David - the DC fan speed controllers operate by continuously switching the full 12v on and off really quickly. They control the motor speed by changing the percentage of the time the power is on versus the time the power is off. (It's called Pulse Width Modulation or PWM). The problem is that whilst the percentage of time on vs time off (the mark-space ratio) controls the speed well enough, the frequency at which that happens differs considerably between units. Lower frequencies are more efficient in some respects, but can produce an audio component by "rattling' the iron laminations in the motor. Higher frequencies are less efficient, but can be above the audio band thus avoiding the noise. (There can be some mechanical resonance issues here too). Some of the PWM controllers have a frequency control in addition to their speed control, so that they can be set to something that suits the particular situation. I fell foul of the fact that the frequency range of Ladies hearing is often much higher than men, so whilst I had adjusted the fan controllers in my boat to my satisfaction - my partner couldn't stand the noise. Ah, well! We can only be perfect most of the time I suppose.... I have bought units controlling up to 30 Amps from www.thaikits.com and they are very good indeed.
Without asking about your solar panel security, a short tale from a fella I knew some years ago who chained and padlocked his new working ladders onto his roof rack. Went out the next morning to find the roof rack and ladders missing. Just be alert, that's all you can do nowadays. Great vlog by the way, thank you.
Cheers, yes not a lot you can do about tea leaves who really want to nick stuff. If anything it's better that they can take it "easily" that is to say with minimal damage being done; I'd rather lose a panel than have the top of the van brutalised.
Have binged this entire build series and disappointed to be nearly at the end. Your van looks excellent and it's so satisfying to see it come together so quickly - well, quickly in 'viewer time' anyway!
For your bed you could get some legs like on a coffee table with a screw on one end. Then drill some holes in the cross bar the slates on nailed to. Put nuts or something in the drilled out hole with some epoxy and then you'd have some removable legs you could use. Also I still think a small 12V fan that you can point at yourself would be good for the dog days of August. A black van with the sunshine on it,,,,, who needs an oven for baking?
With the side door and roof vent open, it's surprisingly temperate even in the midday sun. If they're closed though, it certainly does heat up; I need to get a better-fitting sun reflector in the window (I have an old one designed for a Mercedes Vito which is not quite right)
The controller on the fans was a great idea. At full speed it sounded like you were about to take off. For the legs on the bed, how about mounting them to the pullout on the bed and finishing to match the cabinet under the bed.
My first plan for the bed was as you suggest but the trouble with those is that firstly I think the columns would look odd against the panelling on the bed side but more crucially, the legs would lift up and outwards towards you when the bed sections are lifted to get into the storage. So I'd have to hinge them to fall backwards as the bed went up but then when the bed goes down I'd have to get into contortions to pull them all out to make sure they missed the edge of the bed and fell into place. Or, I'd have to join the legs with a long strip of something to make it easier to pull them into place. It starts getting a bit of a bigger engineering solution than I'd like!
David, I am impressed with how well the whole van project has turned out you have shown yourself to be quite handy with a saw and hammer. Very well done indeed.
Lovely Job. I think it looks almost complete. The bed support might be a bit tricky, but I'm sure you will figure it out, as with the fridge trim. ( 370 pounds, yikes)
I would agree that a drop-down leg would be the best choice enabling a less than fully extended option as well as the fully extended. A few years ago, I kitted out a folding caravan, so everything had to be completely collapsible into the folded down shell. By using wooden frames clad with Formica and with a spray foam filling, I was able to create lightweight but rigid panels that did not require a crane to lift and put into place. Within the interior, I was able to create a toilet, shower, wash basin, kitchen including gas stove, fridge (12v/240v/lpg), sink, wardrobe, chest of drawers, double bed, dining table with seating for four, central heating h&c running water, etc. Why did you not get a refrigerator that would also use lpg to save your battery when completely off-grid?
The fridges that run on propane and 12V are horrifically inefficient when using 12V, much more so than the pure-12V versons. So, because I have lots of solar, it makes more sense to have an efficient 12V fridge that can run for free from the solar.
Somewhere in the bed construction you seem to have missed the bit where the facade of the box pulls out with the extendable bit. It looks neat when the sliding door is open. Just saying but.
I thought that, too - legs built in to the bits that slide out. But, there are a hundred ways to skin a cat, so they say. Apropos of nothing, are you from Hebburn, Peter?
My first plan for the bed was similar to what you suggest but the facade would always stay in place as it holds things inside that storage so I'd have to use vertical "legs" on the front of the bed. The trouble with those is that firstly I think the columns would look odd against the panelling on the bed side but more crucially, the legs would lift up and outwards towards you when the bed sections are lifted to get into the storage. So I'd have to hinge them to fall backwards as the bed went up but then when the bed goes down I'd have to get into contortions to pull them all out to make sure they missed the edge of the bed and fell into place. Or, I'd have to join the legs with a long strip of something to make it easier to pull them into place. It starts getting a bit of a bigger engineering solution than I'd like!
Find yourself some peel and stick vinyl tile for behind the stove. And it’ll look like a backsplash and be easy to cleanup and splashing from your stove. Or a thin sheet of stainless. Cut to shape.
Yeah, not sure about vinyl. I like the idea from an ease of install perspective and from the keeping it clean angle too. Not sure vinyl near a heat source is right though albeit the gap is to the stove manufacturer's specifications. Hmmm.....
Could I suggest that you undercut the ply on the cabin side of your fridge cupboard to allow some cool air to be drawn in. At the moment it looks like the hot air from the outlet can be sucked back around the fridge. Too much heat will kill a fridge. (RTFM)
Hello there, what about some screw on legs for the bed supports? it would save adding to the kitchen unit and may possibly be a lot stronger when you've got some weight on it. An interesting build. ATB
Well done David - all looking good and you have done a splendid job. The last 5% of these sort of projects always consumes disproportionate effort. Enjoy the van trip.👍
I have a dometic mine will Plug into Mains, cigarette lighter and I love it and even use it for day trips to keep drinks cool and regular camping they are a brilliant American brand. But yes very expensive x
I wonder if you could either buy / adapt / make some kind of wind deflector for the solar panels, but if the wind noise doesn't bother you there is not much point in going to the effort. Pull down camping table legs for the bed support? Ha ha - you have probably finished that job by the time this video was uploaded and are sitting with a cup of tea laughing at all of our suggestions!
Haha, shhhh, don't tell but ... this video was only recorded yesterday morning, edited in the afternoon and online by evening so in fact you and everyone else are now bang up to date. I've not finished it at all!
Hi. Nice video. Lots going on. Very good to see the in and outs of your Campervan build. Best wishes of safe travels. And please Be careful of the wild bears in the Surrey countryside. 😀👍
The 1 thing I have loved hearing on this vlog is "I'm quite happy with this" and that is all that matters. Re the veltrim carpet, you can get it a bit more flexible by heating it up a bit. Cut some bits and practice it. Looks great! Cushions look awesome in fact, the whole van looks awesome!! Nice work mate 👍
Constantly amazed at how your project comes together. While the "fit and finish" might be described as "man-cave" sufficient (I certainly like it), I'm betting your infrastructure is better than what is professionally done by manufacturers. Here in the States, there are big issues with quality control as demand exceeds output . . . and profit drives all.
After watching this video I'm pleased with it. = ) So far you've done a nice job on converting the van. It's 5:45am and I just woke up because I couldn't sleep very well. So I decided to watch a few of your vlogs. = )
Hello There is a roof spoiler by Thule which is meant to lower the noise and improve the aerodynamic drag 👌 I fitted one on my 4WD and it makes quite a difference .
Looking good, looking good. I'm so glad your doing so good @ this van built & video taping it so that others can follow this build when they decide to build there vans out. Even though you think your doing a bad job. I'm saying it looks just fine so don't worry yourself to death about the small stuff. Bc worrying is wasted energy. Just a few more minor things to do & you'll be set to go. Then you'll be cruising down the rode happy as a dung beetle on a hot summers day looking for some pooh to get into... lol... Keep it up David, Chris from Missouri
I think you have gone a long way since last time. I like the colour of the kitchen tops, and the fridge, I fancy one of those if I ever take my tent to an electric hookup camp site (Please don't tell real campers that I am thinking of electric hookups for a tent). I am guessing that something pretty and sticky from B&Q wont do for the window area, for you anyway, I think I could be happy with that. By the way, are your side and back windows tinted at all? Just thinking of the greenhouse effect on a nice summer's day.
Would the bed supports fixed to the side of the bed be a viable option. Relying on not slipping off small ledges seems precarious. Shift mid sleep, and slip off, and wedge however things fall. A support frame connected to the bed side would allow it to slide part way, or fully, and be supported, and would be minimally in the way against the side when slid in, not snagging on protrusions on the sink side as you move about.
The bed would never extend partially because the cushions wouldn't fit; it'll either be in or out so that's not an issue. I did ponder putting a little vertical catch on the side of the ledges to stop the bed being able to pull back while in use. As for legs on the side, my first plan was this but the trouble is that firstly I think the legs would look odd against the panelling on the bed side but more crucially, the legs would lift up and outwards towards you when the bed sections are lifted to get into the storage. So I'd have to hinge them to fall backwards as the bed went up but then when the bed goes down I'd have to get into contortions to pull them all out to make sure they missed the edge of the bed and fell into place. Or, I'd have to join the legs with a long strip of something to make it easier to pull them into place. It starts getting a bit of a bigger engineering solution than I'd like!
From advice I received, I used speaker enclosure material to cover some boxes for my 4WD. Much lighter than carpet and stretchier (!) although more expensive.
Sir David, I am so happy that you went with rigid panels rather than the flexible ones. I have had mine on my van since 2000 and have no problems. The flexible ones get burn marks on the cells after time as they have no way to disipate the heat when stuck on the roof. you will be so happy the way you did it. You sholdn't get too much wind drag on the panels as the wind should be deflected upward from the front wind screen. Also your noise may be from the thule racks themselves, there is a front fairing that clips on to the front bar to deflect the wind and will stop the noise.
Hi. Thank you, that's certainly what I'm hoping as regards the heat. The mpg still seems decent even with the panels. It's definitely them that are making the noise though, I didn't get it before I put them on (when it was just the roof rack)
David, are you sure your not a professional campervan builder? This van looks like you bought it off the lot. What a great build. Can't wait for the next update.
Having the 2 hinges against eachother is fine, if anything it'll stop you being able to accidentally "drop" the door on your hand which is easily doable on anything but a perfectly flat surface. Great progress David.
