This is what happens when a aircraft engineer tries to build a van and thinks he knows it all😩

 

. edited. Not relevant

 

.not relevant

I think it is relevant.

 

This is a fascinating conversion and the guy is clearly smart. But there are a few huge problems here.

Roof penetrations, as you pointed out. That many roof penetrations, plus the shifting shape of the very thin steel roof when he walks on it and drives it off-road... yikes. Adhesives, or seals in general, need a rigid backing that does not change shape. There's a finite life on that roof and it will not be pretty when it's time to fix the leaks.

The overall design is pretty reliant on a lot of adhesives, tape, buried components, etc. This guarantees that if you do have a problem, you won't be able to fix it easily, and if there's a water spill or a leak (from the roof with a million holes...) good luck.

The "huge aluminum subframe" is an entirely flawed design. A floor assembly that is mostly XPS foam (0.028 W/mK) with a horizontal cross-section of even 5% aluminum (~120-240 W/mK) is on the order of 10 W/mK, or in other words, essentially as "insulating" as a block of stainless steel. His floor will suck huge amounts of heat out of his van.

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember aluminum and stainless steel in contact. This is going to cause horrible galvanic corrosion.

That said... it's easy to point fingers from an armchair, and my own build has real flaws too. I made the same mistakes about buried components and adhesives which I criticize now. Plus, his overall build quality and thought put into things is a hell of a lot higher than the average Youtube build.

 

Over engineered , creates problems for the end user .

 

Could be a retired Boeing engineer. May create a problem with the end user (passenger/flyer and ground hazard dropping from sky with a sudden and abrupt gravity outcome).

 

Absolutely I agree with Mike on the silliness factor. I have done some silly things in my life. I got at least some satisfaction regardless of outcome.

Clecos hanging on that van roof? @RV8R is probably having a mind orgasm.

 

I need to catch up with more holes in my roof.

Seriously, I should add wood floor edge trim, he does have a point about the edge of the floor over insulation collapsing down. I don't get the appeal of a sharp corner aluminum trim though, seems great for hurting yourself.

 

Well then, do you have a better solution? Like, I want to know what you will be using. Seriously curious as I am sure others would find value.

 

Sheesh! 🤯

 

A lot going on there, and I have many thoughts, but I'll only leave a comment on one ...

Dude is an aviation engineer, and doesn't like that the roof flexes when he walks on it. Instead of reinforcing the crap out of it, why not just stencil "NO STEP" around the edges ... problem solved!

 

#therapycanhelp

Tells you he's in his fifties now and need to prioritize life, goes and installs hundreds of rivets in a perfectly fine roof.

 

. . . roof penetrations, plus the shifting shape of the very thin steel roof . . .

Thinking of the roof penetrations, I wonder if he used a fabric?

Poly-Mesh Roof Fabric Reinforcement - SureCoat Systems®

SureCoat Poly-Mesh Reinforcing Mesh Roof Fabric is a high-grade reinforcing roof fabric used for additional tensile strength with the SureCoat Roof System.

surecoatsystems.com

If that was part of the lay-up I would be much less freaked out by any vibration or twisting breaking the seal around the many rivets.

. . . remember aluminum and stainless steel in contact. This is going to cause horrible galvanic corrosion. . . .

Yes. He has worried a lot about sealing both he inside and outside, plus he is in Utah (dry) and wants to do "fourteeners" which would also be dry so maybe he can get away with it.

My guess is that he will get some corrosion at some point. But vehicles do not last that long and he is in a dry climate so maybe not.

. . . Clecos hanging on that van roof? @RV8R is probably having a mind orgasm.

It is a long series, but he makes an incredible slatted wing for "Scrappy":

He is quite well known in experimental aviation for making some incredible airplanes.

 

I stopped watching when I saw the stack of wood. Aviation inspired? Maybe WWI era.