Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
Thanks Van. Good to be posting again. My didactic nature makes for tedious company but it's well suited for the internet.
Careful Mau Mau. You'll blow my cover! ;)
House battery frame and venting, Post 2
With the battery frame in place on the van floor I figured out the best places to locate four bolts that will hold it in place. This required locating the frame's exact position while under the van to be sure the drilled holes won't conflict with something else.
Once I was sure of everything drill the holes in the frame. Use pilot holes then work up to full sized ones.
I'm using four bolts to be sure the frame stays put. In a sudden stop all that battery mass is going to want to keep moving.
A few things had to be done before the frame could be bolted into place. First the extra fuel tank for the heater had to be dropped part way down.
This was for safety reasons since I'd be drill through the floor right above the tank and also accessing the bolt hardware will be easier with it partially lowered. Just had to loosen everything up and drop one end of the tank. The fuel line wasn't disconnected.
One end of the underfloor conduit had to be moved a few inches to clear the battery frame..
By now I'm getting pretty good at making and patching holes in the van floor. Notice the small hole just to the left of the new conduit location.
This is one of those loose ends I'd planned to get back around to sometime. Now's the time. The hole is for the wire that runs to the fuel tank sending unit. It's hard to see in the picture but I've added a rubber grommet to the the hole. The grommet protects the wires from the sharp edges. The hole is sized to match the grommet.
Found that trying to bolt the frame through the van floor wasn't one of those job I could do by myself.
Hey Bob. You'll give me some help right?
Bob.... Bob, where are you going? Darn cat!
Luckily my neighbor came over and lent a hand.
With the four bolts in place this thing is rock solid.
Since I was already messing around under the van might as well tackle a couple other projects. Drill (another) hole in the van floor then use a wire wheel to remove the paint from around the hole.
Add a copper bolt, nut and washer. I removed the paint to get good conductivity to the van body. I'll be using this bolt like a grounding rod for the electrical system.
Another loose end. When I installed the protective shield below the extra fuel tank I used these industrial strength cable ties. Now seemed like a good time to upgrade to something more permanent.
Cut out two strips from a sheet of 16 gauge steel.
Use a hammer and a vise to put a nice 90 degree bend in the ends of the strips.
Hand bend the strip into a somewhat round band just by eyeballing it.
Check how the bands fit around the tank and shield.
Drill holes in the band ends then bolt them up.
Looks good.
Prime and paint the metal bands. What the heck, I'm in a painting mood. Brighten up the shield while I'm at it.
continued
Careful Mau Mau. You'll blow my cover! ;)
House battery frame and venting, Post 2
With the battery frame in place on the van floor I figured out the best places to locate four bolts that will hold it in place. This required locating the frame's exact position while under the van to be sure the drilled holes won't conflict with something else.
Once I was sure of everything drill the holes in the frame. Use pilot holes then work up to full sized ones.
I'm using four bolts to be sure the frame stays put. In a sudden stop all that battery mass is going to want to keep moving.
A few things had to be done before the frame could be bolted into place. First the extra fuel tank for the heater had to be dropped part way down.
This was for safety reasons since I'd be drill through the floor right above the tank and also accessing the bolt hardware will be easier with it partially lowered. Just had to loosen everything up and drop one end of the tank. The fuel line wasn't disconnected.
One end of the underfloor conduit had to be moved a few inches to clear the battery frame..
By now I'm getting pretty good at making and patching holes in the van floor. Notice the small hole just to the left of the new conduit location.
This is one of those loose ends I'd planned to get back around to sometime. Now's the time. The hole is for the wire that runs to the fuel tank sending unit. It's hard to see in the picture but I've added a rubber grommet to the the hole. The grommet protects the wires from the sharp edges. The hole is sized to match the grommet.
Found that trying to bolt the frame through the van floor wasn't one of those job I could do by myself.
Hey Bob. You'll give me some help right?
Bob.... Bob, where are you going? Darn cat!
Luckily my neighbor came over and lent a hand.
With the four bolts in place this thing is rock solid.
Since I was already messing around under the van might as well tackle a couple other projects. Drill (another) hole in the van floor then use a wire wheel to remove the paint from around the hole.
Add a copper bolt, nut and washer. I removed the paint to get good conductivity to the van body. I'll be using this bolt like a grounding rod for the electrical system.
Another loose end. When I installed the protective shield below the extra fuel tank I used these industrial strength cable ties. Now seemed like a good time to upgrade to something more permanent.
Cut out two strips from a sheet of 16 gauge steel.
Use a hammer and a vise to put a nice 90 degree bend in the ends of the strips.
Hand bend the strip into a somewhat round band just by eyeballing it.
Check how the bands fit around the tank and shield.
Drill holes in the band ends then bolt them up.
Looks good.
Prime and paint the metal bands. What the heck, I'm in a painting mood. Brighten up the shield while I'm at it.
continued
