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
I'm way behind on my RV conversion but on the bright side the van is still available to fill to the ceiling with "stuff that needs hauled".
I'm going to start work on the heating system for the van. This will be done in steps. The first step is the design and placement of the fuel tank. It's also the only step I've completed so far.
For the heater I bought a used Webasto Airtop 2000 on ebay for $411 Canadian.
Here is the Webasto label.
The Webasto is made in Germany so the label will need a little translating. According to the Google translator "Brennstoff" means fuel. It's listed as "Diesel" which is the same in both languages. If this was a gasoline model heater it would read "Benzin" instead.
Notice the legend "Inbetriebnahmejahr" at the bottom and to the right of it you can see small spaces where the label has been removed. The word translates as "commissioning year". Normally to the right there would three two digit sequential numbers which represent when this particular heater was manufactured. Obviously someone has scratched off the numbers so you won't know how old the heater really is.
No problem. Even an old heater is OK. The Webasto's have a reputation for reliability and longevity. A classic case of the phrase "German Engineering". Even if there is a problem, replacement parts are readily available.
I've been asked why I didn't just didn't get a gasoline model since this is a gas van. A good used gas model Webasto is very hard to find. A new one goes for around $2000. So the difference between $400 for a diesel and $2000 for a gasoline model is the reason I'm going this route. It also gives me a chance to do something new.
All the previous information also applies to cab heaters made by Eberspächer. This is the main competition to Webasto. These are both German companies and have most of the market split between them. In America Eberspächer products are marketed under the Espar brand name.
I'll need a separate fuel tank on the van to hold the fuel for the diesel Webasto. Full credit for the fuel tank design I'll be using goes to Diyvanner. I couldn't have done this without his help. All the good ideas are his. The bad one's are all mine.
Diyvanner shared all of his design secrets but his installation was on a GMC van. Since mine is a Ford van I'll have to come up with all my own measurements and adaptations. First I'll have to figure out where to install the tank under the van. That involved a lot of laying under the van and making measurements.
I decided that the best place is on the driver's side of the van between the rocker panel and one of the two main frame beams. One consideration is the emergency brake cable that runs along the side of the frame beam.
There are also two cross pieces under the floor. This picture was taken while looking straight up under the van.
Next take a bunch of measurements.
Here's the result of all the measurements. The front of the van is to the right. The "gas inlet hose" in the drawing refers to van's gas inlet not what I'll be adding for the heater.
The fuel tank will be placed within this space.
continued:
I'm going to start work on the heating system for the van. This will be done in steps. The first step is the design and placement of the fuel tank. It's also the only step I've completed so far.
For the heater I bought a used Webasto Airtop 2000 on ebay for $411 Canadian.
Here is the Webasto label.
The Webasto is made in Germany so the label will need a little translating. According to the Google translator "Brennstoff" means fuel. It's listed as "Diesel" which is the same in both languages. If this was a gasoline model heater it would read "Benzin" instead.
Notice the legend "Inbetriebnahmejahr" at the bottom and to the right of it you can see small spaces where the label has been removed. The word translates as "commissioning year". Normally to the right there would three two digit sequential numbers which represent when this particular heater was manufactured. Obviously someone has scratched off the numbers so you won't know how old the heater really is.
No problem. Even an old heater is OK. The Webasto's have a reputation for reliability and longevity. A classic case of the phrase "German Engineering". Even if there is a problem, replacement parts are readily available.
I've been asked why I didn't just didn't get a gasoline model since this is a gas van. A good used gas model Webasto is very hard to find. A new one goes for around $2000. So the difference between $400 for a diesel and $2000 for a gasoline model is the reason I'm going this route. It also gives me a chance to do something new.
All the previous information also applies to cab heaters made by Eberspächer. This is the main competition to Webasto. These are both German companies and have most of the market split between them. In America Eberspächer products are marketed under the Espar brand name.
I'll need a separate fuel tank on the van to hold the fuel for the diesel Webasto. Full credit for the fuel tank design I'll be using goes to Diyvanner. I couldn't have done this without his help. All the good ideas are his. The bad one's are all mine.
Diyvanner shared all of his design secrets but his installation was on a GMC van. Since mine is a Ford van I'll have to come up with all my own measurements and adaptations. First I'll have to figure out where to install the tank under the van. That involved a lot of laying under the van and making measurements.
I decided that the best place is on the driver's side of the van between the rocker panel and one of the two main frame beams. One consideration is the emergency brake cable that runs along the side of the frame beam.
There are also two cross pieces under the floor. This picture was taken while looking straight up under the van.
Next take a bunch of measurements.
Here's the result of all the measurements. The front of the van is to the right. The "gas inlet hose" in the drawing refers to van's gas inlet not what I'll be adding for the heater.
The fuel tank will be placed within this space.
continued:
