After a few weeks of doing nothing on the van, I was able to get some time to work on the van.
Roof Rack (Solar panel holder)
I call this the solar panel holder, rather than the roof rack, because after putting on 4-100 watt panels, there is no room for anything else. I also decide since the roof was so high, I would probably not store or carry anything on top of the van anyway.
I debated between a aluminum rack and a steel rack from thin wall square tubing. The aluminum would be lighter weight and look better, but it was expensive. The steel would be less than half the cost, but would require me to weld up the frame. It would also be 10-15 lbs heavier. In the end I decided to go with the aluminum extrusion rack.
The deciding factor for me was, no matter how well I prepped and painted the steel rack, water would get inside, rust the rack and then I would have rusty water continually dripping down side of the van. With the aluminum rack, I would not have that issue. And the extrusions look better, is easy to build, is adjustable and is lighter weight.
I had ordered the black anodized extrusions and hardware from 8020. Everything was pre-cut, so all I needed to do was assemble it. I used Loctite or nylock nuts to hold everything together. I assembled the rack on the shop floor and fitted the solar panels to the rack.
Rather than use the Renology brackets, I built some brackets from "Z" profile aluminum extrusions. This allowed them to sit inside the rack rather than on top of the rack.
To mount the rack on the CCV top, I first aligned the rack on the top. I used some right angle brackets to bolt the rack down. Once everything was aligned, I drill through the fiberglass and wood in the pop top.
I then used 5/16 SS bolts to hold it all down. Once I had the holes drilled, I unbolted the rack and then mounted the angle brackets with RV roof sealant on the bolt and under the bracket. I then reattached the rack, using Loctite on all the SS bolts. I also added plenty of sealant on top of the brackets, after everything was bolted down.
Now the rack was attached I placed all the solar panels. I have debated between wiring the panels is parallel and series. I know there are pros and cons to both. I finally decided to do both. I wired the front and rear two panels in series and then the front and back in parallel. My theory is if half the van is shaded, the other half can still make power, verses having all four panels in parallel. Of course in real life, it may not matter much. I used wire ties to hold the extra wire off the roof.
After wiring the panels, I drilled a 1-1/4 hole through the roof to run the wires into the van. I used a PVC fitting as a bushing.
Since I also added a few extra wires for some roof lights, I added a couple of water-tight fittings to the roof gland. I used VHB tape to attach the gland to the roof and then sealed the entire unit.
On the inside of the top, I made a mounting plate with a cable clamp to clean up the wire entry and hold the wires tight. I still need to run the wires from the top down to the rear passenger side of the van, where my solar controller and batteries will be mounted.
Next is to build the cabinets.