Welcome. What's next on the plan?

 

Thank you to the welcomes, both of you.
Probably should ask my first question post but it's a simple subjective question from people who have more experience but I will say a little bit about what i'm planning first .
I actually work for the airlines so I have a good job but I started Living in my truck a long time ago for personal reasons but last year I started looking at land but the prices are just ridiculous and i won't be transferring for another year or two to some place cheaper so i figured i would upgrade my quality of life to a van.

I really love a project and it's going to be difficult since I don't have a workshop or a friend's house to work at but while it might not end up pretty it'll be functional so I'll be looking for a lot of videos and other people's ideas to make sure at least do it right . I am pretty handy at least.
The only question I have for now it's essential to actually buyin and I've done all the other research so this is the last thing I have left to decide.
I have the option to get either a 250 medium roof 148 2017 or a 350 high roof extended 2018. Both used and similar price.
I originally didn't like the idea of the high roof because even though it means more shelf space or things on the ceiling touching your head, it does mean a much taller truck. But its an extended.
I am in Texas so flat lands. Don't do off road. Don't have hills. Difficult to drive I guess with the extra length and lower fuel mileage but it is quite a bit of extra space
I do plan on putting a 100 gallon tank on the bottom and maybe another 50 gallon waste tank since i will have a shower.
4.3 cu ft fridge, mini split, 6kw battery pack etc... It's a 350 recommended anyway ? Is the height an issue because mainly that's it because should I get a 350 anyways because of the potential payload and do you feel that the extra height is an issue like with trees ?

Should I make a sep post for this or do you already have any experience about this ?

 

Welcome

 

Thanks. I actually replied to the person above or getting how forms work but i told about what I am trying to do there but the short question i pro and con of getting a 350 over the 250 and i explain my thoughts at the end if you dont mind reading and giving me your opinion.. Thanks

 

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I have the option to get either a 250 medium roof 148 2017 or a 350 high roof extended 2018. Both used and similar price.
I originally didn't like the idea of the high roof because even though it means more shelf space or things on the ceiling touching your head, it does mean a much taller truck. But its an extended.
I am in Texas so flat lands. Don't do off road. Don't have hills. Difficult to drive I guess with the extra length and lower fuel mileage but it is quite a bit of extra space

We have one long-and-tall and one medium-and-tall Transit. The medium is a LOT smaller - like 2-3 feet of interior space lost. I don't mind them being tall - the medium length (148) is also lifted - it's pretty tall. They both drive and handle well. They both do well off-highway as well - far better than the 9,000 pound big-boy has a right to do. Fun as the shorter one is off-road, I'd still choose the extended every time - it's just a lot more pleasant to have all the space for living and storage and such.

I don't have any trouble driving the big one in all conditions, including winding mountain roads, windy highways, etc. It's a very easy vehicle to drive. It's quite a bit easier to drive than the previous Sprinter we had - at almost exactly the same size.

My brother and a few friends have mid-height, mid-length Transits. They're great as well. But not spacious. Very different vibe.

I'd go extended with zero hesitation.

I do plan on putting a 100 gallon tank on the bottom and maybe another 50 gallon waste tank since i will have a shower.

I wouldn't plan on that much water - unless you're planning to be places where water is harder to come by than fuel? 100 gallons of water is 800 pounds. And just not necessary. We run about 35 gallons in our 2020 - a 20 gallon underneath and a 15 gallon inside (for winter / freezing reasons). And I got 2-3 days with that even when showering; granted, showers are done with the water mostly off - just turn it on to rinse... that sort of thing.

50 gallons of gray-water is way too much... unless you can't ever dump it. It's gray water. Not that hard to find a spot to dump it. Unless you're thinking black tank - in which case... still too large. We run a 10-gallon gray and it's plenty. We dump it about as often as filling the 15-gallon inside tank. The rest of the water we drink.

4.3 cu ft fridge, mini split, 6kw battery pack etc... It's a 350 recommended anyway ? Is the height an issue because mainly that's it because should I get a 350 anyways because of the potential payload and do you feel that the extra height is an issue like with trees ?

