OK, figured I'd wrap this thread up. I got the rebuild 95% done before we headed away on our Idaho-Montana-Utah ski trip and my work to that point held up well.
I finished the last few items once we were back, concluding a few days ago with the little cupboard thing that lives in the rear right corner.
Here are some details of the van - what I like and don't like.
Here's a shot of the interior completed. The utensil drawer under the sink goes all the way back to the side of the van, with much higher sides than the original. This probably doubled the capacity and it's -awesome-
Same with the pantry. I did away with the stupid slide-out thing and put the lower shelf down as far as it would go. Also probably double the capacity over the original. It's also just simpler to use.
I reused a few bits of original SMB hardware, including the lighting, which I liked, and the stainless heat guards over the cooker. I also kept the Norcold fridge, which was working fine.
I tried some brushed metal-effect wrap on the fridge, but it looks like crap and is attracts dirt. It's very easy to change (undo a few screws and slide the panel out) so I'm going to change this out to pre-finished ply to match the rest of the interior.
Here's the solar controller. I have three panels up top and am only using two because the third one is old and different voltage. The controller doesn't like that. Previous setup had two solar controllers which Renogy advised would probably be fighting each other. This was an installation done by a 'professional' van outfitter, ugh.
I did-away with the gigantic inverter and microwave, but kept the two big 12v lithium batteries. This saved a lot of weight and so far I haven't missed the microwave.
I love this panel. The top gauge shows the state of charge and rate of discharge, and the lower three switches are L-R under-seat lighting, water pump and master on/off.
The under-seat lighting was suggested by someone on here and is really nice. I used LED tape, glued to the frame of the seat.
As I mentioned, I used most of the original SMB lighting. The USB charge port to the right has a tiny blue LED which illuminated the sink very very slightly, making it easy to deal with at night. It's not enough light that you can see it when you're in bed.
I went with a second tank to give me a lot of water (the inverter used to live where the smaller tank is). Left side on the front panel is a 12v socket for my boy's iPad when we're driving, and a hardwired CO/propane detector. Diesel heater lives in the left rear and is ducted to the front of this panel between the lithium batteries and big tank. I like to think this helped keep the water from freezing and batteries from being stone cold whilst we were at arctic temps in Montana, but who knows?
CRL window was worth it. I wish there was an option to replace the sliding kitchen window on the other side.
Switch panel to control the exterior area lighting.
Headliner. Light is from a BMW in the salvage yard. Visors were trimmed by my local shop. He's a young dude who was taught by his dad. The dad unfortunately died, but he took over and does -beautiful- work. Will give him my money all day long.
USB sockets where the CB radio used to be. These pods are from Amazon and can be ordered in different configurations. The USB on left used to have a blue LED which was really bright at night. I put a tiny screwdriver through the hole on each of them and managed to get them to go away.
I like this bit. The bin is really really handy in this position. Beforehand we didnt' have a bin and had to use a plastic bag or whatever. Total game-changer.
This is me making the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Was kind of out of practice when I did this - the edge bead being a bit wobbly. It was not noticeable once installed.
Here's the rear box thing installed (out of focus to right of image) I took this picture because I'd like to try to find a third reading lamps for back of the van (where the two wires are hanging down) - I like the light they give out and it would look cool if they all matched.
So that's about it. Massive undertaking, not sure if it was really that fun but the end result is satifying. Having the ski vacation deadline made it quite stressful towards the end and I'm not sure I got a chance to stop and enjoy any of the progress.
Last weekend I pulled the van out to take my boy to King of the Hammers. I climbed in through the barn doors and was struck by how nice it felt - kind of like a yacht, or maybe a Sprinter built by an outfitter.
We had a great couple of nights camping, did some fairly hefty off-roading up around the hills, and got to watch our friend win the Unlimited class. Money-cant-buy kinda situation and a nice affirmation of why I got this thing in the first place.
Here's my last shot - it was our first night on the ski trip - just me and my brother in the mountains in Idaho (my wife and boy were flying up to meet us the next day). Diesel heater on, absolute solitude, stars, and that crazy damped acoustic that exists only when you're surrounded by deep snow.
Was this whole thing worth it?
Worth it.
