The big silver van - a 2021 AWD build from the Bay Area
Hi!
Yesterday I took delivery of a new 2021 High Roof extended length AWD cargo van, after waiting patiently since placing my order in mid December last year. All in all it seems like I got lucky and everything went according to the expected schedule, and so far it seems like the vehicle works, nothing is missing, broken or unfinished. I will probably learn that this is not the case over the next few weeks based on the stories I have been reading here, but for now I am keeping my fingers crossed that Ford got it right with this one.
It has the ecoboost engine, dual alternators (bleh, unclear if this was a wise decision), as well as all safety-related options (BLIS, front/rear cameras, parking sensors, etc...).
I'm going to be fairly busy over the next couple of weeks so unfortunately won't get to build too much, but I am going to use this thread to post updates for whoever might be interested. The major build components I am planning on are (off the top of my head, I am probably forgetting all sorts of stuff):
My intended usage for this thing is mostly few day trips, festivals, and the occasional longer road-trip. I tend to prefer hot weather so will probably not spend too much time around freezing temperatures.
Here's the new toy:
![151774]()
This is the current layout plan, still very much a work in progress:
![151775]()
![151776]()
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to contribute to this forum. It has been in invaluable source of information and inspiration, and I am grateful that it exists.
Cheers!
Yesterday I took delivery of a new 2021 High Roof extended length AWD cargo van, after waiting patiently since placing my order in mid December last year. All in all it seems like I got lucky and everything went according to the expected schedule, and so far it seems like the vehicle works, nothing is missing, broken or unfinished. I will probably learn that this is not the case over the next few weeks based on the stories I have been reading here, but for now I am keeping my fingers crossed that Ford got it right with this one.
It has the ecoboost engine, dual alternators (bleh, unclear if this was a wise decision), as well as all safety-related options (BLIS, front/rear cameras, parking sensors, etc...).
I'm going to be fairly busy over the next couple of weeks so unfortunately won't get to build too much, but I am going to use this thread to post updates for whoever might be interested. The major build components I am planning on are (off the top of my head, I am probably forgetting all sorts of stuff):
- A queen size bed
- Narrow slider windows on the rear, above the bed
- An awning-style window on the sliding door
- 20 gal over-the-wheel well fresh water tank
- Under-mounted gray water tank
- Some form of hot water heater. Currently leaning towards Isotemp mounted under the van. I got the aux heater prep package so I am hoping hooking that up would be easy.
- An air heater - still on the fence about which one. Espar is nice because I like not having multiple types of fuel, but it seems unreliable. Cheap Chinese diesel heaters are essentially disposable and generally work okay (I used one in my previous Sprinter build and had no issues with it) but it would require a Diesel tank. A propane heater seems like the most pleasant to use (no maintenance and the quietest) but that would require dealing with Propane which I am not excited about. If I do go that route then I will also use it for hot water, I suppose...
- ~13kWh of LiFePo4. I have ordered 16x272AH cells and will be building a 24v battery pack using those.
- CuriseNComfort air-conditioner. An annoyingly expensive component, but seems like people who have them like them and the installation does not require dealing with flexible refrigerant lines or giving up roof space
- A microwave, induction cook and electric kettle
- An 8020 roof rack with 600-900W of solar
- The usual Maxxair 7500 fan
- A 4.2 cu ft (I think?) Vitrifrigo fridge.
- For insulation I am going to do what I did in the Sprinter - RMax 1" polyiso panels + Thinsulate SM600L in the walls and ceiling, and the pink foam panels under the floor.
- A shower with a bathroom inside it. I went back and forth on this (and will probably continue to do so until I have to make a decision) but I like the appeal of not having to do any work to take a shower.
- Probably a bunch of other stuff I am forgetting...
My intended usage for this thing is mostly few day trips, festivals, and the occasional longer road-trip. I tend to prefer hot weather so will probably not spend too much time around freezing temperatures.
Here's the new toy:
This is the current layout plan, still very much a work in progress:
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to contribute to this forum. It has been in invaluable source of information and inspiration, and I am grateful that it exists.
Cheers!
641 - 660 of 775 Posts
Remember to offset the holes from one leaf to the other. If in same position, the screw heads can make contact preventing full closure.
These are 4” x 3“ aluminum hinges from McMaster-Carr (PN 1609A26). The leaves were blank. I drilled the mounting holes widely spaced on one leaf and narrow on the other. I used 1/4-20 Self-Aligning Slide-in T-Nuts with Ball Spring (PN 13054) and 1/4-20 x 5/8 screws (PN 65-3065) and blue Locktite. Way more thread contact than economy t-nuts. More expensive but no loosening in 15,000 plus miles.
Not quite sure of the configuration/issues but I'll throw this out there anyway.
