CLEANUP
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Our van came with a large ramp that unfolded out the back. Our first order of business was to remove this. Unbolting such a large thing from the floor actually proved pretty easy.
Overall, we thought our van was in pretty good shape when we bought it, but once we removed the E-Track from the side walls and the flooring that had been put down, we discovered a sugary gunky mess. According to the title, our van was a donut delivery truck in its former life. We spent hours scrubbing gross donut crumbs from every crack and corner. We also had the pleasure of finding, what we assume to be years old McDonalds french fries beneath the parking break. For the record, they looked as fresh as day one... We kept reminding ourselves, it's not a bad price to pay for the good deal we got! Once we finished cleaning there were quite a few rust spots including the bolt holes and areas that trapped moisture where the ramp was bolted to the floor. We took a wire brush to all the rust and then used a spray primer to cover the raw metal. Tools/supplies
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STEREO/WIRING
Before we got too far Nick took the opportunity, with the help of his dad, to put in a better stereo and do some re-wiring. The Transit back up camera screen is the tiniest thing set back on the top of the dash near the windshield; you can't even see it in the photo below. You have to lean way forward and even then it's so small you're still not sure what you're looking at. We decided pretty early on we were not going to cut rear windows, so given the size of the vehicle and no rear view, we wanted to a clear visual when backing up. More information on the stereo to come.
While they were at it, they cut a hole in the front plate below the climate controls to add a switch so that we could go between car battery and house battery. For example if we're hanging out listening to music we can switch to house, so that are not running down the car battery. They also ran some extra wire in case we come want some options for later and some speaker wire in case we decide to move or add an extra speaker location because as they are now, the music is playing beneath the bed into the "garage"space.
Tools/supplies
While they were at it, they cut a hole in the front plate below the climate controls to add a switch so that we could go between car battery and house battery. For example if we're hanging out listening to music we can switch to house, so that are not running down the car battery. They also ran some extra wire in case we come want some options for later and some speaker wire in case we decide to move or add an extra speaker location because as they are now, the music is playing beneath the bed into the "garage"space.
Tools/supplies
- Stereo: Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX Double Din Wireless Mirroring Android Auto, Apple Carplay in-Dash DVD/CD Car Stereo Receiver (Renewed)
- Steering Wheel Adaptor: Maestro RR ADS-MRR2 Universal Radio Replacement & Steering Wheel Interface + iDatalink HRN-RR-FO2 Integration Adapter fits 20011-up Ford
- Dash replacement kit:
- Wire
- Switch
- Speaker wire
FLOORING
The floor, while a bit tedious, went pretty quickly. I cut strips of 1/4" pink foam for the first layer between the ribs of the van floor while Nick glued them down using spray adhesive. Then for the sub-floor we did a full layer of 1/4" pink foam and on top of that, a layer of 3/4" OSB using the Liquid Nails to adhere it to the foam. We went with 3/4" OSB trying to keep the floor height down so Nick didn't hit his head when it was all done, but it also turned out the floor that came with the van was 3/4" plywood that had a black textured rubber-like layer laminated to the top, so we recycled that for the back half that would be the garage space. Once we put the vinyl planking over the OSB in the main part of the van it did create a bit of a lip between the two, but lining that up with the wall separating the "garage" from the "living area" it's hardly an issue.
Tools/supplies
Tools/supplies
- Spray adhesive
- 5x sheets of pink foam
- Liquid Nails
- 2x sheets of OSB
- 3x boxes waterproof vinyl floor planks
- Mallet
- Wood block
SWIVELS
We struggled with making a decision on this one. Seat swivels are expensive. I tried to figure out ways to make the design work without or with only one swivel, but if we were going to leave that floor space open for Izzy, we needed to utilize the existing seating. Plus if we were doing one, it just didn't make sense not to do the other. I can say, after our first two months on the road, they proved invaluable. Not only because we don't have any other seating built yet, but we also figured out by rotating the two seats to face each other and scooting them together to touch, it turned out to be a great bed for Izzy and a place out of the way for her to go when we need to move about the van.
