Another NV2500 Camper Conversion

[OpenRoad]

I have been a viewer of this site since I bought my used ’15 high roof NV2500 S V6 cargo van a few years ago.  After much work and slow progress my wife and I have completed (mostly, are you really ever finished?) the conversion to a camper van.  As you all know the NV is a rare sighting in the camper van world and so there is not a ton of DIY conversion info out there (as there is for the Sprinter, Promaster and Transit owners).  Thought I would share what we have done for anyone who is interested.  We did all the work ourselves and minimized the use of aftermarket add-ons (i.e. expensive) where possible or practical.   I like the NV for the rugged dependability and ease of working on but wish it was about  1 foot longer and had a larger following for support.  We had a difficult time trying to fit everything in that we would have liked so we had to make compromises.  We mostly camp off the beaten path and come from a background of tent camping so an indoor shower and toilet were out.  I toyed with the idea of the 4WD aftermarket conversion but have found that I can go just about anywhere I need to go with the upgraded tires, tire chains and judicious driving.  Below is an overview list of what we did.  Adding  some pictures also.  If anyone has questions on what we have done I will do my best to answer, i.e. electrical design, method or materials of construction, design choices, etc.  Happy trails!

Electrical

500W of solar panels, 300 Ah AGM batteries (2x 6V), 2000W inverter/charger, 220W DC/DC charger for charging house batteries from alternator (with Bluetooth comm), battery monitoring system (with Bluetooth comm). 

The electrical system is more than adequately designed to allow us to cook (portable induction cook top), run our heater and also recharge our e-bikes daily.  LED lighting, 12VDC plugins, 120VAC plugins, USB charging stations, etc.

Cabinetry

Wooden framed (pocket screwed),  sheathed with plywood, bolted into van.  Had considered using the popular 80/20 AL framing but the wooden framing is very strong/lighter weight/less expensive and has proven itself through miles of rough roads.

Heating

Forced air propane heater  (Suburban NT-16SEQ, much less expensive, runs quieter, easy to install and needs less maintenance than the very popular Webasto or Propex), 10 lb. propane tank (enough propane to last us about a week in cold weather), thermostat control added to the heater.  The 10 lb. tank is contained in a specially made enclosure that vents to the outside.  The tank has a Bluetooth enabled level sensor that allows fairly accurate determination of remaining propane.

Cooking

We usually cook on a portable induction cook top but also have a single burner propane stove that runs on the small green propane bottles.  Have a couple of bottles usually on hand which can be used to provide propane to the heater through an adapter if we run out from the 10 lb. tank.

Water

(3) 16 gallon plastic storage tanks with foot pump to dispense water to a built-in kitchen sink/faucet.  The sink drains out below the van but we have the option to easily connect a 5 gal. grey water container to the drain under the van if needed.

Refrigerator

Built-in top load refrigerator/freezer (IndelB TB51A)

Sleeping

A memory foam bed custom cut for 2 which is stored overhead against the ceiling when not in use via a hand crank system.  Sleeping arrangement is head and feet towards the sides of the van.  Added sidewall flares to accommodate 6 ft plus for this sleeping arrangement.

Seating

Removable rear seating w/ seatbelts for 2 (utilized a bench seat from a VW Eurovan)(not shown in pictures).  Standard NV factory seats up front.  Bench seating for sitting at the dining table when the bed is raised to the ceiling.

Miscellaneous Add-ons

MaxAir vent fan

Roof rack made from aluminum square tubing (for mounting solar panels)

Overhead backup lights

Side slider window in the sliding door

Flares on the rear side panels to increase interior width and allow transverse sleeping arrangement

Larger tires (BF Goodrich T/A KO2 265/70 R17) Much better tire than the stock Firestones.

Traction boards, shovel and come-along stored onboard for those instances of getting stuck

2” receiver hitch with wiring (my NV S model did not come with a hitch)

Swing away receiver hitch platform bike rack for 2 ebikes (constructed using parts I already had)

Ladder stored onboard

Side awning (using tarp, hooks mounted on roof rack w/ L-track, collapsible poles)

Portable shower & small bucket toilet (toilet only for use when other options not available)

Portable air compressor

Aftermarket stereo with NAV, backup camera and upgraded speakers

Mosquito screening (removable) at slider door and front door windows

Very well insulated throughout with insulated coverings for all windows

Hidden anti-theft switch wired into the engine starter circuit

Propane and CO2 alarms

Fire extinguisher

Overhead storage shelf above driver/passenger seats (this increased our storage space by a lot)

[radin2son]

Nicely done: description, research and photos. This should be very helpful for those just discovering the merits of NVs. 

