Name TBD: AWD Express / CCV Poptop

[twogone]

How did I miss this thread? So. Impressed.

[LenS]

Did this thread just beam down?? VERY good job. Well thought out work.

[1der]

Originally Posted by LenS

Did this thread just beam down?? VERY good job. Well thought out work.

Yep, been following this thread, impressive. If Boywonder and Rockbender ever decide to get together to do these things for others, I would like to be first in line!!

[BUFFALO]

Yes! Great job! It all looks fantastic!

[boywonder]

I'm a bit late to this thread as well.....excellent work, keep going! Lots of pics...

I have the same setup (150 amp breakers) except using 2ga wire between the battery banks, so far so good, although I have not had to use the house batts to start the van. Worst case is connect the banks together and relax for an hour while the house batts charge up the starting battery.

Can you post a few close-ups of your upholstery? What covering material are you using for the cushions? How is your foam stiffness for sitting and sleeping?

Also what are you using to penetrate the roof for the solar panel wire?

[86Scotty]

You and Accrete have got me thinking about an AWD Express more. Howbout your fuel mileage? I just spent $1400 on our two week trip. This alone could put me in a more minimal van.

[redtop]

Impressive work for sure. We have a Chevy 1500 AWD as well. Minimal build. We always get right around 17.5 mpg.

[rockbender]

Originally Posted by boywonder

Can you post a few close-ups of your upholstery? What covering material are you using for the cushions? How is your foam stiffness for sitting and sleeping?

Also what are you using to penetrate the roof for the solar panel wire?

The upholstery material I believe is called Nuance. It was one of the softer feeling vinyl's of the ones that we were looking at. Real leather was going to be too spendy and not nearly as durable.


I had the upholsterer put in some decorative stitch lines to break up the single color. I was going to have him cut and stitch two pieces together as that would have been a bit more durable, but it would have made for a crease to collect crumbs/dirt/etc.


I'll try to add a picture of my solar wire penetration. It is just a wire restraint piece from a big box store that I installed upside down and filled the hole with sealant once installed.

We put the awning and screen room to work this weekend. We ended up having a major rainstorm roll through and it was great having the extra dry space. I do get a little water that comes in between the awning and van gutter that may need addressing, but this rain was unlike anything we normally see.


I got the water system roughed in prior to the trip. We will mostly be using this for doing dishes and quick rinses for dirty kids and adults.


It is still a pretty rustic install, but proves its functionality. I still need to build a door panel that incorporates some storage for the wash hose and scrubbers, soap, etc. The shower head that comes with the water heater isn't the most ideal for dishes either. I think I will switch over to a sink sprayer type nozzle that has an on/off valve built in and reduces the flow a little.

[rockbender]

Eric - I think our fuel economy has averaged about 15 MPG. This is either town driving or local trips that involve driving up the mountain pass to the high lakes. To be honest, I haven't hand calc'd a single tank after the buildout as my wife is the primary driver so I can't provide much more than what the computer says. Hopefully we'll take some longer trips later this summer where I can get some solid data. I know we are a little heavy and have the added CCV top, but I don't see why we shouldn't be at 17+ for less mountainous driving.

Solar wiring penetration - here is the fitting I used through the top for the solar wiring, as seen from inside:


Here it is from the outside:


I simply used sealant in the void of the fitting. Nothing too fancy. I originally thought about using a small junction box similar to boywonder's setup, but most of the items I was finding off the shelf didn't quite fit the bill. You'll notice I just used 12 gauge extension cord for my wiring. If I had two 100W panels, I might consider dropping down to #10, but for the 5A or so max I will be seeing the #12 should be just fine. If I do add another panel I will likely add some sort of box to minimize the exposed wiring on top, but for now I think the single panel is going to be fine.

Thanks again for the compliments, folks. Many of your homebuilds and modifications have been an inspiration in both design and execution. I certainly could not have gotten this far without the community support here.

[86Scotty]

Josh, a friend is wanting me to mount a Propex in her EB50. I don't think space is an issue but we're considering the under van version as well. Have you had enough experience yet to know if the 2000 is adequate for your van? I'm wondering if I should go with the bigger model inside or the outside one, which doesn't have the BTU output listed, but I'm betting it's the same as the 2000.

Thanks