Ian Stewart · Joined May 2010 · Points: 155 Oct 28, 2014 · Unknown Hometown mucci wrote: What did you use for insulation on the deck and walls? Walls are primarily rock wool. The floor has a few different layers: foil bubble insulation to fill in the ridges, a layer of foil-backed demin insulation, then 1.5" rigid foam. I haven't tested it yet in super cold conditions, but when we were in Ten Sleep last and it was 40 degrees at night I was warm enough to sleep with my bare feet out of the blankets all night. It also used to get REALLY hot on the floor right between the seats at the front since the exhaust runs under there, but now I can barely feel a temperature difference. I'm guessing my dog might enjoy the extra floor insulation too.



Aside from just thermal insulation I was trying to cut out noise, too, and I think it's helped a lot.



The black square in the floor in the second picture is a mounting plate for a 3rd captains chair. There's a cover in the floor that can be removed to add in the seat.



Foil-backed denim insulation.



1.5" rigid foam insulation.



Walls insulated with rock wool.



John Greer Jr. wrote: What kind of gas mileage are you getting with all the fixings installed? Anywhere between 16 and 18mpg depending on the hills and wind.



Catalano28 wrote: What are some of the things you'd do differently? The number one thing I'd do differently is start with a van that is mostly SQUARE. I used this van because I had it and didn't want to spend big $$$ on a Sprinter, but it turns out that making everything work when there isn't a single 90 degree corner is a total pain in the ass. The windows are curved, the walls are curved, the corners are curved, etc. To put it into perspective, the ceiling panel is 48" wide and the width between the walls at the bottom is something like 68". So the walls curve in about 10" on each side. I honestly think I could have done the whole thing in 30% of the time if the van were more square.



I had also thought of a construction technique that I think would have made things a lot easier. When I built this one I cut and installed the floor, then welded together the bed/bench frames and then just screwed it all down to the floor/wall studs. Next time what I think I would do is cut the floor to size and install T-nuts in the floor exactly where the various frames would be attached, and then I could use the floor itself as a jig to hold everything in place when I weld it together.



Darren Mabe wrote: thats a unique addition of the basketball hoop on the roof! Gotta have something to do on your rest days! :) Walls are primarily rock wool. The floor has a few different layers: foil bubble insulation to fill in the ridges, a layer of foil-backed demin insulation, then 1.5" rigid foam. I haven't tested it yet in super cold conditions, but when we were in Ten Sleep last and it was 40 degrees at night I was warm enough to sleep with my bare feet out of the blankets all night. It also used to get REALLY hot on the floor right between the seats at the front since the exhaust runs under there, but now I can barely feel a temperature difference. I'm guessing my dog might enjoy the extra floor insulation too.Aside from just thermal insulation I was trying to cut out noise, too, and I think it's helped a lot.The black square in the floor in the second picture is a mounting plate for a 3rd captains chair. There's a cover in the floor that can be removed to add in the seat.Anywhere between 16 and 18mpg depending on the hills and wind.The number one thing I'd do differently is start with a van that is mostly SQUARE. I used this van because I had it and didn't want to spend big $$$ on a Sprinter, but it turns out that making everything work when there isn't a single 90 degree corner is a total pain in the ass. The windows are curved, the walls are curved, the corners are curved, etc. To put it into perspective, the ceiling panel is 48" wide and the width between the walls at the bottom is something like 68". So the walls curve in about 10" on each side. I honestly think I could have done the whole thing in 30% of the time if the van were more square.I had also thought of a construction technique that I think would have made things a lot easier. When I built this one I cut and installed the floor, then welded together the bed/bench frames and then just screwed it all down to the floor/wall studs. Next time what I think I would do is cut the floor to size and install T-nuts in the floor exactly where the various frames would be attached, and then I could use the floor itself as a jig to hold everything in place when I weld it together.Gotta have something to do on your rest days! :)