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Ecotec swap, 2wd to Syncro conversion & camper build
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Who knew Alex Trebek was an interior decorator in his spare time

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Christopher Schimke
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zeitgeist 13 wrote:
Who knew Alex Trebek was an interior decorator in his spare time


Funny! I thought the EXACT same thing when I saw that! Although, I'm sure that Alex has ear canals and lips.
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DAV!D
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zeitgeist 13 wrote:
Who knew Alex Trebek was an interior decorator in his spare time

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Heh, he's the actor with Sketchup which gives you something to help compare scale, beside just the measurements, it's nice to see a actual human size figure. Surprised
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ripvanagonwinkle
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As long as you're going from the blank slate approach…
http://www.tosimplify.net/p/rig.html

Cabinets on both sides might not be the worst idea either.. I don't think I've seen anybody else take this approach.

DAV!D wrote:
Now that I'm moving into the camper build phase, I've been toying with various layouts in my head. I finally put pen to paper (or well to Sketchup) and molded out a rough go of one of my interior ideas. The dimensions are close but not exact and I didn't bother with modeling the curve of the van walls. The upper cabinets will obviously be smaller once built into the van due to the curve of the van sides & roof line.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


The colors are just for reference and it's unlikely what I'd use. The rear cabinet will hold my Folding mountain bike, hence no side doors. It would instead be open in the back with access via the hatch. It would also allow at a later date the ability to cut in a side door add shelf ect if I decided to.

The silver box next to the seat is a Whynter Dual Zone Refrigerator/Freezer Which I plan to use. Do to the fact when I take off in my van I'm gone for months at a time, I want a bigger fridge and this time I want a real freezer.

I'm not 100% sure if I like the frig/freezer next to the bed, but this is the most space efficient set up that I've come up with and it allows the top of the fridge to be use as extra counter top space. The cabinet it sits it would also be insulated on the sides to help keep it cool & quiet.

I do have another layout in my head which put the fridge at floor level into the cabinets behind the drivers seat. It would sit on a slide out shelf in order to access the door while still have cabinets above it.

I'm back and forth on which idea I like better, so this is the first one..
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DAV!D
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ripvanagonwinkle wrote:
As long as you're going from the blank slate approach…
http://www.tosimplify.net/p/rig.html

Cabinets on both sides might not be the worst idea either.. I don't think I've seen anybody else take this approach.

DAV!D wrote:
Now that I'm moving into the camper build phase, I've been toying with various layouts in my head. I finally put pen to paper (or well to Sketchup) and molded out a rough go of one of my interior ideas. The dimensions are close but not exact and I didn't bother with modeling the curve of the van walls. The upper cabinets will obviously be smaller once built into the van due to the curve of the van sides & roof line.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


The colors are just for reference and it's unlikely what I'd use. The rear cabinet will hold my Folding mountain bike, hence no side doors. It would instead be open in the back with access via the hatch. It would also allow at a later date the ability to cut in a side door add shelf ect if I decided to.

The silver box next to the seat is a Whynter Dual Zone Refrigerator/Freezer Which I plan to use. Do to the fact when I take off in my van I'm gone for months at a time, I want a bigger fridge and this time I want a real freezer.

I'm not 100% sure if I like the frig/freezer next to the bed, but this is the most space efficient set up that I've come up with and it allows the top of the fridge to be use as extra counter top space. The cabinet it sits it would also be insulated on the sides to help keep it cool & quiet.

I do have another layout in my head which put the fridge at floor level into the cabinets behind the drivers seat. It would sit on a slide out shelf in order to access the door while still have cabinets above it.

I'm back and forth on which idea I like better, so this is the first one..


I've seen his blog before and it's where I found out about the 12v dual frig/freezer but I don't like such a narrow bed like he has. It's not a bad set up, but no room for company.. Laughing
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bostig
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great work so far!

A couple tips just from the exhaust pics:

- Go with a thicker flange where your collector meets the manifold, it will warp/leak
- add a flex coupler, otherwise you'll get flexing/cracking/leaking
- use the same muffler we spec out in the Bostig kit, it's the quietest we've found, won't be the flow bottleneck for you, and should fit. See the manual under the Support -> documentation section. Also the muffler will get quieter over the first 5k or so if it uses common roving as it soots up.

Cheers,

Jim Akiba
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DAV!D
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

bostig wrote:
Great work so far!

