[Knot Yett]

Let me start out by saying "I'm a yard sale guy"....I collect "stuff".....hardware, tools, building material, and anything else I might be needing "someday". That's a huge help for conversion work and saves $$$ too. I'm not a cheap-skate.....but I am thrifty.

Started with the floor, 3/4" red oak plywood, 2 coats of the old oil-based polyurethane on both sides. I installed it right on top of the factory mat and side door sill. The center isle is open so as not to take away any headroom and will have a thin piece of carpet, easy to drag outside and clean. That piece of masking tape on the floor is a marker for the plumb-bob....necessary to jack one side of the van to get level....creates a very accurate guide to get the cabinet straight.

Ahh, the A/C cabinet, that was a challenge, had to be built-in-place. The 40/ door and the /60 door have different profiles....another challenge. I spent a whole day working on a small slider to close the gap....it got too complicated...I kept thinking it would be easier to stuff a rag in it. And so, I now have this piece of aerocel foam, just waiting for a snip and cut. The 5,000 btu unit works good, but needs hot weather to find out how well. I had to disassemble and drill drain holes in the bottom and will use a pan underneath. The 120v fan I can turn to pull air in or out.....I also have some 12v fans to experiment with. Please don't laugh, the turn-buckle is necessary because the /60 door will not latch by itself. My first idea was a barrel-bolt, this was much easier.

More photos to come as the build continues.

 

[Budsky]

How is the cooling air to the A/C condensor getting in and how is the hot exhausted air getting out?
Do you have to have the door open to run the A/C?

 

[Knot Yett]

How is the cooling air to the A/C condensor getting in and how is the hot exhausted air getting out?
Do you have to have the door open to run the A/C?

Yes, the door must be open for the A/C to work....it's 110v so we will be on shore power in a campground. We live and camp in the Southwest and only need air conditioning once in a while. The mountains of Colorado are fine but the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico ..... anxious to try the A/C. Sometimes we stealth camp....I want the van to appear "clean". We have been doing this for years in a Sienna minivan (without A/C) and can park that almost anywhere.

 

[BradKW]

Looks nice Knot! Kind of seems you have to do lots of work-arounds and spend lots of space making that AC work there. You might consider a portable unit, the type that has ducted exhaust and can sit in middle of room...slim profile and airflow design could open up some good options for you.

Floor also looking good. Although I would be cautious leaving the middle open like that, as it provides an easy opening for moisture from spills, etc, to get under there.

Hope you keep posting pics

 

[Knot Yett]

Looks nice Knot! Kind of seems you have to do lots of work-arounds and spend lots of space making that AC work there. You might consider a portable unit, the type that has ducted exhaust and can sit in middle of room...slim profile and airflow design could open up some good options for you.

Floor also looking good. Although I would be cautious leaving the middle open like that, as it provides an easy opening for moisture from spills, etc, to get under there.

Hope you keep posting pics

I did consider a portable unit, they take up as much, if not more space than what I have now. Water spills always possible (happened to me twice in my trailer) that's why I painted both sides of the plywood.

My original plan was to buy a clean, used, late model, Econoline Wagon....cut a hole in the back door....and hang an A/C from there. I like the looks of the latest Econoline, but for some reason my wife absolutely hates them.

The A/C was from a yard sale, never used, in the original packing, for $45, and light enough for me to lift and carry.....so that was also a deciding factor.

 

[BradKW]

Water spills always possible (happened to me twice in my trailer) that's why I painted both sides of the plywood.
.

I think sealing both sides was a good idea for a couple reasons...always good to seal wood!

However, my concern would be more to do with mold/mildew issues when water gets trapped between wood and liner and can't dry out. Maybe just seat the perimeter into a nice bead of silicone?

 

[Knot Yett]

I think sealing both sides was a good idea for a couple reasons...always good to seal wood!

However, my concern would be more to do with mold/mildew issues when water gets trapped between wood and liner and can't dry out. Maybe just seat the perimeter into a nice bead of silicone?

Brad, thanks for the idea. I just finished sealing between the wall and floor in the area behind where the galley will be. I used 5/8' backing rod, it fits real tight and looks good. I will silicone around the isle when everything is finished.

 

[Chance]

You should make sure the air conditioner's condenser doesn't recycle air from discharge back into inlet. If that happens it will create a lot of problems.

I've had a 5,000 BTU/hr AC inside my van for nearly 10 years now, and while it works great at night for sleeping (can freeze us out if set low enough) it can't keep up with mid-day heat. Granted mine is a window van without much insulation which acts like a greenhouse when parked in sun.

For a van with good insulation and few windows it may keep it cool enough to be comfortable during the day.

 

[GROOVY2]

Knot Yett

Your Build Looks GREAT -


Im considering both kinds of A/C -

A few things standard window unit has in its favor -
Easy to find /replace/standard size -proven design -high efficiency- cheap-
Many size /BTU choices -

Panasonic Used to make a L shaped Window unit -( upside down L )

The the part that went thru window -AIR inlet/outlet section was
about 4 inches tall -
AC BOX did not block view thru window -- one piece -

Compressor/fan stuff- Hung Down on outer wall of house -
so AC Noise is Outside house -
Slim -Looked Nice - curvey plastic cover -

AC unit Mounted to house with screws- Solid -

Personally thought it was the Best Designed window AC unit Ever -

But apparently the public did not Like or there was
some type of design flaw - were also $pendy -

can not find Any info on these units now- OucH
would be sweet on a van back door - look good -

 

[Budsky]

I wish someone would come out with a small split unit- put the compressor and condensor under the van, then hoses to hook up the evaporator inside.

