Ford Transit 2016 DIY campervan conversion

[atoine]

Hi!

So we finally took the plunge and bought (and received) our Ford Transit (148" wheel base, high-roof, extended-length). This is a pretty big deal for us, as the van also come with this promise for 2017: to leave our jobs, sell the house and travel the america for at least a year (or more if we can support it financially) and just RIDE (splitboarding & mountain-biking). Then, after the trip, we will relocate permanently on the west-coast, in the mountains, somewhere, and use the van for our (shorter) travels...


We're not skilled with tools, but we're motivated and are willing to learn throughout the process. Let's see how it will work out!!

Here is what we did so far:

1- Switched the tires for BFG KO2 225/75/R16


2- Installed the Maxxair Fan. See our post here.


3- Installed 2x 160W solar panels using 3M VHB tape. See our post here.


4- Install passenger swivel seat. See our post here.


5- Install Fiamma F45 awning. See our post here.


6- Install insulated Floor. See our post here.


7- Install Webasto air heater. See our post here.


8- Install Thinsulate noise & thermal insulation. See our post here.

9- This is how we avoid drilling holes in the van: PLUSNUT! See our post here.

10- To be continued!





CHEERS!

[Ron J. Moore]

Congrats and take that plunge. You say your not skilled with tools, from the photos you are real good....keep us posted. Ron

[BBQ]

.

I like your sliding bike rack.


Have a good trip.

[BBQ]

.

re: Solar panel placement.


This might be a bit late for you...
but for the next guy building,
this is something to consider:

http://youtu.be/sJ9kDQHYQZk?t=285

[atoine]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

re: Solar panel placement.


This might be a bit late for you...
but for the next guy building,
this is something to consider:

http://youtu.be/sJ9kDQHYQZk?t=285

Thanks for sharing the video!

We went for a fixed installation of our solar panels (they cannot be tilted); since we don’t spend much time at the same location when travelling, we decided it was not worth the trouble (and added weight) to make our solar panels tilt.

Also, we made sure our fan is far away from the panels to avoid any partial shade effect. (partial shading can turn a panel completely off if the panel is not equipped with bypass-diodes!)

Cheers!

[Phranc]

Very cool build and informative website. I especially appreciate the step-by-step documentation... something I often forgot to do while I was completing my build.
Best,
Phranc

www.vancave.wordpress.com

[atoine]

Originally Posted by Phranc

Very cool build and informative website. I especially appreciate the step-by-step documentation... something I often forgot to do while I was completing my build.
Best,
Phranc

www.vancave.wordpress.com

Phranc, your build is next level! So many well thought details and it look very professional. Good job!

[atoine]

We wanted a permanent raised bed above the "garage" (over the mountain bikes and other equipment); no need to fold/unfold the bed at night & it creates a lot of storage room.

Here is the installation writeup:
Platform Bed Installation | FarOutRide



Cheers!

[atoine]

We wanted a permanent raised bed above the "garage" (over the mountain bikes and other equipment); no need to fold/unfold the bed at night & it creates a lot of storage room.

Here is the installation writeup:
Platform Bed Installation | FarOutRide




Cheers!

[atoine]

A campervan conversion for Mountain-Biking deserve proper mountain-bike rack!
We wanted the bikes to be stored inside the van & to be easily loaded/unloaded. The tray extend 48" and locks fully in or out position.

Slide-Out Bike Rack | FarOutRide



Cheers!

[atoine]

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends on this forum! (a day late…)
We’re grateful for all the help we got from this community in making this crazy project a reality!

Posting detailed articles about our build is our way of giving back or inspire others fellow member of this community, hopefully it did.

This is how we built our Fridge & Electrical System cabinet:
Fridge & Electrical System Cabinet | FarOutRide



Enjoy the long weekend!

[mojoman]

Nice job! Have you engineered cooling in your cabinet? I raised the countertop to allow for a channel for the exhaust heat to flow from the refrigerator. It channels the heat away from the refrigerator rather than flowing around the face frame. Also covering areas around the compressor with sound foam help will quiet things down. If you plan on going camping in hot areas you may need ventilation for the electrical stuff as they generate heat.

[atoine]

Originally Posted by mojoman

Nice job! Have you engineered cooling in your cabinet? I raised the countertop to allow for a channel for the exhaust heat to flow from the refrigerator. It channels the heat away from the refrigerator rather than flowing around the face frame. Also covering areas around the compressor with sound foam help will quiet things down. If you plan on going camping in hot areas you may need ventilation for the electrical stuff as they generate heat.

True enough. We spend a lot on very efficient 12V fridge; but without proper heat evacuation (ventilation), any refrigerator will perform poorly and drain battery. It doesn't show in the pictures, but there is a 4" cutout near the compressor (on top of the fridge) to evacuate heat toward the drawers then outside the cabinet. I think i will add a small computer fan to help, since the heat does not travel horizontally very well...

Again it is not shown on the picture, but the cabinet is opened toward the "garage" to evacuate heat from the electrical system.

Thanks for your input!

[avanti]

Originally Posted by atoine

I think i will add a small computer fan to help, since the heat does not travel horizontally very well...

Yes. We have a setup very similar to yours wrt ventilation. Adding a pair of computer fans made a huge difference.

The fans are thermostatically controlled using one of these:

fan controller.jpg

Works great and is very quiet.

[atoine]

Originally Posted by avanti

Yes. We have a setup very similar to yours wrt ventilation. Adding a pair of computer fans made a huge difference.

The fans are thermostatically controlled using one of these:

Attachment 3762

Works great and is very quiet.

Nice. Can you adjust the controller sensitivity? Or select the temperature at which the fan will start for example?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by atoine

Nice. Can you adjust the controller sensitivity? Or select the temperature at which the fan will start for example?

Not on this one. It really isn't necessary, though. These devices are designed for applications like venting media center cabinets. The designed-in parameters are pretty spot-on for what you would want behind your fridge.

Note that this isn't an on/off device. It modulates the fan speed proportionally to the temperature.

There are lots of these devices available, some with all kinds of adjustments. Search eBay.

[atoine]

Just a quick update on the Webasto.

As others mentioned before us, it is quite noisy! To reduce the noise, we performed a few modifications.
It did not drastically reduced the noise, but help a little. We say it's worth doing it.

Webasto Air Heater Noise Reduction | FarOutRide

[atoine]

The Webasto / Espar Diesel air heaters are susceptible of accumulating diesel deposit (a.k.a. “coking”) at higher altitudes because the ratio of oxygen VS fuel is lowered (i.e. the mix is too “rich” in fuel). This coking would eventually accumulate and lead to malfunction / loss of performance.

For the Espar, the solution is to add a high-altitude module. (more details in the post)
For the Webasto, there is no physical part to add; the unit must be programmed for high altitudes. (more details in the post)

Webasto / Espar: High Altitudes Usage | FarOutRide

[atoine]

We're a bit late on the post, but here is our electrical system installation!
We used it for a few summer week-long trips and it has served us very well so far
The winter test will happened next week, throughout the holidays, while we will spend a week in the backcountry for some splitboarding adventures.

Electrical System Installation | FarOutRide

[atoine]

We also entirely re-written our page about the Electrical System Design.
We tried to make it comprehensive for someone who is not very familiar with the topic.
Did we missed anything (without going into too much details)?

Electrical System Design | FarOutRide




Happy Holidays!