New camper conversion in Tucson!

[DesertTed]

Bed

Edited October 19, 2016 by DesertTed

[Chris Dempsey]

Don't know why there are redundant photos above of the adhesive, maybe we just want it to stick?

 

Anyway, we're also doing the bed at the same time. Hub wants to get out of the van for a bit. He's framing the bed very stoutly because he's gonna put 4'slides, $175 each, including shipping and handling (sounds like an infomercial) for three large drawers. Each set of slides weighs 28 pounds. They're rated to hold up to 500#. There nothing wrong with overbuilding, we want to be able to carry our fortune of gold with us. Photo below.

 

After the bed base is framed, we're putting an IKEA full-sized bed,Tarva on top. We're leaving on the headboard as I sleep with a wedge and without a headboard to keep it from sliding up the bed, I'm crawling up the bed multiple times nightly, messing up my sleep. Any of you who use a wedge for GERD knows how that goes!

 

The top of the bed will be 36" off the floor. That way we'll both will be able to sit straight up while giving us maximum storage area under the bed.

 

Those are some monster slides. What brand?

[Hub]

Hi Chris,

I found these on Amazon, they're available in up to 60"long.  I haven't installed them yet, but they look mighty tough.  I'll let you know how they work, but I surmise that they'll do the job.

Drawer Slide, Full Extension, 48 in., Heavy Duty, 500 lb. Capacity, Zinc

by Hettich

 

The Hettich KA3320 48" drawer slides are a heavy duty, telescoping, precision, full extension drawer slides for high loads, up to 500 lb. capacity, with cushioned in and out stops. Chromated steel. Ball bearing spacers are made of noise-absorbing plastic with hardened steel ball bearings. 

 

The runner and ball race form a single non-detachable unit. Smooth action and high side stability through precision slide. The 4 foot drawer runner is not removable. You will need to unscrew the drawer fronm the runner to remove the drawer box. The reason for this is with 4 feet of travel to its fully extended 8 foot length, the weight of the loaded drawer acheives a great deal of momentum and must coome to an abrupt stop. A lever release would need to be massive and would be expensive and hard to fit into the slide mechanism.

 

This 48" slide has a 3/4" Installation Width and a 3" Height. The tested dynamic weight capacity is 280 lbs. @ 10,000 Cycles and 183 lbs. @ 75,000 cycles. The cabinet member requires #10 Flat head countersunk screw. The drawer member requires #10 pan head screw. Screw length will vary depending on application. Use all screw holes to acheive the full load rating.

 

PRICE IS PER PAIR. Screws not included.

 

Manufactured by Hettich America, in Buford, GA, USA.

Features & Specifications of Hettich, 03320-048-44, 48" Drawer Slides, Heavy Duty, Full Extension Features

• KA 3320 Drawer Slide 48" bulk w/o screws Pregalv.
• Up to 500 lb. Load Capacity
• 3/4" Required Each Side For Installlation
• Full extension
• Industrial Applications
   

Type Side Mount Extension Full Extension Closed Length 48 inch Travel 48" Extension Loss 0" Specifications Hettich KA3320 Specifications (753kb PDF file) Height 3" Installation width 3/4" +1/32" -0" Whats Included 2 runners for 1 drawer. More Help Drawer Slide Terms Email Support Email Technical support for Drawer Slides Manufactured in United States Manufacturer Hettich Warranty Hettich America Warranty Color Zinc/Chrome Disconnet No Disconnect Type None Drawer Member Length 48 inches Cabinet Member Length 48 inches Weight Class 500 lbs. Soft Close No Series See more: Hettich KA 3320 Heavy Duty

[DesertTed]

Okey dokey, I'm gonna give a running commentary on both the bed platform/drawers job, which Hub is doing, and my project, the electric. Neither job is done yet, but I might as well put photos of what's been done so far.

 

So Hub made Hercules strength frames to set the bed frame on and to mount the three drawers in back, under the bed. The middle frame is not in photos yet. One drawer is for two folding bicycles (Bike Friday's). The other two drawers will be on top of each other for two sea kayaks and and general travel supplies. On the front, under the platform, we'll have cubbies, one with a slide for the chest fridge/freezer and one for the porta-potty. In the potty niche in the middle, mounted under the bed frame, will be a small safe.

