Full Van Conversion Explained Start to Finish / Sophisticated DIY

[Music] foreign [Music] van or not take steps to prevent rusting these vents are made for short life span these days so prolonging it is a priority we treated existing rust so now I'm just going a quick run through with this special chemical compound specific for rust treatment painted over it that's nice and sprayed protective wooden layer HB body 950. this looks awesome completely covers with a thick rubbery-like layer that's amazing protection I extended this protective layer around the bottom part of the whole van sounding makes a big difference when driving closing doors and in the rain use it wisely because it's heavy we likely over applied sound deadening on our floor and could have saved some weight pick your conceptual layout and decide what you want out of your van it's very important to consider weight distribution in this phase don't compromise it or take it lightly start with big dimensions and core important things to you the rest goes around it this could be our sleeping quarters that's actually pretty good I think that's wow with no overhead units here is so extra space and a huge Panorama window here that has a potential to be particular imagine this is a pyramid of importance we made sure our e-bikes fit first then we end up with dimensions for bed shower and kitchen this would be the time to spray paint new color if that's what you want this is just the three in one cup paint that you can use as a primer secondary and a third layer I bought some thinner for spraying then hardenered these are just the filters and that's all seriously I need this cost me overall a hundred and ninety dollars foreign [Music] if you look at this here you can see where the window will be we're using the same gluing technique as used by the professionals and it's also how windshields are installed first you apply the primer on both surfaces in one continuous stroke after a few minutes apply the glue just to the window this glue is its own rubber bumper sealant once you press it against the primer hold it briefly before adding tape to the top to prevent it from sliding it will take a few hours to cure completely one vent is not efficient if it does not have anywhere to suck or push the air from the best practice is to have two vents so one pushes out and one sucks in for fast and efficient air circulation later we are going to be adjustable RPMs so we can have really low spins and really quite fun that's good don't be afraid of installing vents off center to maximize your roof layout before you actually cut windows make sure to have your solar array layout decided [Music] next you decide where you have your water tanks inside or outside I didn't know anything about water tanks before this process but after making the design and dimensions for the tank I ordered a large sheet of plastic and a plastic welder and learn how to make one myself mounting them outside is a good solution for big tanks but it comes with a compromise the water freezes in Winter which makes camping seasonal only our solution to this was having temperature controlled heating element in our tanks that would prevent that water from freezing this is not for hot showers this is only increasing the temperature of the water a few degrees only to prevent freezing solar panels are next tiltable solar array is more advanced but most people don't need it do your five minute calculation what do you expect to be using electricity for that should give you more accurate understanding of how much solar power and how big Power Bank you might need foreign solar panels is very easy and it takes only a few hours to do if your approach to Van building is same like mine that you like taking these personal projects you do it for the purpose of developing your skill set take the time enjoy yourself over engineer it and practice all the skills like I did with welding the solar array next time I will jump into aluminum welding right away in this phase [Music] I think it's the best practice to work from outside in so you prevent digging into insulation and having issues with panels and that's in my opinion the right procedure when building the van as we put so much effort into building our home on Wheels we don't want anybody to drive away with it in matter of seconds I installed an independent deadlock system called Thunderbolts with one single click walking away to a grocery store for 10 minutes still having extra security no padlocks nothing not walking around every single door separately and locking it just like this I also added security cameras GPS tracker small little device immediately alarm that somebody pulled it out in my car and a few other features too you can see our separate video breaking down all our layers of security for more details insulating and laying floor is the next step nothing is worse than always having cold feet in your home so don't take floor insulation lightly and then I have these spacers and I'm gonna be using them where I need insulation one here second one here because this is the most stressed path essentially you take every single time floor heating is so easy to install takes no space and a very little power in exchange for incredible increase in Comfort I don't think it's smart to have Plumbing with running warm water in