I'll begin posting pics as I begin the redo in a few days. I'll try to explain what I did wrong in the first build and what I'm doing different this time.

Just so you know, that guy that built his bed frame out of pressure treated 4x4, yeah, no, that wasn't me. LOL..

I look forward to the posts! I'm sure that my process will be just like yours with a hurried first version and then a careful redo. But my "hurry version" will take a year and the redo will take five!

Looking forward to retirement one day

 

Yeah sounds about right. Van building often takes a few tries to get it just right. My plan is constantly changing but one of my goals is to have a modular setup that easily takes many forms.


Let's see some pics!

 

It's a rainy northern California day today so I decided to nose the van into the garage and get after that second alternator addition. I bought the kit so I could charge while driving without messing with any of the Ford electrical system. I'm gonna leave it at that since there seems to be a lot of confusion about this subject. Here's a link to the kit I bought. http://www.nationsstarteralternator...alternator.com/Dual-Alternator-Kit-for-Ford-Transit-Van-Gas-p/a2-0072-280xp.htm

This is my second build of this van so I'm really trying hard to turn over every stone before I do something I might regret later. The alternator is kind of a big thing to get installed and not really necessary for me so if there's any potential problems I just won't install it.

So, anyway, I'm sitting there looking at the parts and the first thing I notice is that there's no CARB exemption sticker on it. California Vehicle code includes a law that we know as the anti-tamper law. Basically, it say's you can't sell any aftermarket product that may effect vehicle emissions without first getting and exemption. Knowing that the first part of a California SMOG Test is to visually inspect the vehicle for modification I can almost guarantee that no one will pass it if that sticker isn't on it.

I've put the install on hold and I've emailed the manufacturer for clarification. There's only one answer that I can accept and that's the exemption number and I'll only accept that if I can verify it in the CARB Exemption database.

While I wait for that, I'll go ahead and move the Air Lift air pump and wireless controller to the empty battery hole under the drivers seat and wire it into one of the customer accessory points. Out of sight, out of mind and most importantly.... high and dry when I launch my boat.

 

Why would installing an alternator affect emissions? You are not tampering or removing any emissions equipment. It will draw a little extra power but so does running your tires 10psi low.

 

California has a law that says you cannot tamper with anything that may effect emmissions. Adding a second alternator does increase load and there will be a decrease in fuel mileage which in turn may increase polution. In any case, it is a modification to the engine and will raise the attention of the smog shop. When they don't find the exemption they will send me to arbitration and they will decide if it's legal or not. Is it worth all that. Not for me.

 

Can anyone recommend some good replacement headlight bulbs? LED, HID, etc. I have the sylvania bright stars now and I'm not impressed.

 

Would you mind moving this post to a more appropriate thread. Thank you.

 

An alternate that works is a vehicle powered pure sine inverter that powers the shore power house battery charger.

Would not be visible to smog inspector and is less expensive. Charging amperage is limited by the size of the inverter.

http://www.ortontransit.info/electric.php

For my application the 300 watt solar panel is the primary method used to charge the house battery. The vehicle powered inverter is the backup in case weather conditions force its use.

 

The primary motivation for me is running the fridge while driving and not messing with the vehicles charging system. I'm not interested in solar but I will pull wire for it in case I change my mind.

 

I have a Magnum MSS1012 house inverter/charger/transfer switch. The transfer switch powers the conversion duplex plugs without the house inverter being on. My refrigerator is a 12 volt/120 volt with the 120 volt cord plugged into a duplex plug. The refrigerator automatically runs on 120 volt AC if it is available instead of house battery 12 volts DC. So when the vehicle powered inverter is on, the refrigerator runs on the 120 volt AC power from the vehicle powered inverter.

I admit to being a fan of solar power. My 300 watt panel is my primary method of charging the house battery. The vehicle powered inverter is my backup in case weather conditions force its use. That is a very rare occurrence in my climate.

 

Orton, I've got the inverter and I may do what you've done if I don't hear back from the Alternator folks.

 

I didn't get the Air Lift moved today, maybe tomorrow. I did get the van stripped down to the reflectix.

I was pulling up the water proof flooring that was crap and discovered a large wet spot in the underlayment. That was right under my water tank so I filled it up and sure enough the lower fitting was leaking.

