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I am also interested in this information. There is a considerable thunk when a bug hits my hightop in the "forehead". Would love to hear from someone that has actually removed the headliner to know if there are issues with the side airbags and how you deal with the maps light unit. Thanks!

I spent countless hours on that Sprinter site and discovered,as you are already finding, a ton of photographs and links to vendors. Wanting to be able to remove your camping/touring modules and still have a working floor for cargo is a challenge. Are you familiar with coretiedowns.com and their uni trax and maxx trax systems? Of course, there are several other brands out there. Using any of these tracks in a recessed configuration might work well for both needs.

There is some of what you're looking for in this forum - but probably not enough to accomplish a complete build. This group seems to have actual lives and they check in here when they have some down time. Helps explain how we can occasionally go a couple of days without a single post. That said - check out sprinter-source.com for a forum that has been around for a long time. Nearly anything you will need to know about a build is already there - just adapt it to your NV. That's what they would have done if they weren't so misguided :-)

There is some of what you're looking for in this forum - but probably not enough to accomplish a complete build. This group seems to have actual lives and they check in here when they have some down time. Helps explain how we can occasionally go a couple of days without a single post. That said - check out sprinter-source.com for a forum that has been around for a long time. Nearly anything you will need to know about a build is already there - just adapt it to your NV. That's what they would have done if they weren't so misguided :-)

Thanks - fuel for thought.

radin2son, You stated - "Before I forget, there is a positive relationship between 2500 rpms and mpg." Expand on that if you will.

My post from September in Body Exterior: I have the 2500 high roof cargo converted for travel (so I care about how it looks). I did a DIY with running boards from nvvan.com - used the black finish. You can get any color from them you want as long as it is black. 18 months later they look like new and I am very pleased with them - rock solid. Since my purchase, they have added a polished finish which gives a little more bling. You may only be interested in their price for comparison purposes since you may not be interested in DIY. But definitely get yourself a pair of running boards - one of the best upgrades you can do to increase comfort.

Chris - you said: "Does that shed a little light? I can get a bit wordy " You can't help it, man. You come from the world of Sprinters. Keep the posts coming - we're all learning some good stuff here and you are getting some good discussions going.

Chris - Here's an insight for you: I'm stretching my legs and cleaning the windshield of the NV at an I-10 rest stop when a trucker walks by on his way to the restroom. He asks me the GVWR of the NV - says that regulations and paperwork on anything over 10,000 lbs is seriously impacting his groups' small cargo deliveries. I showed him the info plate inside the driver's door and also told him that Nissan had just increased the warranty. He swallowed the hook when I told him my V-8 high roof was going down the road at 65+ with a total weight of 8,000 lbs (rv conversion, full tank of gas, and the two of us) and consistently getting 16+ mpg. He was calling his office as he walked away telling whoever to set up a test drive. I don't tow so didn't get into that with him - he will figure that part out. But that does remind me - IMHO Nissan is not emphasizing enough the towing capabilities of these vans.

Looks good and I like the way you attached it. Thanks for sharing this!

I have the 2500 high roof cargo converted for travel (so I care about how it looks). I did a DIY with running boards from nvvan.com - used the black finish. You can get any color from them you want as long as it is black. 18 months later they look like new and I am very pleased with them - rock solid. Since my purchase, they have added a polished finish which gives a little more bling. You may only be interested in their price for comparison purposes since you may not be interested in DIY. But definitely get yourself a pair of running boards - one of the best upgrades you can do to increase comfort.

Thanks to DennisV and Mc2guy for responding with some good tips and info. I have also had some time to troll the Internet and come away from that with a consensus that 12.18 volts is about as low as I will want to draw down the battery. 12.18 will have it at 50%. My battery is a small 35 amp/hr AGM. During my experiment, it took 20 hrs to reach the 50% draw down when running the fan on speed #3. This relieves my anxiety about running the fan for 8 to 10 hrs at a time. My van conversion is for travel and I do have a small Progressive Dynamics unit that recharges the battery whenever hooked to shore power.

I know zip about DC current - but that's never stopped me before. But I do need some help. I have installed a small agm 12v mainly to run the roof vent fan when parked in the hot sun. The fan has 10 speeds and I am running it on 3. So far it has run 25 hours and pulled the battery down to 12.03. I think I know that a battery should never be pulled below 8.50. My question concerns the fan - will I damage it if I were to ever drain the battery down to anywhere near the 8.50 point?

StephenB - On the first page of this same thread, Elfmaze has done an excellent job of describing and illustrating his roof fan install. You are concerned about driving with the fan open. I have a MaxxAir fan that I have tested at hwy speeds in the fully open position with no apparent problems and very little noise. However, I still wouldn't risk it in a windy situation. As to the "corrugations" in the roof being a problem, I don't think they are significant enough to matter. I used Eternabond double stick roof repair tape between the vent flange and the metal roof. Extra layers of tape can be used to fill in the low areas caused by the corrugations. (Scotch Outdoor Mounting Tape is a good alternative, just takes a lot of it.)Then, after installing the appropriate screw attachments, I ran 4 inch wide Eternabond RSW (white roof seal) around the vent to completely enclose the flange and screws and seal it all to the metal roof. For the sake of driving into rain, it made sense to me to attach the back piece of RSW first, followed by the two side pieces, and then the front piece. Eternabond RS is available in 2, 4, and 6 inch widths - and white, gray, and black colors. I guess an alternative method would have been to glob enough Dicor up there.

Welcome Cousin! You're going to love that van - most comfortable ride out there. Let us know how you equip it for your use. Oops - just read your other post. Good mods - thanks for the info.

North Point Nissan in Little Rock, AR sells a lot of NVs (for our small area) and has a very good service department. Ask for Fred, he is very enthusiastic about the NV line.

Big John - Welcome to the group! Isn't it amazing how comfortable these NVs are? And the best thing is that a year from now you will be liking your NV even more than you do now.

Wonderful job - excellent work! Reminds me of a boat cabin - very sleek. You have every right to be very proud of this project. Thanks for sharing! (If anyone is having trouble seeing the additional pics, I had to go to my desktop computer to get the photobucket link to work - wouldn't work from my iphone.)

Welcome to the group! 8mm (and I think the thread pitch is 1.25, but don't hold me to that) in ceiling and along the sidewalls

clipsandfasteners.com - PAS1975-25 Body Side Moulding Push-Type Retainers Clips Nissan Pkg of 25 for $8.99 and my shipping cost was under $5.00. These fit a 8mm hole ( which I think is what you are looking for). Look around on their site - might find something you like better - they have a lot of choices.

radin2son, My bad! How easily my curiosity snared Jon and led us both down the path of off topic - sorry Jon. I'll try to keep myself in better check going forward. I do wish the moderators would give us a separate category - something along the line of NV Conversions and RVs. I think there are enough of us converting to justify the space.

Jon - thanks for the info. Great to hear from someone that gave up six feet of interior to get the van with the features he needs. Enjoy!

As you are sourcing parts for your build, check out some marine sites. A boat is just an rv without wheels - and their stuff has to hold up to salt water.

I'm at 90% finished. In two or three weeks I'll start posting some pictures. I've had the luxury of time as this coincides with our retirement. Time to start traveling now and we are looking forward to it. About three weeks ago I guess we hit optimum weight as the cabinets went in. What had been a comfortable ride became an unbelievably comfortable ride - and so far without degrading our mpg. I will weigh the finished result if I can find someplace with scales that aren't filthy.

Jon - great looking van! Yours is the only high roof I have seen that also has a pop-up roof. Would you tell us a little more about that feature?