your floor instead of opting for a much simpler solution all the gaps filled with the foam I am not using this low expansion foam I'm purposely using a foam that is for water sealing the difference is that this one doesn't absorb the water that's why I feel confident using it in a van because it won't get wet and stay wet like a sponge [Music] I would highly recommend taking advantage of the cap by installing swivel seats this gives you two extra seats bigger interior space with a big window is worth it oh the downside is non-insulated area so make sure to insulate the doors and curtains now you should decide where to have lights switches USB Outlets 230 volts or 110 volt outlets and run wires accordingly when you do this phase it's crucially important to keep everything organized double protected and labeled finally I can take advantage of my tunnel under the floor so I want to go really close to the to the side because I know it's gonna go in between the insulation all the wires and the same thing on the other side the only bummer is going to be that for the rest of the build and I'm gonna have a stack of wires here always in the middle of the floor this camper van was a big challenge for me and I've created an extensive wiring diagram for our electrical system this is included in our van build bundle along with other packets of information such as our water tank dimensions 3D print models and parts list sprayed insulation might seem to be very fast and simple but it requires a lot of prep and cleanup it is permanent and can warp the body of your van if not done properly we wanted modularity and easy access to the chassis of the van we're going to be using for different walls different materials because certain curves is just better to go with 30 millimeter k-flex one side silver the other one sticker for easy and fast work [Music] the other one will be this kingspan hardboard double-sided Chrome for all the flat panels and fit them straight in attach them with Mammoth and most probably foam all around foreign it's a good idea to fill all the crevices with sheep wool in case of additional wires benefit of sheep wool is it doesn't have any of those fiberglass bits and Bobs so you don't really feel it when you're installing it so organic it's natural and then check it's very affordable all the metal surfaces we covered with six mil k-flex is a vapor barrier we insulated our van well but it was a time consuming process let's panel up your van right after we tried non-conventional material which are PP boards they're a very lightweight with extra air pocket of insulation that's why definitely has this infill makes it more stable and that's why they can be using it outdoors in a big big sheets because if you have a massive billboard and you have it warped like this obviously it wouldn't be very popular material so I think it can withstand some heat on a roof especially when it's gonna have a six mil K Flex from one side and also the fabric from the other side foreign for ceilings or panels where no extra accessories are needed to attach for other panels we used light and plywood 3.6 kilos so together we're around 7.2 is it worth it to me absolutely every single gram is worth it I even have a little servicing hedge here awesome don't make the same mistake most people do when not completely covering doors with panels it's a large surface area directly bridging cold from outside and can quickly condensate water because of a big temperature difference it's very unpleasant to sleep right next to a big cold surface like the back door is three or four millimeter lightened plywood is ideal material for this purpose it's easy to paint or cover with fabric having panels removable is very helpful for the van maintenance and upgrades foreign up the side door all the water always sits on the seal and goes straight on the side door so this should prevent from actually going behind the panel [Music] here is what I think people can make a lot of mistakes when actually trying to match these holes drill through the panel to the metal make the hole big Rive it bolt together [Music] it's not just about covering all the metal it's a big aesthetic change and another layer of insulation [Music] next is installing a diesel heater these are not for winter only but you will find yourself turning it on some cold summer mornings too especially in high altitude don't fall into the Romantic vision of having a wood stove fireplace in your camper van and here's why it's ridiculous to have a chimney on your camper van you need to be collecting and storing wood constantly and most of the seasons you need it it will be wet it needs to be cut and chopped to small size to fit it limits your layout because it needs safety space around it not to melt or burn your interior because they're always small you need to reload them with wood every one to two hours and that sucks overnight diesel heater has such a small consumption that it's not even worth talking about the Eco impact when put in the perspective it has remote control for turning on from a bed in mornings just don't do a stove and get your diesel heater ah [Music] you might be very excited to bring Furniture inside but be patient and install overhead units first [Music] good tip is utilizing the space above the cap for daily storage it's large and very