I wouldn't pay any attention to the 250/350 aspect... except if you can get a 350HD. Or get an AWD since they all have the HD front-end. But there's zero difference on the front-end, so that's really the weight-limiter. You can build pretty heavy and still be within the legal limits of a 250. And you can beef up the rear suspension on any of them - and will likely need to, regardless of which one, if you get heavy (like our 9,000 pounds).

Prolly more than a little early to get into the electronics and the fridge and air-conditioning... but if you're intending to run an air-conditioner, it won't matter what else you want to run, electric-wise, as the demands of a legit A/C system are far greater than ALL the other devices combined. We have over 10kWh in our 2020, which has a split A/C system. The A/C will consume all of it in a day if we let it. Getting that energy BACK into the batteries becomes the largest challenge.

Should I make a sep post for this or do you already have any experience about this ?

You'll probably get plenty of input here. This forum isn't super picky about where one posts.

 

Actually you did say everything I needed to hear about the van and I have her from other forms that it drives well and I mean I picked it after a lot of research so you just back it up and I'll definitely go for the extended because I'll be leaving in there for at least a year and then using it part-time after that for sure. I want to feel like I'm in a studio apartment with a minimalist feel. And yeah I won't be installing the AC until spring next year but I will need it since you know how the south is.
I did some calculations and 6K should be enough if i can get 600-800w on the roof.
I will be working on that later you know it could take a few weeks but I was just saying what I need to talk about the size of the van .
If I need more battery i can add later.

As far as the tanks go i tried to look up calculations online and a shower scene to use a lot of water but I'm already used to doing similar to what you said with the shower. I will remember that to keep my water usage down. Especially helpful since I won't have any convenient place to get free water refill so may rely on fills from the store like wal mart. Will keep looking at the options. But you are right. The shower was the main draw so following your method I will probably do a 50 gallon just so I don't have to fill up too often but a smaller second tank you guys it's definitely easier to dump it everyday if I want to.
Thanks for the tips . It's probably going to take me two or three months to get the majority of the conversion done but at least I can get started now or at least next week once I get the van .
But it will give me time to read more of the forum

 

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I did some calculations and 6K should be enough if i can get 600-800w on the roof.
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We have 800W of solar panels. It doesn't typically keep up with the air-conditioner - even on the BEST of solar days. The biggest challenge with using, "calculations," for solar generation is the van's panels will typically be less-than-optimal alignment. We even made the 800W tilting - but it's just not worth the trouble. So... some days, we'll get as much as 5kWh from the sun; but 2-3kWh is more average in summer months. Only October now and we're already getting 2kW or less on the good days.

If I need more battery i can add later.

There's never too much energy storage. But your real issue will be restoring power to the storage. Solar is enough on some days; but there are many days it isn't. There are a number of ways to get power from the engine; that's where you'll need to focus when it's time.

As far as the tanks go i tried to look up calculations online and a shower scene to use a lot of water but I'm already used to doing similar to what you said with the shower. I will remember that to keep my water usage down. Especially helpful since I won't have any convenient place to get free water refill so may rely on fills from the store like wal mart. Will keep looking at the options. But you are right. The shower was the main draw so following your method I will probably do a 50 gallon just so I don't have to fill up too often but a smaller second tank you guys it's definitely easier to dump it everyday if I want to.

There's room under the van to put about 45 gallons using the driver's (25) and passenger's (20) areas. After that, you have to get rid of the spare tire and/or hang small tanks all over the place. Then people will put as much as 40 gallon tanks over the wheel-wells. Just seems a helluva waste of space and weight. I sure don't want to be carrying 1000 pounds of water between fresh and gray!

Personally don't want water - or anything heavy - behind the rear wheels, so that's a factor. Between the front-and-rear wheels improves handling, to an extent; behind the rear wheels makes handling worse. I intentionally tested it with 1000 pounds behind the rear wheels when the van was empty (brand new) just to see how bad. It was bad.

Thanks for the tips . It's probably going to take me two or three months to get the majority of the conversion done but at least I can get started now or at least next week once I get the van .
But it will give me time to read more of the forum

Best of luck!