Hi David ... Since I know nothing about transforming a van I am amazed at all the good work you did. Not once did you pretend to be an expert, yet it is coming out darn nice ... Cudos to you for taking such a project. Miss a bit of your other video (the one on the water loll) but here, or there, I always wait for the new one to come out ... Have a great day ... A fan from Canada xx
Hi! I am a new subscriber, from the great plug you got from Rickvanman and I have spent this last 2 days of my holiday watching all 22 parts of the build and I am now sad I have no more parts to watch..for now lol. Love the van, you are entertaining, engaging and clever. Can't wait for more!
Wow, just Wow, I know you have a few little things to do but wow it looks amazing! You can use fabric on a frame around the top of the fridge to allow venting but hide the works. I would like to offer the recommendation that when you make the label for the fan speed knob please make it go to 11 because that would be quite funny. Enjoy your first night in the van, you have earned it.
You may want to add some ventilation opening in the front and the back, as well as close the gap left and right, so the fridge can 'use' the whole van to get rid of heat. It's effiecency (as in battery consumption) is highly dependant on incomming air temperature. With a (mostly) closed system, where it sucks in already heated air, it'll eat up the batteries. After all, it's the same problem every (real life) space ship got - geting rid of excess heat :))
Sure, but thats only one hole, the one the hot air is deposited in front of right? so the intake just sucks the hot air arround and in again. One hole isn't exactly a configuration that allows a flow, does it?
The air inside the van is unlikely to vary in temperature between the back by the doors and the inside where I sit so the airflow will be much the same whether I cut a hole or not.
didn't you improve your boat fridge's performance with holes in the floor, accessing the cool air of the bilge? It may be time for another hole in the floor of your van :-)
You may wish to investigate installing a deflector panel to the roof just ahead of the solar panels. The idea is to change the laminar flow of air across the roof. If you can deflect it properly, the root surface, vents and the solar panels would exist in a partial vacuum. You often see similar structures on lorry cabs, employed for the same purpose. With the root surface in (partial) vacuum, your gas mileage may actually increase and also reduce the annoying windsong. The van will also be pursued by still air (try fixing a flag against the rear panel: it hardly moves in the vacuum).
With regard to your mains electric sockets, I would suggest that you change the one that runs from the inverter to a different colour, ie Red. Or at the very least label them using the old "Dynotape" type labels. That would save you a mountain of confusion between "proper" mains electric and "manufactured" mains electric. Great videos, by the way. Keep them coming. Alan, Belfast.
Another great vlog - I;'m now fully up to date with these and the boat ones. I did my camper conversion 6 years ago and I'm still forever improving / upgrading / changing things on it! Very similar in that I have 200W of solar and a similar fridge (albeit the built in version). 220Ah of leisure battery but also charged by the alternator via a split charge relay in addition to the solar. I did find i had to substantially upgrade the wiring from battery to fridge to avoid power drop in the wires causing the low voltage protection to kick in when the compressor first comes on. If you do get shorter run times on the fridge than you expect that may be worth looking at. I solved my whistling solar panels by using the plastic ABS mountng brackets which also form a small wind deflector. Hard to explain but it works, you'll see what i mean if you look at the brackets on ebay.
Have you thought of having the fridge the other way round so that the exhausted warm air from the cooling process goes directly into the living space. A good sorce of clean warm air for nothing. Also it would mean the fridge is drawing slightly cooler air into its self. Have fun and well done, looking realy grand.
I did ponder this but only discovered which way round the fans were once I installed it!! Also, as there will be shelves in the rear corner, I didn't want them obstructed if I opened the fridge although I realise it would only be for a few seconds. I might yet change it around.
I know exactly how frustrated you must've felt when that shelf unit didn't work out like you hoped! I've been trying my hand at some woodwork for a while now and some days I'm just too pleased with what I've achieved, but on others I feel like I should just lock up the garage and never touch a tool again...
If you want to clean up around the fridge you can use speaker grill cloth stretched over a frame. It will black things out,give it a nice finished look yet it breathes really well. Also I'd recommend making trim panels for around the windows and then cover them.you can get a nice tweed fabric to match or accent the carpet and they'll be easier to wrap. If you're interested I can walk you through making custom fitted fiberglass resin trim panels if you want. It would really finish things off nicely. But as it is you've done a incredible job with things this far. Oh and one last thing ,if needed a 12volt computer fan will help with the fridge if you find too much heat but I doubt you'll need it.
Speaker cloth: genius idea. Thank you. As for the windows, I was considering doing what you say but I'd still need to carpet over the window edge itself otherwise it would still be visible (unless the trim panels cut *really* far into the viewable area of the window, which I don't want)
Vandemonium what we used to do on custom stereo installations was make panels formed to the area where you have the foil insulation. It would tuck in underneath the carpeted panel and butt up against the glass and be formed to fit the van bodies contours. It sounds messy but its not if you take your time. But what you do is tape the whole area off in masking tape. Then cut the fiber glass mat to fit the Area you want to use as a mold. Once out the excess and then carefully lay it up over the taped area. Then once dry you pull the mess out tape and call. At this point its pretty weak and flimsy so you need to be careful. But once outside the van you can add layers and be generous with the next resin and fiberglass. After its dry you trim IIT to fit with a jigsaw and use some filler to smooth out the surface. If you want to go crazy this stage can be smoothed for paint or wrapped in a thin foam to hide imperfections and in fabric or carpet etc.when it's finished you'll have a panel that is only a cm or 2 proud of the insulated area made to fit. Another option is if there was a factory panel that follows the contours by the window it can be trimmed to fit or used as a mold too. I haven't looked but UA-cam probably has a hundred videos, they're probably listed under things like making custom fiberglass speaker panels and pods etc. Just keep in mind most of the ones I've seen tend to use too much resin during the first step making a mess. Going light on the resin keeps things clean and easy,you can worry about strength when its out on the work bench.
