1977 Dodge Van Class B Conversion Restoration Thread

[Traveler7]

Hi to All Class B and Restoration Fans out there!

I started a thread on my Camper Van at

Pics of My 77 Dodge Vandicraft Class B & a Tire question

Link Camper Van Pics

on the General Class B Forum so please check that out for more Pics-
This thread is about the work I need to do to make it My Future Home.

One of the few problems with the van is the windshield wipers don't work 😞

The PO (Previous Owner) believed that the motor was bad and replaced it with a junkyard motor that also did not work and he assumed that was the problem and advised me to buy a new motor. Instead I had a friend bench test the motor and found it works fine- the problem unfortunately is ELECTRICAL 😮 😞

I've been using a multimeter to check continuity and voltages and found that the motor was not receiving a fixed voltage- it was ranging from 0- 3.3 volts. I pulled the main firewall connection and probed it for continuity and when I plugged it back in I lost voltage to the motor plug- dropped to .2 volts (ouch). My preliminary diagnosis is failure of the fusible link from the battery- this would explain why the PO would say the motor turned slowly at times (low voltage condition)and why my messing with it caused more failure. Anyone who know electrical please PLEASE chime in here with any advice!!!:h

My next step is to probe the fusible link for continuity and get a tool to push the contacts out of the waterproof connector. What do you think????

As usual with any project I found more problems that needed to be attended to- the wiper linkage bushing were broken or missing in some cases and the linkage was bread wired together. I purchased new bushings and removed the linkage and installed them with lithium grease. The first one took about 1/2 hour to figure out and then they went much more quickly using a closed end wrench and a hammer on some and a vise to press the bushings onto the wiper rotors. Re-installed and it looks great! pics[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/3V7P83rl.jpg[/]


I also cleaned a wasps nest out of a vent over the stove....



and cleaned it out!

Thanks for viewing and I appreciate your comments!

[Traveler7]

goreds2 wrote:
Nice job.

Thank you! I've got the Wagan Inverter wired in now and I'm testing it- so far it is excellent.

[goreds2]

Nice job.

[Traveler7]

Here is my Solar Panel Charging System particulars for anyone interested:

Panel- New Powa 150 Watt 8.3 Amp Polycrystalline Panel

New Powa 150 Watt Ebay

Controller- Victron BlueSolar 75/15 MPPT

Vctron 75/15 Controller on Amazon

with the Victron VE Direct Bluetooth Dongel

Victron VE Direct Bluetooth on Amazon

20 Amp Zookoto Circuit Breaker for Positive Solar Cable connection to Controller

20 Amp Zookoto Circuit Breaker

UPG 121000 100 Amp Hour AGM Battery

UPG 121000 on Amazon

Wagan Elite 1000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter

Wagan Elite !000 Inverter

After my trip this summer to Alaska I may add another battery and change over to a compressor fridge, but still debating that- we'll see how well the Propane on the Fridge works on a two month trip!

[Traveler7]

HighwayPilot wrote:
Traveler7, how many & what type of house batteries are using? I have just purchased a new to me 1992 Roadtrek Popular 190.

I am using 1 UPG 121000 100 Amp hour AGM battery, I have very small loads- only a range hood fan, led lights and a Propane Gas Detector, also will be running/ charging a laptop and phones/ tablets. No TV and the Fridge will run on Propane.

[Traveler7]

Hi all! I was unhappy with my 15 dollar charge controller so I upgraded to a Victron 75/15 Mppt Controller with a Bluetooth attachment so I can adjust and monitor it on my phone or pad.

The other controller was putting too much voltage into the battery all the time so I was worried the new battery I just purchased may be damaged by it when I put it in.

Here is the new controller and setup and a pad monitoring the battery pics

Controller



Setup with new UPG 1210000 100 Amp Hour Battery



And the new charge voltage pattern



Here is the old controller's charge pattern for comparison-



you can see all the spikes and over 16 volt runs- new one is much more controlled! Much better for battery life!!!

Thanks for checking in- new flooring project is waiting on flooring on order from Lumber Liquidators and should arrive in two weeks.

