[fingerjabber]

Hi guys

When I was converting my van into a motor home I took lots of photos of everything I did, so I decided to make a series of build guide videos using these photos and explain what I was doing and sharing any tips that I picked up along the way. I thought they might be useful to some of you guys thinking about or converting your own van. There are 6 videos in the series and are about 10 minutes long.
Hope you like them. Andy

 

[tahoematt]

Love your van! I'm modeling half my design after yours. Especially want to install the curtains! I've watched all your videos multiple times, but have some questions.

What is US equivalent of stixall? I see I can order it on Amazon. Is this as good or better than screwing or bolting in the battons? It would be better for a thermal break but in terms of strength will it hold for 10 years? I don't want my roof falling down, or my cabinet falling off.

I would love to know more about your electrical, and your conduit/wiring process. Can you get more detailed about that?

Thanks,

I'm starting my insulation tomorrow!

 

[fingerjabber]

Hi,

not sure of a US equivalent but Stixall is all i used for all of my battens with no screws just make sure that the area is clean or it could fail, i cleaned out the whole inside of my van with soapy hot water to remove all the dust and dirt when i removed all the old van panels, i also used panel wipe before sticking my batten in place to make sure it was clean. I think as long as you leave it long enough to cure before fixing to it i think it will be fine, i stuck a batten in the wrong place and had to remove the next day and it was the batten that gave up before before the stixall (batten just broke up leaving a bit of wood stuck to the stixall, i had to cut it off to remove it).

When fitting the ply i used stixall but also used the a few screws in to the battens just to pull it in place.

I tried to not go too much in to detail about the electrics as i didn't want people with absolute no idea of electrics doing it wrong, i have a diy/builder background and have done household electrics before, i think if you haven't got a basic idea of electrics then i would suggest getting a qualified electrician to help out.

Hope this helps and good luck, anything else just ask Andy

 

[DCGH]

Hi,

not sure of a US equivalent but Stixall is all i used for all of my battens with no screws just make sure that the area is clean or it could fail, i cleaned out the whole inside of my van with soapy hot water to remove all the dust and dirt when i removed all the old van panels, i also used panel wipe before sticking my batten in place to make sure it was clean. I think as long as you leave it long enough to cure before fixing to it i think it will be fine, i stuck a batten in the wrong place and had to remove the next day and it was the batten that gave up before before the stixall (batten just broke up leaving a bit of wood stuck to the stixall, i had to cut it off to remove it).

When fitting the ply i used stixall but also used the a few screws in to the battens just to pull it in place.

I tried to not go too much in to detail about the electrics as i didn't want people with absolute no idea of electrics doing it wrong, i have a diy/builder background and have done household electrics before, i think if you haven't got a basic idea of electrics then i would suggest getting a qualified electrician to help out.

Hope this helps and good luck, anything else just ask Andy

I think the Canadian and possibly the US equivalent of Stixall is something like Nomorenails.
Awesome set of videos Andy, its good to hear an English accent for a change as well

 

[tahoematt]

When you installed your outer layer of 25mm Kingspan how did you attach it to the battons? There is an air gap between the back of this kingspan and the foil bubble wrap, so how did you adhere the inside layer of poly iso to your battons (It is a flush finish)

 

[fingerjabber]

Hi,

the kingspan was cut to fit inside the battens as tight as possible and stuck in place with a couple of blobs of expanding foam behind it and also if the're any small gaps around the kingspan the squirt a little foam to fill them. make sure the kingspan is pushed far enough in so its flush with your battens.

just make sure the US equivalent of Stixall that you use has the same properties, maybe ask at a local builders supplies

DCGH thanks for your comment about our videos and my accent

 

[trhoppe]

Nice work on the videos and nice work on the van. My favorite part is the dinette between the front seats. I've already got the base and mount for the table, and was going to install it on the floor in front of my couch. I have pretty much the same floor plan/layout in the front that you do. But your video has made me totally change my mind. Brilliant!

Which swivels do you have? I'm going to copy you exactly

 

[MsNomer]

I think this a first on this forum: a closet for dance clothes.

And this tidbit is a gem: using a tile spacer in adhesive.

 

[fingerjabber]

Hi guys, the seat swivels are CTA swivels and are crash tested as well so good quality they swivel in the middle not offset which is good if you're gonna have the dinette in the front like mine, i would recommend the lower seat bases as it would give more space to get your legs in and out. I only have one for the drivers seat as my wife is petite and said she will be fine and save the £140 so i said ok

Yes the tile spacer tip i got off another forum and is perfect for sticking the battens on especially when the surface is curved and you have to force the batten in to shape.

Closet for dance clothes was my wife's main requirement and it had to be large

 

[tahoematt]

How many tubes of stixall do you think you went through on the whole build?

 

[DCGH]

Hi,

the kingspan was cut to fit inside the battens as tight as possible and stuck in place with a couple of blobs of expanding foam behind it and also if the're any small gaps around the kingspan the squirt a little foam to fill them. make sure the kingspan is pushed far enough in so its flush with your battens.

just make sure the US equivalent of Stixall that you use has the same properties, maybe ask at a local builders supplies

DCGH thanks for your comment about our videos and my accent

Living in Canada now but being English I miss the accent

 

[fingerjabber]

I would say i used at least 30 tubes of stixall might even be 40 i stopped counting lol

 

[DCGH]

I would say i used at least 30 tubes of stixall might even be 40 i stopped counting lol

Do you have shares in the company?

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Wowsa that’s about 25 pounds of adhesive! (10 Kilograms for you metric lands)

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

Do you have shares in the company?

Or maybe enjoy the fumes?

 

[fingerjabber]

Do you have shares in the company?

I wish i did as a lot of people use it over here for self builds! maybe then i wouldn't have to self build lol

 

[tahoematt]

I wish i did as a lot of people use it over here for self builds! maybe then i wouldn't have to self build lol

How did you deal with the two air vents in the bottom rear of the van? I'm doing one layer of 25mm polyiso against van skin and then another layer framed in wood like you have. There will be a small gap between the two. Did you put polyiso around the vents? Did you remove them?

 

[tahoematt]

Would it be possible for you to post your wiring diagram here?

Did you run your solar through conduit? Where?

 

[leshall]

I would wager that Sikaflex is very similar to Stixall...

https://goo.gl/hcc7t5


L