A couple tips just from the exhaust pics:

- Go with a thicker flange where your collector meets the manifold, it will warp/leak
- add a flex coupler, otherwise you'll get flexing/cracking/leaking
- use the same muffler we spec out in the Bostig kit, it's the quietest we've found, won't be the flow bottleneck for you, and should fit. See the manual under the Support -> documentation section. Also the muffler will get quieter over the first 5k or so if it uses common roving as it soots up.

Cheers,

Jim Akiba


Thanks for the tips. Your kits were my first thought when I decided to do an engine swap, but sadly it was a bit out of my budget. I did see , not one but two Bostig conversions while in Texas last year and will say you did a great job building a full package that the average mechanically inclined person could put together. I was impressed with how well everything looked on your conversions.
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bostig
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your welcome! Thanks for the compliments. Yes the price paid in going a developed route doesn't make sense for everyone. But such is the price of having something that can literally work for anyone.

The big difference is issues which explorers/homebrewers like you know is par for the course (and sometimes part of the fun), but paying customers consider deal breakers and poor product.

I wish we could use HP Tuners instead of SCT for our kits, but Eric has his hands full on the new stuff... they don't care about little old us with 500 conversions Crying or Very sad they want the new applications with thousands-10s of thousands... each year.

Jim Akiba
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MsTaboo
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DAV!D wrote:
Now that I'm moving into the camper build phase, I've been toying with various layouts in my head. I finally put pen to paper (or well to Sketchup) and molded out a rough go of one of my interior ideas. The dimensions are close but not exact and I didn't bother with modeling the curve of the van walls. The upper cabinets will obviously be smaller once built into the van due to the curve of the van sides & roof line.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


The colors are just for reference and it's unlikely what I'd use. The rear cabinet will hold my Folding mountain bike, hence no side doors. It would instead be open in the back with access via the hatch. It would also allow at a later date the ability to cut in a side door add shelf ect if I decided to.

The silver box next to the seat is a Whynter Dual Zone Refrigerator/Freezer Which I plan to use. Do to the fact when I take off in my van I'm gone for months at a time, I want a bigger fridge and this time I want a real freezer.

I'm not 100% sure if I like the frig/freezer next to the bed, but this is the most space efficient set up that I've come up with and it allows the top of the fridge to be use as extra counter top space. The cabinet it sits it would also be insulated on the sides to help keep it cool & quiet.

I do have another layout in my head which put the fridge at floor level into the cabinets behind the drivers seat. It would sit on a slide out shelf in order to access the door while still have cabinets above it.

I'm back and forth on which idea I like better, so this is the first one..


Remember you need to allow for free space around the fridge/freezer vents to breath. It will not work in an enclosed box. Also do you really need a dedicated freezer?
We love our 63q Edgestar single zone fridge/freezer, but it's pretty big. It's nice to be able to use as a freezer when buying bulk frozen goods, but while camping we never feel the need to have a freezer.
The 43q single zone version might work better in your layout. I have often thought about building our own camper layout with the fridge on the floor behind the driver on sliders like you mention. That would help with keeping the weight down low and easier to vent. Would also allow use of a stock Westy water tank. Currently ours sits behind the passenger seat like most.
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DAV!D
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MsTaboo wrote:

Remember you need to allow for free space around the fridge/freezer vents to breath. It will not work in an enclosed box. Also do you really need a dedicated freezer?
We love our 63q Edgestar single zone fridge/freezer, but it's pretty big. It's nice to be able to use as a freezer when buying bulk frozen goods, but while camping we never feel the need to have a freezer.
The 43q single zone version might work better in your layout. I have often thought about building our own camper layout with the fridge on the floor behind the driver on sliders like you mention. That would help with keeping the weight down low and easier to vent. Would also allow use of a stock Westy water tank. Currently ours sits behind the passenger seat like most.


Yes there is actually 3 vents on that fridge. but my cabinet is 21" & the fridge is 18" so I will have cut outs at each vent and if I have to, I'll duct the rear vent.

