Van Build Upgrades: Tom’s Modification Merry-Go-Round
Journal Entry #46
March 25, 2023
Calling all van builders and engineering types! We often get technical questions about the van build and I am temporarily passing the mic to Tom for an update on our recent engineering changes. I reserved editorial privilege and I have condensed the explanations below for readability and avoiding a mass exodus of subscribers. But honestly folks, if you want to understand the thought and work that goes into a custom adventure vehicle (and has allowed us to live on the road so comfortably and well) you should read this blog.
“Do you have a test bench?” the technician in UK asked.
Necessity may be the mother of invention but irritation is the insistent father.
“I’m out in the SW desert. Not even a picnic bench. Like in the cowboy movies.”
I was trying to be patient since I needed help getting troubleshoot the battery-to-battery charger that was quickly consuming 40A fuses while not charging our house batteries. I had worked through his instructions for testing inputs & outputs with a multimeter, disassembling the unit, inspecting for any obviously burned components on the circuit board and sending many pictures.
The technician conceded it probably would be difficult to repair the unit without the suggested test bench, de/soldering equipment and a collection of discrete electronic components.
“Okay please ship the unit back via UPS or FedEx with tracking and we will send you a replacement.”
This would have been fine except (1) we were 100+ miles from any town with such a shipping center; and (2) we were not planning to hang around said place for 10 days to get the replacement unit.
Upgrading the B2B charging system quickly made the growing list of planned repairs and upgrades once we were stationary, had a workshop and full tool set.
Our six month layover in Ithaca was filled with house projects but also a fair number of changes to the van.
A few key learnings:
(1) Jacking up a fully loaded vehicle on a gravel/dirt driveway is difficult. Initial attempts were exercises in sinking a jack into the ground without the desired vehicle lifting effect. Related, I now recognize the importance of the trolley jack wheels’ desire to roll freely. Best to have a large piece of ¼” steel plate on top of ¾” plywood. A large, level reinforced concrete parking pad earned a spot on our future home improvements list.
(2) Sub-freezing weather is not so great for working onplumbing. Or pretty much any other van stuff. It’s not just an issue of unwanted ice formation, fumbling around with gloves, or dropping a critical lock nut into the snow. Water-based coatings and adhesives like >50F. Same for fingers and toes. Unfortunately, the warm sunny days were also the best ones for going hiking around Ithaca.
(3) I now realize we had been spoiled living in the greater NYC area where Amazon Prime orders arrived the same or next day. Ithaca, however, is not exactly crisscrossed with a network of interstate highways. Prime orders arrive in 3-4 days best case if all goes well with the handoff to USPS.
Amie dictated one critical, no exceptions requirement for any van modification: no aesthetic changes. This meant that after many hours of labor and several thousand dollars in components… the van looks completely the same.
Plumbing
The recirculating shower was designed for six weeks of showers before replacing the water, then back flush and shock every six months. Amie’s senses of smell and taste are well… sensitive. Last year we ended up cleaning out the shower filtration system every four to six weeks to battle the in-your-face shower funk.
The main culprit was a large carbon filter. It claimed to serve an entire house for five years, and the activated carbon media was not replaceable. That filter might last five years if it only saw very clean water. We learned that while carbon media is great for capturing chemicals, it also is an ideal home for bacterial growth with many small pores (micro apartments) and a plentiful supply of warm effluent (a bacteria soup kitchen). The UV filter upstream of the carbon filter was designed to sterilize the water before reaching the big carbon filter, but nature found a way and even bleach could not evict our unwanted tenants.
The other major plumbing project was wrapping 100 feet of pipe heating tape around both the shower and separate potable water systems. The PEX tubing should be reasonably freeze-damage resistant, but the metal fittings and components were a concern. Last year when camping with overnight lows in the teens, we covered the filter system with an electric blanket but this didn’t reach the water lines at the back of the garage running under the dresser, behind the fridge and under the kitchen sink. We added two switches at the bedside control panel with 12/120V solenoids, and temperature sensors under the sink and at the shower filters.