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Our Choice of Swivel
After reviewing many swivel options out there we decided to go with the Scopema. Some of them are quite bulky adding more than 2" to the height to the seats whereas the Scopema adds just less than 1", so taking both my 5'3" ability to reach the pedals and Nick's 6'5" line of sight into consideration we figured we better go with the most neutral option. In fact, the little bit of height ended up being about perfect; better than we expected. This small difference meant Nick doesn't have to crank his foot back quite as far trying to lift his mildly cramped leg from the gas to the break (Transits seem to have an unusually high brake pedal), and with the seat scooted most of the way forward, I can still reach the pedals comfortably and safely.
Installation
The passenger seat was a breeze. Stored beneath this seat is the jack, and once the swivel is on there's really no way to access it so you'll want to remove it and it's holder. We've been using this space as storage for flip flops and a few misc things, but anything bulky will be hard to get in and out once the swivel is installed. After that, honestly we just followed these instructions provided by the inspirational van-lifers at FarOutRide.com. If you haven't stumbled upon these guys yet, seriously, I couldn't recommend it more. There is so much great information and very well laid out. In terms of the passenger swivel, however, the manufacturer must of resolved the issue with the hole placement because we didn't have to drill them out like FarOutRide does in their instructions.
The drivers seat was a bit more involved. Because these swivels are so low, there is not enough room for the seat to clear over top of the emergency brake, thus it must be lowered. Again we didn't have to do quite as many modifications as the FarOutRide folks, because the swivel now includes an adaptor plate. You can find their driver seat installation instructions here.
After reviewing many swivel options out there we decided to go with the Scopema. Some of them are quite bulky adding more than 2" to the height to the seats whereas the Scopema adds just less than 1", so taking both my 5'3" ability to reach the pedals and Nick's 6'5" line of sight into consideration we figured we better go with the most neutral option. In fact, the little bit of height ended up being about perfect; better than we expected. This small difference meant Nick doesn't have to crank his foot back quite as far trying to lift his mildly cramped leg from the gas to the break (Transits seem to have an unusually high brake pedal), and with the seat scooted most of the way forward, I can still reach the pedals comfortably and safely.
Installation
The passenger seat was a breeze. Stored beneath this seat is the jack, and once the swivel is on there's really no way to access it so you'll want to remove it and it's holder. We've been using this space as storage for flip flops and a few misc things, but anything bulky will be hard to get in and out once the swivel is installed. After that, honestly we just followed these instructions provided by the inspirational van-lifers at FarOutRide.com. If you haven't stumbled upon these guys yet, seriously, I couldn't recommend it more. There is so much great information and very well laid out. In terms of the passenger swivel, however, the manufacturer must of resolved the issue with the hole placement because we didn't have to drill them out like FarOutRide does in their instructions.
The drivers seat was a bit more involved. Because these swivels are so low, there is not enough room for the seat to clear over top of the emergency brake, thus it must be lowered. Again we didn't have to do quite as many modifications as the FarOutRide folks, because the swivel now includes an adaptor plate. You can find their driver seat installation instructions here.
Pro tip: When things get tough, the right assistant can always help get the job done.
INSULATION
I really enjoyed this part...
ELECTRICAL/SOLAR
Coming soon...
PROPANE/HEATER
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We decided to go with propane for cooking and hot water, but determined pretty early on we did not want to carry the LP tank inside the vehicle. It seems riskier and you should properly encase and vent it. We found this horizontal 6.9 gallon capacity tank that fit on the underside of the van, nestled perfectly in between two main supports of the chassis in the space below the sliding door. This also meant easy access to the stove, which in our design is directly above, and we also ended up placing our hot water heater here so all the gas appliances were close together. However, it wasn't until later we decided on a different location for the heater, exterior rather than interior, so it ended up we had to run a longer line along the bottom of the van towards the rear of the vehicle.
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We quickly discovered with this placement of the tank and no remote fill kit installed, it means it's a little awkward to fill, so we started carrying a piece of carpet with us at all times, to lay down for the propane service person. We still feel bad every time we have to fill, but while we've mostly been assured it's not that big of deal, they're very appreciative of the gesture. Especially in the winter when there's snow or ice on the ground.
