Elfmaze

Got my Renogy kit installed. Current system has 200 watts of solar, I will probably add one more 100watt panel. But we will see how our usage goes. I think i need to install some tilting brackets, it is near impossible to work on the wiring or clean the panels as they sit... with one more i will not be able to get anywhere near the far panel. controller in my power box. We decided it was better to have it inside so it would not get damaged and so it can better estimate battery temperature. Closeup of the controller For those that were wondering about where I installed my fan. It is a tight fit, But i had to do minimal cutting to the cross beam.

do the air passages stay open after the van has been shut off? It would probably be easy to test.... but its too cold outside to run a fan. lol When i did try it the fan sounded restricted but i didn't put much thought to the vent settings

scratch that.... would be nice to have rear speakers in my cargo version...

I would be very interested in these plugs as well. Any little bit that can save me wiring. Are the telematics plugs open on the other end as well or is there data on them? Maby it was for the Navi system hookup?

2500 v8 light load..... Gets there.....but it slips around and hills are a no no. Chains will do it well. I will be grabbing a set.

Is there an option other than open a front window to get air intake?

yesterday morning I went out to warm up the van the doors were unlocked all night, I open the door, start the van, close the door and start working on the frost on the windshield. The door is locked when I come back to the drivers seat... It did this to us at a tail-gait party as well. Luckly both times we had a second set of keys on us. How do I stop it from auto locking the doors? Second question, Do the doors unlock if the battery is dead? the key does not seem to turn much in the lock. Is it a physical lock, or is it just an unlock switch?

I have some gifts coming from Renogy solar at the end of the week. Seems i never posted the fan picture either., hmmm

We normally run our van without the center console. Much easier to get to the rear... BUT we plan to put it back in for long road trips. With the bike back there we can't move around the back much anyway. you do miss the armrest, storage, and extra food snack storage on the road. Around town i keep it out so i can walk into the back easier. Your going to love it for hauling you bikes, I am working on a semi permanent ramp that will fold down from the tow hitch.

Any lights on dash ? There is a beep to accompany low fuel light coming on. You don't have a progressive snapshot device that could be beeping to?

i used two of these, I still have my three stock dome lights too. These two when on are much brighter http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/truck-trailer-led-lights/56-round-dome-light-led-fixture-with-3-position-switch-/1273/2949/

check with these guys http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/led-vehicle-replacement-bulbs/ They will have it

I didn't cut the structural part of the truss but you do have to cut the feet up to the beam, The strength should be there, its just a few tack welds that might be cut out. I'll get a pic tomorrow when the light comes back up. You can also install it in the front over the cab. But i figured there would be better airflow cracking a front window and pulling out the back.

I cleaned up the wiring a bit, I have 30% confidence it will not spontaneously combust now

i think my favorite non expected advantage is how much cooler it keeps the interior of the van

Originally it was for races so we could sit up high and see more of the track, It has also come in handy as a place to pitch a tent at night in bear country and for storage and hauling stuff. The new van is way taller and the deck had to be cut down by 2' in length and about 4" width, so not as useful as a "party deck" But we will be mounting solar panels up there, and it will make it exponentially easier to maintain the array(cleaning, checking wires). It also keeps the sun off the roof of the van(less heat) and its one hell of a view from up there now,... Just only for one or two people.

Finally punched the fantastic vent thru the upper deck. Not as important now, But come summer the fan is critical!

This is how I solved the lights shutting off problem in the NV(battery saver function kills ALL power in the van after 10mins). easily accessible from both front seat and the back, the switches are for the outside flood lights, red interior lights (saves night vision), white interior lights, fantastic vent power

Still need to get my solar charger, Thinking two 100 watt Renogy panels and charger, Insulation all around , finish the wiring, Put fire suppression "holes" in the lower electrical box for an extinguisher, Cut hole in roof deck to pass fan vent thru. And I think we might be ready for a trip!

Roof deck, Still needs cut out for the vent fan and solar panels Rear Flood lights on set up for hanging out Storage box on top, Electrical on the bottom Inside of electrical box, Two 110amp hour deep cell batteries. Sleeping mode Cargo mode

I spent about two years trying to figure out what type of vehicle I needed. Wanted it to be able to tow(6000 lb antique car and trailer) Be able to carry my motorcycles inside, Have a bed, Be able to be a daily driver, be able to live in it for around a week at a time. And be fairly stealth in case of camping in a city en rout to a destination. Fuel mileage.... EH. I finally bought my Nv2500 v8 In August and I finally have some sort of progress I can show you! My old van RIP: New van

I imagine overriding them to keep them off would be easier than wiring them to keep them on. But same concept... The light units are negative ground. So we cant do too much with the grounding circuit. BUT. the positive wire that runs up the drivers side can be spliced into, there are two wires, one to supply power when the door is opened and one to supply power all times for the "on" switches. cut the wire of your choice and add a switch to be able to shut them off. OR splice in a positive wire from the battery with a switch to be able to turn them on when the BCM has shut off all van power. Honestly, the dome lights are not bright enough for me to care about them in there stock form. My LED ones are MUCH brighter. Maby you can use LED's in the stock light units?

I built a secondary lighting system in the back of my NV, The switches are attached to the side of the driver seat plastic so I can reach the controls from the front or back of the van. I added two LED lights (http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/dome-lights/56-round-dome-light-led-fixture-with-3-position-switch-/1273/2949/) They have Red and white lights, we use the red lights at night so we don't blow out our vision, Easy to read and work in the back with the two lights, and they pull next to no power! My lights are powered from the "house batteries" I added, But it would be easy enough to tie in a line to the Starting battery.

Mine is nowhere near that refined, But I think I maintained a bit more cargo space. I'll get some pictures of mine up there. The insulation is critical. I only have a few panels i finished insulated, But we had a 1500 watt heater running all night and woke up to 40's I will be adding more insulation to mine. I have recently gotten rid of my center console. Not sure if i'm keeping it or not. BUT i really like being able to pass to the back without going outside in the cold and rain. I couldn't do that very easily with the thing in there.

I bought my new NV in august. I didnt know about the upfit packages untill recently. Is this something I had to pick when I bought the van, or can I still pick equipment?