My new Promaster 3500, High Roof, Long body, Sportsmobile.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by windguy

o you know what type of insulation is being used?
thanks

It looks like Ultratouch (recycled denim scraps)

The thick stuff (as in this build) is unfaced; it's also available in approx 2" thick with foil face and 3/8" thick with foil face. I've used all three thicknesses in my build.

Home depot sells it (larger selection online than in-store)

[DCHitt]

Here is a better picture of the wall insulation.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by DCHitt

As you can see progress is being made.

Photo compliments of K9Sprinter

Looking great, thanks for posting. Do you have additional progress pictures?

Also, do you have a layout you can post? It's hard to tell from a picture, but it appears driver-side seat is about 6-ft long, with passenger side slightly shorter. Will you be sleeping across or lengthwise?



Those bulkhead walls show why ProMaster is so popular in Europe for camper conversions, and why it's at top of my list. While the van's walls taper in some, near the roof the bulkheads are still plenty wide. On vans like Sprinter there would be much less width at eye level when standing.

[DCHitt]

Chance,
There are other build pictures in my Gallery you can look at. Some are from Kevin and some from K9Sprinter.

Sorry but I don't have a layout to post. Drivers side bed is 80" and passenger side 75".
On the drivers side starting from the rear is the 80" bed, bathroom, Kitchen sink.
On the passenger side from the rear is the 75" bed, refrigerator and microwave box.

We will sleep with our heads toward the front of the van. Feet toward the back doors.

All the water is on the drivers side.
Batteries on the passenger side,
Overhead storage where possible.

I'm waiting for more pictures from Kevin.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by DCHitt

Chance,
There are other build pictures in my Gallery you can look at. Some are from Kevin and some from K9Sprinter.

Sorry but I don't have a layout to post. Drivers side bed is 80" and passenger side 75".

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Thanks, took a good look at the pictures.

DCHitt, what will be the twin bed widths? And will there be a middle cushion to make into nearly king size bed?

Also, the brackets at back of seat appear to be for keeping the back cushion at a comfortable angle, and closer to front edge. Is that right? I understand back tilted at 15 to 20 degrees is best for comfort. And if bottom cushion is too wide it's hard to sit comfortable. That's one complaint my wife has had with SMB typical gaucho arrangements. She can't lean back without her feet being way off floor. This may be a welcome improvement if it's what I think it is.

[Viva]

Originally Posted by Chance

Also, the brackets at back of seat appear to be for keeping the back cushion at a comfortable angle, and closer to front edge. Is that right? I understand back tilted at 15 to 20 degrees is best for comfort. And if bottom cushion is too wide it's hard to sit comfortable. That's one complaint my wife has had with SMB typical gaucho arrangements. She can't lean back without her feet being way off floor. This may be a welcome improvement if it's what I think it is.

If you look at SMB's pages where they explain the various seating options, this is what is called a "dinette." (Even if there is only one of them, and no table; it's just what they seem to call this couch style.)

From what I can tell, a gaucho (which is what I have) has a full depth seat, and then the back sits on top of it. You can roll the back over to make a wider "double" bed, or, if you remove the back, you have a "twin" bed. The back is on the flipover ears, and those place it at a comfortable sitting angle (not 90º IOW).

On the dinette, the seat is not full depth, and the back angles against those braces you see to get the comfy angle. The seat slides out on big drawer slide type things, and then the back is dropped down to make the wider bed. There isn't the option to just remove the back (well you could, but the seat would be too narrow for sleeping it looks like).

My knowledge of the dinette is from reading and looking at photos, not real life (whereas I do have an SMB gaucho in real life).

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Viva

....cut....
On the dinette, the seat is not full depth, and the back angles against those braces you see to get the comfy angle. The seat slides out on big drawer slide type things, and then the back is dropped down to make the wider bed. There isn't the option to just remove the back (well you could, but the seat would be too narrow for sleeping it looks like).

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Thanks Viva, makes more sense now after reading your description and looking at pictures in the seating section.

You are right, it doesn't look like bottom cushion goes back to wall.

[DCHitt]

Sportsmobile calls the beds "Dinette L". When made into two single beds each should be 30" wide. They can be made any length you want. I asked for "No Buttons" and was told that they don't use buttons any more.

Promasters are about 4 inches wider than the Sprinter so the space between them should be bigger than the examples on Sportsmobile's web sight.

[DCHitt]

More progress, also more pictures in my Gallery

[DCHitt]

Yes.... I have my Sportsmobile. Had my walk through, paid the bill, a weekend at a campground for a shakedown, back to get my list fixed. It was a good experience,

My fix it list included
1. Leak in the connection to the john.
2. Some floor damage.
3. Fantastic Fan would not open under power.
4. Hot water mixing valve gave only scolding water.
5. Kitchen faucet loose.
6. Missing tab on side door window curtain.
7. Shower hose bracket not installed.

Kevin had the troops jump all over it and every thing was fixed except for the Mixing Valve problem since they had no spare part. Keven had the manufacture mail one to my house and it was waiting for me when I got home. I'm still unpacking so I haven't installed it yet.

I say it was a good experience because they did go above and beyond and fixed things that were not really broken.

1. Unplugged the 110 volts from the refrigerator so it would run only on 12 volts.
2. Changed the bathroom door latch so less force was required.
3. Added bed stops so we could configure beds that were less than 30 inches wide.

If you plan on picking up any new RV I highly recommend planning on a Shakedown Cruise.

So far my experience with the Promaster is good. It had no trouble towing my Ford Ranger home. We did have a scare when an 18 wheeler blew a tire as it passed us. Rubber everywhere and I ended up with rubber strips sitting in my grill. No damage to the van that we could find..

I'll report more as I get experience. The 2000 watt inverter system did run the roof AC for an hour while we were in a restaurant and the floor heat works great although I will probably add a thermostat.