Name TBD: AWD Express / CCV Poptop

[larrie]

Looks great. I especially like the drawers under the stove.

[Viva]

Me too! The curves totally elevate them from ordinary to something special (and also the way you put the veneer on to accentuate that). And even ordinary drawers are great (what I always wish there were more of as opposed to other types of storage).

How are you making things like that side cupboard/armrest area shaped piece? Looks very light and thin (in a good way).

[MKRyan]

Beautiful finish work! Looking forward to the finished masterpiece.

Mike

[eddyturn]

W
O
W

[4x4sporty]

MAD SKILLS!!!!!!! Love the Top!!!!! Glad to see another Chevy.

[blupaddler]

Wow!
All in one day too! I'm gonna drop my van off for a reconfigure, it should only take you a week at this pace...


Looks great. You've got some mad skills. Thanks for the pic of the CCV top. If you get a chance could you post a forward pic from inside as well?
Also what ply are you using? Ironply?

Curious to see how you like the proper as we've thought about that.




I'm getting close(r) to gutting or selling our van bc of two small (less than 2yo) kids on the side bench...

[rockbender]

Thanks guys - amazing what I can get done in a day, eh? I'd actually put off posting anything for a while not only because I didn't really have the time, but because I didin't want to drown anyone in an 8 month long build thread!

Last time around I had one kid and a couple furlough weeks to boot. This time I've got a pretty busy work schedule and two kids; however it has been a nice way to spend the evenings even if I only get a few hours at a time in and sometimes spend more time thinking than doing.

I had great intentions of setting up to do dado's in 1/2" ply and build everything that way. Ultimately when I found the 1/4" underlayment ply with the grain pattern you see I decided to just use that. The thin ply is a lot more forgiving to work with than the thicker wood and is plenty strong for much of construction. It is also half the price of 1/2" sanded, so for $15 a sheet I don't mind wasting a little during my trial and error process. I did use 1/2" ply for things that are going to be load bearing, i.e, the rear bed platform and the galley (which will likely get stood on to get in the penthouse). To join pieces together, I use a piece of 1/2"-3/4" pine in the corners and join with glue and clamp/staples/pins/screws depending on the location and whether it needs to be a removable piece. It is by no means a glamorous joint, but is effective and has been easy for me to work with.

Hopefully I'll have a little bit of electrical work worthy of a photo in the next few days.

BP - I'll be real curious about the propex too. Unfortuanately to make the air intake and exhaust work I had to make the outlet air tube make a 180 turn inside the box to get it directed into the main cabin. I am hoping this does not hinder output much.

[rockbender]

I've seen some electrical routing on here and the Samba that is just plain beautiful. Wires are all the perfect length, the right colors, properly labeled, etc. While I aspire to be that guy, I clearly am not.

However, I finished the majority of my wiring last night and when I flipped a switch the light came on! Literally. That's enough excitement for me to share a couple fuzzy photos.

Here is a selection of parts that I opted for:

There is tons of electrical component info on this forum, but if anyone has questions about why I specifically chose certain components please let me know.

The majority of my components will go behind the seat. I originally wanted to get the batteries as far to the passenger side as possible to balance weight. I had tossed this idea around for battery and inverter proximity and with some helpful advice from folks here ultimately decided this was a poor choice.


After moving the batteries around in different configurations, I finally started rolling with this configuration:


Not wanting to kill all my storage under the rear platform, I did a quick check to see if my packing crates would still fit:


Yes, that is a mess of wires. I did my best to try and get lengths reasonable and keep them somewhat sanitary. You'll also see the new inverter position - hard to tell from this photo, but it is in the compartment to the right of the batteries now with the fan blowing out towards the rear.


I still need to build a panel that covers the back corner of the van which will essentially become a chase for all the main wire runs. The relays on the back wall are a part of the poptop circuit that I relocated but didn't cut or modify the wires. It is a bit of a nest, so now that I know everything still works I may redo those a little nicer. Later. Anyway, all this will sit underneath a removable panel in the rear platform for the bed. There is nothing there that requires constant access, but it will be easy enough to get to if I need to check a fuse or turn everything off for maintenance.


For my main wiring off the battery, I used 4ga for everything because it is what I had. I probably should have gone to #2 for the 1000w inverter, and may swap that in if I decide to run a microwave or something. I also have 150A breakers between the battery and inverter as well as right off the starting battery going to the isolator. I wanted to not have a breaker pop if I found myself in jump start mode; however, the 150A breakers may be a bit on the big side for the 4 ga wire in retrospect. I may downsize to 100A or 120A in the future for peace of mind but I at least have something there right now.

[86Scotty]

[stanw909]

Awesome