mullerb's musings

You gotta have fresh air to be happy and healthy. Our beast has some nice big side windows behind the driver's side and on the sliding door. But they don't open. So we opted for some windows that open. And a fan for cooking inside on rainy days and cooling things off on hot nights. I'm always happy to play with new tools and try new things but I just couldn't get myself psyched up to cut into such expensive sheet metal. Happy to have the pros do it. We had Tourig, a really top notch conversion shop in Golden, Colorado, install a Maxxair 6200 fan in the rear and two 10"x30" bunk windows for the rear quarter panels. Waiting for us to pick her up, post-op, at Tourig. The bunk windows. Should be nice for waking up to views. The fan is awesome: it's got a really cool design that allows it to be open in the rain and while driving. Didn't need to get fancy with a remote and electronic opening; just plain manual controls and no finicky rain sensor.

Van insulation seems to be a hot topic of debate among converters. Lots of opinions, most of which are not grounded in any scientific data other than to avoid fiberglass (yucky for lungs and skin if you get exposed to its dust). I did find some really helpful postings, with Sprinter Van USA being one of the best; they list and compare a heap of options .  After a bit of research, I visited a couple of local conversion shops to see what the pros do. Both local shops I visited use a bit of sound dampener on large metal panels, a thin layer with reflective properties, topped off by automotive grade Thinsulate. I opted to do the same and used: Noico 80mil butyl sound dampener, 36 sqft This stuff is primarily used by the folks that install kick butt stereo systems in their cars and trucks. When applied to a large metal surface, it prevents it from acting like a drum and instead dampens audio waves as they transfer their energy to the metal surface. If 30-50% of a large, unifo

Oiy. It’s one thing to peruse the Sprinter forums before you own one of these beasts, quite a different thing when you have one sitting in your driveway. Several months of trolling #vanlife is inspiring and puts all sorts of fun ideas in your head. With the actual blank slate sitting out front, all bare and ready to accept my blood and sweat, my giddiness was dulled with a twinge of anxiety. Not only is a metal box a whole different medium than what I’m used to, but Spinters also lack any straight lines to work with. It’s a far cry from remodeling a kitchen or bathroom. And things are expensive! Sticker shock has been a common reaction as I started putting together the hit list of items needed to do this thing up properly. One of the real issues with #vanlife trolling is that you start to set some pretty darn high expectations for a finished conversion. Since the blank slate itself is such a big investment, you really don’t want to skimp on what you put in it. Add a tight deadline