As far as do I need a freezer.. Well do you need a freezer in your home? Heh, most people don't need one but it sure comes in handy. I travel on extended trips my last was 8 months, so while I can get by with out a freezer or even with out a fridge, it's sure nice to have one.. Razz

It allows me a bit more variety of things I can eat. Like frozen veggies vs canned or ice cream.. Very Happy
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Merian
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

re a blank slate approach - why not go to an Airstream convention and hang out with a camera for a while?

a true cult following for those things
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DAV!D
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Merian wrote:
re a blank slate approach - why not go to an Airstream convention and hang out with a camera for a while?

a true cult following for those things


My grandparents used to love those, but seems they have a hipster following out in Cali these days almost like Vanagons. I've seen some really nice remolded ones before.

For myself though I like sticking to Vanagon size because I drive it everyday but still need decent livable space. Nothing else really compares for the usable space with the size of the Vanagon.

I do sometimes let my mind wonder to picking up a full size van, maybe a AWD Express, specially if you could get it with the Duramax (I dunno if that's even an option on the AWD platform likely not) however for now at least I enjoy my Vanagons. I was second guessing myself mid way through my engine swap though.. Laughing

Hence the reason I opted to hold off on doing the front half of the Syncro swap until I hit the road again for a bit.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Here is a second version I was toying with. This one has the fridge down in the main cabinet section and is built on a slider which allows the chest doors to open when the fridge is slides out but still tucks away with out wasting too much space.

The main cabinet doors on this design are side to side sliders, to maximize usability. I think I like the other design better as it seems to have the most accessible storage space, but I wanted to model this one out in order to get a better view of it.

One thing to keep in mind is on both designs there will be a small sink in the counter top, I just didn't model it in on either of them as the sink might instead go into a cabinet which is made behind the passenger seat if I do add a cabinet there.
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Any questions... Laughing The van even with the current tires is pretty capable of staying up with traffic at freeway speeds. It will hit 80mph without any bemoaning, but it is a Vanagon and I don't really care to drive it at 80mph.. much..


I drove the van down to the Grant Seafood Festival over the week end and today over to Tampa & back (Orlando traffic sucks so bad on I4).. I've probably put 500 to 600 miles on it since I finished the conversion and so far no issues out side of the starter.

I've also pulled out the interior and I'm working on putting in some insulation and getting things ready to build out the camper build. (oh I sourced a Westy top but that's another post)
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DAV!D wrote:

Any questions...


Hey, I dig this one, being a GM fan as well. But I must have missed it - what's the down side to using the stock GM fuel pump (other than modding the sending unit) and the stock GM ECU (other than, well, it's stock)?
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Something neither of your drawings show, but you might consider, is an access door to the bench-seat storage area. Something that would allow you reach under there without lifting the seat.
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ktr-sb wrote:
DAV!D wrote:

Any questions...


Hey, I dig this one, being a GM fan as well. But I must have missed it - what's the down side to using the stock GM fuel pump (other than modding the sending unit) and the stock GM ECU (other than, well, it's stock)?


Modern fuel pumps are installed in the fuel tanks. Usually they go into the tank from the top, so I don't even know if it would be possible. I didn't want to mess with anything like that, so just used a known fuel pump which worked.

The stock ECU has anti theft built into it and the engine will not run unless it has the matching key hooked up to it. I've never done it but you have to turn that off you also have to wire in relays for things like the fuel pump, electric fan and so on.. All this is controlled by the ECU.
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SCM wrote:
Something neither of your drawings show, but you might consider, is an access door to the bench-seat storage area. Something that would allow you reach under there without lifting the seat.


The seat in the van now has a full width zbed from an old campmobile and it has the front door. I've thought about making one on the new set up, but I have to see where I'm going to mount the house batteries and my water tank.
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Vanagon Nut
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Trebek would have posed that as a question?

Wink

Way to go!



DAV!D wrote:


Any questions... Laughing


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First off, great thread and nice work, Props! Second I wish I caught you while you were in Colorado. I was super busy at that time. Third I am in a Reimo now, had many a Westfalia over the years. Guess what, nothing is perfect Sad. You have a shot at perfect. The Reimo has fantastic winter thermal windows, insulation and a thermostat controlled forced air furnace. It is a sub zero beast. What were they thinking putting the water storage under it. Can I say cube ice is hard to pump. If you are planning winter camping, keep your water in the rig. I will, on my final build. I also will put my spare on the back bumper with batteries where the spare went. I do not now have, but in the future will add access to under the rear seat with out having to raise it. I can not wait to see what you come up with. I know it will be cool!
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