conveniently located a small tip would be installing your light to easily see all your belongings we installed the 3D printer above the driver because in our previous van this corner was the least used space we've used the 3D printer daily for Van improvements and e-bike prototyping I'm a huge fan of blinds you can have the unit always open without any doors blocking your way you don't have to be leaning back when you open the door and it's not like sliding doors that you only have a householder unit open at a time [Music] and then I have a bag that is stained four mil plywood lacquer on it that only creates a background I can screw to all my electronics components hidden behind the sliding door [Music] I just finished this plywood a little bit thicker so it holds all the equipment we're gonna be mounting on it drill the hose mark them riveted in the car rounded the edges so it doesn't cut through the fabric and um what Next 3D prints fabric 3D prints and fabric the approach we took with this van is a little bit different because we learned on the previous ones for example tack wall with a drone and camera equipment this is a Content Creator's dream unit just grab and fly because we're planning to keeping this van for a decade we know our priorities will change so you can notice all the panels are separate can be taken out anytime and access the space behind we can run wires we can add to it we can always modify and weaken to weak and we know we can just take the panel down and replace it with anything else when you have walled panels sometimes it's hard [Music] my biggest advice for paneling up your van is to consider using Fabrics we use contact glue on whatever material we need to cover whether it's plywood plastic or Vans metal many Trends right now have these wood cabin Vibes and many first-time Builders haven't been told how much extra weight that brings into your van what I really like about fabric is how easy it is to deal with curves vents are not perfect little boxes there are no 90 degree angles in here in my opinion fabric just belongs inside of Vans you don't see cars having wooden panels you always see fabric it's because it's cozy it's friendly it's easy to touch you don't feel anxious about hitting it with your head it's natural [Music] let's go foreign this is one of the sketchier templates I've done in my life but it's a big surface and it's hard to find a nice piece of cardboard one piece no joints that feels awesome fits pretty okay heating mad we are really excited about no matter how hot the van is you always have colder feet so this main strip specially having a switch by the bed and turning it on before getting up is going to be a beautiful Breeze and these connectors need to be routed in the floor so we don't have bums walking around and potentially destroying them because there is no real access to them anymore once we cover them with a vinyl after sending the whole floor and kidding all the screws glue down we're ready to glue the heating mat first the best way to do such a big format is just positioning it properly folding half a side spraying that house flipping over and doing the second half otherwise this is too tricky to fit finishing it off with aluminum is obviously important not to destroy those edges and not to rip the vinyl off before bringing Furniture inside it made sense to progress with plumbing but you might want to do it later on what I would stress is always having easy access to all the components things break and you will have to maintain them occasionally Plumbing is a bit more tricky and I prefer to keep my system visible to quickly recognize potential leaks we have a diagram for this as well thank you by now it should be very clear what inverter you use and where you store all the components I had a vision to have our electrical system feel like a display so I made a large box painted it and mounted all the components to be fully visible behind an acrylic door make sure the electronic compartment is protected and a well ventilated all these components heat up and summer might cause you overheating issues we have a massive power bank so I placed it directly on the rear axle it's pretty awesome I have very improvised conditions with just the extension cable to power the charger and I'm charging with 2.8 kilowatts it's pretty loud it goes fast and I'm keeping an eye on how this balance the battery is and how the temperature rises it's not smart placing water system above electronic components be extra careful when choosing the right wire gauge especially for high current appliances like the power inverter next step is installing the bed because it's the biggest piece of furniture and it's mistake prevention to work from Big to small I decided to purchase Square tube aluminum as a material for the bed wow and entry level aluminum welding is easier than I thought I picked it up pretty quickly just watched few videos and practiced on two samples broke the joints later and seemed to be pretty good so I'm happy the frame seems to be nice and strong it's super lightweight it's much cheaper than extruded aluminum profiles and it allows us to save some weight on this overall build so we have four separate actuators 300 millimeter scroll that are ready to be screwed enough wall panels and find the right position for the bed so we can