 

I can't seem to figure out how to quote like you, apologies...

"There's never too much energy storage. But your real issue will be restoring power to the storage. Solar is enough on some days; but there are many days it isn't. There are a number of ways to get power from the engine; that's where you'll need to focus when it's time."

I have seen the rechargers that will hook to your engine and I don't remember the right name if it's not inverter but you know what I mean. I will definitely have to get that. And I don't know how much room I'll have but aside from the space needed for the fan and AC do you think just blanket the top with panels ? Can you get to 1kw? Panels arent super expensive on Facebook marketplace. Luckily its going into winter so i have time to expand it.
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"There's room under the van to put about 45 gallons using the driver's (25) and passenger's (20) areas. After that, you have to get rid of the spare tire and/or hang small tanks all over the place. Then people will put as much as 40 gallon tanks over the wheel-wells. Just seems a helluva waste of space and weight. I sure don't want to be carrying 1000 pounds of water between fresh and gray!"

But I did agree with you that 50 gallons or whatever I can fit and another smaller tank is fine. I will just have to figure out the refill part. This will save me money and weight over my idea also.

I will post updates when i finish phases and get opinions. The insulation i guess is the first part, or should i work on the suspension first because I think you said that it's something you always do and others have said they've done like airbags to their suspension. Is that necessary before I start putting on the weight? I kind of worry about the cost of that if I can't do it myself but do you always do that before you even get started? I will make sure to research everything to do I'm just curious about timetables

 

I can't seem to figure out how to quote like you, apologies...

It's a bit techy-ish... when you do the quote thing, you can grab the opener (where it has the QUOTE= statement in brackets) and paste it and the part with the /QUOTE wherever you like. If you do it right, it looks pretty organized. Use the Preview button to see if it's looking the way you want until you're comfortable with it.

"There's never too much energy storage. But your real issue will be restoring power to the storage. Solar is enough on some days; but there are many days it isn't. There are a number of ways to get power from the engine; that's where you'll need to focus when it's time."

I have seen the rechargers that will hook to your engine and I don't remember the right name if it's not inverter but you know what I mean. I will definitely have to get that. And I don't know how much room I'll have but aside from the space needed for the fan and AC do you think just blanket the top with panels ? Can you get to 1kw? Panels arent super expensive on Facebook marketplace. Luckily its going into winter so i have time to expand it.

Charging the house batteries from the alternator requires either a DC-DC charger unit (required because Lithium batteries use a different charge profile than the factory starter FLA/AGM batteries) or you can use an inverter IF you have an inverter/charger in your house system (we use this method - and, in fact, use both methods). This may sound like a lot of techy babble... but once you start looking into the components of a system, it'll make more sense.

Similar devices can work if you choose to go with more of an off-the-shelf system, such as the Ecoflow. That's the only one I'd recommend; but there are MANY off-the-shelf power-station things that meet some people's needs.

Can you get to 1kW of panels? Yes. But if you want to have a fan on the roof (very nice to have) or if you want a roof-top air-conditioner, then you lose space for the panels. There are people who have done a fan UNDER the panels... so that's possible.

I'm not as enamored of the solar panels as the be-all-end-all for charging because I use the van a LOT in winter. And I use it a LOT in winter storms. IOW, zero solar input for days. So... I have to be able to charge without them. Summer-time, yeah... most days, the panels are plenty; but there are plenty of days they are not.. so, back to alternator. I have my alternator charging maxed at ~1500W right now; but the new van is going to be 2kW and I will likely do the 2kW setup with the older van as well. With 1.5-2kW off the engine, the highly-unpredictable solar is more like a bonus than the core source of energy.

"There's room under the van to put about 45 gallons using the driver's (25) and passenger's (20) areas. After that, you have to get rid of the spare tire and/or hang small tanks all over the place. Then people will put as much as 40 gallon tanks over the wheel-wells. Just seems a helluva waste of space and weight. I sure don't want to be carrying 1000 pounds of water between fresh and gray!"

But I did agree with you that 50 gallons or whatever I can fit and another smaller tank is fine. I will just have to figure out the refill part. This will save me money and weight over my idea also.

