Cargo Van Conversion

On the early morning of January 23rd, 2021, the Dragon 9 – Crew 2 lifted itself up from Cape Canaveral to the Space Station. With no sun to worry about, the coolness of the night showed itself in the form of a light haze. This was the umptieth launch that I was watching from …

This time, I install the toilet cabinet and connect the drain to the waste water system. Before the toilet cabinet is attached to the floor and side cabinet with screws, a Forstner bit is used to create a large hole, to allow passage of some electrical wires to an electrical outlet and some lights. The toilet drain …

The rough countertop is now scribed against the sides and back edge. After cutting it to size and sanding the edges, I start working on the front edge. By doubling up the edge, the illusion of a thick top is created. Because of the tension in the wood, I use screws in addition to the wood …

This Mahogany countertop is meant for the two lower cabinets closest to the sliding door. Made out of 8ft long, 6in wide and 2in thick raw lumber, I first cut it to the four feet length, needed for these cabinets. The next step is to joint the narrow and wide sides at a 90° angle. I continue …

I finish all the preparations, before the toilet is installed in the van. The toilet has a mechanism, that allows it to be on a sliding drawer, while being connected to the gray water tank, which is located under the van. I use a PVC connector at the bottom of the slider and an identical …

It’s time to install the new Lithium batteries into the van but first, I need to clean up and streamline some of the old wiring. And I have to add and replace some solar components. I will add 250A bus bars to accommodate the new batteries and the soon to be installed 3000W inverter/charger. A three-way …

I continue with the assembly of the two LiFePo4 Lithium batteries by adding all the components, that connect and control the different parts of this setup. The assembly so far, indicates a slightly taller battery than expected; that forces me to enlarge the storage area access first. Now that I know that the battery boxes do their …

In the previous video I was unsuccessful in attaching the ceiling panel with the 3M Dual Lock, velcro-type fastener. Today I have a different approach and use the van’s own hydraulic jack with an extension pole, to force the Dual Lock strips together. It is a slow process, where I follow each of the two ceiling …

This is one of a series of articles, describing my journey of assembling and installing Lithium battery cells, as part of my van conversion. I will likely make mistakes and may not even reach my goal of a cheap, yet large Lithium battery bank.This is the continuation of Part Two of my journey. Top Balancing I used …

I continue where I left off in the previous article Van Ceiling Panel Part II. As a reminder, I use an automotive tweed protected against daily wear and UV, very similar in color and texture as the front seats of the van. Before I can install the ceiling panel, I still have to finish …