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Promaster Band Van/Camper/Beach-Mobile Build Finished

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11K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  Vic5491  
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#1 · (Edited)
I bought my 2014 Promaster in May of 2017. It was stark white and completely empty when I got it. I spent about 5 months working on it (along with my regular job and also performing weekly with my band). It was quite and adventure building it, I give LOTS of props to friends here on the forum for sharing their experiences. This van was built for my band as a travel dressing room/hang out area and quickly became a mini-camper/beach-mobile once my wife and daughter threw in their ideas too! We have camped out a couple times since it's completion and have really enjoyed it. I was able to include every "want" I had on my list for a dream band van, plus lots of extras, so this works perfect for my situation. I have no intention of living out of it, so it might not work for everyone. Thought I'd share my finished project nonetheless. Hope you like it! Let me know what you think.

Here's a link to my YouTube van tour for more details on my build: https://youtu.be/G9EzlGKTcfk
 

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#3 · (Edited)
Yes... I live in Orlando, FL and have had a few gigs on 95 degree days. The A/C saved the day! I plug it in when we get to the event and leave it running all day. The interior of the van stays at a cool 72 degrees while its a humid 95 outside. My band mates and I (5 in all) are able to pile in the van and stay cool during breaks. This was a necessary mod for living in FL... I didn't have any real-estate on my roof for a Dometic, and didn't really want the added height either. I planned this solution out a lot before cutting into my back door. With the right support and tilt the A/C works like a charm, drains properly, and sits as secure as can be on my back door. I caulked it into place and have no leaks, I also routed the wiring through the existing black flex tube in the rear door and connected it to my shore power inlet on my rear bumper. All nice and neat... looks great and does the job!
 
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#7 ·
Hi Tom,
I actually got the camera idea from some folks here on the forum. You'll notice when you open the rear door the camera comes on. So the suggestion was to tap into the wiring in the back door that is tied to the sensor that tells you the rear door is open. I hadn't found anyone who had actually done it yet, so I gave it a try before doing my build because I really wanted to use the camera on demand. I found the wiring pretty easily and toyed with it until I narrowed it down to the wire that turns the camera on and off. I extended that wire all the way up to the front dashboard and interrupted it with the little switch I put on the console, then ran it back to the rear door and reconnected it where it originally was. Now the result of flipping the switch is just like opening the rear door, only I don't have to open the rear door. The only downside is the car thinks the rear door is open so it won't allow any doors to lock and the dash "door open" red indicator light is on. Not a big deal for me since I don't ride around with it on all the time. But it sure does come in handy when I want to see behind me and I'm not in reverse!
 
#8 ·
nice build. Way to juggle all the needs of a multipurpose van. lIke the web cage for gear on the bed. Been winding a strap though each of my items and its a bit of a pain. The cage is a great idea, for organization and for safety.

Lots of great solutions. Good work.
 
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#10 ·
I learned the hard way when loading band gear on the bed... I stopped too quickly and a giant keyboard fell forward onto the bench and crashed to the floor. Thankfully it didn't break itself or anything else... and I hadn't picked up my band mates yet so luckily no one was on the bench! :eek: Lesson learned, put the web cage up the next week and haven't had a problem since.
 
#13 · (Edited)
On mine, there are back windows.

My thought is to take out the driver side door window and make a metal "copy" of it that would be bolted in place of the glass. From there, it's easy. Well, at least easi-er!

On last year's trip to FL, we stayed in the van a number of nights and the temps weren't too bad.. that was in early May!
 
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#18 ·
No mods to the steps themselves. Just used some positioning strategy with regards to how I mounted them, but pretty much followed the standard mounting instructions. I bought some metal tubing at HD and made sturdy extensions for the longer bolts that attach to the body crimp area. Also used some more heavy duty screws than the ones included to bolt the mounting bracket onto the underside. They work great and hold more weight that I can give... I trust'em!
Attached a couple photos...
 