 

 

[NVinNE]

@OpenRoad  Very nice work!  Thank you for sharing your info and photos.   

 

I also have a NV2500 HR V6.  Just finished installing the plusnuts to start framing the walls & ceiling...do you have any photos showing how you did the framing?   Also, why did you opt to build a storage shelf above the existing overhead storage shelf rather than modifying the one that's already there? 

 

P.S.  I'm fascinated by the hand crank mechanism to raise and lower your bed...no motor there at all?

Edited March 13, 2022 by NVinNE

[OpenRoad]

NVinNE,

We did not do any framing on the walls because we didn't want to lose any precious inches on interior space.  We insulated inside all the structural steel members with wool and in-between with poly iso.  We then mounted our floor cabinets to floors using the existing OEM floor bolts that were already there for cargo tie-downs and used plus-nuts in the walls where needed.  The overhead cabinets are connected to the van steel using plusnuts.  After the cabinets were in place we cut wall paneling to fit and attached them to the walls with screws.  The advantage to this in our minds was the additional interior inches.  The disadvantage we discovered was the much harder job of making cabinets and paneling fit non-square walls.  I recently had to temporarily remove a cabinet and wall paneling and they came out and went back in without a problem.

 

The overhead storage shelf we added is located above the existing OEM shelf.  If we extended the existing shelf it would make getting into and out of the front streets much more difficult (at least for me at 6 ft. I would have to crouch quite a bit more).  Wanted to keep access to/from the front seats as easy as possible.

 

The bed frame hand crank mechanism is actually a re-purposed Thule cargo lift.  Went through A LOT of design ideas on how to lift the bed (pneumatic struts, linear actuators, electric motor with reduction gear and worm drive, and on and on...).  This ended up being a simple solution.  The bed goes up and down in less than a minute and is not that hard to crank.  The crank mechanism is a worm gear design so it is self locking, i.e. won't move up and down on its own.

 

Good luck on your van build out.

[NVinNE]

@OpenRoad,  

 

Thanks for your reply and good wishes with my build!

 

I completely understand your reasoning to forego framing out the walls. Every fraction of an inch matters in the NV.  I've gone from thinking about using 2"x3"s to considering 1"x 4"s on the walls and ceiling ribs.  Great that you were able to remove & replace the cabinet and wall paneling without a problem.  I'm thinking about building for future maintenance and want to be able to do the same.

 

Good point that extending the OEM shelf will decrease head space moving from the cab to the "house."  I completely missed that.  My hesitation about extending the OEM shelf is mainly because I'm not comfortable messing around in the area where the air bags live.  I think that I can design it to angle above the air bags but not sure I want to go down that road so now that I've seen how you handled that space, I'm going to consider doing something similar.

 

Well, the bed frame lift is so cool and love that it's all manual.  Well done, you!

 

I have another question.  The plywood panels on your rear doors...how did you attach them to the metal?   I'm reluctant to use wood to metal screws only because I suspect that the vibration will loosen them in no time????   The plusnuts I have seem way too long...small rivets, maybe?  

 

 

 

 

[OpenRoad]

NVinNE,

The rear door wood paneling is attached with screws into metal just like all the other paneling.  I have not found that any of the panels rattle or the screws loosen from road vibration.  Our paneling is thin 1/8" and so there is not much mass to them. 

Attached is a better picture of the bed frame and cranking system if you are interested.  It is not the "perfect" solution but I like its' simplicity.  I have seen some pretty cool designs using pnuematic struts or scissor jacks that assist in raising and lowering the bed (see attached) but couldn't figure out how to overcome the interior curvature of the van and not have those mechanisms interfere with interior space.  Having some kind of bed raising system to get it out of the way when not in use was important to us versus the fixed platform bed, but it does add another design headache in the build out process.  Will be interested to hear what you come up with if you feel like sharing.

 

 

[NVinNE]

@OpenRoad     Using screws for the door panels might be less risky than drilling holes to insert rivets...good to know that you haven't had problems with them loosening up.  Thanks for the info.
 