Maybe a tension ball latch on the back side of the pantry so that there is less load on the latch and hinge.
8020 part
![Font Material property Gadget Rectangle Automotive tire]()
generic Amazon example
![Font Auto part Cylinder Household hardware Rectangle]()
Maybe a tension ball latch on the back side of the pantry so that there is less load on the latch and hinge.
8020 part
generic Amazon example
Hi!
Piano hinges do not apply here since this is a slide out pantry, but I am planning to use them on cabinets with opening doors. However I will mostly be doing drawers since I like not having to dig inside a cabinet.
I like these catch latches, that might be helpful. I spent some time futzing with the latch - I moved the bracket a bit further, and attached some thin rubber piece I had with VHB tape. Rattling has improved significantly, but something is still rattling. No idea if its the latch, there are a lot of loose bits and pieces so I will need to stand in the back while someone takes my van for a drive on our horrible pot hole ridden roads. But it's more tolerable now so for the time being I can live with it.
This was a productive weekend. I finally charged and ran the CruiseNComfort AC for the first time! So happy to see the system working, although it wasn't hot outside so it's not really a meaningful test. Ambient temperature was around 55F, and this is the lowest reading I got from inside the output duct:
![Leg Automotive tire Fluid Automotive lighting Bumper]()
It was using around 550W if I recall correctly. Can't wait to see how it performs when it's hotter outside.
I also finished my AC distribution panel. Used Bluesea breakers panel for the "house" circuits, a Bluesea transfer switch to select between shore power (not yet mounted under the van, still debating what to do about finding water inside the rear bumper where those rectangular black rubber plugs are, and whether to bother with a Smartplug, which is nice, but $$$ and can't be used with standard extension cords I can buy at any hardware stores) and alternator-powered inverter (not yet purchased). Also added a breaker to go between the shore power and the selector switch. The breaker for the alternator-powered inverter will be placed next to the inverter. The pushbutton on the right is to control the future under-the-bed lights.
![Gas Electrical wiring Electricity Audio equipment Wood]()
![Circuit component Passive circuit component Hardware programmer Electrical wiring Computer hardware]()
I am getting closer to being done with stuff that goes under the bed, which is very exciting for me. The biggest remaining piece is figuring out how to control the heating system. At the very least I need to control:
1) The heated floor loop pump
2) PWMing the air-coolant heat exchanger fan
3) Controlling a valve that opens/closes the heated floor loop, since even without the pump running some coolant is going through it
4) Controlling an Espar two way valve that sends the hot coolant straight back, to completely bypass the heated floor and air heat exchanger - to be used when I only want hot water. Not strictly necessary, but a small optimization. Originally I had planned to place it under the van so when I just want hot water I won't have hot coolant coming in, but I didn't plan well and couldn't fit it there.
While I'm at it, I'd like the above to be controlled by temperature sensors around the bed and the floor.
I am debating a custom circuit board using an ESP32 or Teensy, to be controlled via Homeassistant since I like that system. Been using it at my house successfully over the last year to control and automate all sort of things. One thing I want to do is get Zigbee water leak sensors, place them where there is plumbing, and have a way to forcing the water pump to shut off if a leak is detected. Been using a similar system at home and it saved my ass a few times already when I had water leak issues. Another option for the heating controls is to use boards from Home, Industrial & Building Automation I/O HATS for Raspberry Pi since I am already planning on having a Raspberry Pi for misc stuff. It looks like it does most of what I want, and I am torn between that and custom hardware. Custom hardware has the advantage that I can add manual controls for all the relays so even if there is some failure I can still get stuff to work if on a trip.
Piano hinges do not apply here since this is a slide out pantry, but I am planning to use them on cabinets with opening doors. However I will mostly be doing drawers since I like not having to dig inside a cabinet.
I like these catch latches, that might be helpful. I spent some time futzing with the latch - I moved the bracket a bit further, and attached some thin rubber piece I had with VHB tape. Rattling has improved significantly, but something is still rattling. No idea if its the latch, there are a lot of loose bits and pieces so I will need to stand in the back while someone takes my van for a drive on our horrible pot hole ridden roads. But it's more tolerable now so for the time being I can live with it.
This was a productive weekend. I finally charged and ran the CruiseNComfort AC for the first time! So happy to see the system working, although it wasn't hot outside so it's not really a meaningful test. Ambient temperature was around 55F, and this is the lowest reading I got from inside the output duct:
It was using around 550W if I recall correctly. Can't wait to see how it performs when it's hotter outside.
I also finished my AC distribution panel. Used Bluesea breakers panel for the "house" circuits, a Bluesea transfer switch to select between shore power (not yet mounted under the van, still debating what to do about finding water inside the rear bumper where those rectangular black rubber plugs are, and whether to bother with a Smartplug, which is nice, but $$$ and can't be used with standard extension cords I can buy at any hardware stores) and alternator-powered inverter (not yet purchased). Also added a breaker to go between the shore power and the selector switch. The breaker for the alternator-powered inverter will be placed next to the inverter. The pushbutton on the right is to control the future under-the-bed lights.
