Adventure Van -> Truck Camper -> DIY.Roamer

I don't even want to know what you do with one of those potties when its full while on the road.....

Impressive work, Geek.

Where's this big road trip taking you?

Not too bad if you use the chemicals. For quick trips to the grasslands, or when taking out the RV in the winter, I just take the old porta poti.

How many hours does the goo need > 40 degrees?

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=747754

Port Orange, FL to visit my Mom, then Key West to watch a sunset, then up to Ohio to visit Cheryl's family.

"Industrial Erector Set".

Indeed!

So I wanted to secure things but I didn't want to make any cuts on any of my existing 80/20 because it is all "spoken for" when I build the kitchen...

So literally using leftovers (and 2 four foot rails which I didn't cut).. I started bolting things together and voila...





literally 10 seconds and one screw adjustment:


...this was one of the main reasons I chose to build the van like I am. I can literally reconfigure things as needed on the fly with an allen wrench.

When we get home and I want to remove everything it is literally two bolts holding the entire structure to the main rail

In theory, I might make the entire kitchen a module that bolts in/out (haven't decided yet...)?

So I had to go for a "squeak test".

We have a washboard dirt road about a mile from us that leads to a lake.




Cheryl & I jumped in the van and headed to the lake. Then we climbed in the back and took a 45 minute nap





When we woke up from our nap and I opened the sliding door.. there was a Boulder County Sheriff beside us (yes really!) :eek1

Note to self: take a look out the window before revealing that you are inside.

The Sheriff just waved as we drove away.

The good news? No squeaks!

ive been doing a bunch of sleeping in the ol sprinter these past 2 months.....helps save on hotels. truck stops have cheap showers on the go.....ive put 18k on it since august....darn thin paint on these things too

Preparation for tomorrow... and trying to improve upon something I know nothing about

So tomorrow is the big day.. cutting a 14" square hole in the roof :eek1 to install the Maxxfan.
I worked for a while this evening getting things ready for tomorrow so that my "exposure" time when the van is cut open is minimal.

Making sure I have all the stuff I need (I'd hate to have to run to home depot with a hole in the roof )
Butyl tape, primer (to prime the metal after I cut it - re-sealing the paint), masking tape (to hopefully keep the primer from getting where I don't want it), OSI sealant (for my second layer of waterproofness) and a caulking gun, Dynaflex 230 (for my 3rd layer of waterproofness:


The maxxfan includes a little plastic lip that goes in the hole, and then that lip bolts to the roof and the fan bolts to the lip. You can see that mounting lip in this photo I've posted before:


The issue with a Sprinter is that the roof is a whopping 1/8" thick. Not thick enough to bolt the fan frame to.
So the solution is to build a 3/4" wooden frame that'll go inside the van and the fan will bolt to it.
I just made this one out of 3/4" by 1.5" pine.


I threw away the woodscrews the fan came with for mounting and got all stainless hardware with nylon lock nuts


The next potential issue is that over time, the plastic frames of RV vents/fans tend to weaken with age and then crack around all the bolt holes.

Despite our joking about trading this thing in for a 4x4, I really do want to (in a perfect world, knock wood) keep this thing for 10+ years... and I don't want to have to redo the roof vent (or develop leaks) in that time.

Solution? An aluminum reinforcement strip all the way around on top of the stock plastic mount

First I cut two 17" pieces and two 12" pieces


Then drill holes 3/8" back to line up with the holes in the plastic. The four corner holes are 9/16" back.




and voila!

This is how things will go on the van.

My aluminum on top, then the plastic stock mount, then my layer of butyl/goop/etc, then the roof of the van, then the wooden box on the inside of the van. Then bolt it all together (I hope!).




I still have to round the corners of the aluminum and make it fit/look nice.

The Plan:

So! In the morning, if everything goes to plan I will...
spray the aluminum strips I made with the white primer.
create a 14" square template out of some light masonite.
use the masonite as a template to get the hole exactly where I want it.
Drill each corner with a small drill bit.
Drill each corner with a 7/8" hole saw to give me nice rounded corners that are tangental @ exactly 14".
Cut the square out.
Lightly sand the edges, tape off, and spray with primer inside & out.
Let primer dry.
Go around the edge of the hole with 320.
Go around the 320 with butyl tape.
Put the plastic mounting frame in the hole.
Go around the mounting frame with OSI.
Put my aluminum strips over the mounting frame.
Squirt some 320 in each bolt hole and then insert the 16 bolts.
Bolt the wooden frame up to the 16 bolts from the bottom.
Squirt some 320 on each bolt head to make sure every bolt is completely waterproof
Let it set up for a while.
Insert and mount the maxxair in the hole.

...then I'll try and figure out how to wire it up and make it work

(sorry.. I wrote all of those steps for myself to reference when I'm doing it ).

Can anyone for see anything I'm forgetting?

18k!! I thought I was bad putting 11k on mine since august!

I hope yours is going funner places than mine has been thus far

You forgot to schedule in a couple of beer breaks but other than that I think you're good.

colorado was cool, .....other than that, just work:ddog

Seal congeal temps look

OSI Tech sheet here

Preparation:
Apply sealant between 20°F (-7°C) and 100°F (38°C). For easier extrusion of sealant at lower temperatures the material should be kept at room temperature 24 hours prior to use. All surfaces must be clean, dry and free of old caulk, grease, dust and other contaminants. Insert cartridge into caulking gun, apply moderate pressure in order to break the “Break Away” seal inside the nozzle. Cut the tip off the cartridge at a 45° angle to desired bead size (3/8” is recommended).

Thanks!
Yeaah, the OSI warns about gassing fumes "Not recommended for use inside occupied structures"... and the 230 is "inside friendly" and has no gassing issues.

So my theory is that I'm doing the OSI quad as the outside bead (no internal exposure) and then the 230 as the internal bead (but it takes longer to set and requires 40 degrees, etc).

So the OSI can protect the 230 while it cures

My choice would be to use the OSI in more places, and to use the 230 in fewer places, I think the OSI will hold up better to expansion and contraction. But maybe you have a reason for using the 230? I haven't had that much luck with it outdoors, and I tend to use polyurethane sealants for everything exterior these days.

Edit: I see you posted while I was typing. Anyway, the OSI bead around the outside edge should be plenty of waterproofness. I'd use OSI around the bolt heads as well, then 230 elsewhere.

so you're going to deburr and prime the 14 bolt holes too?

so if you mitered the top rails over the vertical corner, there would be no exposed edges and it would be under compression, too.

i waited until it was assembled [pictures] to see if the vertical holes did show. so there are cut edges exposed on the vertical piece.

You're a boat guy, right? so you probably know all about this, but I just learned about the 3m 5200 sealant adhesive. I'm looking for a reason to use some, but it sounds like it should only be used when you absolutely, positively know the installation will be permanent- otherwise you will destroy whatever it is adhered to trying to remove it. Fun stuff!

I have a tube here waiting for the right project. . . but until then, I'll keep using sikaflex on everything.