Critter bug / Mini Van Conversion

[Staryder61]

Hi y'all, some of you will know and remember me for building the Raven's Nest / Bumble Bee..
Several things have happened over the past couple years. That teardrop had a disastrous end. It no longer exists.
Last year we took a big step, when the world started changing. We moved out of our house and bought a 33 foot camper, and made it our home.
Our dream of having something we could have ready to go fishing and camping anytime we wanted still remains. Some thought we had lost our minds, others didn't say what they thought.
In making that decision, we now camp every day all year round. Still it's not the same as having a small camper and loading up and going to get away from everyone and everything..
So we made another decision. Losing the teardrop was not going to stop a dream. It would just set the dream on a different path. And the following is where that path went. Our dream of having something we could have ready to go fishing and camping anytime we wanted.

And so being left with these parts and those parts. The teardrop would not be a total loss. The custom trailer I had built would become a very needed utility trailer.. Other parts such as, the fantastic fan, radio and speakers, wood that could be salvaged, electrical wiring, receptacles, gauges etc. Will all have a new place in the Critter Bug.. ( A bug out van for 2).

It starts out with a 2010 Ford Transit Connect, cargo van. High top, short wheel base. Economical 4 cyl. 3 seater. Sliding doors on both sides, split hinged doors in the rear.


So first things first, get rid of the 3rd seat in the back.
Remember these are small cargo vans, and are not made to be quiet inside. The second thing to do is insulate the floor in the cargo area.
After cleaning the floor really good with soap and water, letting it dry overnight. I did a curbside order at the big Orange box store for some 1/2" foam board insulation, sheets of 1/2" x 2' x 4' plywood. PL premium, several tubes, this stuff is great for attaching almost anything together, In my case, the foam board to the metal floor.
After cutting the foam board to fit the back cargo area, I glued it down with the PL premium. Set a bunch of weight (tools and things) on it and let it set overnight.
The next day I worked with the 1/2" plywood. Just happens that 2' x 4' ply fits right on the floor. 3 sheets covers the floor without cutting them. The plywood glued down and weighted, let it dry over night.

The next day letting the PL Premium cure longer, I started taking the measurements for the cabinets that were getting repurposed from the teardrop..

[Philip]

Don't forget to sound deaden the side walls. You don't want an echo chamber for a van.

[Staryder61]

Cabinets originally being fabricated for a tear drop were a little challenging. They were not constructed as a box cabinet you just set in and screw down. So, dismantling them was taking apart this and that. Drawers, drawer facials (stiles), drawer rails. Were all pieces I had to remember which part went where.
Luckily, I had put the cabinet stiles together using a kreg jig.. so, everything was unscrewed and for the most part undamaged.
I didn't want to scrap the drawers, I had so much work in them.
I second guessed this as I was cutting this down or that. Sometimes just easier to build new than repurpose to another size. But if the last couple years taught me anything. I have nothing but time to work on things, without interruptions, Thanks to Covid..

With my measurements made. I needed to get to work. The cabinet face frames would need to be cut down in width (originally 57" wide to 49 1/2") drawers have to be able to slide past the door opening of the van. And the height was cut down from 14 1/2" to 12 3/4" to give me the bed platform of 12" off the floor to allow storage compartments under the bed.
Unlike the teardrop, there will be no back hatch covering storage area.
So my thought process went into building a compact area similar to a teardrop, but it had to have easy access to everything from inside the van as well as from the rear 2 doors and the 2 sliding doors each side.

So the cutting down began, cabinet face frame was first. Needed to get it in place so I could get the measurements for the drawers, and which ones would have to be resized. I decided the middle drawers would be the best solution for the width to be changed. Boxes and drawer fronts would have to be dismantled and cut down to new size. Hey, it is what it is, RIGHT?

[Staryder61]

Don't forget to sound deaden the side walls. You don't want an echo chamber for a van.

Thanks Philip, hadn't thought that far ahead. Will have to do panels of some type on the sides. Which leaves either foam board
behind the panels or maybe fiberglass insulation because of the contours of the van sides.
Van does have a shake rattle noise to it.
Did think about insulation in spaces between the cabinet drawer rails and the metal of the van.
Also thought maybe insulating would help with condensation..

