Van Build #2 – Initial Stages
by Koda
This page includes photos and explains the reasoning behind the initial steps in my van build. (See Van Build #1 for observations and suggestions everyone should be aware of before choosing to convert a van.) I thought you might be interested in a bit of personal background first, but if you want to skip directly to the van build details just scroll down till you see the next photo.
I had been shopping for a van to convert for several years and almost bought a new 4-wheel-drive Ford Transit at one point. I was looking for a high roof van with less than 100k miles but they all seemed too expensive. I considered low roof vans thinking I could buy or build a fiberglass bubble top to raise the roof, but that seemed like too much work and/or expense. When Covid hit in 2020 I lost half my money in the stock market crash, then I lost the other half when it crashed again in February 2022. I had gone from having $200k USD to $25k when I finally got out of the market. I am 69 years old with an income from Social Security of $91 a month, and it was costing me $2k per month to rent the house I was living in, so I was about to become homeless.
Out of the blue a friend mentioned that she knew where I could buy a high roof van for $1,000. It turned out to be a 2007 Dodge Sprinter 3500 (long wheelbase and dual rear wheels). It was a complete mess. 322,000 miles on it, roof in front crushed inward and leaking, drivers window smashed in, glass and dog hair all over the front seats, rust everywhere, stereo gone, the particle filter in the exhaust system (someone though it was the catalytic converter) had been stollen, etc. Using jumper cables the engine would barely turn over but wouldn’t start, and I was told it had been sitting for two years.
It seemed rather obvious that the van was ready to be junked and I nearly walked away, but two ideas made me decide to buy it. The first is that if I put several thousand dollars into it most of the things that could go wrong would all be newly replaced and that would make it more reliable. The other idea is spiritually related.
I have written books about the nature of reality (Rational Spirituality, Koda’s Psychic Party Games, etc.) and have literally been saved from potential death by divine intervention, twice. The “coincidence” of my friend mentioning where I could buy a van at an affordable price – after years of searching and now when I was in a desperate situation – did not appear to be a coincidence. It seemed to me that I might have been “meant” to buy this van, so I bought it.
At the time I didn’t know that Dodge (and Freightliner) Sprinter vans are actually Mercedes Sprinter vans with Dodge or Freightliner badges attached to them. They are made by Mercedes and that means parts and labor are WAY more expensive than for American vehicles. A new starter cost $450, plus labor. Replacing the particle filter cost $1,000. A sensor inside the intake manifolds had stopped working and that repair cost $4,500, just so the van would pass emissions and have normal power (Sprinters are designed to go into “limp mode” when certain things go wrong so you are forced to take it in for repairs). The build, which still isn’t quite finished, took more than 8 months of full time labor and I am into this thing about $35,000, after selling nearly everything I owned to pay for it.
Here are some photos of the van when I bought it.
I also had to replace broken taillight and turn signal lenses and some of the side mirror pieces. The breaks and all the fluids were replaced.
Beginning the Conversion
Van Build #1 outlines things you need to consider before you start your van build. The first thing to do after you buy the van is perform all the periodic maintenance so you won’t have to be concerned with that stuff later. Then it’s time to strip the interior, clean everything thoroughly, and fill any holes left in the floor after removing the factory floor.
From this point onward I will be adding affiliate links to products on Amazon. If you are planning to buy the stuff, using the links will give me a tiny piece of the price you pay anyway. Thanks a lot if you choose to help out 🙂
Link to sound dampening materials on Amazon.
The most popular roof fans are made by AirMax and Fan-tastic but they seemed pretty expensive. I bought two 14″ reversible-direction fans from Rvlovent because they were cheaper ($140 each). They seem to work just fine but the mechanism to open and close the lid on top seems a bit sloppy. They did come with an extra screen which was nice. If I could afford it I would buy a fan with a remote control because it is no fun getting out of bed to turn the fan on and off. You can also install a switch by the bed but that will only work if the switch on the fan is also turned on, and of course the lid on top has to be open. Amazon now sells reversible 12-volt roof fans for as low as $70.
After the plywood goes down the next step is installing the floor covering. I used 3/4-inch laminate floor panels. I am 6’4” tall and the floor had already been raised 1-3/4 inches so now the floor had reduced the ceiling height by 2-1/2 inches. I would no longer be able to stand up fully erect inside the van once the ceiling material was installed. I wanted to be able to travel in winter climates so insulating the floor was necessary, and laminate flooring resists scratches and tares better than vinyl. (I wouldn’t even think about putting carpet on the floor because spills and dirt would make it a mess in no time.) Raising the floor that much was a tough call, but I can stand up reasonably well inside the van so it turned out to be OK.
Fan, Skylight and Solar Panel Installation
Next up was cutting the holes to install the vents, windows and access ports for shore power and water fill. Because cost and being stealthy were priorities for me I didn’t install any windows.
Cutting large holes in your van can be an intimidating thought because it obviously increases the chances of having leaks. Those unfamiliar with working with sheet metal (including myself) can be unsure about how to do it. The process is actually easier than you might at first believe.
