Nissan NV2500 Toy Hauling camper

[Elfmaze]

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

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2014 by Elfmaze

[Elfmaze]

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

Edited January 25, 2014 by Elfmaze

[Elfmaze]

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!

Edited January 14, 2014 by Elfmaze

[Elfmaze]

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

Edited January 25, 2014 by Elfmaze

[vanguy]

Hi Elfmaze

 

I have the exact same van, same color.

 

Nice job on the conversion. Just curious, what do you use the roof deck for?

[Elfmaze]

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

 

 

Edited January 25, 2014 by Elfmaze

[Elfmaze]

 Just curious, what do you use the roof deck for?

 

 

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.   

[Elfmaze]

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

[Elfmaze]

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

 

[axulsuv]

That's always a good thing ! :)

[Glidedon]

Hi Elfmaze,

 

Did you cut one of the roof trusses to install the vent?

 

I could not find a 14x14 space in the ceiling without crossing a truss.

 

Thanks,

 

Don

[Elfmaze]

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.  

[Elfmaze]

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

[Glidedon]

Great I I'd like to see how you are going to install them on the rack.

[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.  

[Glidedon]

Thanks for posting that photo of them fan install Elfmaze. I appreciate it.

[Glidedon]

Triplicate

Edited February 20, 2014 by Glidedon

[Glidedon]

Duplicate

Edited February 20, 2014 by Glidedon

[Elfmaze]

Thanks for posting that photo of them fan install Elfmaze. I appreciate it.

Np,  BTW I did flip that dome light around to the other side of the beam in case you were trying to figure out where that pic was taken.  the dome light use to sit where the fan is now. 

[Elfmaze]

Spent some time with a roll of reflectix,  fiberglass mat,  and 3M 77 adhesive.   I don't know how much it helps but every little bit helps with holding heat in right?   My plan is to finish the roof with a 1/4 mdf panel and pack fiberglass between the panel and reflectix.  The side panels i'm not using reflectix since it would be hard to get into the holes....  I could use it if it will help I guess.   My plan was to close in the wall areas with 1/4 inch plywood as well over the fiberglass.

 

 

[axulsuv]

I did the roof of mine with the foil like you did , complete front to back . I haven't got around to building installing a headliner panel yet , but I installed factory sidepanels as mine was a naked cargo low roof and packed plain old fiberglass housing insulation behind them all . It made such a difference in the noise level and temp inside , whether it's hot or cold outside . For the places I go and overnight it has worked wonderful . But some solar panels and a charger/inverter  may be in the furure ....

Glenn

[StephenB]

What brand and model roof vent did you use?  Can it be open when you are driving?  How did you deal with the roof corrugations?

Thanks, Stephen

[wollip]

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.