[Staryder61]

Right stack of drawer rails in place. Checked drawers for clearance past the van doors. They will slide out even if the van doors are not unlatched and swung back against the side of the van. This movement clearance was critical for a later application I have in mind.
Notice the opening above the right-side drawers, it's for the cutting board that will be installed later.

Time to start working on the left side drawer. This drawer is much larger and houses the Coleman camp stove, 1 lb propane fuel cells and pots and skillets will be under the camp stove. This drawer had to be dismantled to be cut down in height. Drawer box and front have to be cut down. Removing the drawer front and rails. I measured and cut the drawer box in the center of the sides carefully on the tablesaw. After installing the drawer rails onto the cabinet face frame, (face frame is kreged to the floor and the drawer rail wood runners are kregged to the backs of the face frames.) I reinstalled rails and tried it for a fit. Cut the bottom of the drawer front off and rerouted the edge.. remounted the front..



Drawers were set back on the wood floor enough, that the existing drawer pulls could continue to be used without hitting the van doors when they were shut.
Next comes the measurements for the center drawer stack. These drawers will not only have to be reduced in height, also in width. While doing so, they will have to be cut down with the walnut accent strip in mind. To match the other camp stove drawer.

[swoody126]

there is a sound deadening product for vehicle foors that has a stickey side and molds nicely to contoured surfaces

plan your curtains/privacy system prior to placing your interior panels so there will be support for the fasteners used to hang them

my van was already closed in w/ fabric covered panels when i got it and finding places where i could screw my hanging system was sporty at best

planning the privacy system first also allows you to integrate it into the panel system so the curtains could be left in place full time when rolled up w/o interfearing with vision while driving

running 12v wiring to the roof pre-paneling will leave you with the ability to install a vent fan later if desired

building with the maximum features incorporated into the design reduces the retro-fitting pains later

no need to ask why i make these suggestions :-O

sw

[bdosborn]

Sweet! Another van build! Subscribed and watching with interest...
I used the Amazon brand of sound deadener, it was a little cheaper:
Amazon Linky
Bruce]

[Staryder61]

Sweet! Another van build! Subscribed and watching with interest...
I used the Amazon brand of sound deadener, it was a little cheaper:
Amazon Linky
Bruce]

Hey there Bruce, Thanks for the tip..
Well it's a small van, better half named it. and it fits.
I've seen quite a few where people just throw some slats in the back and some tote boxes. Having what was left from the teardrop, I thought
why not go a few steps farther and make it, not only useful, but comfortable.

[Staryder61]

there is a sound deadening product for vehicle foors that has a stickey side and molds nicely to contoured surfaces,
plan your curtains/privacy system prior to placing your interior panels so there will be support for the fasteners used to hang them
sw

Thanks sw, for your input, it always helps to have y'all, throw in here and there. The mini has the 2 side windows. I have bought large windshield shades, the aluminum covered foam type. Will template those and cut to fit. Won't be seen much from outside, windows are tented so dark. And will give a great amount of privacy.

Now I will be thinking also about the curtains for the front privacy. And probably add some to the inside windows of the doors, for a better look inside.

[Staryder61]

Working the center stack of drawers. These had to be cut down in width and height. Completely dismantled the drawers (so much easier to build the first time around.) Drawer faces cut down to size and routed again on the edge to match the rest. Drawer pulls were already installed, so had to work that into the measurements to have them centered again. but it all worked out
The bottom center drawer is for can goods storage and the camp stove drawer are both on full extension drawer pulls, these are both 25 lb limit drawer rails. Not that anything will weigh in at that. Better to have the weight limit available now, than to need it later and not have it.



Reworking everything takes extra time. But I'm so glad I kept everything I could from the teardrop. And have the ability to be able to resize it all.
And with doing this van. I don't have to worry about the weather as much as when I was building the teardrop. It's completely dried in.

When cutting down the drawers, I had the measurements for the pull-out cutting board. So worked it also. It can be seen in the pictures. It's a piece of old solid core countertop. Had some knives cut marks in it. Though after sanding some, it turned out to look brand new. I had accented it also with the walnut to match the drawers.

[Staryder61]

Cabinet drawers all mounted in place and the cutting board.



Everything for cooking needs to be accessible out the back of the van for convenience. So time to start work on the top.
Will repurpose the countertop from the teardrop here. It's 1/2" solid surface with a walnut front edge accent. It is 28" deep and 57" wide...

