Van Conversion - The Parts

Ram 2500 ProMaster van conversion project - the parts and the process.

I purchased this van in September of 2019.  At that time, it had no windows in the cargo section at all, no insulation and only a rudimentary plywood floor.

The first task was to remove everything from the inside, including that plywood floor that was polyurethaned to the floor.  That was a chore!.

The earliest part of the project is described in a post I wrote back in October, 2019.

Windows:

I added 5 windows - two in the rear doors, two on one side and one large window on the sliding door.

The windows mostly came from Amazon and eBay.  The one window in the sliding door, which you can see in the picture above, came from Motion Windows in Vancouver, Washington.

By mid-February, the project had progressed to the point that it was actually looking like a camper on the inside.  The windows were in by then and insulation and paneling was progressing.  That was described in this post.

By April, the basics were mostly completed.  This required a few more holes in the van for  things like a roof vent, solar cables, furnace, water heater, shore power connector....  I have to say that eventually you do get kind of used to cutting big holes in the skin of your new van.  Measure, mark it out, tape it up and go at it with the drill and jig saw.

What follows is a quick outline of the various parts that I used in the build.

Insulation and paneling:

The whole inside is insulated with 2 inches of blue styrofoam, glued in with cans of spray foam and an appropriate polyurethane adhesive (see link below).  I didn't keep track of the number of cans of spray foam I used, but there must have been at least 20.  Unfortunately, those cans can't be sent to metal recycling so they ended up in general garbage.

Styrofoam was mostly cut very carefully on a large table saw.

The insulation was covered with 1/4-inch birch plywood, glued in place with that polyurethane adhesive: Titebond Fast Set Polyurethane Construction Adhesive, available at most building supply stores.  

Electrical:

• Multi US 3300 4-step charger (120v charger for shore power)
• 12 Circuit fuse block
• Suburban furnace
• Camco catalytic heater
• Fan-Tastic Roof Vent
• Promaster roof vent adapter
• Suburban water heater
• Shore power connection box
• Blue Sea Charging relay
• Wall thermostat
• Solar cable entry gland

There are a number of explanations for wiring up your van conversion to be found on the Internet (especially YouTube), but I found this one to be most helpful for me and I've pretty much followed it with a few modifications.  For instance, my system doesn't have an inverter and my solar controller doesn't have a remote (and I'm not sure why I'd need one).   Electrical wiring diagram.  

Heating, Cooling and Hot Water:

I have two heat sources in the van.  The main heat source is a Suburban 2438 ABK furnace with electronic ignition and a fan.  It's paired with a wall thermostat that also incorporates an off switch.

The second heat source is a Camco catalytic heater.  I got this because it doesn't need a power source.  My plan at the moment is to set up some quick-connect fittings to the propane line.  I see this as more of an emergency heater.

The fridge is a NovaKool R4500 12v unit.  It draws around 4A  connected to a 12v source.  I insulated the compartment the fridge slides into so that should reduce the duty cycle a bit.  So far, running it constantly for several weeks, the batteries and solar system has been able to keep up without breaking a sweat.

Still in progress is a Suburban SW6DE gas-fired/electric hot water heater.  This meant one more hole in the side of the van (I think I'm up to 10 holes, so far).  Once I get my water tank I will hook up the tank, a 12v water pump, my full-sized single-basin sink, the water heater and a shower.  This part is still a work in progress.  The plan is to have a bike platform off the back of the van which can serve as a shower stall when the rear doors are opened.  A hand-held shower will be used to get you wet.

Woodwork:

Most of the cabinetry was made with 1/2" G1S plywood, glued together with the construction adhesive and secured with finish nails and then glued and screwed to the plywood skin on the inside of the van.  This installation is basically permanent.  I don't even want to think about what it would be like to remove anything now.