Your videos are among the top 10 that I look forward to. Thanks. (Here are some of the company you keep on my computer: Sasnak, rusty78609, Intercity82, IndianaJack, campervankevin, RoadtrekRich)
avlisk he really puts out a quality video. Some of the stuff is produced better than the networks these days. Also its cool to see a Indiana Jack fan,he reminds me of my great uncle that drove a big rig. Also if you haven't yet go look at his boating channel.you won't be disappointed.
On your woodwork, prior to doing a final paint, relieve or round the edges of the wood to prevent the possibility of splinters or extra wear and tear on your beautiful cushions.
Realy looking great so far :) But I think you are going to need a little rubber piece under the wooden lid on the fridge to stop it from ratteling when you drive over bumpy roads.
Thule do a wind deflector which fits the front bar. If it's viable to install it may help with wind noise, as with most Thule stuff eye watering expensive.
I wonder if the fan would switch direction if you switched the power wires around, + to - and vice versa? It depends on whether there’s any electronics in there and what kind of DC motor it is, but if it works you could wire a direction change switch right next to the speed control. (Double pole single throw, break before make, motor controller output to the center contacts, fan wires in an X configuration to the outside contacts) Re the whining noise, that’s going to have to do with the frequency of PWM the two respective controllers do.
Hi David, i recently decided to turn my vito into a campervan and have taken much useful information from your vlog on building your own camper. The electrics i have particularly found daunting, but have managed to muddle through it. I have installed a le mans low profile vent in my roof and it has a switch to either suck or blow air in the van, however as with yours, there is only one speed in or out and its fast and noisy. I came back to your vlog on the solar panels and behold you started talking about a speed controller switch. Can you advise how this would work in regard to a fan that blows in or out, Thanks in anticipation ........
You just wire the unit into the power feed to the fan and it controls the pulses of voltage to the fan. It doesn't matter that the fan has its own switch for direction. I think I put a link to the controller I bought in whichever vlog I talked about it, didn't I? (if not, I'll try to find it)
Interesting that you found a fan speed controller that works silently. Mine also makes a noise, I put it down the circuit producing 'rough' DC so I mucked about with smoothing capacitors and the like to no avail. So I have a two speed fan, full on and off. I may be tempted to try again.
I am now up to date on Cruising the Cut (and loved every second) so I thought I'd try this vlog (ugly word) even though I have no interest in Vans, Campervans or do-it-yerself. You have a gift David...you make me laugh, you make me smile and you even, yes even, have germinated the merest hint, the tiniest tiddly tad, shall we agree on a miniscule, of interest the esoteric arts of DIY. I'm loving it.
The drop leaf access to the fridge and the fridge door itself opening in different directions will really work to your advantage. As it is located right at the back doors and the counter top door opens in, a little breeze from the back (with open doors) would slam that door right on your head. Opening the fridge in a different direction will actually prevent the top access from hitting you on the head when you are rummaging through your food. I will just presume that you were thinking ahead and this wasn’t a lucky accident. The aggravation you felt when the shelf didn’t fit would not compare to the aggravation one feels when the edge of a board whacks you on the forehead. Well done! A question...there were openings cut into the front of the cabinet near the fridge, though you said there would be garage access. What do you plan to do with the ‘holes’ at the interior front? Putting black speaker fabric in front of the fridge would allow ventilation while giving it a finished look. Finally, search for hemming a curved edge on UA-cam or online. The cutting they do will be the kind of cut you will need to do to wrap the carpet around the edges near the window. An exact cut (or notch, if you will) will make it sit smoothly and seamlessly. It might be worth looking at. Thanks for the video! R.
My bad. I looked again to be able to communicate exactly where, and see that you had transitioned from inside the van to around the back. An alarm or something must have gone off and I looked up just as you moved around to the back. I watched the whole section wondering why you cut the holes in the facing of the cabinet (14:09). Watching again without interruption shows me that the ‘holes’ that I was referring to were actually access points in the ‘garage’ at the back door of the van. In the words of Roseanne Rosanna Danna, ‘never mind’. (An American reference to a Gilda Radner character from the early Saturday Night Live skits. If you aren’t familiar, maybe you might google it so that you see the way she does that. It is in that very way that I say ‘never mind’) Brilliant video. I shall tell husband to stop setting off the alarms in the remaining videos. Although it could have been a nurse. We’ll never know. Thanks
Cor blimey, you are a clever git aren't you! And a busy one too i'll wager. I noted your plan for hiatus, and sad I'll be to miss you, but you do deserve a break don"tcher? Good on you for all the (polished) sterling work you have done David.