I did cheap tanks for our old vans (Sprinter and 2020 Transit); but spent $300 per tank for a ready-to-go tank for each side of our newer Transit - 22 gallons, driver's side and 20 gallons, passenger side. Gray tank will likely be VERY small - I'll have to see how much space is left down there... but a small gray tank that's easy to drain... works fine for my usage.

I will post updates when i finish phases and get opinions. The insulation i guess is the first part, or should i work on the suspension first because I think you said that it's something you always do and others have said they've done like airbags to their suspension. Is that necessary before I start putting on the weight? I kind of worry about the cost of that if I can't do it myself but do you always do that before you even get started? I will make sure to research everything to do I'm just curious about timetables

The word, "insulation," is like a dog-whistle for a lengthy discussion on it... LOL.

I wouldn't sweat whether inside or suspension first. We did all the inside first on our 2020 and suspension stuff later. On the 2023, a lift and suspension and wheels and tires came first. It really doesn't matter much - other than not knowing exactly how heavy you'll be - which will mean some adjustment if not previously done.

Typical, "airbags," (like Airlift, which we have and a number of other folks here have), are NOT suspension and should not be used to lift or raise the van. They're good for leveling and for offsetting a temporarily heavy load or raising the rear-end up a bit for a short-term clearance issue. But they are not suspension. There are plenty of DIY alternatives to beef up the suspension when you're heavy - springs and over-riding springs, primarily. There are at least two pretty good DIY over-riding spring options. (I don't count "sumo springs" - the rubber bumper things - only their legit springs.)

As far as the inside goes, typically, it's sound-deadening first, then insulation, then floor, then (often) ceiling. But these things vary a lot with what your method and style will be. Our model is always modular - things can be disassembled and removed - so we do a bit of back-and-forth, removing a module (like galley or cabinets) to re-do something behind them or to re-finish them or whatever. Others are non-changeable / non-removable structure - very different, of course.


There are many, "build threads," here and they're probably the best thing to spend time perusing. I don't recommend any of the various YouTube things, generally - though there are some good ones, here and there - because the best you can get is a real-world blow-by-blow from a real person - not someone with enough views that it shows up in your feed. The build-threads here are that: real people, blow-by-blow of their thoughts, progress, set-backs... etc.

I personally like to work to a plan; but that plan is often a little loose and frequently shifts focus as I try something new or different. And I have a rule-of-thumb that I will re-do everything three times. Thankfully, that doesn't apply to things I've already done a half-dozen times, like installing a heater or wiring up the electrical system - those I don't need to plan or think about too much, as I've done them many times.

But everything that is NEW I will often start, then let it sit for a while... then tear it apart and start over. Being committed to that premise saves a lot of, "well that sucked, but now it's done."

 

I will try the quote trick and hope it looks good.
45 years old and I've never really used forms like this before.

Charging the house batteries from the alternator requires either a DC-DC charger unit (required because Lithium batteries use a different charge profile than the factory starter FLA/AGM batteries) or you can use an inverter IF you have an inverter/charger in your house system (we use this method - and, in fact, use both methods). This may sound like a lot of techy babble... but once you start looking into the components of a system, it'll make more sense.

Similar devices can work if you choose to go with more of an off-the-shelf system, such as the Ecoflow. That's the only one I'd recommend; but there are MANY off-the-shelf power-station things that meet some people's needs.

I actually have looked into the alternator charger, i just forgot the word alternator. Brain fart. Mainly exactly because of echo flow .
Just a little backstory I have a solar panel on the back of my truck and Texas is very good for sunlight and I have an echo flow 1000 W and 2000 watt battery system do I mainly used 2,000 watt right now and the 1000 watt elsewhere. So i have experience there but I don't have a lot of use for it so the one panel keeps the battery charged for the things I need. But you are right, i will definitely get the alternator charger. I didn't realize i would need so much energy so glad we talked about it. I would find out in time through usage but it's good to get a head start instead of having to redo things later.
I'll probably stick with Echo flow again because they have a good system and it keeps things really simple. I've looked into building my own setup before and it's just not my thing. The system i am looking at is within my budget.

