Cargo Van Conversion

Magazine Rack (3)

van — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:06:49 +0000

Assembly and Finishing All the parts are now ready for assembly. Now that all the parts are ready, it’s time to glue and clamp everything together. After a couple of hours drying time, the rack gets a final sanding. A quarter is used to indicate the corners at the top of [...]

Magazine Rack (2)

van — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:06:32 +0000

Enhance the Tiger Maple Before continuing with the assembly, the three front pieces that are made out of Tiger Maple, need some ‘popping’, that is, enhancing the visibility of the curl in the wood. Tools & materials required: Dye, sand paper and jar. A little ‘Dark Mission Brown’ powder dye [...]

Magazine Rack (1)

van — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:44:25 +0000

Utilizing every available space is a priority; the area to the right of the rear side window is large enough to accommodate a magazine rack and is conveniently close to the bed. This will allow for some late night reading. Back to the workshop for some woodworking! The main wood choice is again Cherry [...]

2014 Ford Transit Van

van — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:43:40 +0000

In the second half of this year, Ford will introduce the 2014 Transit van to the American market, thereby replacing the aging E-Series model. It is basically the full-size van that Ford has been offering in the European and Asian markets for many years. Despite a recent make-over in these markets, Ford made further adjustments [...]

Monitor Console

van — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:10:28 +0000

Between the window and the side doors is a narrow strip of wall available to house a small console. It is the future location of the battery monitor and a reading light. With a narrow piece of wood, the length of the console, placed against the inside wall, the curve of the [...]

Bed, Wall & Window

van — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:22:27 +0000

Before continuing with the other side of the van interior, it’s time to put the wall and window above the bed, back together again. Two issues remain: the battery cables and the solar controller cable need to be installed. The other is the decision I have to make, whether to go ahead with batting as [...]

Amazon store redesign

van — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:30:56 +0000

In the past 3-4 weeks, I have completely redesigned the Amazon Store at cargovanconversion.com. New layout, added features, more product reviews and newly included items. All products pertain specifically to this Cargo Van Conversion and are/can be used during the construction and installation phases of this project. New materials, appliances and tools will be added [...]

12V Fan Switch

van — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:10:08 +0000

Recently a fan was installed to cool the solar components, like controller, battery charger, etc. As it is not necessary to run the fan continuously, a switch can regulate its use. Radio Shack sells this 12V switch with a ground (+), a power (-) and a accessory spade. Right now there is a [...]

Toilet Access Door

van — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:36:13 +0000

The last time I worked on the bed, the pull-out, sliding shelf was installed. Now I’ll continue with a door for the toilet compartment. In deliberating the hinge options, I came across a simple wooden hinge design, that looked appropriate for this application. Under the built-in, slide-out shelf is just enough space to house [...]

New Ram Promaster Van

van — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:11:47 +0000

After the introduction of the MB Sprinter and the approaching launch of the Ford Transit, the van market is set to heat up with the introduction of a new Ram Van. Car and Driver is reporting the filing of new trademarks that indicate, that they are coming to your showroom soon. The Ram Promaster is [...]