It's looking great David, wondering have you weighed the van with all your additions? You have more timber in there than an Ikea showroom, those smallish vans would be roughly 500kg load I'm guessing? All the best, Ray
That's truly amazing, puts a lot of much larger vehicles to shame! We went into the 'sports utility' scene here in Australia, massive V8 engines with rocket ship interiors that could only carry 350kg, or roughly a good weekends beer supply ;-) Regards, Ray
Good progress. The ventilation fan is surprisingly noisy at full speed. Good call to get a speed control. These are typically a potentiometer (variable resistor) or a variable pulse control modulation. Your two units likely have different designs and the fan likes on but not the other. These units can fail without any notice. Since it was so inexpensive, I would get a second of the one which works to have on-hand in case of failure. You can quickly replace this, but if you do not have a replacement, "Murphy" will decide to cause the unit to fail in the middle of a hot steamy night. Good idea to upgrade to add USB charging ports. Consider covering the window frames in something other than the carpet. How about some fabric to match the cushions. Fabric will be so much easier to install. Dave.
Good idea about the spare unit, I didn't know they were prone to failing. It was a lot noisier at full power on the controller than it was when I just plugged it into the battery, not sure why.
Wow that fan sounds like the van could have lift off! If you think the cushions are a little thin to sleep on have a look at a Duvalay. They were on dragons den and it’s a duvet with built in memory foam mattress. Very easy to roll up and store when not in use as well
Howard MacCallum. Re vlog 22 you could usesome plack grill material to surround your fridge but like the cook top plywood you would cut a big hole so the surround would fit arround the fridge. But at lease you could use the cut out piece to cover over othe ventelation spaces. May be you have already found another solution
I have no interest in a house boat or living in a van. So why I have watched hours of this man's videos? Good work.
You know someone is a canal person at heart when they refer to the mains power as the 'shore line'.
Maybe, but I've heard that before fairly frequently in the (US) RV/ camping scene, too..
David - the DC fan speed controllers operate by continuously switching the full 12v on and off really quickly. They control the motor speed by changing the percentage of the time the power is on versus the time the power is off. (It's called Pulse Width Modulation or PWM). The problem is that whilst the percentage of time on vs time off (the mark-space ratio) controls the speed well enough, the frequency at which that happens differs considerably between units. Lower frequencies are more efficient in some respects, but can produce an audio component by "rattling' the iron laminations in the motor. Higher frequencies are less efficient, but can be above the audio band thus avoiding the noise. (There can be some mechanical resonance issues here too). Some of the PWM controllers have a frequency control in addition to their speed control, so that they can be set to something that suits the particular situation. I fell foul of the fact that the frequency range of Ladies hearing is often much higher than men, so whilst I had adjusted the fan controllers in my boat to my satisfaction - my partner couldn't stand the noise. Ah, well! We can only be perfect most of the time I suppose.... I have bought units controlling up to 30 Amps from www.thaikits.com and they are very good indeed.
The van is looking amazing. The cushions have made it look really cozy
Wow, that fan probably has some serious vertical lift. Turn it on while driving and your mileage may improve dramatically :-)
Without asking about your solar panel security, a short tale from a fella I knew some years ago who chained and padlocked his new working ladders onto his roof rack. Went out the next morning to find the roof rack and ladders missing.
Just be alert, that's all you can do nowadays.
Great vlog by the way, thank you.
Cheers, yes not a lot you can do about tea leaves who really want to nick stuff. If anything it's better that they can take it "easily" that is to say with minimal damage being done; I'd rather lose a panel than have the top of the van brutalised.
Vandemonium Agreed.
Have binged this entire build series and disappointed to be nearly at the end. Your van looks excellent and it's so satisfying to see it come together so quickly - well, quickly in 'viewer time' anyway!
I think we might see a boat sale soon.... And
For your bed you could get some legs like on a coffee table with a screw on one end. Then drill some holes in the cross bar the slates on nailed to. Put nuts or something in the drilled out hole with some epoxy and then you'd have some removable legs you could use.
Also I still think a small 12V fan that you can point at yourself would be good for the dog days of August. A black van with the sunshine on it,,,,, who needs an oven for baking?
With the side door and roof vent open, it's surprisingly temperate even in the midday sun. If they're closed though, it certainly does heat up; I need to get a better-fitting sun reflector in the window (I have an old one designed for a Mercedes Vito which is not quite right)
Wow, that fan seems fitting for a wind tunnel!
Excellent you are almost there ! Then you can get out and about to n it
Best Regards
Dave, Jo and Louie 👍😀🐾
"Appropriate levels of security" = electric fence zapper hooked up to the chassis.
That'll keep the chavs at bay :P.
The controller on the fans was a great idea. At full speed it sounded like you were about to take off. For the legs on the bed, how about mounting them to the pullout on the bed and finishing to match the cabinet under the bed.
My first plan for the bed was as you suggest but the trouble with those is that firstly I think the columns would look odd against the panelling on the bed side but more crucially, the legs would lift up and outwards towards you when the bed sections are lifted to get into the storage.
So I'd have to hinge them to fall backwards as the bed went up but then when the bed goes down I'd have to get into contortions to pull them all out to make sure they missed the edge of the bed and fell into place. Or, I'd have to join the legs with a long strip of something to make it easier to pull them into place. It starts getting a bit of a bigger engineering solution than I'd like!
Great vlog Dave, love that speed controller on the fan. You are absolutely right about theft and if they want it they will have it.😂
Thanks 👍
You have inspired me to start a camper van project off my own. Great videos.