Edited October 21, 2016 by DesertTed

[DesertTed]

My electricity project:

 

I'm going to post the items I'll be using, just in case someone may be interested. I'm not planning to use many of these at the same time, but I want to be able to have lights where I want and to plug in items where I'm using them. Cords stretched out all over the cabin for charging and connections drive me nuts, so I'm a member of the Department of Redundancy Department. Tentatively, I'll be using 3X ~100 amp-hour deep cycle batteries with the CTEK dual charger and the Smartpass. Until we get the fridge/freezer or go out for long trips (or until I kill it), we're using a Costco group 27 marine battery. That's what we've been using for tent camping. A charge lasts for at least 2 weeks, but I abuse it as I'm always draining it down to around 11.9 volts. I won't mistreat the deep cycle batteries like that, considering how much three of them will cost. I haven't figured out where I'm placing the battery bank yet.

 

The biggest power consumers will be the Fantastic Vent fan, the fridge/freezer, the cell and Wi-Fi signal boosters,2 laptops and multiple phones/tablets and e-readers. The greatest power sucker will be the 800 watt k-cup coffee maker on the inverter. Good coffee is essential. We'll need to run the engine if we're brewing coffee.

[DesertTed]

Please, anyone, if you see any glaring omissions or mistakes, please tell me!

 

Right now, these are the electrical items we have planned:

 

Fantastic Vent fan over the bed

2 LED lights, one each side of the bed

2 12v/usb outlets with voltmeter each side of bed

1 12v/usb outlet with voltmeter by siding door (mostly for fridge/freezer)

Exterior light over sliding door

1 12v/usb outlet with voltmeter mounted behind driver seat

LED lights under cabinets over sink

1 overhead LED in cabin

 

The CTEK units will let me charge the batteries with the portable Renogy 100w solar panels (with a quick disconnect plug). I also have a 1100 watt inverter for the coffee maker and multicooker (800 watts-to be used only if we're driving for hours) and a 6 gang switch. I'll be putting fuses on each power cord, on top of the breakers on the 6 gang switch because of my aforementioned membership in the Department of Redundancy Department. And most importantly, I have a master on/off switch between the engine compartment and the battery bank and been the battery bank and the 6 gang switch.

 

I'm testing every light, outlet and switch to make sure they work before I install them. Most of the stuff is made in China and we all know how reliable those manufactured items can be.

Edited October 21, 2016 by DesertTed

[wollip]

Your NV build is getting more intriguing week after week. Dr. Who and the TARDIS have nothing on you since you both obviously majored in trans-dimensional engineering.

Can't wait to see the finished product. Keep the posts coming please.

[Daydreamin520]

DesertTed... would it be possible to do a quicky meetup somewhere in Tucson area, the first week in November?  I am down in Green Valley until the 28th or so, but would love chance to meet and talk, before I tackle next step in my build, which I hope to be a house battery setup and maxxair fans on back cargo doors, ABOVE the windows.  Thanks, Marty (mstar2@msn.com)

[Glidedon]

Great build details DesertTed, love it. What vent cover are you using? and how are those mounting bits secured to the van?

[DesertTed]

We're using the Fantastic Vent cover. It's a lot more expensive than the Maxxair ones, but it worked better for the initial install. When Hub put the Fantastic Vent fan in, the fan cover screws directly into the same 4 screw holes that the fan uses, which was great to be able to do it all at once. If we were putting in a vent cover as an afterthought, the brand wouldn't matter. The cover is mounted with the four screws, washers and cotter pins,with caulking as the last step.

 

One nice thing about the Fantastic Vent cover, when the fan's lid is raised to the max opening, it nests perfectly into the cover, allowing it to open wider than with the other manufacturers'vent covers. But it is ugly! Hub and I go for function over form. It's also a little taller than other vent covers, but when the high top vans are as tall as they are, what's another few inches?

[DesertTed]

Since I'm online, I might as well post the progress on the drawer units that we're putting below the bed. When you look at the photos, in order to make the maximum width for the drawers, Hub cut a 3/4" notch for the 1"x 4" boards on which the drawer slides are mounted. Just to check, we put in 100# of water to make sure it slides smoothly-and it does.

Edited October 26, 2016 by DesertTed

[DesertTed]

Okey dokey, I'm back. Hub went for a month vacation and I've been back and forth to NM for medical procedures. All is well, so work resumes on Blanca.

 

The first drawer for the two Bike Fridays is in, along with the half of the bed base. As a side comment,the bed is gonna be too high for these bones to climb in easily. A step stool will be needed. Hub put in all this water to show how stout the drawer slides are (250lbs).

