Much work has gone into it and more is waiting to be added. So far the lower cabinets and the bed are finished and the upper cabinets will follow soon. A modern oil painting with Continue reading Murphy Bed Installation
Creating a (sub)floor as part of the conversion of a cargo van is a fairly straightforward process. Yet many construction types and materials have to be chosen in advance, to head off any unexpected complications that can influence the integrity of the entire project.
The first line of attack in a van conversion is often the installation of a (sub)floor system; the base of the vehicle, that has to support most of the interior modifications. In an RV the floor performs different functions and before tackling this project, you should stand still and decide which features to put in and then research the available materials you’ll be using to complete your floor.
Many of your future additions, such as cabinets, bed(s) and/or sofa, are partly or completely attached to the floor and you have to make sure Continue reading The Ultimate Guide To Flooring
Now it is time to do some restoration work to the floor.
A few areas had a some surface rust. A little sanding and some fresh paint took care of that.
Now I had to fill the dozen or so holes in the floor, that were left after the removal of the bench, chairs and safety belts.
I choose for carriage bolts with washers. With some additional caulk, they would solidly close these openings and later on, their flat heads will be covered by some rigid insulation board.
Again, working alone on the van, added a couple of extra hours to the work. Sometimes the fastening of the bolts left me with one hand short.
Today’s first is the passenger side, large window frame. A fairly simple job, just a lot of screws. I’ll set this frame apart until I have the correct paint to redo it.
Now we can see a little of the insulation used, some wire of the valance lighting which will be removed, and the former seat belt connection bolt.
I’ll use the latter as an attachment point for my dog’s leash/harness, when he’ll travels with me.
The remaining rear seat belts are still attached to a heavy metal bar underneath the carpet.
Lifting up the carpet, quickly reveals the bar which is attached with bolts to the chassis.
At the end of the day I have some more spare parts.
Lots of planning, designing and redesigning has taken place. Now it is time to do the physical work.
Today I started to remove the sofa bed. A quick look showed it was attached with 4 bolts to the car frame.
Working alone could have been a problem, but I managed to remove all four of them by constantly switching between the inside and outside. Even after 20 years, I did not need any WD-40.
With the sofa out of the way, the real space is showing. Can I fit a bed, closet and walkway in there? The worst part of the day was carrying the thing away; too heavy and awkward to be handled by one person.