[indygreg]

after a year of looking I took the plunge and bought a 350, DRW 10K lb GVWR with EB. the plan is:
- Not for camping. want to travel/tailgate in comfort
- not interested in solar/efficiency, etc. will carry 250AH of batteries and a 3K inverter. when home will plugin
- want to be able to operate on a moments notice in the winter without traditional winterizing.
- will use a macerator pump and hook up at home to dump
- i will DIY much of it but "a man has to know his limitations" as clint eastwood said and my limitation is time so i will probably subcontract a few bits where it is cost effective. i plan to do insulation, cabinetry, electrical, parts of plumbing, automation programming, will outsource hvac (proair), parts of plumbing, welding, stereo install and the interior leather. i could probable do everything but i want to get this done in my lifetime.

some bits i am thinking
- 2 flexsteel 591 recliners with footrests as a second row
- couch that can seat 3 or sleep one (if the driver is sleepy, etc)
- small sink for hand washing
- fridge/microwave
- Bathroom with thetford silence plus macerating toilet
- 30 gal fresh tank, water pump and instant hot water under the couch in an insulated space that will be kept above freezing in the winter
- small inflater capable of blowing out the sink and toilet water lines when the temps fall
- 4 group 31 batteries behind the rear axle
- 18 gallon grey and 18 gal black tanks under the back
- dual inverters like dave has done
- low power pc on board to automate plumbing, automatic winterizing, lighting, etc
- 42" tv in the front and 50" inside the rear doors for tailgating

really appreciate all the great info from dave, hein, and others here and over at sprinter-source. Van is scheduled to be built end of january. dealer is letting me borrow on to get accurate measurements so i can start building some cabinets.

greg

 

[oscarvan]

Interesting. Some thoughts....

Holding tanks freeze. Dump valves freeze. So if you want to use them in freezing weather you'll need heating blankets and the valves will have to be in a heated space. You will have to dump them AND put "pink" in there to protect them when you shut down.

Or, you can install them inside the heated envelope and keep the heat on.

The toilet won't auto winterize either.

No automated winterizing here.

I like the all electric with big battery bank and big inverter MO. I will be doing the same thing once I get started.

 

[indygreg]

so i plan to use two 18 gallon tanks in back where the spare would go (i ordered the drw without) and i will put them in a lightly insulated box with heat blankets. will also heat the valves but i figure i will dump a gallon of pink in the tanks during winter to be safe. just want to be able to warm and dump the tanks if needed. the fresh tank, pump, accumulator and water heater will be sealed in an insulated space under the couch. a tank blanket and a small light bulb should keep that space above freezing with very little power draw. i will use a small inflator and a couple electric solenoid valves under there to blow the lines out to the toilet and sink automatically when temps drop. using 3/8" pex there will only be a few ounces of water in the lines. hot water is from a small 110vac instant hot water heater and as a backup i can open a valve that will send hot water back into the fresh tank to keep it's temps above freezing if the blanket fails.

the idea is that the "vanputer" will run a short cycle when the ignition is off and the van falls below 40 degrees where it blows out the lines to the toilet and sink, flushes the toilet then turns on the heat to the chamber under the couch and to a light bulb inside the macerating toilet base. i assume that when i am parked at home will will plug in but if i am out somewhere i should have enough power to stay unfrozen for a couple days without starting the engine.

greg

 

[indygreg]

and the fun begins. van arrived a couple weeks ago. this will be fun. here is a pic of the van and some drawings of the interior. as doc says, "excuse the crudity of this model..."

g

 

[indygreg]

First project was the rear view camera. i have two camera systems:
- a Juvu HD dashcam that is pointed at a first surface mirror in the back window to give a 1080P shot down the street just like a rear view mirror
- a 360 camera system with cameras on all 4 sides which gives a birdseye view.

both are fed into a samsung 10" hd display via hdmi. the 360 cam has to be upconverted. i have a small passive switcher in the package shelf box.

for the 360 cam i am using the following (the cameras that come with it are aweful):
- Front Cam
- Side Cam
- Rear Camera
- 360 camera gizmo

so i have the rear camera installed and the screen mounted. i am having an installer do the stereo and the other 4 cameras.

here is a video of it running. >>>>>>> https://youtu.be/j5I6JFJTDn0


and pictures of how it is built.

 

[indygreg]

Got the battery tray built and the hanger is installed. it holds 4 150AH full river batteries and hangs behind the rear axle. to safely hold the weight i made a 1/4" steel plate with threaded rods that sits on the floor in the back, resting on the frame rails and protruding through the floor so that i can bolt the tray underneath.

 

[EddieZ]

That's a clever way to hang a sh'load of weight. How are the threaded rods attached to the plate? Will the 1/4 inch plate be masked or accommodated somehow in floor covering?

 

[indygreg]

rods are threaded into the plate and welded. i have 3/4" of insulation going under the floor so over the plate (and the seat plate) the insulation will just be 1/2"

greg

 

[EddieZ]

rods are threaded into the plate and welded. i have 3/4" of insulation going under the floor so over the plate (and the seat plate) the insulation will just be 1/2"

greg

As an amateur welder, I'll guess you put a taper on the top edge of the hole, to weld to, then ground smooth. Is there some other approach I should be aware of?

