HillBillyRV Build Thread - 87 Ford E350 Quadravan Pathfinder Conversion
- Thread starter jacobconroy
- Start date
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
Easily. The stoves and grill will go away from the rig and this leads to the slim part of the drawer slide being in front of them.
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
Took a minute to make new single-IGT cutting board for the BMFIGT. I ordered a bigger 1/2 inch board from Amazon, cut it to size on the table saw, sanded the edges, drilled a 1 1/8 hole in the edge, and ran a 1/8 radius around all edges. I like it. The board and the lid to the left will cover the two-unit IGT box for pots n pans.
Sheet metal buddy had some more free time...and he made my splash wings.
I ground a bunch of radius'd edges and did a lot of deburring. I won't be able to get them mounted until tomorrow because there is going to be some voodoo with screws and their placements...but here is an idea of what it will look like.
This will have to do. If I can't get that grill hot enough with a 7-inch windscreen then I'll need a new grill.
Sheet metal buddy had some more free time...and he made my splash wings.
I ground a bunch of radius'd edges and did a lot of deburring. I won't be able to get them mounted until tomorrow because there is going to be some voodoo with screws and their placements...but here is an idea of what it will look like.
This will have to do. If I can't get that grill hot enough with a 7-inch windscreen then I'll need a new grill.
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
I've been thinking about rattling and wonder if I should order a Rivnut gun and carefully lay out a 1/2 IGT set of rivnuts. This would allow me to swap modules around and then screw them down.
Hmmmmmm.
Hmmmmmm.
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
That's a good idea. I'm hesitant to drill a bunch of holes in there. Mainly because I'd have to mill out the ribs where the rivnuts would go.
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
Since the kitchen is almost done I decided it's time to get started stripping the old junk out of the van. The weather is above 40º lately (thank god for global warming), so it's time to move forward.
To keep the kitchen deck at 42 inches from the ground I can't put any decking or insulation under the drawer box. The first step is to remove the old 1/2 inch plywood decking from the van in preparation of plugging holes and painting. Once this is all done I can mount the drawer box and start insulating the remainder.
Here is the old decking. The last dude did a pretty nice job with scribing it in. It's old and "tired' though.
When I removed the chunk of wood to the right I found a wiring nest.
Now, I knew this was going to be in here. The last guy sold the rig cheap because he knew about the extensive aftermarket wiring. He also knew that none of it worked. It is neatly done though. Someone spent a lot of time wiring that up very carefully. Turns out that a lot of it was hot when the rig is running. It's all gotta come out. Today.
This is what I found at the other end of the bundle. The drivers' side kick panel is a friggin mess!
While pulling the wiring out of the ceiling I found what went wrong. Mice had chewed through the wire bundles in several places. Wonder if I'll get Hanta virus?
A couple of hours later I had removed all of the wiring behind the seats, the passenger seat (permanently...this is where I will enter and exit the rig at camp), the front headliner, the rotten carpet up front, the stereo and wiring, all extra wiring from the front doors, and the rear decking.
Also decided to rip the carpet from the walls. It came off very easily due to 20 year old spray on contact cement.
The great news is that the last dude repaired all the rust and painted the floor last time around. All I will need to do is clean it up, weld up all the screw holes, paint them...then begin with the fun stuff.
Tonight I'm going to dinner with my bro-in-law (the welder) and will pick his brain about a couple of things. For instance, he will have to weld the holes in the floor, and I really want to remove the twin sunroofs up front and weld them over before we paint the roof. Hopefully he will be game for that.
Also, if I want to fix the sliding door I'll need to do it now (before insulating) because the defective rail that the door slides in is spot welded to the rig. We will need to cut it out, replace or repair the slide (probably repair, because the Ford part is made out of unobtainium), and weld it back in. It is totally going to suck and I might just leave it the way it is.
Also thinking about spray-foaming the whole thing for insulation from the start. Oh, and I have a new 7.9 gallon propane tank coming for the Propex.
To keep the kitchen deck at 42 inches from the ground I can't put any decking or insulation under the drawer box. The first step is to remove the old 1/2 inch plywood decking from the van in preparation of plugging holes and painting. Once this is all done I can mount the drawer box and start insulating the remainder.