The word, "insulation," is like a dog-whistle for a lengthy discussion on it... LOL.

I wouldn't sweat whether inside or suspension first. We did all the inside first on our 2020 and suspension stuff later. On the 2023, a lift and suspension and wheels and tires came first. It really doesn't matter much - other than not knowing exactly how heavy you'll be - which will mean some adjustment if not previously done.

Typical, "airbags," (like Airlift, which we have and a number of other folks here have), are NOT suspension and should not be used to lift or raise the van. They're good for leveling and for offsetting a temporarily heavy load or raising the rear-end up a bit for a short-term clearance issue. But they are not suspension. There are plenty of DIY alternatives to beef up the suspension when you're heavy - springs and over-riding springs, primarily. There are at least two pretty good DIY over-riding spring options. (I don't count "sumo springs" - the rubber bumper things - only their legit springs.)

I'm glad you explain that the suspension topic because that is the one thing that I only looked into years ago when I had a business and a large load on the back of my truck but I never did anything with it so I never got the experience to really grasp what I was reading since I never put it to action. I will definitely wait until later to figure out what's needed after i have a better idea how much weight I am adding.

As far as the inside goes, typically, it's sound-deadening first, then insulation, then floor, then (often) ceiling. But these things vary a lot with what your method and style will be. Our model is always modular - things can be disassembled and removed - so we do a bit of back-and-forth, removing a module (like galley or cabinets) to re-do something behind them or to re-finish them or whatever. Others are non-changeable / non-removable structure - very different, of course.


There are many, "build threads," here and they're probably the best thing to spend time perusing. I don't recommend any of the various YouTube things, generally - though there are some good ones, here and there - because the best you can get is a real-world blow-by-blow from a real person - not someone with enough views that it shows up in your feed. The build-threads here are that: real people, blow-by-blow of their thoughts, progress, set-backs... etc.

I personally like to work to a plan; but that plan is often a little loose and frequently shifts focus as I try something new or different. And I have a rule-of-thumb that I will re-do everything three times. Thankfully, that doesn't apply to things I've already done a half-dozen times, like installing a heater or wiring up the electrical system - those I don't need to plan or think about too much, as I've done them many times.

But everything that is NEW I will often start, then let it sit for a while... then tear it apart and start over. Being committed to that premise saves a lot of, "well that sucked, but now it's done."

Yeah I'll be reading a lot of the build plans on here and figuring out the order of things hopefully the plan are detailed enough like do I put in the fan before or after the ceiling settings it requires cutting lol
And now I'm curious what you mean by dog whistle for insulation i did find a website with a lot of articles about van conversions and had quite a bit on installation but i'll do a lot of reading. The floor is an interesting thing though because i was thinking to save a lot of money just doing something simple and some people seem to recommend certain flooring that's lighter and more professional but costs $2500 but the floor is what everything sits on. Not something that's easy to redo. It will bee interesting to see what a lot of people here do.
I am excited to have this experience and i will definitely learn from this and change things over time. Living in my truck I have gone through phases and I'm in my third truck arrangement.

 

I will try the quote trick and hope it looks good.
45 years old and I've never really used forms like this before.

Looks like you got it figured out! 👏

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Yeah I'll be reading a lot of the build plans on here and figuring out the order of things hopefully the plan are detailed enough like do I put in the fan before or after the ceiling settings it requires cutting lol

Great example. We're about to do the fan-hole on ours any day... but there's not TOO much that it would matter - we can do a lot of the ceiling even... and still cut the hole after. Not much science to these things, really. 🤷‍♀️

And now I'm curious what you mean by dog whistle for insulation i did find a website with a lot of articles about van conversions and had quite a bit on installation but i'll do a lot of reading.

It's like a running joke here... even after some members have done legit tests and official-looking mathematics and such... lots of ideas that lean as religious as technical when it comes to insulation. 🤷‍♀️

The floor is an interesting thing though because i was thinking to save a lot of money just doing something simple and some people seem to recommend certain flooring that's lighter and more professional but costs $2500 but the floor is what everything sits on. Not something that's easy to redo. It will bee interesting to see what a lot of people here do.

