The van is done.

After a long hiatus, due to life, work, and just focusing on the build, the van is done.

There was a lot of work done in the last few months, but to sum up the van build:

• 2019 Nissan NV 2500 SV V8 High Roof
• Quigley 4×4 conversion
• Front push bar, with Rigid Amber fog lights
• Recovery points from a 200-series Land Cruiser
• 265/70R17 Hankook DynaPro AT2 tires
• Prime Designs rear door ladder
• HaloView rear view camera system
• Rhino Rack roof rack
• ARB 2M awning
• 2 100W solar panel
• 2 100 AH AGM batteries under the bed, next to the driver’s side wheel well
• Thinsulate insulation for walls and ceiling
• Cedar tongue and groove ceiling finished with Tung oil
• 1/2″ XPS foam board under 1/2 marine-grade plywood for flooring
• 1/4″ Hardwood underlayment plywood with heather grey tweed upholstering for wall panels
• 80/20 15-series extrusions used for all framing, with all paneling for the cabinets and shelves made from 1/4″ King Starboard marine HDPE sheeting (except for the plywood accents for the under-bed bike mount and passenger wheel-well compartment)
• Murphy Bed, using 80/20’s linear bearing combined with a pivot, and a winch to raise/lower the bed (it’s heavy with two bikes mounted to it)
  • Mad Rock Mad Pad Triple crash pad, with a 2″ memory foam mattress topper, as the mattress
  • Grizzly Canvas 15 degree two-person sleeping bag (because it’s comfy and warm, and weight is not an issue)
• 2 Bikes stored under the bed, with the capability to carry another bike above the passenger wheel well compartment, and two bikes on the rear door (I like bikes.)
• Indel B TB41A fridge in between the two front seats
• New Age Products garage sink assembly and garage cabinets on the passenger side, used to minimize build time and because they’re higher quality and stronger than anything I can make.
  • All electrical and plumbing are located in the sink assembly, as described in a previous post.
• Propex HS2000 heater under the sink.
• 2.5 gallon propane tank mounted high on the rear door, where the window would normally go.
• Single burner butane stove, with a countertop that can be used with a Lagun mount or on top of the sink. A small camp kitchen, basically.
• Cheap blackout curtains from HomeDepot for privacy.

I think that about sums up the big parts of the build. It’s going to take a long time to write through my thought process for most of the parts of this build, why I did what I did and chose the parts I chose, which is why I didn’t do it during the build process :).

The short version is that I wanted the ability to have a lot of floor space. It makes the otherwise small interior of the van feel a lot more open when you can walk around freely if you want to. It also allows me to carry cargo if I need to. I also wanted a low bed, as opposed to the ever-popular high bed, as having a low bed just makes using it easier, from sitting on it, to stretching out, it just feels more like a normal bed in a home.

The rest of the reasons will come in due time.