Though the floor was 4' wide through the van... at 13" off the floor, it was wider... just inside the door frame of the van it was 57" across from side to side.
So, the 57" solid core countertop is scribed to fit right in place. Please pardon the mess, "A work in progress"



Now to get in the mindset of the upper cabinets. The cabinets will have to be disassembled, parts cut down, reassembled. Then the doors will be next. Cut down and rebuilt to fit the cabinet boxes. The doors are oak frames with walnut accents incorporated into the oak frames.

[Staryder61]

Good afternoon, everyone, wow this weather for Texas this time of year is unbelievable. So, loving it. Short and t shirt weather in December. Got a love Texas.

This is what the cabinets looked like in the back of the teardrop:



Upper cabinets were set on top of the countertop. I can make one big recommendation for this. If you are building a teardrop, DO NOT build your upper cabinets with doors that hinge out over your countertop To open them, you'll always have to clear the counter off to get them open. I regretted it, right after I built and installed them...

In this van we'll have the mattress go under the upper cabinets, allowing enough room for our feet. We have a full-size, tri-fold mattress that is 4" thick and a 1 1/2" egg crate foam pad. We have slept on it to see how comfortable it would be. It will be great for camping 2, 3, 4 plus days.
The fold up mattress will work great, with the storage compartments planned for under the bed.

The upper cabinets, like the lowers were 57' wide in the teardrop. So, cutting them down to fit the van is to reduce the width and the height. The van opening has a major contour on both sides. Only allowing 42" width clearance and 36" above the countertop. The upper cabinets would be 42" wide and 14 3/4" in height. The height was determined by the center door of the uppers. Didn't want to cut that door down. Meaning the right and left side cabinets would be cut to fit the width and height measurement needed... complete dismantling once again to accomplish that task.

[Staryder61]

The upper cabinets being resized to fit in place. Propped up to see how they fit and look. Being happy with the size. The back of the cabinet will be done with white beadboard. Thinking this will be good paneling for the inside of the van. It looks like a lot of room between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets.. The mattress we have tri-folds and is 12" thick when folded. And will slide right under the cabinets when not in use...



Needed to start thinking about electrical, AC and DC. Before I go to much farther...

running 12v wiring to the roof pre-paneling will leave you with the ability to install a vent fan later if desired
building with the maximum features incorporated into the design reduces the retro-fitting pains later
no need to ask why i make these suggestions :-O
sw

Ran wiring, interior length of the van, on the driver side. Starting from behind the front seat to the back doors. With a run of wire going up and behind the roof interior material for the fantastic fan.

What is needed throughout the van.
1. Battery box will be behind the front driver side seat.
2. A fantastic fan will be mounted in the roof.
3. Lights under counters, and interior cabin lights.
4. Shore power connection
a. AC strip in galley area.
b. AC power to battery box to use charger for battery

[Staryder61]

Happy New Year Everyone... hope everyone had a safe New Year's Eve.

To mount the upper cabinets. I drilled up through the top face frame and anchored the cabinets in the front to the top of the van. There was a piece of molded metal that was strong enough to hold. Then I cut some 1"x 2" for the ends of the cabinet. Notched them so they would fit against the corners of the cabinet. Angled them on the other end to set on the ledge at the side of the van. When I was satisfied, they would wedge in where I needed them. I used Pl premium to glue them in place. And screwed them to the corners of the cabinet... did finish the back of the cabinet with the beadboard...



Doors cut down to size and mounted on both sides of cabinet... Will remove later and refinish them again with polyurethane.. as well as all frames, and drawer fronts on the lowers.

On the van side panel. I drilled and installed a shore power outlet for the AC power...

,

I did the measurements for the fantastic fan, on the roof of the van. Then using a small drill bit, I drilled the 4 corners through the metal top and through the headliner inside. Used a straight edge to mark the inside head liner. So I could use a utility knife to cut a square of the head liner out...
A friend of mine had a 4 1/2" body grinder with a cut off wheel on it. Used it to cut the metal of the roof. (Have to get me one of these body grinders) Spaced the headliner down with a couple scrap pieces of wood to not catch and tear it. Picture shows the fantastic fan sitting in place waiting for wiring and the trim ring inside. Fan has 3 speeds, forward and reverse.

[Philip]

I would not use fiberglass or the wool type of insulation also known as havaloc insulation. Those can and will hold moisture. Use something that doesn't hold moisture. Foam, bat type rock wool, Spray foam.