Oh blimey, what have I done?!! Have fun :-)
Having Roger Whittaker on the roof I find really annoying ...I am trying to build or find some sort of wind deflector for mine...
Very nice work, and your design ideas seem to be working out very well.
Happy Camping
i am very impressed! This project has all come together quite nicely. Great work!
Hi Dave , Loved the vlog and liked that speed controller. What a great bit of kit. Keep up the good work. Regards.
Maybe a wind deflector in front of the panels?
It's on my "to do" list!
A neat job on the solar panels.
That fan is a beast! I could sleep well with that fan.
Nice mounting job for the pannels.
David, I am impressed with how well the whole van project has turned out you have shown yourself to be quite handy with a saw and hammer. Very well done indeed.
Lovely Job. I think it looks almost complete. The bed support might be a bit tricky, but I'm sure you will figure it out, as with the fridge trim. ( 370 pounds, yikes)
Very nice motor home you have built it looks so big in the inside it’s like the tardis from dr who
"...only I wasn't laughing..." That cracked me up, David! Thanks for the chuckle and another great video. Have fun on your outing!
Love the progress! Can't wait to hear about your first overnight outing and whether everything worked how you envisioned.
What about some kind of roof spoiler in front of the solar panels for reducing wind noise and fuel efficiency.
Go to a car audio shop that does custom speaker boxes, they use the stretch material.
Nice idea!
I would agree that a drop-down leg would be the best choice enabling a less than fully extended option as well as the fully extended.
A few years ago, I kitted out a folding caravan, so everything had to be completely collapsible into the folded down shell. By using wooden frames clad with Formica and with a spray foam filling, I was able to create lightweight but rigid panels that did not require a crane to lift and put into place. Within the interior, I was able to create a toilet, shower, wash basin, kitchen including gas stove, fridge (12v/240v/lpg), sink, wardrobe, chest of drawers, double bed, dining table with seating for four, central heating h&c running water, etc.
Why did you not get a refrigerator that would also use lpg to save your battery when completely off-grid?
The fridges that run on propane and 12V are horrifically inefficient when using 12V, much more so than the pure-12V versons. So, because I have lots of solar, it makes more sense to have an efficient 12V fridge that can run for free from the solar.
Somewhere in the bed construction you seem to have missed the bit where the facade of the box pulls out with the extendable bit. It looks neat when the sliding door is open.
Just saying but.
I thought that, too - legs built in to the bits that slide out. But, there are a hundred ways to skin a cat, so they say.
Apropos of nothing, are you from Hebburn, Peter?
My first plan for the bed was similar to what you suggest but the facade would always stay in place as it holds things inside that storage so I'd have to use vertical "legs" on the front of the bed. The trouble with those is that firstly I think the columns would look odd against the panelling on the bed side but more crucially, the legs would lift up and outwards towards you when the bed sections are lifted to get into the storage.
So I'd have to hinge them to fall backwards as the bed went up but then when the bed goes down I'd have to get into contortions to pull them all out to make sure they missed the edge of the bed and fell into place. Or, I'd have to join the legs with a long strip of something to make it easier to pull them into place. It starts getting a bit of a bigger engineering solution than I'd like!
Super neat job David!
Great upload as always , mirrors your great life ... Free at last , free at last and doing bloody great things with that freedom 🤘
Find yourself some peel and stick vinyl tile for behind the stove. And it’ll look like a backsplash and be easy to cleanup and splashing from your stove. Or a thin sheet of stainless. Cut to shape.
Yeah, not sure about vinyl. I like the idea from an ease of install perspective and from the keeping it clean angle too. Not sure vinyl near a heat source is right though albeit the gap is to the stove manufacturer's specifications. Hmmm.....
Could I suggest that you undercut the ply on the cabin side of your fridge cupboard to allow some cool air to be drawn in. At the moment it looks like the hot air from the outlet can be sucked back around the fridge. Too much heat will kill a fridge. (RTFM)
I have RTFM, thanks. It could be sucked back but even with a hole in the ply the air in the van will likely all be at much the same temperature.
Hello there, what about some screw on legs for the bed supports? it would save adding to the kitchen unit and may possibly be a lot stronger when you've got some weight on it. An interesting build. ATB
Might do that! Cheers
when fitting the carpet round the windows try heating the carpet which will soften it. used this when fitting carpets in caravans
David,You have done a wonderful job on the RV, (not a van anymore),,,,( a Compliment!!!!) Very Tastely Done,I might add!!!!!
Thanks Don!
Well done David - all looking good and you have done a splendid job. The last 5% of these sort of projects always consumes disproportionate effort.
Enjoy the van trip.👍
I have a dometic mine will
Plug into
Mains, cigarette lighter and I love it and even use it for day trips to keep drinks cool and regular camping they are a brilliant American brand. But yes very expensive x
Your doing a great job method man keep it up
I wonder if you could either buy / adapt / make some kind of wind deflector for the solar panels, but if the wind noise doesn't bother you there is not much point in going to the effort. Pull down camping table legs for the bed support? Ha ha - you have probably finished that job by the time this video was uploaded and are sitting with a cup of tea laughing at all of our suggestions!
Haha, shhhh, don't tell but ... this video was only recorded yesterday morning, edited in the afternoon and online by evening so in fact you and everyone else are now bang up to date. I've not finished it at all!