It's under warranty still and Amazon is giving me a no return refund. Now I'll get one made the way I need it instead of trying to make something work.

 

Seems like every time I have a trip coming, I do a big push to work on the van. It's fine for the one trip but then I end up redoing a lot of it. I've "permanently" mounted my back seat twice, and it's a whole day project. I have the ugly rectangular holes in my vinyl flooring to prove it.

But, it's worth it to get it right, even if the project is never done.

So, I'm wondering why the second alternator? My van came with a 150A alternator, I assume that's the base option. Should be plenty of juice available, I've got my 60A owner-output wired to my dual 6v golf cart batteries (235 Ah) and it hasn't blown the fuse while charging and running the inverter-powered dorm fridge simultaneously.

 

Yep, that's me too. I'm a little picky when it comes to my batteries. I'm currently mulling over several charge while driving options. The best so far is the second alternator running my current inverter and it running my 60 amp converter charger. That will give me 110v for the fridge and a proper 3 stage charging profile for that batteries. I'll add in some form of isolation so that the inverter switches from batteries to alternator and I'll probably add a line conditioner to keep the alternator output voltage within specs for the inverter. These are relatively small items that I can either buy or design and build myself.

If the second alternator doesn't work out then I may use the customer power point and I may upgrade to the optional larger alternator that ford offers.

Those items will come later in the Redo. The next item is getting the Air Lift 72000 kit installed under the drivers seat. I need to track down 50 feet of air 1/4" OD air line tomorrow. On that note, I now know what the factory empty ride height is so I know how much too lift it when it's loaded. Fine tuning for lift, handling and ride should be a breeze.

 

An alternator is not a modification to the engine any more than carrying a load in the back.

 

So, I got the Air Lift wireless compressor kit reinstalled. My plan to put it in the battery box didn't pan out. There's just not enough room to allow it to be serviceable. I mounted it to the back of the seat base in that spot that is useless for anything.

 

Notice the Reflectix. On the walls and ceiling I have R-13 Ultra Touch Denim Insulation behind the Reflectix. The Reflectix has anywhere from a R-3.0 to R-21 rating depending on how it's installed. The Denim is either stuffed or glued with 3M Spray 90 Adhesive. My goal was to get a quasi average R factor of about 15 and at the same time keep condensation levels to a minimum.

One nice thing about a redo is that you get an opportunity to inspect your work after it's been in use. I found no evidence of condensation and am very happy with whatever R factor I managed to achieve. The Denim also seems to have good sound barrier characteristics. Heavy rain on the roof was pleasant and road noise is nothing compared to the van when it was empty.

On the deck, I made a mistake by covering it entirely with the Reflectix. The subfloor was floating on me and it was a pain in rear. I'm not even sure if it's worth putting it on the deck but I have it so why not use it. This time I'll lay it in between the skids and then put my subfloor down. That's today's project..

As a side note, when the sub floor was floating and I was taking measurements or coping, I was sometimes up to 1/4" off. That might not sound like much but a 1/4 on one end can end up being 1" or more on the other.

 

Reflectix on the floor done so the skids are now the high point. I contemplated a far more elaborate process but when it came down to doing it, a razor knife was all that was need.

I have no bench marks to know how this will affect the effectiveness of the Reflectix if it even is. At this point it's installed in a way that won't cause any problems and will leave me with that all important flat floor.

 

Wow, I've never seen such a nice reflectix job. I reckon you could leave your tinfoil hat at home now!

 

Yup, NASA would be proud!

Your van looks great, can't wait to see more pics.

 

How loud is the air compressor behind the seat. I am trying to decide where to put mine.

 

Not bad at all. It will come on automatically if the load changes but it's typically only momentary. I'd guess it's about 1 to 2 seconds per pound of air when your changing it. I am going to box it at some point. The only complaint I have is that the remote won't stay in its home. Velcro doesn't seem to want to stick to it and the clip doesn't fit very well. If this is my only complaint then I'm a happy camper.

I got 50 feet of air line from a hydraulic hose shop. I probably would have found it at other places if I'd known it was called air brake line. It's 1/4" OD x 7/16 ID.