 

[Chance]

I wish someone would come out with a small split unit- put the compressor and condensor under the van, then hoses to hook up the evaporator inside.

That's been available for many years. It's very expensive though compared to roof-mounted RV ACs and specially compared to window units of equal capacity.

 

[Budsky]

Do tell- Available where? After looking at $2-3K DC roof airs- I ain't skeered

 

[audiopyle]

I wish someone would come out with a small split unit- put the compressor and condenser under the van, then hoses to hook up the evaporator inside.

I think someone should put a second drive clutch on the a/c compressor under the hood to drive it with an electric motor, then have an electric fan blowing through the condenser core so you could just utilize the vehicle a/c without the engine running.

 

[EddieZ]

I think someone should put a second drive clutch on the a/c compressor under the hood to drive it with an electric motor, then have an electric fan blowing through the condenser core so you could just utilize the vehicle a/c without the engine running.

That's some out-of-box thinking. I like it.

 

[Knot Yett]

If you go to YouTube and do a search for some of these ideas for a camper van you may discover that someone is already using your "bright idea". There are hours of entertainment available....some are dumb, crude, funny, etc., but once in a while brilliant. Some projects have merit but need refinement or better craftsmanship. There are a lot of videos about stealth camping. I remember one about a lady camping in a Prius.....she could run the A/C at night, if the battery got too low the engine would start and recharge the battery. I would be afraid of exhaust seeping back into the vehicle....but maybe with an extension hose on the tailpipe it would be OK?

 

[mlts22]

Sportsmobiles have an option for a Danhard A/C. I'm not sure where it is mounted, but it exhausts somewhere fairly unobtrusive, and doesn't require holes in the roof.

Another option was described above -- a portable A/C with two vents, which would have their holes in the floor. Of course, some screening will be needed to keep those from becoming highways for critters, but it would be invisible.

 

[Knot Yett]

It's not so easy working in the winter but I try to not let that slow the conversion. I've managed to finish the headliner today. I choose the 1/2" Formular insulation after doing some testing with a flame....it can stand the heat without melting or bursting into flame (I remove the thin face film from both sides) and it can take a pretty good bend without breaking. It can also tolerate the carpet adhesive that I used to attach the cheapo HD carpet. The carpet is made from recycled plastic bottles! It's easy to work with and will forgive small errors. I tested for dust by rubbing on it in a spot-light and there isn't any. I am not insulating for a trip to the North Pole, or even North Dakota.....what I am doing is exactly what fits my requirements. The small computer fan at the rear is to exhaust moisture at night and exits the van via a 3" vent hose down through the column in the rear corner and out the bottom of the van on the driver's side (thanks to ShadeTreeMech for the idea). The area behind the fan is deep enough to carry two bicycles. I had to put a "keel" down the center of the ceiling because the 3' span between two of the ribs was too much and it also made a good place to attach the LED strip light. I did contemplate dividing the 3' span with a homemade rib of hardwood.....but the "keel" won. Maybe time will tell I made the wrong choice? At the front the carpet is tucked up and into the factory headliner and is so snug that I'm sure it will stay there.

I wish that Ford would have routed the "black snake" inside the van wall....now I have to make a cover or just get used to looking at it.

As a note: I did make one nice discovery for using my saber saw....I took a worn out blade, ground off the teeth, and sharped to a knife edge. It cuts through carpet, glue, and insulation like a hot knife through butter....very smooth and clean.

 

[EddieZ]

That's a good-looking ceiling. Nice thinking on the saber-saw knife blade, too.

 

[Knot Yett]

We are having beautiful weather here in AZ, for a while anyway, so lots of progress made on the conversion. I now have all of the major items finished, except for the gray water tank, and I'm considering building my own. Everything else is just the little details, and there are lots of those! Not shown here (except for just a small piece up behind the left of the sink) are my window covers. I used cardboard, heavy duty, with double core, and painted black on one side with brown material on the inside (same as my seat covers). I have used similar for years in the Sienna, so I know how well they work.

Keder rail, what can I say.....great stuff for slide-in awnings. I just happened to have two 4' pieces, worked out perfect. It takes me 1 minute to hang the side door, and 2 minutes to hang the rear. I made the rear awning double, so both the top canvas and the sun screen share the same rail. At night when I lower the canvas it serves as a window cover for the rear windows.

A 24" bike will fit without removing the front wheel.

The table for eating is part of the night stand, but not too visible here. If you look close just above the black power strip there is a pull-out support to hold up the rest of the top .....which is on a piano hinge. Not exactly my best work (I did not want any "stick" in the way to hold up the table) but, it does the job. I may change to 3/4" solid wood so that I can hide the piano hinge.

I wanted beds "full time", I have no intention to "make" a bed when it's time to sleep. So,
the beds serve 4 functions......sitting to eat, recline to read or watch a movie, lay down to sleep, and storage underneath.

Oh boy, getting close to road test time.

 

[EddieZ]

Nifty. I like what you did with those shades and screens.