Large holes for windows, fans, etc., can be cut using a metal cutting blade on a jig saw, or using a metal cut-off disk on a small angle grinder. If you need to cut curves it will be much easier with a jig saw.
It can be difficult to line up where to cut your holes in the roof so the fans, etc., will be square with the van walls. I drew a straight line across the width of the roof on top between two items I knew were parallel and that gave me something to work from. You might use the ends of the roof rails or the corners of the front doors, for example. Once you know your first line is square, use masking tape to form the inner edge of the lines you will be cutting, with the tape being on the outside of the hole. The tape will help to prevent the paint from chipping and the edge is easier to see than when marking the metal with a pencil. Start by drilling a hole wider than the blade of your jig saw in at least two opposite corners, then cut along the edge of the tape. If you will be cutting with an angle grinder you will not need to drill the holes first. Once the large hole has been made, be sure to apply some paint to the bare metal edge to help prevent rust from forming in the future.
Installing a fan or anything else in the ceiling requires knowing how thick your ceiling will be. You will be attaching the fan, skylight, etc., from the top with screws that go through the metal roof and into a wooden frame you need to build on the inside. The height of the frame needs to match the level of your ceiling material or be slightly less. Screw the flange of the fan or other appliance through the metal roof into the wooden frame, then caulk all around on top where the edge of the appliance meets the van roof. Caulk the screw heads as well. Ridges in the roof will cause large gaps between the flange and the van roof so the gaps should be filled with weather stripping or some other suitable material prior to applying the caulk.
There are two basic ways to cut smaller, round holes in the van walls for shore power and water fill ports. Using the jig saw with a metal cutting blade, or a hole saw with carbide tips.
Most people attach rigid solar panels to a roof rack. I opted to use flexible panels attached to a sheet of plywood in order to reduce the weight on top, but I now consider that to be a mistake. I just want to point out that you need to make all the holes in the roof and walls prior to installing the insulation, and that might include installing the roof rack.
The skylight I installed was the cheapest I could find and consists of two plastic pieces. One installs from on top and the other from underneath. I had to buy the pieces separately and it cost about $150 for cheap plastic. It works, but I would recommend buying a glass skylight, preferably one that opens so you cn climb out onto the roof from inside – if you can afford it. This one costs over $700. Here is a set similar to mine for about $150.
Insulating the Walls and Ceiling
The next thing should be doing the basic wiring, but I wasn’t sure what the van layout was actually going to be so I didn’t know which wires needed to be run. Again, planning everything in detail beforehand will save many headaches down the road. I had difficulties running the wires later after the insulation was in place so the wiring should be done first. (See Van Build #3 – Electrical)
There are several choices for the kind of insulation to use on the walls and ceiling. Spray-on foam might be the best because it can fill every space inside the walls, but it expensive, messy, requires special equipment and a respirator or needs to be done by a professional. Natural (sheep) wool is a good choice because it can fill the entire space between the inner and outer walls, isn’t itchy like mineral (rock) wool, is non-toxic and resists mold. Some people use rigid foam panels cut to fit the various spaces but van walls curve, especially on Sprinters, and rigid foam is flat. I opted for Thinsulate, a material similar to cotton with a black backing, because it is easy to install with scissors and spray adhesive. I am actually surprised at how well it works considering it is only 1-3/4″ (4.5cm) thick.
After the main insulation is installed the next step is the vapor barrier, which helps prevent mold from growing inside the walls and prevents heat and cold from moving through gaps. Almost everyone uses Reflectix, which is basically thin bubble wrap with aluminum foil on each side. The seams are sealed with aluminum tape to create an air tight seal all around the van.
Don’t forget to buy some 2″-wide aluminum tape to seal the seams.
Wall and Ceiling Framing
Once the insulation (and main wiring) are complete the next step is framing the walls and ceiling. You need something to screw the interior walls to, though some people skip this step and attach the walls directly to the metal supports on the van walls. If you do that you may end up not having supports where you need them so I don’t recommend it. I started out using 1x2s hoping to save weight but switched to 1x3s when screws sometimes caused the thinner boards to split. Some people run the framing boards vertically, which is best if you intend to use horizontal tongue and groove boards for your inside walls. I was planning to use 1/4-inch plywood so I ran the supports horizontally, which insured I could screw the plywood edges together to avoid creating uneven edges where the plywood pieces come together. I decided to cut the plywood pieces for the ceiling to fit the existing metal supports in order to avoid reducing the ceiling height any further.
Creating the Storage Area Above the Seats in the Cab
This project became a nightmare for me. I watched a couple on YouTube cut into the headliner then install a shelf above the seats so I did the same thing. Trying to draw a straight line on a curving headliner is nearly impossible. I still have gaps between the headliner and the shelf which I hope to fix later. I have since learned that you can buy a combination headliner/shelf online so that is what I would recommend if you can afford it.
