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Old 11-12-2016, 07:32 AM   #61
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....Since nobody has addressed your counter height question I'll measure mine today......

I think counter height depends on how tall you are, what kind of top you have (if any), etc. Also, my sink is a vessel style so my counter is a bit low...this also allows easier access to the window latches behind the driver's seat (passenger window van).

All that being said, I find brushing my teeth over the sink to be cramped....mostly from the penthouse roof line.....I offset the sink forward on the counter but could have offset it a bit more.

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Old 11-12-2016, 07:26 PM   #62
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@larrie - Thanks! Battery tray pics are coming right up.
As far as a plan for freeze protection, I'll head towards warmer weather when that becomes an issue. If and when I do venture out in freezing temps I will just have to go without water. Or, I insulate the draw line going into the van and get a few more degrees cold before the tank freezes. Maybe spray foaming the entire tank and lines would be an idea too. All other plumbing will be inside.

@boywonder - My girlfriend and I did a rough cardboard mock-up and settled on a 33" counter top height and between 18 - 20" deep. Being I don't have windows and will have just one 4' long counter with sink on the passenger side the 33" height will be comfortable and close to what you have in a house. I have the CCV top and will be making my own more streamlined trim piece around the PH roof line instead of using the boxy square trim CCV installs. It's a waste of space in my opinion and not very aesthetically pleasing. My plan is to use custom bent aluminum trim that follows the roof line contour.
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Old 11-12-2016, 07:42 PM   #63
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Here are more pictures of the water tank and skid plate assembly.

The whole thing is hinged and mounts to the frame with 6 long bolts. The large rectangular steel tubing has round tubing welded into it so it can be tightened without deforming any of the material no matter how hard its cranked tight. The long studs you can see at the edge of the water tank frame are for straps to hold the tank in place.

The skid plate is 1/8" steel which is plenty sturdy and welded to the entire water tank mount. I put a 7 drain holes into it to allow any water and dirt to escape.

After a long night (last weekend) you just have to lay back and admire things for a little.

Tomorrow it gets a coat of paint. I've been super lucky to have 50 and even 60 degree November days here in Minnesota. Without my own indoor space to work on the van this project could have come to a halt over a month ago.
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WT6.jpg   WT8.jpg   WT9.jpg  
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Old 11-12-2016, 08:17 PM   #64
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Battery tray

Like I mentioned earlier, the battery tray sits between the axle and water tank, is hinged as well on it's own smaller frame cross member and bolts closed to the large frame cross member. It will hold 2 Lifeline 4D AGM batteries weighing a svelte 250 lbs. It should be rather pain free to basically set the batteries into the tray supported by a jack and then just raise them into place to bolt it tight. For good measure the tray is secured at 5 points- 3 at the rear and 2 at the front where the hinges are.

I didn't feel I needed a skid plate on the battery tray despite my dad thinking otherwise. I figure being so close to and higher than the axle I shouldn't have any issues. A rock will bash the axle before it gets to the battery tray.
What do you guys think?
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BT1.jpg   BT2.jpg   BT4.jpg   BT5.jpg   BT6.jpg  

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Old 11-13-2016, 09:11 AM   #65
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Nice work! The battery tray looks plenty out of the way to me. A rock could hit it but with the wide steel you built it with you've minimized your chances. Howbout just putting a piece of sheet metal under the batteries? That would certainly keep a rock from puncturing them, whether it be a big rock on the trail or a small one kicked up from the tires.

Tell me about those hinges. They look nice and sturdy but 4d's are really heavy. Are they rated for the weight? If so I'm thinking of some uses for them too.

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Old 11-13-2016, 05:59 PM   #66
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86Scotty - Those are actually heavy duty barn door hinges you can get at a farm and fleet supply. We did run welds (red lines in pic) along the hinges where the material curls around the hinge pins. They are stout and probably have about a 3/8" hinge pin diameter. While I don't think there would be an issue with letting these take the battery weight, we did add two bolt points on the hinge end just for a redundant safety measure.
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Old 11-13-2016, 06:49 PM   #67
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Another hole... To fill the water tank I decided on a deck fill with a 1 1/2" dia fill that can easily be filled with a hose or funnel. It's on the rear end of the driver's side fastened with some nice SS screws and with a piece of painted plywood as a backing plate. The fill hose does go into the van and out the floor but, is easily accessed. Never mind that it says Gas. The ones that say Water are 2x the price. It did come with a cap.
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Old 11-13-2016, 09:02 PM   #68
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Thanks

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Old 11-13-2016, 10:22 PM   #69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B350 View Post
The walls are getting layers of insulation starting with reflectix, denim and will be covered in silverboard before wall panels are put into place. I'll likely put all plumbing and wiring behind the silverboard being there is still a cavity due to the van's wall curvature.
I'm just about to start tear down of my van build from a previous owner tomorrow. I'm contemplating insulation when I start up. I was planning on using the same materials as you but was going to place them in a different order, silverboard, denim, reflectix (which would act as a vapor barrier). Any reason why you went with that order and did you use a vapor barrier?

Oh and not sure if you took care of the electrical yet. But as an electrician I plan on running conduit throughout the van behind the insulation. Wires will be safe from rubbing and shorting out (found burnt up wiring when I cut out my roof), and if something does go wrong its always easy to pull new wire.
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Old 11-14-2016, 09:33 AM   #70
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@ VanDam - The way I have the insulation layers is not exactly correct buy will provide a great radiant heat barrier in keeping the van as cool as possible- so I think anyway. My theory is the reflectix acts as a vapor barrier covering all the body cavities. In hind sight I maybe should have put the denim with the foil facing outward rather than inward. But, it will act as a radiant barrier from the outside again keeping the interior as cool as possible. I finished with silverboard which acts as a double sided radiant barrier which should keep heat in the van. All seams were closed up with aluminum tape.

One of the main reasons for going in this order is that the reflectix and denim easily follow and cover all the contours on a van body. Finishing with silverboard leaves a nice flat finished wall on which wall panels will lay.

I was going to run all electrical and plumbing behind the wall cavities as well but changed my mind. Being there is more than enough space at the backs of cabinets I'm going to run all wires and pluming there. It's just going to be easier than trying to plan exactly where I want wiring and plumbing to come out of the wall panels now. This way I can finish my walls and then continue with the cabinet layout. I plan on housing my electrical in a recess on top of the cabinets and distributing from there.

Let me know what you decide to do.
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