I am not curious enough to stress-test the heating system to find the low camping temperature limit. Instead, we will rely on the fingers-crossed, “hope this works just well enough” plan. Worst case scenario if we are stuck in an extreme cold weather even then will dump all the water, save a few gallons for drinking and blow out the water lines.
Electrical
Last year I noticed an odd issue with an unknown occasional house battery drain - even with the inverter and 12V devices turned off. It happened just often enough to notice but wasn’t repeatable. Uggh! We finally realized the automatic heating pad under the potable water tank was turning on when we filled with cold water. Time to put the tank heaters on switches.
We had a similar issue with the air springs compressor running at less-than-ideal times like 2am. The compressor is hard mounted under the van and loud enough to notice. Switch time!
The other major change was replacing three 40A Sterling battery chargers with a Victron 100A unit and a backup ACR. The Victron units can boost the alternator voltage to the desired 14.5V for optimum charging the LiFePO4 bank. The ACR doesn’t boost voltage but works as a backup to partially charge at the alternator voltage if the primary Victron charger fails.
Chassis & Suspension
As Amie mentioned in previous writings, leveling the van has been a contentious issue. We had previously relied on plastic ramps to lift 1-2 tires, and a trowel to dig holes to lower tires. The ramps eventually cracked/crushed so we used pieces of 2x6 wood instead. The wood blocks tended to slide when driving up, and it wasn’t always possible to dig holes for tires.
We added four leveling jacks to simplify the process, and replaced the plastic ramps and wood blocks with pieces of thick rubber horse stall mat. Although many campers have leveling jacks with the necessary frame mounting holes, camper vans typically do not. This required fabricating adapter plates that bolted to both the frame and jacks. In case of emergency, the leveling jacks can lift a tire to change, but the plan is for tires to maintain ground contact while camping.
The other change was adding helper springs to the rear axle. The van is always heavily loaded and the new leveling jacks that became the new exit scrape points. In the past, we had relied air springs to gain an extra 2-3” of lift at the rear bumper. However, the air springs replace the jounce bumper which loads the frame at a point designed for occasional but not constant force.
We will still use the air springs when needed for extra clearance e.g. rough fire roads, and it’s handy to have a compressor on board.
Finally, we added a side step (running board) across the front of the sliding door and the passenger door, along with a heavy duty adjustable step. In the past, we had relied on a small plastic folding step stool. It was fine for helping 4 year old kids brush teeth but quite wobbly on uneven ground.
It’s now much easier to get in and out of the van, and less likely someone takes a tumble. It would have been unbearably ironic to fall out of the van when heading out for a big hike in the mountains.
Two weeks into our Winter-Spring 2023 adventure and (so far) everything is working well. Fewer leveling arguments, Amie doesn’t hold her nose in the shower, no gremlins in the electrical system, and no one has fallen out of the van. That said, I already have a couple ideas for fixing what’s not really broken logged in my little red book of future van modifications.
Are you building or aspiring to build a custom camper van? Tell us about your plans or ask us questions. We are happy to help fellow adventurers.
First time reader here - another early stage NJ van build bud just switched me on to you guys. I’m thinking you can answer a question we both are struggling with…..
Who do you insure your DIY van build with? So far we are finding dead ends in NJ.
Hoping you can help!
Thanks!!
Hi there - first time commenter here. Having stumbled upon Substack and then your blog only about a month ago, I’ve been drinking in your long adventure practically in one big gulp and I just caught up to “live” today with your most recent post. As a lover of both words and travel your blog hit the sweet spot for me and I simply have to give kudos where kudos are due. I’ve so enjoyed getting a glimpse of your many adventures but more so you sharing with honesty and vulnerability the impact of your journey on you as a person.
Also in our early 50’s, my wife and I are in the dreaming phase of what our future adventures will be. Ours is likely to be of the slow travel international country hopping variety rather than your van life situation, but it seems the process to get there will need to be the same: dream, decide, plan, plan some more, prepare, leap, execute, adjust, and enjoy.
Your stories were deeply inspiring and a reminder that you can make stuff happen if you really want it badly enough. So, thank you!
Sadly, my binging is over, so now I guess I just have to sit back and impatiently wait for your next post...😉