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#15 ·
Tks for pics of install of air on door....mine will be ge model on a city door....planning to mount it higher in the false window material...besides the metal braces on the outside would it be advisable to maybe use some 1 x 4 inside parallel to the metal braces??????...
do you see anything that jumps out on doing the same as you on the city.....the ge is smaller but weighs about the same
 
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#22 ·
baitbegger44## said:
Shan....did you use the bottom inside and outside brackets bent to achieve the correct angle????
or did you make the opening slightly larger so you could tilt the refrigerator
Click to expand...
I bent the brackets during installation. But I did it incrementally as I mounted the AC. I didn't need to make the cutout hole any bigger than necessary to slide the AC unit into the slot.
Basically once I cut the hole and checked for fit, I then installed the rail brackets on top, bottom, & sides inside and out so the frame was in place, fully bolted, and secure on the rear door. I used some heavy duty pliers to bend the rails just a little, but not too much (outer rail downward, inner rail upward). Then I put the AC in place and fastened it to the top outer rail with two screws and each outer side rail with one screw about midway down to hold it in place and allow me to rock it back and forth. I got the AC positioned by gently tugging on the back outside downward and used a level on top to ensure I had the tilt right. By gently tugging on the back of the AC enough it bent the rails a little more (ever so slightly... everything was done in very small increments). Once I got the tilt right I fully screwed in the sides to hold the tilt. Then I screwed the rest of the top and bottom rails in to the AC and that caused some bend in the rails as well. Gave it one final level check and a few more tugs downward in the rear once it was fully fastened. Didn't move much once it was fully fastened though, so get your tilt right before you screw it in all the way.
 
#24 ·
Shaun said:
I bought my 2014 Promaster in May of 2017. It was stark white and completely empty when I got it. I spent about 5 months working on it (along with my regular job and also performing weekly with my band). It was quite and adventure building it, I give LOTS of props to friends here on the forum for sharing their experiences. This van was built for my band as a travel dressing room/hang out area and quickly became a mini-camper/beach-mobile once my wife and daughter threw in their ideas too! We have camped out a couple times since it's completion and have really enjoyed it. I was able to include every "want" I had on my list for a dream band van, plus lots of extras, so this works perfect for my situation. I have no intention of living out of it, so it might not work for everyone. Thought I'd share my finished project nonetheless. Hope you like it! Let me know what you think.

Here's a link to my YouTube van tour for more details on my build: https://youtu.be/G9EzlGKTcfk
Click to expand...
just some duck tape
Image


Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
 
#26 · (Edited)
5000 or 5500 btu....one room air conditioner
Buy @ Wally world.....i bought 2 year warrenty
Warrenty nationwide....

the brackets under AC are at 90° so front end must be raised by slope or wedges under front tires

besides brackets underneath used L brackets inside & out at top of AC.....see dimple of screw head on alum tape

*****buy one with thermostat*****

Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
 
#30 · (Edited)
til Shawn reveals his details....

Seems like another lifetime now....had 18' daysailoer with cuddly cabin....its walls in cabin were fibreglass covered by carpet....sailing in Biscayne Bay the waters are shallow and lots of humidity.....humidity not as bad as Houston....anyway I cracked the gelcoat and til I fixed that the carpet walls stayed wet because there was water in the bilge constantly.....affected performance also

ya might check with MrsNomer about weep holes in your promaster

Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
 
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#31 ·
Shaun said:
I bought my 2014 Promaster in May of 2017. It was stark white and completely empty when I got it. I spent about 5 months working on it (along with my regular job and also performing weekly with my band). It was quite and adventure building it, I give LOTS of props to friends here on the forum for sharing their experiences. This van was built for my band as a travel dressing room/hang out area and quickly became a mini-camper/beach-mobile once my wife and daughter threw in their ideas too! We have camped out a couple times since it's completion and have really enjoyed it. I was able to include every "want" I had on my list for a dream band van, plus lots of extras, so this works perfect for my situation. I have no intention of living out of it, so it might not work for everyone. Thought I'd share my finished project nonetheless. Hope you like it! Let me know what you think.

Here's a link to my YouTube van tour for more details on my build:
Click to expand...
What BTU and brand AC unit did you install? Is it adequate when the temps outside are in the mid to high 90s F? How long does it take to cool down a hot van?
 
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