Betty Sue, the Motovan.

[225]

Originally Posted by motovanman

I've been trying to avoid the window AC unit but it's seeming more and more logical. Especially since I have one just sitting in the garage lol. Not worth $700+ to get a roof mounted setup.

I'm trying to keep things simple electric wise for now until I decide how much money I want to dump into it. I just have some battery powered LED lights I got at Northern Tool for like $2 and planning on running the AC unit off of a Honda EU2000i.

The other option would be a portable ac unit and run it out of the driver window in a frame made to fit the window.

They’re not near as efficient as a good ol window unit. And they take up a lot of space. My generator is a Ryobi 2300. Works great.

Like I said, it’s kinda ghetto, but I don’t care. It’s for the summer only. I’ll pull it out during the winter.

[shadetreevanman]

I borrowed a free standing 5K AC unit from a buddy and built this drivers side vent hood and window covering for it.




We were in Quartzsite in 100 plus heat and it slowly got hotter and hotter in the van. Eventually I just turned it off and opened some windows. The unit I borrowed was allegedly in good shape and working, but it wasn't good enough.

Maybe an 8K or 10K would work better in my high top. I've used a 5K window unit in the front door before with good success. I wanted to try the free standing one because it is simpler to set up and tear down the the window unit.

[campism]

Originally Posted by 225

I bought a 2 piece bed frame from Ikea that I plan on making it where the bed folds up so I can put my bike in:

I found mine in the Free section of Craigslist a few weeks ago. Like new! Now stuffed into the van awaiting the buildout.

[225]

Originally Posted by shadetreevanman

I borrowed a free standing 5K AC unit from a buddy and built this drivers side vent hood and window covering for it.

We were in Quartzsite in 100 plus heat and it slowly got hotter and hotter in the van. Eventually I just turned it off and opened some windows. The unit I borrowed was allegedly in good shape and working, but it wasn't good enough.

Maybe an 8K or 10K would work better in my high top. I've used a 5K window unit in the front door before with good success. I wanted to try the free standing one because it is simpler to set up and tear down the the window unit.

Portable units aren't very efficent.

Here is a video explaining why:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mBeYC2KGc&t

Next year, I "may" get a roof top unit. The Dometic Penguin 2's aren't that ugly.

Originally Posted by campism

I found mine in the Free section of Craigslist a few weeks ago. Like new! Now stuffed into the van awaiting the buildout.

Same here. I need to build a bed frame asap.

[IanF]

Great build! Are you planning to do anything to cover the windows?

For a roof A/C, they seem to be getting better every year. The Coleman Mach 10 13.5BTU unit has gotten some good reviews and doesn't draw too much power if attempting to run off a large battery system.

I keep trying to figure out how to make an secondary engine driven compressor system work. I'm just not sure there will be enough room under a van for it to fit along with enough sound insulation to make it tolerable in a campsite. So I keep going between that and just a crap-ton of lithium batteries.

[225]

Originally Posted by IanF

Great build! Are you planning to do anything to cover the windows?

For a roof A/C, they seem to be getting better every year. The Coleman Mach 10 13.5BTU unit has gotten some good reviews and doesn't draw too much power if attempting to run off a large battery system.

I keep trying to figure out how to make an secondary engine driven compressor system work. I'm just not sure there will be enough room under a van for it to fit along with enough sound insulation to make it tolerable in a campsite. So I keep going between that and just a crap-ton of lithium batteries.

I've looked at the Coleman Mach 10 and the Dometic Penguin 2. Next summer, I'll be picking one or the other. With a soft start, they can run on a small generator.

I brought it to a shop, supposedly fixed it. They didn't. They replaced the transmission range selector.

Then I replaced the cruise control cutout switch, didn't work. Then new steering wheel buttons and clokspring. Still not working. Now my horn isn't working. So something went wrong when I installed the clockspring. I'm about to take it to Ford and just let them deal with it.



Picked up a new sweet set of LED taillights:



I also ordered a new interior rug and WeatherTech floor mats. I'll also be switching to 08+ OEM Ford seats. That way I can get a seat swivel for the passenger seat.





Arriving today is the white Raptor Liner to spray everything that's white with. I have also been working on getting all the parts for a 08+ front end.

Here's what we have so far:

08+ upper / lower header panel:



Fenders (will be here today):



Headlight buckets:



And the radiator cross bar. I'm waiting on the hood latch to show up. I also need a grille and hood. But that will be more junkyard hunting for those.

[225]

Finally got the Raptor Liner on all of the van but the front clip, which I'll be swapping. I'm going hunting for a hood and grille tomorrow.





Close up:



Fenders came in:



Other front clip parts:

[ibike]

Looking good! What method did you use to apply the Raptor? Straight from the bottle with the schutz gun? Looking to do my whole van, door jambs and all and looking for feedback on application processes. I’m leaning towards reducing the liner and applying with and HVLP gun.

[225]

Originally Posted by ibike

Looking good! What method did you use to apply the Raptor? Straight from the bottle with the schutz gun? Looking to do my whole van, door jambs and all and looking for feedback on application processes. I’m leaning towards reducing the liner and applying with and HVLP gun.

I used the schutz gun. Just make sure you clean it between bottles.

New front clip is on!



Took her out for a beer:



Working on the inside now. I painted the rear windows black and covered them with insulation. I want as much privacy as I can have the the rear section.

This is a partial pic. It will go all the way up to the ceiling.

[225]

LOTS of trim work left. Most of the walls are up, bed frame built. I have to build a sink / cabinet, some drawers, paint, and trim work. Bed comes in Monday and I'll be putting it on the bed frame I got from Ikea.