 

Hi Steve,

I went another route regarding alternative / independent energy source from the vehicle power supply.
I installed a Goal Zero Yeti (Solar-Generator) that is powered from my roof top solar panels. All my alternative energy needs (coffee maker, refrigerator, CB power, camera charger, lap top charger, etc...) is harnessed to the Goal Zero. website: GOALZERO.COM
In addition, I also hooked a lithium battery to the Yeti. This gives me twice the energy storage.
I took my Transit down to Cabo and never had any issues with Yeti. But just like you I am "flying the plane and building it at the same time." I am getting close to putting everything back together from my first dismantlement. LOL..
Hope this was helpful.
Cheers,
GRC

 

I just looked at the Goal Zero. I think I'll stick with what I have. I have not heard back from the folks at Nations regarding the CARB exemption so I'm not installing the second alternator. I'll probably pull some wire for it just in case.

As a side note: You folks that want to do the second alternator and DO NOT have to deal with California Emissions Standards MAY not have to worry about SMOG related issues. I would advise you to check with your local SMOG authorities before you buy. If you choose to ignore this because you are the expert don't expect an argument from me.

 

It took nearly three days but I've finally got the new floor almost finished. I used 1/2" MDF despite the weight because if it's done right it will be dead flat. I coated the underside with 2 coats of 1 part polyurethane and taped the edges with foil tape.

I recessed the 3/4 self tapping screws and screwed it down to the skids. In have about a 1/4" airgap between the floor and the Reflectix. The last thing to do will be taping the three seams and then giving the top 2 good coats of polyurethane. After that I'll seal around all the edges with silicone. Pictures tomorrow, it's dark and raining now.

 

Finished installing the floor just waiting for the wood filler to dry so I can sand it and seal it.

I had 3/8 gap at he rear and side doors so I filled them with 1/2" backer rod. That will keep the bugs out.

 

What is that gorgeous silver self sticking stuff again? $$$ right?

 

That's foil tape. Runs about 9.00 for a large roll. I get it at Ace Hardware. If you're talking about the foil on the walls, that's Reflectix. Don't pay too much attention to that now, it's going to be installed differently in the near future.

The next step is to build the under bed cabinets, specifically the propane tank lockers. They can't be inside but if I seal them in cabinets and vent them to the outside then they become exterior and are legal.

 

Found a wet spot on the new floor this morning. It's appears to be almost dead center of the side door at the first brace. On the roof there is a seam and I think I see where it's not fully sealed at the very end. It could also be at the rack mount hole plugs. Have to remove the Denim and fix it.
On the bright side, I couldn't have found it at a better time.

 

Found the leak. All the joints were factory sealed except the one that's leaking. I cleaned it thoroughly with Acetone and sealed the entire seal with Dap gutter seal. Gutter seal will handle the temps up there where normal Silicone breaks down sooner. I could have also used RTV or RV Roof Sealant but I'm all about one stop shopping and I was at HD.

 

WOW!!!
What a great post...
Really like your posts.
Anyway,thanks for this awesome post

 

Still working on the floor. Yeah, I know, I'm anal. I put two coats of polyurethane on the underside and did not sand it. On the top side, I sanded it with 60 grit in hopes of getting max absorbtion. That actually worked as planned because the water from this mornings minor roof leak didn't absorb very much. It dried quickly with my heat gun.

The problem is that it did absorb and I fear that if I have standing water from a water tank, gray water tank or plumbing leak it would develop into a serious problem.

I picked up a gallon of Spar Urethane and put a coat on. This is oil based, has high VOC and takes a long time to dry. These are all things I wanted to avoid but considering the potential consequences of not getting it 100 pct water proofed, I think it's the right choice. I may end up putting 2 more coats on. It could be another week before I'm ready to start the next step.

 

Got the last coat of spar urethane on the floor today. I also modified my water tank by making it top fill/vent. Moller sells a kit for doing that but west marine stocks everything you need. Tap Plastic has the HDPE epoxy but you have to flame treat the area before you use it. Moller says to use 5200 which would probably work also since top mounts don't have any real pressure on them. I was going to cut off and seal the original side fill but I'm just going to cap it off. I'm also going to put a pickup tube in it so I can get the last two gallons out of it. I was only getting 15 gallons out of a 20 gal tank. Now I should be able to get 19 at least.