The Devil Is In The Details

    I picked up the van (with new cabinets) from Paul's shop two weeks ago.  Progress has been swift and exciting.  The van is really coming together!

    We bought a box of Hickory laminate flooring.  I glued the flooring to three plywood sheets, which float above the corrugated metal floor.  Having a middle removable section of hardwood allows for us to install the middle bench for extra passengers.

Flooring with the center removed for the middle bench seat.

Aaaand installed.

    I also spent a good week's worth of evenings wiring up the new auxiliary power system.  I located the auxiliary battery under the rear bench, next to the subwoofer, and built an enclosure to house the charging and power management electronics.  I also spent some time learning how to flare copper tubing for the propane systems.  A bit about what's wired up:

• Exide 100AH Auxiliary Battery
• Without supplemental power, it can run all of the lights for 8 days, the fridge for 3 days, and the heater for ~5 days.
• IOTA DLS30 Charger/Supply
• Connected to the electrical hookup box on the outside of Westly
• Charges the battery AND provides a regulated 12V 30A supply
• Renogy 100W Solar Panel and 30A Charge Controller
• Provides enough juice to run the fridge during the day
• Blue Sea Systems SI Series ACR
• This replaces the GoWesty Auxiliary Battery kit, and allows the alternator to charge the auxiliary battery.  It also redirects excess power from the auxiliary system to the starting battery.
• TruckFridge TF49
• Acquired on Craigslist for $400.  Replaces the stock Dometic fridge.  It holds a 12-pack of beer and them some, gets freezing cold, is dead silent, and sips power.
• Propex HS2000
• Found this baby on Craigslist for $300.  It comes with a remote thermostat to keep the van cozy in the coldest of weather.  On a full tank of propane, at full power, it will run for 3 days straight.
• LED Lighting
• Glued LED strip lights to the pop-top.
• Installed stainless steel, 3W LED puck lights above the rear passengers.
• Sound System
• 1000W Kenwood amplifier hidden in the front cabinet
• 200W Infinity Basslink Active Subwoofer, hidden underneath the rear bench
• Polk Audio MM6510 woofers/tweeters in the front doors
• Polk Audio MM691 6x9's mounted in rhino-lined cabinets behind the rear passengers

The solar panel gets put on JUST as the sun goes down.  It's wired to the inside through a waterproof connector in the pop-top.

Propex HS2000 Heater.  Paul mounted it below the sink, with stainless steel vents on the door faces.  The intake is routed from the old freshwater tank drain, under the van.  The heater exhausts out of the old flue vent for the scrapped Dometic fridge.

TruckFridge TF49.  It's sole purpose is to keep our beer cold.  Fits nicely below the drawers and pull-out Corian cutting board.

Installed a marine-grade switch panel with breakers to control everything.  

Paul's Corian sink insert and the stove is hooked up.

The barkeep faucet allows for hot and cold (cold only for now).

The right vent heats the cabin, the left keeps the cabinet ventilated.

LED Puck lights illuminate the rear bench.  The thermostat for the heater is mounted above the sink.

Moar cabinet shots.  Pardon the wires!

The rear Polk Audio speakers and LED puck lights.

And now on to my FAVORITE addition to the van so far - the rear swingouts from Rocky Mountain Westy (http://www.rockymountainwesty.com/).  The right swingout has a fold-out tray to hold gas/water/beer coolers.

Rugged, steel AWESOMENESS.

IT'S HAPPENING!

    In November of 2013, I put out a Craigslist ad looking for a cabinetmaker that specialized in boat and RV work.  After sorting through the portfolios of a few local craftsmen, I came across Paul Jacqua's work (http://www.marinwoodworks.net/).  Paul's been in the business since 1974, he's worked on RV's, boats, and I had the chance to check out some of his recent projects at his shop.

   Paul and I worked through the details of coming up with a practical, rugged, and modern-looking kitchen for Westly.  We settled on using a pre-finished Maple veneer plywood.  The cost was right, at about $45 per 4x8 sheet, and it was strong and lightweight.  Just by chance, Paul had an extra lot of Corian countertop.  I had been toying with the idea of using Coran, concrete, or granite, so it comes as no surprise that I jumped at the chance to use it in this project.

A couple of weeks into the build.  These are going to be the rear shelves.

Fitting all of the appliances into the cabinetry was a challenge, especially if I wanted to keep the middle bench seat.

Paul invited me over for a test fit to show the build progress.

Modular shelving of Paul's own design.  Space was limited under the sink, so he made use of the scrapped ABS panel that filled the wall behind the new cabinetry.

New Door Panels

I came across a set of ABS panels on eBay and emailed the seller to see if he could make a full Westy set.  Turns out they look pretty damn cool installed!  Cutting holes for the speakers was a trick.  I had to build a custom circle jig, and the mounting positions are different in each door, so it was a lot of measuring and remeasuring with my digital caliper.

http://stores.ebay.com/werksberg

Westly Gets New Shoes

I took Westly to the mechanic for some brake work, and he told me that I should have a look at my right front tire.  I'm not really sure how it didn't blow out on me, given that it had a +1 foot tear on the sidewall...  A new set of 16" alloys from GoWesty with some nice tires later, and Westly had gained some road manners and lost some highway noise!

PSA - Leave Woodwork To The Pros

I tried my hand at cabinetmaking for the van.  I had drawn everything up in Google SketchUp and figured I didn't have much to lose.  Well, turns out cabinetmaking is an art.  The end result was a lot sloppier that I wanted, so we're keeping the accessories and beginning the search for a professional cabinetmaker.

The 4th In The Sierras

A few friends and I took Westly into the Sierras for the 4th of July for some much-needed mamping (man-camping).  Needless to say, there was a substantial difference in cruising speed and comfort between the guys in my buddy's new M3 and Westly, but there's nothing that the 1000W sound system can't overcome!  The climb into the mountains was a bit hard on the van - it was 108˚F in the valley, and the steep highway up had us cruising in the shoulder at 25mph.  We had done a bunch of research about dispersed camping before heading up, and needless to say, we found a great spot (details below)!  Lots of off-roading and a serene hike to a nearby lake.

http://www.totalescape.com/outside/campsites/14s11-sequoia-nf/

Westly Geets Bootylicious

Not taking a liking to having bare bumpers, we placed an order for Twin Peaks bumpers from Rocky Mountain Westy (http://www.rockymountainwesty.com/).  Installing the bumper was a SNAP!  Drilled a few holes in the front bumper with a step drill, and everything slid right into place.  I was worried that the dent in the front bumper would need to be flattened, but the plates seemed to fit right over it.  Chrissy's dad also hooked us up with a sweet carbon-fiber pattern Colgan bra!