#39 - Construction Complete! (06/05/2024)

The time has finally arrived! I'm sure I will find things along the way which I decide to fix or change, but at this moment in time the van is complete, and this post thus marks the end of the construction period and the transition into van life!

I am sad to acknowledge that the building phase is over, as this was one of the most fun and challenging projects I've ever undertaken. In addition to the hundreds of hours spent working on the van, there were hundreds more sitting, staring, thinking up what I need and how I am going to make it work or fit. But this day had to come, and I am happy with how it turned out. 

Below is a YouTube walk through and photos, as well as a link to my final excel sheet (if you're interested) which I used to track all of my hours and expenses. Ha. All in, I spent $7,575.00 (including the cost of the van - $3000) and logged 580 hours over the course of 1.5 years. 

YouTube Walkthrough: Dayne's Van Build (After)

 

Link: Dayne's Van Build - Excel Sheet

#38 - Counter Top, Shelves, Netting

The butcher block was a beautiful piece (thanks Kara!), but it was a little short for what I needed. For the extra section of counter top I used some scrap wood and then went with a white contact paper on top as a transition between the two pieces. It turned out ok, but I am worried about its longevity. It would have been better to have found a quality piece of wood or scrap counter top etc. to cut and put here, but either way it turned out ok for the time being!

For the shelves I used some nice fabric that I was given by Missy, wrapping them and stapling into the wood. So far they have held everything in well. 

In the doorway I built a flip up table. For the support I found a leg from a table someone was throwing away and cut it down to size. I then took the wheel which was screwed into it and cut/ grinded the bolt down to where I could pound it into the bottom of the board. I drilled a hole in the bottom slightly smaller than the bolt, and pounded it in along with some adhesive. I then screwed a piece of sheet metal over the bolt for support. It’s sturdy and super quick to install on the road, so I’m happy with it! In storage the post is velcro'd to the door (first picture)

With storage being an issue, I mounted netting all over the van as well. For the area over the cab I stretched a huge net which holds all of my curtains and sun shades etc. (it also hides a lot of the defects from my fabric, ha) 

Over the bed area I installed a netting & hangers. This will be for additional blankets, sweatshirts, etc. (Currently just a foam roller and frisbee. Ha)

For the area next to the window/ bed I installed netting with a removable side that hooks on screws. The netting here allows me to see out of my blind spot while driving, but also hold things here and there. 

I also hung two little crocheted mushroom bags which my friend Brandon made for me. Haha. They currently have my hiking socks and thermals in them, but I like that they swing/ are soft  

#37 - Curtains

The van has a lot of windows, (all different sizes), so I bought 6 yards of blackout fabric and cut my own curtains. For the larger windows I went with grommets and a string line so I could pull them back and forth. For the smaller ones I went with velcro which I had leftover from the previous owner. Both methods worked well, and do a good job of blocking out (most of) the light/ not allowing anyone to see inside. 

Hammering the grommet hole punch didn't work on the fabric, but I realized I could attach it to my drill and it cut right through which saved me a ton of time. Ha

For the front windows I created cutouts with the leftover wrap insulation I had. These push into place and don't require anything to hold them which is convenient. I then applied the blackout fabric to one side with some of the remaining adhesive so I can switch between silver and white depending on where I'm located. 

For the fridge and sink area I also went with fabric, as this area would be difficult to put any kind of door in. This turned out great and is super easy to access/ conceal with the grommets and hooks. 

#36 - Floor Mats, Insulation, Storage

In an attempt to use up as much remaining material as I could (and also save money, ha), I decided to cut custom floor mats from the leftover carpet, and also use the remaining 1/4" wrap insulation in the door panel cavities.  

This wrap insulation will also create an additional barrier between the fiberglass insulation (from the previous owner) and the inside of the vehicle. 

I also bought some floor transition which I used to clean up the edges between the carpet, vinyl flooring, and entryway

For storage I had an old shoe rack which I cut into individual strips and mounted to the side & rear doors. These will be very handy

For the cabinet next to the bed I wanted to be able to hang coats, and so I cut a piece of metal tubing I found in the trash, and fed it into place. This required some ingenuity as I couldn't fully access either side, so I put a screw on one end which the hollow portion fed into, and on the other end I drilled a hole and cut down a leftover (Ikea) Allen wrench which I could barely slide into the hole form the other end, locking it in place. Ha

#35 - Ladder & Hi-Lift Jack

To save space I decided to mount my ladder and Hi Lift Jack on the outside of the van. For the ladder, I built the top bracket to rest in the existing ladder slot and strapped it in place. I then drilled holes and mounted the lower bracket to the side of the van. Afterwards I used silicone sealant on the holes and bracket. It is very sturdy and doesn't move or vibrate while driving, so I’m happy with how it turned out. 

For my Hi-Lift Jack, I found a place under the van where it would fit perfectly against the frame. I bored out/ drilled 3 holes and fed bolts and washers through to hold the jack. I then used wing nuts to hold it in place. This saves a ton of space under the bed for storage and also moves some weight to the right side of the vehicle.

To protect it from dirt and water, and also to make it less conspicuous, I wrapped and taped it in several trash bags, then created holes for the bolts to slot through. 

#34 - Fabric Interior/ Trim

Oof… This was my least favorite part and resulted in the worst outcome (thus far) on the van… 😕 The E-150 has so many angles, holes, ridges, supports, cables and other awkward protrusions, that there was no easy way to conceal them. Painting wasn’t an option, wood (or another rigid material) would have been heavy and bulky, so I looked into fabric. I was initially looking at headliner fabric with a foam backing, but it was soft and didn’t seem durable. After speaking to an upholstery shop, they concurred and steered me toward a tweed fabric that is common in van conversions. I found one I liked at Joann’s and ordered a specialty adhesive (Landau Top and Trim) which can handle the fluctuating temperatures in a vehicle. The adhesive is very effective, but with a short working time (5-10 minutes) and a yellow hue, I had A LOT of difficulty wrapping the tweed around the many bends of the van/ smoothing out creases in the allotted time, and also reducing bleed through from the glue. I think if I were to do it again, I would go with the headliner fabric which could have better smoothed out the imperfections and wouldn’t have had the same bleed through issues. 

If you look closely you’ll see some of the smudges and yellow bleed through, and also the creases in the fabric where the curvature of the van was just too much to make up. 

Once I get the curtains and decorations up it will help conceal some of my screw ups, but for now I’m just happy to be done with this agonizing part of the build. Ha.

To conceal some of the edges I bought some rubber stripping and used it around the windows etc. This made a major difference.