You can get an idea of the tank placement from this lovely image of Nick and his father working out the tank installation. They drilled a hole through the floor approximately where Nicks right hand is. Through this hole they ran the gas line into the van, as well as, the wiring for the solenoid so we could turn the gas off when not in use. |
As for the heater, we went with the Propex as it seemed like the best option given we had propane. Originally, we tried going without one at first, but once lows started to hit about 45F, things started getting a bit too chilly. We were able to bundle up below our heavy down quilt from living up north, however, our little brown dog and the refrigerator were less comfortable. It's important to note you can mess up your fridge if things start getting too cold. We had a night that dropped below freezing and once the temperature inside the fridge is higher than the air temp outside the fridge, we started having troubles.
The Propex heater has worked wonderfully for us so far. There are some safety features that mean everything has to be just right or the heater will automatically power cycle itself off, so do not alter the length of the exhaust pipe or anything like that. We were a little frustrated at first trying to figure out why ours kept power cycling, but once we were able to talk with the engineers in Europe they informed us it's something they've noticed with US regulators, the the EU has tighter thresholds and the heater is set to operate within those thresholds, so the heater thinks there is a fault and turns off. Once we replaced the regulator everything has been smooth sailing. It was mildly inconvenient at first, but really it's for your own safety, and I sleep well knowing they've covered all their bases if there's any malfunctions.
With the Propex our 6.9 gallon LP tank lasts us about four or five days at near-freezing temperatures depending on how much cooking we do. Obviously there are many factors to consider, but that gives you an idea.
The Propex heater has worked wonderfully for us so far. There are some safety features that mean everything has to be just right or the heater will automatically power cycle itself off, so do not alter the length of the exhaust pipe or anything like that. We were a little frustrated at first trying to figure out why ours kept power cycling, but once we were able to talk with the engineers in Europe they informed us it's something they've noticed with US regulators, the the EU has tighter thresholds and the heater is set to operate within those thresholds, so the heater thinks there is a fault and turns off. Once we replaced the regulator everything has been smooth sailing. It was mildly inconvenient at first, but really it's for your own safety, and I sleep well knowing they've covered all their bases if there's any malfunctions.
With the Propex our 6.9 gallon LP tank lasts us about four or five days at near-freezing temperatures depending on how much cooking we do. Obviously there are many factors to consider, but that gives you an idea.
WATER/PLUMING
Coming soon...
WINDOW
Coming soon...
BED
Ongoing prototyping...
CABINETS/COUNTER
Coming soon...
BATHROOM
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At this time we only have the toilet installed in a temporary fashion. We ran the hose vent and wiring into the wall cavity to offer us some flexibility to move the bathroom around. We didn't want to put in permanent holes in the floor while we're still sorting out the bed. Just in case things have to shift a bit. We placed a temporary half wall and a shower curtain for some privacy in the meantime.
We went with the Nature's Head composting toilet because it seemed so much easier to work with. You have to find a proper place to dump a cassette toilet, they require chemicals to keep them from stinking, and we prefer more back country isolation where there's no place to go with blackwater. We debated between Nature's Head and the Airhead, but leaned towards the Airhead because it's slightly smaller and you can remove the pee tank without opening it up. However, both had several months lead time. Ultimately, the Nature's Head became available sooner, so we caved to impateince. Regardless, we have no complaints so far with this one. I think it's important to note, I don't think you can expect things to actually compost. The composting process takes time and the conditions have to be just right. In our experience so far things have too much of an opportunity to dry out with the fan running all the time. We aren't leaving the same compost in the bin for remotely long enough or it gets too full anyway. However mixed in with the coconut coir (what we use), it gets the process started and makes it so much easier to deal with. With the urine, which we make far more often, separate from the stool it's easy to dump that out regularly and leave the rest dry, to deal with as needed. |
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USAGE: With the two of us we empty the pee tank approximately every 3-4 days and the stool after a month on the road, but with that trip we weren't exclusively without access to a traditionally plumbed restroom, which we took advantage of when we could while still figuring out this whole "dry toilet" situation. Getting the quantity of coconut coir and moisture level right has a bit of a learning curve. More to come as we gain more experience.
DINING
Coming soon...
GARAGE
Coming soon...
TIME LAPSE
Enjoy this time lapse of our progress so far.
