DPL646 Posted December 25, 2017 Share Posted December 25, 2017 I live and work in Brooklyn, NY so the TC is a great solution to having to street park and still have an adventure van. I bought the van with 77k miles for $8300 USD. Iam going to be going cross country for the next two months and making a film about it. I just started the build and so far I have put in a sound system, reverse camera, maxxair fan, electrical system/battery to charge off the alternator, RTIC cooler-basically a yeti, roof rack, top case, insulated with reflectix/ polyiso board. In the next few days I will be adding cedar siding, slick locks for the doors and full size bed framing. Will be posting more photos soon. Let me know if you have any questions on the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted December 25, 2017 Share Posted December 25, 2017 Perfect timing. It is winter. You don't have to go anywhere. "Test Drive" it by sleeping outside for a week. Perfect, since you're already street parking. A buddy of mine has chosen to spend nights out in his driveway, sleeping in his Subaru, so that he can make adjustments as needed for things like his bedding, adding power, trying to charge with a solar panel on his car's roof, et cetera. He figures that if he can "live" in his car during the winter, it will be perfect for summer road trips and camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPL646 Posted December 25, 2017 Author Share Posted December 25, 2017 Iam actually heading south. I just drove from Brooklyn to Chicago. Now in Indianapolis finishing the build. From here I will go to Nashville, Atlanta, Charleston, Savanna, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, Santa Fe, San Diego and Los Angeles. Two months total. I will be sure to post from the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted December 25, 2017 Share Posted December 25, 2017 I’m now thinking a reflective tent cover of suitable size should be good to hook up to the walls and mid height for sleeping in winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted December 25, 2017 Share Posted December 25, 2017 Nice Sounds like a fun trip. Just got back from a western road trip on Christmas eve. Lot of shoveling to do here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted December 26, 2017 Share Posted December 26, 2017 Life in a band? Or life on the run from the law? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted December 26, 2017 Share Posted December 26, 2017 Just a 6800 mile road trip to See some family and some of the country I haven't seen yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPL646 Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 Almost done with the walls and ceiling. Decided to go with 1/4in aromatic cedar panels. I used 1/4in pine trim boards as boards to mount to. The pine trim boards were connected to the TC by self tapping screws. I just made a cardboard cutout of the side doors as template. I glued together some cedar boards with pine trim supports for that section of the wall. Tomorrow I will jigsaw the shape of the template and mount them to the doors. I insulated the behind the whole van with reflectix and polyiso board. More photos to come. Let me know if you have any questions. mrtn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Have you thought about venting the wall panels somehow to prevent condensation and the subsequent black mold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPL646 Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 Ive never seen anyone vent wall panels in a van before. Ive only seen people treat the wood with different stains and sealants. I didn't want to seal it because I was worried I would lose the smell. What are my options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Me neither but having seen moisture building up behind fixed panels in cars I can’t get the image out of my head. I have no idea what to do. Farm boy logic says I would drill holes in the bottom and near roof for convection to do the job but it may have the opposite effect. I talked to the contractors building my house, they say that a tight insulation prevents condensation buildup. Again, I have no idea but I would love to hear from anyone competent for the time I (possibly) decommission and start building mine (my 2012 wagon). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPL646 Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 I finished the build on Tuesday. Heres a few more photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loafer Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 How sweet it is! Enjoy. My son just returned with his 2012 build, elevated bed, storage, stereo. He racked up 20000 miles with no problems. He spent seven months on the West Coast. He loves the TC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chong Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Awesome build! Reminds me a lot of my build. I need to get moving on siding and making the walls look nice. I don't want to add holes to the van if I can help it though. That's been my hangup for over a year now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennwelch Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Very nice build and great road trip plans. Love the paneling, excellent. My road trip is still 18+ months away, but it is a lot of fun working on the van. I did just do my paper towel holder(s), will post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPL646 Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Been on the road for ten days now. No problems sleeping in residential areas. I put slick locks on the doors. I have expensive camera gear under the bed. Almost impossible to get to when you can't open the side or back doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPL646 Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 My 74 day trip is coming to an end. A lot of lessons learned, new friends made and already thinking about my next trip. 5500 miles so far. Currently staying the night in Ocean City, MD. Then heading to Philly and back to Brooklyn, NY. Let me know if you have any questions. -David jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 I have no questions. My God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Strayer Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 What kind of mattress did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPL646 Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 John, I did some research on memory foam mattresses and found that there are only a couple places that make them. The rest is all branding. I got a full size memory foam mattress on amazon that is only 6 inches tall https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBPG153/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It was very comfortable the whole trip. I will probably trip it down a bit behind the driver and passenger seats so that they can go back further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I have a similar Thule roof box and I cannot find any use for it. I am keeping it outside, perhaps someone else needs it more than I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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