Edited December 17, 2016 by DesertTed

[DesertTed]

Hub is currently finishing the walls and trim on the doors. It's kinda hard to see, but the paneling on the walls is a little lighter than the floor. It's slightly darker than we had envisioned, but it's certainly good enough. He did use the adhesive I mentioned in a previous post, but also screwed the planks to the wall underneath, to avoid the chance of the adhesive not being adequate, between heat on vibration.

 

Oh the sliding door, he was also able to do the same on the bottom two panels, but there was no way he could use screws on the top section because the metal is only one layer. After scratching his head, he decided to use industrial Velcro to attach the panels. You can't tell by looking at the door that he did that. It should be interesting to see if heat will melt the Velcro adhesive.

 

So the answer to the question of whether we could use the vinyl flooring planks on the wall is a yes. Another positive of using the vinyl is that it is flexible enough to conform to the slight curvature oh the walls.

 

So now, he's trimming the rear windows, but just screwing them onto the door. I also posted a photo of the other window, for example. My red nail polish isn't visible at all.

Edited December 17, 2016 by DesertTed

[DesertTed]

Oh, forgot to address the ports leaking. Since it rains so much here in Tucson, we found that there was a small amount of water(maybe an ounce) that leaked in after our 0.29 inches of rain last night. There was also an area of dried residue which appeared to be evidence of a larger amount of water from a previous rain. Upon investigation, we found that we hadn't properly secured them closed. The remedy was to simultaneously screw the two knobs down to as far as they would go, to the edge of the threading.

 

Hub was out there with the hose this morning and there wasn't a drop of leakage. Problem solved.

 

We were discussing this afternoon that if you looked very closely at the craftsmanship, you'd be able to see the amateurish quality of the work done. But, when we're finished, it should look pretty good.

 

One more thing-in addition to the 250# of water in the drawer, the drawer itself is 30#. And it slides easily and smoothly. Worth the expense of the slides.

[wollip]

Well, you'll never be completely finished and that is part of the process.

Each build is different as we all have different needs. And we are all our own worst critics - unnecessarily.

Everything is coming together nicely - thanks for continuing to share.

 

BTW - I've had great success with the Velcro you mention in similar applications - even in the high heat and humidity of my mid-south region.

[laharview]

I also used vinyl plank on the walls and ceilings. Held on with #8 x 1" SS screws. Conforms well.

 

[laharview]

Anodized aluminium strips used for floor transitions cover the seams.

Edited December 18, 2016 by laharview

[DesertTed]

More progress. The back doors are done inside, so they'e ready to go. There's some insulation behind the panels, but not on the surface of the doors as you can see from the photo below. So I'm planning on sewing insulated curtains that can cover the entire tops of both doors. I'll attach them with Velcro and magnets if need be to make sure there is no air leakage. That way they can be completely removable it not needed. We'll carry two pre cut foam panels to put on the top of the doors as needed for insulation with hot and cold. Since that's where our heads and shoulders will be about eight hours a day, is important that we're comfortable.

 

I'm trying to fix the leak that Hub caused on the starboard back door when he backed into a covered parking structure. We had a little drizzle last night and that door was moist. Hopefully I can use some rubber gasket material to seal it. If that doesn't work, it'll be an expensive trip to a body shop. I don't want to fix the dent right away if we don't have to as then we'll will have invoked Murphy's Law and back into something again.

 

I'm not going to post a picture of that...

Edited December 21, 2016 by DesertTed

[DesertTed]

Yay! We're starting on the electrical system! Hub is now working on the two drawers under the other side of the future bed frame. Once that's in, he can start securing the area for the batteries, to prevent them from catapulting into the passenger area (i.e., my head) in case of a wild stop, turn or rollover. A brain is a wonderful possession.

 

We will use three group 27 batteries. I know that conventional wisdom suggests golf cart batteries, but since we'll use the single group 27 marine battery that we already use for camping until we bite the bullet and buy three true deep cycle batteries, I'll go ahead and set it up for group 27's. It'll be a while until we need the full set as we ain't setting out for our big trip until we sell the house. Until then, it'll only be a few days here and there and the one battery will do.

 

The photos before show the placement of the vented battery boxes. I read somewhere that if we were to use about 300 amp hours of battery storage with the CTEK Smart Pass and system, that we need to use flooded lead acid batteries. Today I toddled over to the battery supplier and discussed our options. Tentatively, we will get Trojan model SCS200 with pod vent group 27 batteries. The 20-hr rate is 115 amp-hours. Since we only have the 100 watt Renogy portable solar panel, if we want to stay off the grid for weeks, we need adequate battery storage.