Here is the old decking. The last dude did a pretty nice job with scribing it in. It's old and "tired' though.
When I removed the chunk of wood to the right I found a wiring nest.
Now, I knew this was going to be in here. The last guy sold the rig cheap because he knew about the extensive aftermarket wiring. He also knew that none of it worked. It is neatly done though. Someone spent a lot of time wiring that up very carefully. Turns out that a lot of it was hot when the rig is running. It's all gotta come out. Today.
This is what I found at the other end of the bundle. The drivers' side kick panel is a friggin mess!
While pulling the wiring out of the ceiling I found what went wrong. Mice had chewed through the wire bundles in several places. Wonder if I'll get Hanta virus?
A couple of hours later I had removed all of the wiring behind the seats, the passenger seat (permanently...this is where I will enter and exit the rig at camp), the front headliner, the rotten carpet up front, the stereo and wiring, all extra wiring from the front doors, and the rear decking.
Also decided to rip the carpet from the walls. It came off very easily due to 20 year old spray on contact cement.
The great news is that the last dude repaired all the rust and painted the floor last time around. All I will need to do is clean it up, weld up all the screw holes, paint them...then begin with the fun stuff.
Tonight I'm going to dinner with my bro-in-law (the welder) and will pick his brain about a couple of things. For instance, he will have to weld the holes in the floor, and I really want to remove the twin sunroofs up front and weld them over before we paint the roof. Hopefully he will be game for that.
Also, if I want to fix the sliding door I'll need to do it now (before insulating) because the defective rail that the door slides in is spot welded to the rig. We will need to cut it out, replace or repair the slide (probably repair, because the Ford part is made out of unobtainium), and weld it back in. It is totally going to suck and I might just leave it the way it is.
Also thinking about spray-foaming the whole thing for insulation from the start. Oh, and I have a new 7.9 gallon propane tank coming for the Propex.
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
You might be right. This rig is going to get covered with Monstaliner, so it rippling might not be much of a problem, but I'm also considering iso board (glued to the outside skin with "Great Stuff".
This site has a bunch of good infos and I'm still on the fence.
mobydick 11
Active member
Jacob ,you may find if you want to follow the contours of the van walls . To use multiple layers of thin board . Were as a inch and a half board R 7.5 it won't bend much ,three half inch are easy to bend . PL 300 glue is made for foam and won't eat it like some glues . Also what I like to do is cut the board a half inch short all the way around ,and then spray foam around it . gives it a perfect seal and locks it in place. The build I am working on right now ,after the board is done I wrap the hole inside with Reflectic and tape all joints .The floors in your van are in great shape given the year of it .
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
I installed the backsplash ends (wind screen) on the IGT today. What a pain in the butt! The trick was to punch the holes for the screws in spots on the end of the IGT so that the nuts would be in a void big enough to get a socket on them.
Surprisingly, the black ends on the IGTs are not heavy plastic as I assumed. They are aluminum too. So, that's the end of my internal debate as to whether the ends will hold up to the heat of the grill.
I'm getting better with the sheet metal punch. The trick is to drill a small pilot hole in the steel. The divet in the end of the punch will then center perfectly every time.
It took nearly two hours to install the first end with all the measuring and screwing around. I ended up using 6mm bolts for all.
The other end took about 20 minutes. Much easier when you already know what you are doing.
As soon as sheet-metal buddy finishes the double-IGT storage box, the structural parts of the kitchen are done. I'll start on the drawer cabinet immediately after I've confirmed the depth of the double box. Also, I've ordered small squeeze bottles that should fit into the spice racks in the picture above as well as two more spice rack strips. They will be attached to the rear wind screen with the double-stick tape that they ship with. I'll be able to have a ton of spices and different cooking oils/wines back there in easy reach. This is pretty damned cool IMO.
I still need to figure out a slick way to mount some sort of paper towel holder to the trash frame, then I need to figure out some way to store the trash/paper-towel rig over the IGT before closing the door. If anyone has an idea about this I'd be happy to hear it.
Higher would be better (to keep the paper towels away from the grill when burning).
Surprisingly, the black ends on the IGTs are not heavy plastic as I assumed. They are aluminum too. So, that's the end of my internal debate as to whether the ends will hold up to the heat of the grill.