I am getting closer to being done with stuff that goes under the bed, which is very exciting for me. The biggest remaining piece is figuring out how to control the heating system. At the very least I need to control:
1) The heated floor loop pump
2) PWMing the air-coolant heat exchanger fan
3) Controlling a valve that opens/closes the heated floor loop, since even without the pump running some coolant is going through it
4) Controlling an Espar two way valve that sends the hot coolant straight back, to completely bypass the heated floor and air heat exchanger - to be used when I only want hot water. Not strictly necessary, but a small optimization. Originally I had planned to place it under the van so when I just want hot water I won't have hot coolant coming in, but I didn't plan well and couldn't fit it there.
While I'm at it, I'd like the above to be controlled by temperature sensors around the bed and the floor.
I am debating a custom circuit board using an ESP32 or Teensy, to be controlled via Homeassistant since I like that system. Been using it at my house successfully over the last year to control and automate all sort of things. One thing I want to do is get Zigbee water leak sensors, place them where there is plumbing, and have a way to forcing the water pump to shut off if a leak is detected. Been using a similar system at home and it saved my ass a few times already when I had water leak issues. Another option for the heating controls is to use boards from Home, Industrial & Building Automation I/O HATS for Raspberry Pi since I am already planning on having a Raspberry Pi for misc stuff. It looks like it does most of what I want, and I am torn between that and custom hardware. Custom hardware has the advantage that I can add manual controls for all the relays so even if there is some failure I can still get stuff to work if on a trip.
Small incremental steps... templated, cut, laminated and mounted a wall panel that goes in front of the bed, and a tricky ceiling panel. Made some small mistakes, the laminate is very easy to chip when cutting or drilling, so some lessons learnt but the mistakes will not be visible.
The side wall panel still need cutouts for some outlets and such. A similar, bigger panel need to be made to go behind the driver seat. Waiting on laminate and for the atmospheric river storm to be over...
To attach the side wall panels I used brackets designed by @natecostello:
![Hood Automotive exterior Automotive design Vehicle door Fixture]()
![Road surface Wood Asphalt Automotive tire Floor]()
![Wood Hood Gas Engineering Machine]()
![Hood Wood Shipping box Gas Machine]()
![Automotive design Automotive exterior Trunk Motor vehicle Personal luxury car]()
![Wood Automotive exterior Gas Tints and shades Bumper]()
![Hood Automotive design Automotive exterior Tints and shades Gas]()
The side wall panel still need cutouts for some outlets and such. A similar, bigger panel need to be made to go behind the driver seat. Waiting on laminate and for the atmospheric river storm to be over...
To attach the side wall panels I used brackets designed by @natecostello:
Attachments
Front part of driver side wall is done. Used dual gang boxes in case I want to add something in the future, and a Bluesea 4366 panel with an upgraded Bluesea 1045 USB charger. Not sure how to test if it performs better than cheaper USB chargers.
![Property Wall Wood Material property Gas]()
![Wood Gas Engineering Machine Metal]()
![Wood Automotive exterior Building Gas Tints and shades]()
Some good progress this past weekend. Kitchen galley is getting closer to being usable:
![Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle Gas]()
![Table saws Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle]()
![Rectangle Wood Floor Flooring Composite material]()
![Musical instrument Wood Yellow Floor Flooring]()
![Wood Electrical wiring Computer hardware Gas Automotive design]()
![Countertop Gas Flooring Sink Engineering]()
![Rectangle Sink Gas Bag Font]()
There is some hideous rattle going on. Main suspects right now are the faucet - hoses are not attached to anything, plus it has a weight that pulls it down. That might've been a bad choice, I might need to find a different faucet. I could use a new one for my house so worst case I'll move it there. Other suspect is the fridge, I haven't bolted it yet and it did slide out a bit on the drive home.
And, the Espar is working again. Dropped the gas tank again (for the fourth time?), reattached the hose to my pickup tube, primed manually by ticking the pump, and it fired instantly. Hopefully it stays working this time.
There is some hideous rattle going on. Main suspects right now are the faucet - hoses are not attached to anything, plus it has a weight that pulls it down. That might've been a bad choice, I might need to find a different faucet. I could use a new one for my house so worst case I'll move it there. Other suspect is the fridge, I haven't bolted it yet and it did slide out a bit on the drive home.
And, the Espar is working again. Dropped the gas tank again (for the fourth time?), reattached the hose to my pickup tube, primed manually by ticking the pump, and it fired instantly. Hopefully it stays working this time.
641 - 660 of 775 Posts