 

[dustboy]

You still have room for your spare tire back there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[indygreg]

As an amateur welder, I'll guess you put a taper on the top edge of the hole, to weld to, then ground smooth. Is there some other approach I should be aware of?

The approach i used was to hire a pro i had a metal fabricator make everything for me. they also powdercoated it sincthey are big enough to do in house powdercoating for a low cost.

g

 

[indygreg]

You still have room for your spare tire back there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

no i ordered the van without the spare. that is where my black and grey tanks are going. i can't see myself changing the wheel on an 8000lb vehicle roadside. plus i have drw so i am not even sure what a single spare does for me. if i get stuck i will call for assistance anyway.

greg

 

[indygreg]

2nd row seats are in. flexsteel 591s from bradd and hall (great guys btw). so that i wouldnt have to drop the gas tank, etc i had a 1/4" steel plate made up that they seats bolt to then it bolts to the floor in spots that are convenient for me to go through the frame. used grade 8 bolts. can't believe there is a brake machine that bends 1/4" steel!

 

[indygreg]

batteries

a lot has happened. i have been locked out of my account for a few months and after repeated attempts to get someone from the forum to respond to me i finally created another userid. i will try to catch up over the next few days. first i got the batteries installed. 600ah of capacity hanging right behind the rear axle. the van actually rode better after this.

g

 

[indygreg]

air conditioning

also got the van up to the guys at pro-air in elkhart for the ac install. since this is a dayvan not a camper i am just running ac off of the engine. i installed the unit in the back wall so that it fit where i wanted it then they put the unit under the van and hooked it all up. in the second pic you can see the ac at the top of the van. the inverter is mounted on the left (wish i had got pics of the frame i had welded up for the inverter to mount to). you can also see the battery switch. then under the ac unit is the VANPUTER. more on that later but it hinges up and all of the space below it is luggage space. you can see where the bathroom will be that i have put a small vent in the wall to divert some cool/hot air into there. i also used a bilge blower as an exhaust fan.

that back wall is the finish i am using on everything except the inside of the bathroom. it is mahogany with a cherry gel stain.

greg

 

[indygreg]

one other angle of the back end before the ac unit was installed. from this angle you can see the 4" deep mechanical chase that i have going from the floor to the ceiling through the middle of the van. there is a solid panel that screws over this that is removable so that i can get to most the van's wiring. it also acts as an air return from the vents down at the floor.

greg

 

[dustboy]

So that's a second condenser unit under the van? Which runs off the compressor on the engine?

Your battery install looks very sanitary, nice work. Do you have to drop the whole box to access the batteries? You might want to double up, or use heavier zip-ties to hang those cables, the skinny ties do tend to break after a couple years.

 

[Eiko]

First project was the rear view camera. i have two camera systems:
- a Juvu HD dashcam that is pointed at a first surface mirror in the back window to give a 1080P shot down the street just like a rear view mirror

That is a fantastic van! I would love a rearview mirror like that. I have no rear windows to point a camera out. I suppose I could cut a hole in the rear door and do your rig.

You did the reflect off of a mirror setup in order to reduce the extreme wide angle lens of a usual dash cam and duplicate a regular rear view mirror view angle? It's hard to find a narrow angle camera.

Juvu HD dashcam didn't come up on google. Is that the correct brand name?

 

[indygreg]

So that's a second condenser unit under the van? Which runs off the compressor on the engine?

Your battery install looks very sanitary, nice work. Do you have to drop the whole box to access the batteries? You might want to double up, or use heavier zip-ties to hang those cables, the skinny ties do tend to break after a couple years.

yeah proair adds a second condenser with this setup then puts an evaporator in the van. they have a ton of options. a step up from this setup puts a second compressor on the engine but i talked to a sprinter owner (from midwest custom) that said it froze him out it was so cold so i decided to not spend the money. this system keeps up very easily.

here are their parts. I have a 935 which is rated at 32,000btu cooling/35000 heating.

http://www.proairllc.com/units/condensers

http://www.proairllc.com/units/evaporators


yeah the downside to this layout is i have to drop the battery box to replace batteries but the fuses should be reachable through the frame. tradeoffs.... and the wireties were only temporary. the water tanks are now installed in that area.

g

 

[indygreg]

That is a fantastic van! I would love a rearview mirror like that. I have no rear windows to point a camera out. I suppose I could cut a hole in the rear door and do your rig.

You did the reflect off of a mirror setup in order to reduce the extreme wide angle lens of a usual dash cam and duplicate a regular rear view mirror view angle? It's hard to find a narrow angle camera.

Juvu HD dashcam didn't come up on google. Is that the correct brand name?

Thanks eiko. the mirror is because the image has to be reversed and it is easier and more reliable to do that with a mirror than electronically. i originally thought i wanted a narrow angle like a rear view mirror but i know realize that the wider angle is soooo much better than the peephole that a rear view mirror creates. honestly i drive my wife's jeep and i feel like i can't tell what is around me. i do use one of the narrower settings on the camera but it is still pretty wide. the mirror also lets me fit the camera flat in the window space. it is spelled joovu. it isn't perfect but with latest firmware it is working pretty well.

greg