Will It Be Waterproof?

I am approaching most every element of my van build with the idea that all the materials should be as close to waterproof as possible. When I use lumber, there will be multiple coats of primer. When I choose fabrics they will likely be coverings designed for automobiles or marine crafts.

Condensation and moisture trapping can potentially lead to mildew or mold, so it is better to put up a good defense than to have to tear out or fix something later on. Interestingly, I’ve never heard of or been concerned with the same problems occurring in a regular passenger vehicle. My guess is that a big part of the problem may be the living-in and sleeping-in time. Adding an exhaust van prior to using the van for camping is part of my timeline. Additionally, my van won’t have a shower, bathroom and water systems beyond a portable/removable sink supply and gray water tank setup. It will be pretty simple to keep this leak-proof.

For the bed rails I’m working on now, after the initial bare wood fitting in the van, I have removed them for priming and painting. Hopefully this will also prevent twisting or warping, although I think the 7 mounting points will also hold these rails in place well.

Building a Bedframe

I have quite a few plans for things in the van I might do, but one thing I’ll need for sure is a bed platform. Today I began positioning the support rails along the sides, and establishing the locations for the three main aluminum cross beams. It will allow for a mattress that is 74” long x 48” wide, with an adjustable side that can increase the size to a full mattress (54”) wide.

For each side, the rails will be attached with 7 screws into rivnuts into the steel side rail. This will require a bit of precision so everything lines up correctly. Even a little bit of drilling and preparing the locations for each hole needs some careful work to catch all the metal shavings, which can cause surface rusting if not captured. It takes longer to tape in plastic sheeting and using magnets to clean up than it does to drill the holes.

Hopefully I’ll have the mostly done in the next couple days. It will be removable so I can still use the van to haul materials. Plenty of work to do in that part of the van so I won’t need the bed for awhile.

Always test your work. Is the 8020 aluminum 1515 frame going to be strong enough? Yes!

A New Beginning

Everyone needs to start somewhere; in my case this blog starts with the third van I’ve ever owned. It all started in college with a 1974 VW Bus which I owned in the mid-80’s. It had a poptop and a sofa in the back. And the longest manual transmission shifter of any vehicle I’ve ever owned. Groovy!

Later in life I bought a Ford Transit Connect cargo van, which was an interesting vehicle. I could haul quite a bit a stuff, tow a motorcycle trailer and even sleep in it, but it was not tall enough to stand up in. That was 7 or 8 years ago.

This time I took a larger leap: a RAM Promaster 136 High Roof. The consummate empty vessel. At least that is what we have today. Follow along as I add features and capabilities to the van, which I’m calling the Silver Goat. I’m sure I’ll learn things every step of the way.

Note: I am not going to live in the van. But it will be a comfortable means of travel and suitable for camping and off-grid exploration.