.

It was a very wet day in Oregon so I decided to start building my kitchen unit. We looked on-line for ready made kitchen pods and checked out the local hardware stores for kitchen and bathroom cabinets. In the end we decided to build our own.
I start with something simple that we will try for a while and modify if needed. Once we decide that we like it I'll finish everything.





 
#31 ·
This will have to do for now. Next step: Put it in the van and install the pump and water supply system.


Don't know what colors I should paint the cabinets. Too many choices.:s
 
#32 ·
Fine work, looks SOLID!!!
 
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#35 · (Edited)
Thank you.
The metal edging is 1/16th aluminum, which is very light. If it was up to me it would have been covered in diamond plate. My wife would not let me so I used aluminum edging instead.
Main reason is to protect the wood from getting banged up.
 
#36 ·
Test fitting the kitchen.

Installed the kitchen today. It's big but fits perfect. The counter height is 35.5", which is high but comfortable.
The upper cabinets will get the same aluminum edging treatment.
I will bolt it to the wall and hook up the wiring for the pump today so we can test the set up.
It's finally starting to look like a camper van.
We're still debating if we should paint the cabinets or just stain them.
 
#39 ·
Thanks! Probably will stain the cabinets.

Love the shop HDH. Looks like the shops I see in magazines. And nice build so far. Can you please post the other dimensions of your kitchen? Thanks.
Thank you. The shop is just a 192 sq ft shed that I built as my winter project in 2014. As with all home projects, I went a little overboard and made it my man cave / motorcycle shop. It is fully insulated, wired, heated and has a 96sq ft loft. I put the shed to good use and restored a BMW airhead (motorcycle) last winter and this winter project is the Transit Campervan.


The kitchen dimensions:
48" wide x 35.5" high x 21.5" deep. These are outside dimensions.
The countertop is actually 48" by 24". The backside of the counter top sticks into the indent of the side wall. I still have to install something for back splash.

 
#41 · (Edited)
Testing

Made a little progress. Installed the curtains and the bed today so we could get a feel for the layout. I also worked on the upper cabinets a little.
Then we sat in the van with the curtains closed listening to the rain on the roof. With the lights and heating on via shore power it was comfy and cozy in the van. Can't wait for spring!

 
#43 ·
Ordered a passenger side seat swivel from SwivelsRus today. These are expensive.
These are just too expensive. I'm still holding off on buying one, because I can. Competition will kick in sooner or later, but don't know, if I can wait that long. Then I will have to bite my lip and follow your lead.

Van Williams
 
#46 ·
#48 ·
Thanks. I installed it in the van yesterday.
Next step is staining and painting of the upper cabinets, then insulation and wall/ceiling panels. (and installation of the ceiling fan, which I have been hesitant to do.) Everything I've done so far is easily removable and I may install the panels before insulation and the ceiling van.
 
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