Your bed lift system and the one in the video are very cool...it's a perfect solution for freeing up space.  Your photo of the frame and cranking mechanism helps me visualize how it works.  I love hearing and reading about such feats of engineering but attempting to design and build one would put likely put me over the edge, if you know what I mean.  I'm planning to build an elevated pullout bed and hoping for the best   I'll definitely share photos as things progress.

 

 

[Local Apparent Friday]

This might be my new favorite build just based on that bed, but the rest is clean AF too.  Nice work!

 

Did you find the flares anywhere cheaper than $1800?  Did you install, or did you have them installed?

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Local Apparent Friday

[OpenRoad]

The cost of Flarespace flares is a hard one to swallow.  For us it was a necessity based on our design layout.  When I finally made up my mind to purchase I found that they were no longer listed on the Flarespace site.  I called and they said they were having issues with their offering for the NV but (and this is where fate smiled on me) they wanted to know if I was interested in bringing my van to their Portland shop so they could work out their fitment issues.   If so, they would provide a set to me for free.   Portland was only a 5 hour drive away so I was very lucky on this one and took them up on their offer.

 

As far as installing, this was going to my first cut into the sheet metal of the van.  I was a little scared about it and found a local shop (who Flarespace vetted) and had them do the work.  In hindsight, after cutting holes for the window in the sliding door and the roof for the vent I could have easily done the flare cut.  This was the only work I paid someone else to do but since I obtained the flares for free I didn't feel too bad and figured I was supporting a local shop.  They also needed to be painted first which I was not at all interested in attempting so another local shop received some business.

 

An important note about the flares, if you do install them you will need to remove a piece of sheet metal from the far right inside of the sliding door or it will interfere with the flare when the door is opened.  It is just a sheet metal cover that is spot welded to the door frame and I have no idea of its purpose.  It came off pretty easy with a few blows of a cold chisel at each spot weld.  There was nothing under it but door frame and removal did not affect door functionality at all.  Again, it did not seem to provide any purpose and I have no idea why Nissan added it.  I have added a photo showing its location.

 

Good luck in pursuing your build out.

[Local Apparent Friday]

That's a screaming deal.  Thanks for the info on modifying the slider.

[Nissan Traveler]

I am looking for windows for my 2016 NV 2500---did you put any windows in? Wondering where to get them.

[OpenRoad]

Yes, we installed an aftermarket window in the sliding door.  The window was from C.R. Laurence and I have attached a pdf brochure I have from them.  See page 2, catalog number FW805R.  Have been very happy with it (no leaks) and the screened vent windows are nice to have for use in conjunctiCR Laurence Nissan Windows Brochure.pdfon with the overhead vent fan to control inside temperatures and moisture. 

[radin2son]

Surprisingly, Nissan NV 2011+ is still listed in their catalogue. Driver’s side (FW801L) is on clearance.
Passenger (FW805R). 

[matthewdills]

Thank you for the detailed explanation and pictures. I am planning on getting an NV 2500 HD high roof. I am very interested in the rear seat addition with seat belts. That is exactly what I want to do. So excited to have found your post:)

 

Thanks again, Matthew

[Renzo]

Greetings! (one year later) How are you liking the conversion after using it a couple of years?

Is there anything you would change if you did it again?

[Renzo]

Without the flares installed what was the max height of a person to comfortably use the bed in the "East/West" configuration?

That cost is a big bite out of my budget build.

[OpenRoad]

Hi Renzo,

The east-west distance to the finished walls (not including flares) at the height of where the bed is when it is down is approx. 68 1/2 ".  I am a little over 6' so this would have been a cramped for me.  I hear you about the flare cost.  I was considering trying to fabricate something myself out of fiberglass before I stumbled onto the deal they made with me.  I have seen some DIY flares on other vans and wasn't too impressed so really glad to have what is installed.  The other option is a north-south bed but that really cuts into the living space. 

I remember the whole design/build process for us being one of compromise.  In the end though after using it for a couple of years we have been really happy with it.  No changes other than tweaks on where stuff is stored and arranged.  Still happy with the NV van.  Easy to work on and has been very dependable.

Good luck on your build.

[radin2son]

Depends on the height of a fixed platform and the desired “garage” underneath. If you plan to store bikes upright, you will need more space. 
 

Our poptop NV plan doesn’t help answer your question, but part of the upper bed is suspended from the roof. Manual drop down to shoulder high. We sleep on top and leave the couch/NSbed in place with gear stored behind the seat back and under the couch. Water tank and inverted also there. 
 

Does limit floor space and no easy exit out the back. Hasn’t been an issue.