Not as hot of a topic as insulation... or ground points... or tire sizes... but floors are up there.

Two vans back, we added 3/4" ply and carpet on TOP of a passenger floor (in the Sprinter). Maybe $100? Then went with indoor-outdoor carpet for part of it and coin flooring for part. Probably $200-300 total?

Thinking it would be "better," the 2020 has 1-1/2" of insulation - two different types - then 3/4" ply with carpet. Parts list: a sheet of 1/2" EPS; two sheets of 1" Polyiso; three sheets of 3/4" marine-grade plywood (or Baltic Birch). Total today: ~$350? (was half that in 2021). Another $100 for good quality indoor-outdoor carpet.

But in the 2023, we're just using a, "Bedrug," that a friend gave me. After a decade of using them, I'm pretty confident that the insulation on the floor is not a big enough factor to put a lot of effort into it. IOW, do whatever you find suits your thoughts... it'll work out fine. It's not hard to make a solid, usable floor.

I am excited to have this experience and i will definitely learn from this and change things over time. Living in my truck I have gone through phases and I'm in my third truck arrangement.

You're in the unique position of getting a space UPGRADE compared to folks who came from big RVs (got a few of those here) or towable trailers or who never spent time in any such small spaces.

 

As far as insulation, I was just thinking about the heat because the van would be cooking with the heat of the South heating up the metal so insulation should keep that out as long as I have good air flow inside. And there is the factor of sound deadening. I didn't imagine a van would be different from a house as far as the benefits of insulation at least under extreme temps. It's been 90s here even now and very humid. Would just like to keep that out. I am not trying to pinch pennies on energy usage.

And as far as floor, i would prefer to go the cheap routes instead of spending $2,500 because I don't need perfect. At least i can test it on this first van. It's a 350 so an extra little weight should be less of an issue.

 

As far as insulation, I was just thinking about the heat because the van would be cooking with the heat of the South heating up the metal so insulation should keep that out as long as I have good air flow inside. And there is the factor of sound deadening. I didn't imagine a van would be different from a house as far as the benefits of insulation at least under extreme temps. It's been 90s here even now and very humid. Would just like to keep that out. I am not trying to pinch pennies on energy usage.

You should definitely do insulation - especially on the ceiling. I'm trying to avoid the topic, more-or-less, because it often turns into a back-and-forth discussion of which insulation to use and how to do it... and I really don't care nor do I have a very strong opinion on it. I've done insulation three different ways on our three vans and done a couple more variations on friends' vans; I don't care nor do I see huge value in the debate. But doing something is certainly a good idea; it will slow the heat exchange in both directions - cold and hot - which makes cooling and heating more effectve.

And as far as floor, i would prefer to go the cheap routes instead of spending $2,500 because I don't need perfect. At least i can test it on this first van. It's a 350 so an extra little weight should be less of an issue.

Clearly, same here. Do whatever you think is best.

I have a strong-ish opinion that all things should be removable AND nothing should be air-tight - everything should be able to breathe. The air-tight opinion is because there is NO such thing as air-tight; it just results in guaranteed mildew/mold/whatever that is even harder to address. I prefer more airflow - even at the cost of a bit more heating or cooling - to assure no rot.

 

You should definitely do insulation - especially on the ceiling. I'm trying to avoid the topic, more-or-less, because it often turns into a back-and-forth discussion of which insulation to use and how to do it... and I really don't care nor do I have a very strong opinion on it. I've done insulation three different ways on our three vans and done a couple more variations on friends' vans; I don't care nor do I see huge value in the debate. But doing something is certainly a good idea; it will slow the heat exchange in both directions - cold and hot - which makes cooling and heating more effectve.



Clearly, same here. Do whatever you think is best.

I have a strong-ish opinion that all things should be removable AND nothing should be air-tight - everything should be able to breathe. The air-tight opinion is because there is NO such thing as air-tight; it just results in guaranteed mildew/mold/whatever that is even harder to address. I prefer more airflow - even at the cost of a bit more heating or cooling - to assure no rot.

Thanks for all the info. It's been good talking to you.