Fast work there for editing =D
Hi. Nice video.
Lots going on.
Very good to see the in and outs
of your Campervan build.
Best wishes of safe travels.
And please Be careful
of the wild bears in the Surrey countryside. 😀👍
The 1 thing I have loved hearing on this vlog is "I'm quite happy with this" and that is all that matters. Re the veltrim carpet, you can get it a bit more flexible by heating it up a bit. Cut some bits and practice it. Looks great!
Cushions look awesome in fact, the whole van looks awesome!! Nice work mate 👍
Heat - duly noted, cheers!
All those odds and sods added up - it's looking great!
Constantly amazed at how your project comes together. While the "fit and finish" might be described as "man-cave" sufficient (I certainly like it), I'm betting your infrastructure is better than what is professionally done by manufacturers. Here in the States, there are big issues with quality control as demand exceeds output . . . and profit drives all.
After watching this video I'm pleased with it. = ) So far you've done a nice job on converting the van. It's 5:45am and I just woke up because I couldn't sleep very well. So I decided to watch a few of your vlogs. = )
Hello
There is a roof spoiler by Thule which is meant to lower the noise and improve the aerodynamic drag 👌 I fitted one on my 4WD and it makes quite a difference .
Cheers
Looking good, looking good. I'm so glad your doing so good @ this van built & video taping it so that others can follow this build when they decide to build there vans out. Even though you think your doing a bad job. I'm saying it looks just fine so don't worry yourself to death about the small stuff. Bc worrying is wasted energy. Just a few more minor things to do & you'll be set to go. Then you'll be cruising down the rode happy as a dung beetle on a hot summers day looking for some pooh to get into... lol...
Keep it up David,
Chris from Missouri
Cheers Chris!
Very nice! Its really starting to look polished now... you should be very pleased
I think you have gone a long way since last time. I like the colour of the kitchen tops, and the fridge, I fancy one of those if I ever take my tent to an electric hookup camp site (Please don't tell real campers that I am thinking of electric hookups for a tent).
I am guessing that something pretty and sticky from B&Q wont do for the window area, for you anyway, I think I could be happy with that.
By the way, are your side and back windows tinted at all? Just thinking of the greenhouse effect on a nice summer's day.
Yes, the windows are tinted, see my very early vlogs where I showed them off and installed them. Cheers!
Would the bed supports fixed to the side of the bed be a viable option. Relying on not slipping off small ledges seems precarious. Shift mid sleep, and slip off, and wedge however things fall. A support frame connected to the bed side would allow it to slide part way, or fully, and be supported, and would be minimally in the way against the side when slid in, not snagging on protrusions on the sink side as you move about.
The bed would never extend partially because the cushions wouldn't fit; it'll either be in or out so that's not an issue. I did ponder putting a little vertical catch on the side of the ledges to stop the bed being able to pull back while in use.
As for legs on the side, my first plan was this but the trouble is that firstly I think the legs would look odd against the panelling on the bed side but more crucially, the legs would lift up and outwards towards you when the bed sections are lifted to get into the storage.
So I'd have to hinge them to fall backwards as the bed went up but then when the bed goes down I'd have to get into contortions to pull them all out to make sure they missed the edge of the bed and fell into place. Or, I'd have to join the legs with a long strip of something to make it easier to pull them into place. It starts getting a bit of a bigger engineering solution than I'd like!
From advice I received, I used speaker enclosure material to cover some boxes for my 4WD. Much lighter than carpet and stretchier (!) although more expensive.
Sir David, I am so happy that you went with rigid panels rather than the flexible ones. I have had mine on my van since 2000 and have no problems. The flexible ones get burn marks on the cells after time as they have no way to disipate the heat when stuck on the roof. you will be so happy the way you did it. You sholdn't get too much wind drag on the panels as the wind should be deflected upward from the front wind screen. Also your noise may be from the thule racks themselves, there is a front fairing that clips on to the front bar to deflect the wind and will stop the noise.
Hi. Thank you, that's certainly what I'm hoping as regards the heat. The mpg still seems decent even with the panels. It's definitely them that are making the noise though, I didn't get it before I put them on (when it was just the roof rack)
David, are you sure your not a professional campervan builder? This van looks like you bought it off the lot. What a great build. Can't wait for the next update.
What a lovely compliment, thank you
It looks great, I must admit I was a bit skeptic at first when you started. Happy it is all coming together.
how about screw on leg (removable and stowable) supports with the connectors recessed into the wood frame for the bed
Maybe!
Having the 2 hinges against eachother is fine, if anything it'll stop you being able to accidentally "drop" the door on your hand which is easily doable on anything but a perfectly flat surface. Great progress David.
Good point! Cheers
Hi David ... Since I know nothing about transforming a van I am amazed at all the good work you did. Not once did you pretend to be an expert, yet it is coming out darn nice ... Cudos to you for taking such a project. Miss a bit of your other video (the one on the water loll) but here, or there, I always wait for the new one to come out ... Have a great day ... A fan from Canada xx
Thank you
Hi! I am a new subscriber, from the great plug you got from Rickvanman and I have spent this last 2 days of my holiday watching all 22 parts of the build and I am now sad I have no more parts to watch..for now lol. Love the van, you are entertaining, engaging and clever. Can't wait for more!