[HighwayPilot]

Traveler7, how many & what type of house batteries are using? I have just purchased a new to me 1992 Roadtrek Popular 190.

[Traveler7]

Got the vent panels installed today- they look good!





This stuff is pretty much done- will seal around the edges with Dicor soon,
sadly I am not happy with my Solar Controller so I ordered a new Victron MMPT 75/15 Controller from Amazon and will get it on Friday. That should do it.

Thank you for checking in on this project- i appreciate any comments.

[Traveler7]

Ok! Solar project is nearly completed- the panel is on the roof and connected and working!!

Here are some pics:

Panel on roof


Exterior Cable routing

I will attach the white tube to the fiberglass top securely and add some more flex tubing to control cable that comes out of it.

Here is the controller producing juice

This is early AM and the panel is aligned North/South so not full sun and producing 4.1 usable amps- pretty good...

And here is the battery monitor out put graph


Left to complete are getting the project board with the controller and fuse mounted and internal cable management and also putting the lower refrigerator vent back on. I mounted the panel with 3M VHB tape, but I will also screwing down one forward foot and one back for belt and suspenders approach on keeping the panel attached!

Thanks for checking in on this project!

[Traveler7]

New post- Weather Permitting the Solar Panel is going on the roof tomorrow!

Today was all about prep-work since tomorrow I have my brother and two friends from work coming over to help get the panel up and attached to the fiberglass roof.

First up was cleaning and painting the side vents that cover the refrigerator and cutting an entry point for the solar cables in the upper vent. I cleaned them with dish soap and water and then a brilo pad after scrapping all the old butyl tape off the back, used some Rustoleum Flat White paint. pics-







While that all dried I went to a place called the Reuseum for some wire and a project board to attach my solar controller and a 20 Amp resettable fuse to and set it up. Then I attached it to the house battery:







Then I got the Solar Panel out- 150 Watt Poly panel and put the feet on it



Ready for mounting and I may be able to get it all wired up tomorrow!

[Traveler7]

Naio wrote:
Oh, that is a shame that your initial floor didn't work out! It looked good in the pictures.

Yeah, I loved the look, but the material's edges just peeled up. Sad.

[Naio]

Oh, that is a shame that your initial floor didn't work out! It looked good in the pictures.

[Traveler7]

Wow, been a long time since I updated...

I am getting the van ready for a trip to Prudhoe Bay, AK and touring Alaska in late Aug./ early Sept. so the new posts will deal with what's been done and what's up!

Just finished a big mechanical project by taking the van to a mechanic and having him fix ALL the oil leaks!

This involved dropping the oil pan and reworking the dipstick tube attach point, redoing the rear seal and putting a high temperature valve cover gasket on the hot exhaust side of the manifold. Also had the radiator pulled and refurbished and tested and added an aftermarket temp gauge to replace the bad one on the dash.

The van used to leak quite a bit of oil- now you can park it on a white sheet of paper and nary a drop!

Now I am working on two projects-

1) Adding a Solar Panel to the roof and running the cabling, and

2) redoing the flooring after the failure of the materials I used on the previous job.

I will be routing my cable thru the upper refrigerator access vent so I pulled off the upper and lower vents today to clean and paint them and prep the upper by cutting an opening for the cables.



I covered the openings with a plastic bag for now.

I also ripped the old linoleum flooring out to get to the subfloor and get the flooring I added that had peeled up at the sides and come unstuck out. It really looked bad





I will replace the flooring with a much sturdier and thicker click together floating floor.

So look forward to more posts weekly and thanks for checking in!

[goreds2]

Very good updates as usual.

[Naio]

I got some lovely old maple flooring I hope to start on this week or next.

I was looking at the rubber mats you posted a link to... I see they do not go under the seats. What do you have under your seats? Coated floor? Original something?

I want to get rid of my existing carpet for water/mud reasons. wonder if I could just cut it closely around the seat posts and not have to unbolt them. Until I get swivels, anyway 🙂

[Naio]

No, not yet. I have been working on the s&b :B