I'm getting better with the sheet metal punch. The trick is to drill a small pilot hole in the steel. The divet in the end of the punch will then center perfectly every time.
It took nearly two hours to install the first end with all the measuring and screwing around. I ended up using 6mm bolts for all.
The other end took about 20 minutes. Much easier when you already know what you are doing.
As soon as sheet-metal buddy finishes the double-IGT storage box, the structural parts of the kitchen are done. I'll start on the drawer cabinet immediately after I've confirmed the depth of the double box. Also, I've ordered small squeeze bottles that should fit into the spice racks in the picture above as well as two more spice rack strips. They will be attached to the rear wind screen with the double-stick tape that they ship with. I'll be able to have a ton of spices and different cooking oils/wines back there in easy reach. This is pretty damned cool IMO.
I still need to figure out a slick way to mount some sort of paper towel holder to the trash frame, then I need to figure out some way to store the trash/paper-towel rig over the IGT before closing the door. If anyone has an idea about this I'd be happy to hear it.
Higher would be better (to keep the paper towels away from the grill when burning).
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
Propane tank arrived today. If the weather holds I'll get it installed this week. Brackets are included, so it should be pretty easy.
Of course if I'm smart I'll have brackets fabbed that do not connect through the floor. This way I can remove or replace the tank later without tearing up the interior of the van.
I think new brackets will be a must.
Manchester 6814. 10 X 32 inches. 7.9 gallons, 6.3 gallons actual.
Of course if I'm smart I'll have brackets fabbed that do not connect through the floor. This way I can remove or replace the tank later without tearing up the interior of the van.
I think new brackets will be a must.
Manchester 6814. 10 X 32 inches. 7.9 gallons, 6.3 gallons actual.
luthj
Engineer In Residence
I would use XPS foam. It has better R value when very cold.
Spray foam works, but note that anything over about 1.5" thickness will cause some thermal warping when cold/hot. The foam expands contracts a lot more than the steel skin, so larger panels will see distortion when the skin and foam vary significantly from the temperature the foam cured at.
I would also suggest not putting any wiring near the floor, especially up front. To much moisture...
Spray foam works, but note that anything over about 1.5" thickness will cause some thermal warping when cold/hot. The foam expands contracts a lot more than the steel skin, so larger panels will see distortion when the skin and foam vary significantly from the temperature the foam cured at.
I would also suggest not putting any wiring near the floor, especially up front. To much moisture...
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
I wouldn't mind chatting about insulation options with you and @mobydick 11. I tell myself that I'd like to go winter camping...but in real life I doubt that I will be out in anything less than 20ºF.
If I avoid spray foam, I had planned on using 1/2 XPS on the floor due to its' resistance to compression. But, I will put stringers in the floor so that there won't be much of a spanning issue in any case.
You are certainly right about the floor getting wet up front. One of the seat bolts snapped off due to rust when removing the passenger seat (which is why I didn't remove the drivers' seat). Very, very wet under the carpet up there. Hopefully it will now be easier to see where the water is coming from with the carpet removed. I will run the large-gage electrical wired under the rig to reach the coach batteries. From there everything should be able to be in the walls and roof. Electrical will be pretty simple. Just a couple of lights, charging ports, fridge, and the heater.
I do plan to put some conduit in the drivers' side wall for adding solar panels later. Anyone have an idea of how big the internal diameter of said conduit will need to be for a 200 watt solar system? The charge controllers, etc., will be located under the bed with batteries, Propex, etc..
As of today I'm thinking that I might install the propane tank, battery system, and Propex next so that I can run the heat in there for a couple of hours prior to gluing (or spraying) insulation. This would allow me to get a couple of months ahead of schedule because I don't have convenient access to a heated shop.
luthj
Engineer In Residence
I would not put the wiring in the walls, or between the floor and chassis. Best to route it behind cabinetry etc. You will inevitably need to make changes/additions, and easy access makes for much better troubleshooting.
If you are doing 20F, then a 2kw heater will do very well with about 1.5" of XPS or similar on the walls, and 1/2" under your wood top layer. No real reason to go more than that, especially with the glass up front.
If you are doing 20F, then a 2kw heater will do very well with about 1.5" of XPS or similar on the walls, and 1/2" under your wood top layer. No real reason to go more than that, especially with the glass up front.