 

Staying cool is pretty important to a post-menopausal chick, so I'm counting on using the Fantastic Vent fan above and probably another fan from a different angle. Between that, heavy computer use and all my other electronic doo-dads, we need a fair amount of battery capacity. I don't want to deal with putting solar on the roof. We're not planning a 12v cooler, but want the battery storage in case one is aquired later.

 

Hub took the battery boxes and drilled through them and the strap with washers for their future home. These boxes are not meant to keep them in place, but to keep them from major shifting in their secured area. Also, I like the battery box tops so we can place a non-flammable basket of kitchen goods on top of them. There may be some corrosion from the batteries venting, but proper charging with the Smart Pass should minimise hydrogen sulfide gas. The area will be well vented and likely will have a fan blowing on it.

Edited December 21, 2016 by DesertTed

[DesertTed]

In case anyone is curious, I just subscribed to prepaid Verizon Hotspot service, since we have so many wi-fi gadgets. 2 gigs for 60 days is $35. We can get more later, but I just wanted to get it up and running.

We don't stream and pretty much just email and other low data stuff, it'll work. Verizon is expensive, but I've researched and they have the best coverage in rural areas. I'm gonna skip the heavy duty marine wi-fi antenna I was thinking about. This way we won't have to cadge someone else's wi-fi signal.

[DesertTed]

Yesterday and today Hub mounted the battery on/off switch, CTEK system and the six gang panel. I wanted to photograph it before we hook up any wiring. I reoriented the on/off switch and the six gang panel to situate the actual wiring better. Especially the panel-the two folding bicycles in the drawer will be right behind the panel, so I wanted the wiring to go up, so as to make it less likely to snag with the bikes.

 

You can see the slats that will separate the battery area from the rear drawer area. I'm not quite sure where I got the idea that I need flooded lead acid batteries, but upon further research,I found that I'm wrong on that. I'm glad, as I would rather have AGM batteries. In any case, we'll use the slats on the other side of the bed base, so as to facilitate better ventilation, in case we haul wet stuff like kayaks or other outdoor gear.

Edited December 27, 2016 by DesertTed

[DesertTed]

I don't know why the above photo was oriented sideways. Oh well.

 

I'm starting to assemble the wiring. I've never used the heat-shrink butt and spade terminal connectors before, but they make putting everything together enjoyable and neat. I just have to put a photo of one of the lights to be mounted. When I'm ready, I just have to plug it in. Easy peasy!

 

I'm using 18 gauge wiring for the LED lighting,16 gauge for the USB jack's, and 14 gauge for all the 12 volt cigarette lighter outlets except for the one for the fridge. For the fridge,I got a separate marine 12 volt outlet. It'll be dedicated solely and wired directly to the battery with 12 gauge wire. We're looking at a Truckfridge for now. We have an 1100 watt inverter to be hooked up and mounted behind the driver's seat on the sink cabinet.

 

Even though the six gang panel has circuit breakers, I'm running an inline fuse on every line out.

 

I'm not physically able running a line from the engine compartment, through the firewall and to the electrical center. Hub won't touch electricity, so I'm going to have to farm out that duty to a professional.

 

Hub should have the other two drawers in tomorrow or the next day.

 

We're starting to see this thing come together! After the bed and electrical is in, the sink and upper cabinets will go up. After that, it'll be little things and mostly cosmetics.

Edited December 27, 2016 by DesertTed

[wollip]

We've been using our Ctek system for several months - really like it. Took me a couple of weeks to quit worrying about it and realize that it just works.

[DesertTed]

More progress. We hadn't been planning to get a ladder, but ended up getting one. With the traveling we'll be doing, there is a good likelihood of the need to climb up on top of Blanca to trim greenery as she's about 9'8" tall with the Fantastic Vent fan housing and cover. Shlepping a separate ladder and having to get it out each time needed would be a pain. The one we got from Amazon went on very easily. It hooked up over the top of the door and then Hub only had to drill two holes to attach the bottom of the ladder. It came with rubber gaskets. It makes it easy to climb up on the roof. Not real comfortable on bare feet, though.

 

Hub rates the ease of putting on the ladder at a 10 out of 10.

Edited January 17, 2017 by DesertTed

[breeze]

That last pic of the rear end looks cool like an armored car. With a Battery charger on the roof, I don't know if I'll need a ladder, but those gangster peep holes on the rear doors are the coolest I've seen yet :-)

 

Always keep'em guessing!

Edited January 30, 2017 by breeze