Rear window, OK. Closer to the source of the stink, makes sense. There was another forum...might have been Expedition Portal, where a snowboarder with an AWD Express did that with a rear door window. I think he used plastic and a Fantastic Fan. He covered the plastic panel with black vinyl.
Rear window, OK. Closer to the source of the stink, makes sense. There was another forum...might have been Expedition Portal, where a snowboarder with an AWD Express did that with a rear door window. I think he used plastic and a Fantastic Fan. He covered the plastic panel with black vinyl.
I like aluminum because it's easily bendable, won't crack or rust and easy to cut a hole in. I was thinking I would just Raptor Line it, but that's just my coating of choice lately. There may be better options for color or coating.
It's basically just a thin layer of insulation with a reflective side. It uses suction cups to stay on the side glass and just visors to stay on the windshield. There have been times on a really sunny day when the shiny side was too hot to handle! Fit is pretty good on most windows although there are some that still leave the edges uncovered. I'm not too concerned with that right now as it's primarily to keep the interior cool and obscure the view. They're not blackout.
I probably could have made something myself using Reflectix but I just needed to get it functional quickly so I could start sleeping in it. I leave the covers on all the back windows all the time and take off the front ones only to drive. I can deploy the covers quickly enough that I do it practically every time I park.
I like aluminum because it's easily bendable, won't crack or rust and easy to cut a hole in. I was thinking I would just Raptor Line it, but that' my coating of choice lately. There may be better options for color or coating.
Aluminum sounds like a solid choice. Steel would be too heavy if it had uniform thickness that matched the glass. If I decided to do stainless, I'd do a thick perimeter welded to a skin, but that's more work.
I've also considered doing it out of 1/4" King Starboard (marine grade HDPE), already black. It wouldn't feel nearly as solid as aluminum though.
Welcome to the Transformer Club! I'm with you about not tearing the van apart and having it unusable and expensive, all at once. I don't haul a motorcycle, but just about everything else and want to have quick access to that space whenever I need it. This is my open setup now:
I'm looking at building a platform bed, probably on narrow, tall, boxes, something along these lines, to preserve the middle space:
As to a rear fan, I really like what this guy did. They used plexiglass:
The interior build isn't the prettiest job, but I'm impressed with how he fabbed up his van, quickly, and with basically no experience. The thing that really caught my eye was how he "modularized" the sections onto floor pieces that bolted into the original seat holes, which makes them removable. Then he added flooring.
I have the same fear about putting a big square hole in my roof so figured why not split the fear in half and install 2 smaller holes. I'm probably irrational since I'll have 2 potential sources of leaks and rust, but pouring money into a van may not be my brightest financial decision either. In my passenger van I intend to initially retain the headliner so was thinking about how to work around the AC duct in the ceiling. I came across the Ventline Vanair. Doesn't seem as nice as a Maxxair, but appears to be fairly low profile. Does anyone have any experience with them? I have only seen a few examples on youtube. Thx
Otter: Yes! Your interior is so clean. Did you use carpet? If so, can you please tell me the source? I'm thinking I'll stay with carpet for now and see how it goes, since it's what I already have. I'm anticipating replacing it every few years after it has accumulated many stains.
My floor already has custom steel mounting plates bolted in to allow mounting all the bucket seats that the shuttle company used. I have 52 internally threaded holes in a rectangular pattern at my disposal for doing modular, transformer-like fixtures.
I'll do a separate post detailing that aspect of my van.
Tall, narrow boxes over the wheel tubs -- yes. Exactly what I was thinking of doing. I am thinking of a bed platform that folds up or otherwise easily stows away to open up the middle space. The video you linked ("For Transformer Fans") has an inspiring micro-galley design located exactly where I'm thinking I'll put mine.
Thanks for the link to the fan in a rear window. That's probably what I'll do.
EmMay: I don't see a penthouse top or high top in this van's future.
Smoker: I too came across the Ventline Vanair and thought it might be a better way to go if keeping the stock headliner. The downside I can think of is that it doesn't have any of the automatic-close or thermostat options that the Fantastic Fan and Maxxair have.
Maybe I'll get over it, but for now my goal is to keep the outside as close to a passenger van as I can. It just seems like the least appealing van configuration for thieves. Everyone knows cargo vans are full of expensive tools and campers are full of expensive toys. But passenger vans are just full of empty seats.
Has anyone ever heard of installing a fan so it exits underneath the vehicle? In practice, all car manufacturers do this, in a way. They put a one-way flapper valve in the body at the rear of the vehicle, hidden behind a bumper cover. On pickups they're obscured by the front of the bed box. That way they ensure flow through the cabin with all the windows closed. The problem is that the blower motor in the heater plenum draws a lot of current compared to a Fantastic or Maxxair fan, so you wouldn't want to leave it on while parked.
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