be lifting up and down without scratching any of the fabric or any of the panels I bought bad slats and I 3D printed mounts for them and riveted them in the bed needs to stay ventilated you can't just use board because you would start building up mold right under the mattress [Music] we are believers in fixed beds especially for couples don't underestimate the chore of setting up and down your bed or not being able to sleep because your partner needs access to the working space bad lifts are becoming more popular because they allow easier access to the garage like in our van when it comes to accessing our electric bikes we've traveled in a van before without any secondary transport and we found that we felt like more glued to our van and these kind of free from that like you're able to go any location and then you can go for a bike ride you can scout you can do some day trips so these are a huge priority for us to travel with [Music] the most important thing with kitchens is having enough counter space it's a compromise so don't install the same size thing you have home so we have a lot of little details we have a suction for the oven here we have Outlets here and a USB then we model this quick little good little swinging feel good switch and we're ready to mount the countertop kitchen counter is valuable real estate so don't kill it with a massive sing or four burner stove induction stoves are great and we decided to have one too keep in mind you need to have enough battery and solar power to back up your cooking sustainably [Music] people commonly forget garbage bins and we decided to 3D print a simple kicker for opening the trash bin hands-free it clicks back on a strong magnet and we highly recommend you to do the same [Music] cool because we have a axis mainly from the bed so when we wake up we can turn the floor heating on hot water is very convenient to have especially for washing greasy dishes we prototype a system for hot water where we can be heating up the water from the engine heat when running diesel heater or when we need to adjust with electricity by using heating element the next Zone we needed to address was the office and sitting Zone at the front of the van when traveling we try to work at the same time and be on the same schedule which means we both need comfortable working conditions foreign [Music] that attaches to both the couch Zone and passenger seat and a fixed desk that is mounted alongside the driver's side driver desk was created as an extra security precaution do you know this hustle like before you start driving or before you leave the van it's like did I close the fridge or did I move that away that would obviously fall or did I hide a laptop so anybody if they break in they see them so all of these micro decisions we are always trying to eliminate by keeping things kind of hidden so we take advantage of this box and we try to keep it as a dog for both laptops and also to be immediately a safe when the top is on and the desk is folded it is very difficult to recognize what sort of furniture this is [Music] I really enjoy recycling used products and this couch was a fun challenge we took apart an old reclining gouge and repurposed the bass mechanism for our sitting space [Music] this is the most used spot in our camper van and is rarely empty bang you have food support bang you're lying down comfortable let me have a shower don't bring the same bathroom expectations from a house into a van showers are short water is limited and public toilets are everywhere when it comes to hygiene outdoor shower is our favorite throughout the warm season we use it for showering rinsing our feet or shoes or anything else it's very freeing feeling to keep all the water outside feel the fresh air and connect with the world the type of indoor shower and toilet is personal preference our opinion is not to sacrifice too much space in exchange for 10 minutes of usage a day I also created a custom shower pan out of fiberglass because of our dimensions are so specific we left this whole thing on a mold on a sun for the rest of the day on a few hours and in the morning it was ready to peel off the mold we opted for a sitting shower that does the job of keeping us clean without creating separate room in already small space we prioritized more counter space standing desk and more open layout of our camper van the inside is completely wrapped with a thick rubber foil material and has no joints the bathroom space is ventilated it has air circulation in and out to get rid of all the excessive moisture and smell from the toilet if we need privacy for toilet time we crank up both fans for fast air circulation and the other person leaves the van please

Channel: Ladi & Margaret

Views: 260,188

Keywords: DIY Camper Van Conversion, DIY camper van, campervan build, van build, van tour, van build start to finish, start to finish timelapse, van build diy, van build with bathroom, sprinter van conversion, van conversion, van life, full build timelapse, Full Build Start to Finish, Ultimate Luxury Camper Van, luxury van tour, ultimate campervan, ultimate van conversion, cargo van conversion, tiny home, DIY van conversion, van home, tiny home on wheels, van home tour, diy van

Id: gOSfkimrxlU

Length: 30min 25sec (1825 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 17 2023