Thanks for tuning in!
Wow, just Wow, I know you have a few little things to do but wow it looks amazing! You can use fabric on a frame around the top of the fridge to allow venting but hide the works. I would like to offer the recommendation that when you make the label for the fan speed knob please make it go to 11 because that would be quite funny. Enjoy your first night in the van, you have earned it.
Ted, that's genius - 11 it will be! :-)
Vandemonium While everyone else can turn their fan to 10 you will be able to go to 11 because 11 is more. LOL
You may want to add some ventilation opening in the front and the back, as well as close the gap left and right, so the fridge can 'use' the whole van to get rid of heat. It's effiecency (as in battery consumption) is highly dependant on incomming air temperature. With a (mostly) closed system, where it sucks in already heated air, it'll eat up the batteries. After all, it's the same problem every (real life) space ship got - geting rid of excess heat :))
There is an opening at the back, I showed that.
Sure, but thats only one hole, the one the hot air is deposited in front of right? so the intake just sucks the hot air arround and in again. One hole isn't exactly a configuration that allows a flow, does it?
The air inside the van is unlikely to vary in temperature between the back by the doors and the inside where I sit so the airflow will be much the same whether I cut a hole or not.
didn't you improve your boat fridge's performance with holes in the floor, accessing the cool air of the bilge? It may be time for another hole in the floor of your van :-)
cheers have a great time,
greetings,, Kitty.
You may wish to investigate installing a deflector panel to the roof just ahead of the solar panels. The idea is to change the laminar flow of air across the roof. If you can deflect it properly, the root surface, vents and the solar panels would exist in a partial vacuum. You often see similar structures on lorry cabs, employed for the same purpose. With the root surface in (partial) vacuum, your gas mileage may actually increase and also reduce the annoying windsong. The van will also be pursued by still air (try fixing a flag against the rear panel: it hardly moves in the vacuum).
Fixing the solar panels like that should give you excellent downforce at speeds in excess of 100 mph. :-) Great job, I enjoy watching your progress.
The prices for 12 volt fridges are stupid... Good work, looking nice!
With regard to your mains electric sockets, I would suggest that you change the one that runs from the inverter to a different colour, ie Red. Or at the very least label them using the old "Dynotape" type labels. That would save you a mountain of confusion between "proper" mains electric and "manufactured" mains electric.
Great videos, by the way. Keep them coming.
Alan, Belfast.
Cheers. Not really needed though, I can easily remember the bottom one's the inverter because the inverter is at the bottom of the electrics cabinet.
Another great vlog - I;'m now fully up to date with these and the boat ones. I did my camper conversion 6 years ago and I'm still forever improving / upgrading / changing things on it! Very similar in that I have 200W of solar and a similar fridge (albeit the built in version). 220Ah of leisure battery but also charged by the alternator via a split charge relay in addition to the solar. I did find i had to substantially upgrade the wiring from battery to fridge to avoid power drop in the wires causing the low voltage protection to kick in when the compressor first comes on. If you do get shorter run times on the fridge than you expect that may be worth looking at. I solved my whistling solar panels by using the plastic ABS mountng brackets which also form a small wind deflector. Hard to explain but it works, you'll see what i mean if you look at the brackets on ebay.
Hi. Thanks. I specifically used quite substantial wires to the fridge (to all of it, actually!!) to avoid any issues.
Have you thought of having the fridge the other way round so that the exhausted warm air from the cooling process goes directly into the living space. A good sorce of clean warm air for nothing. Also it would mean the fridge is drawing slightly cooler air into its self. Have fun and well done, looking realy grand.
I did ponder this but only discovered which way round the fans were once I installed it!! Also, as there will be shelves in the rear corner, I didn't want them obstructed if I opened the fridge although I realise it would only be for a few seconds. I might yet change it around.
You could fit a wind deflector. AJ
Looking good bro it is coming together nicely. That sure is a handy roof rack. ATB
And this ladies and gentlemen, passed for valuable information these days.
I know exactly how frustrated you must've felt when that shelf unit didn't work out like you hoped! I've been trying my hand at some woodwork for a while now and some days I'm just too pleased with what I've achieved, but on others I feel like I should just lock up the garage and never touch a tool again...
I seem to be chasing you around UA-cam... good work sir. ;)
that fan at full speed was like a F-15 jet engine...if you ever get a visitor in your van who over stays their welcome just turn that on.lol.
I own same fridge, been all over for months at a time...... brilliant and don't seem to drain battery reserves.great vid, thanks
That's good to hear! Cheers
If you want to clean up around the fridge you can use speaker grill cloth stretched over a frame. It will black things out,give it a nice finished look yet it breathes really well. Also I'd recommend making trim panels for around the windows and then cover them.you can get a nice tweed fabric to match or accent the carpet and they'll be easier to wrap. If you're interested I can walk you through making custom fitted fiberglass resin trim panels if you want. It would really finish things off nicely. But as it is you've done a incredible job with things this far. Oh and one last thing ,if needed a 12volt computer fan will help with the fridge if you find too much heat but I doubt you'll need it.
Speaker cloth: genius idea. Thank you. As for the windows, I was considering doing what you say but I'd still need to carpet over the window edge itself otherwise it would still be visible (unless the trim panels cut *really* far into the viewable area of the window, which I don't want)
Vandemonium what we used to do on custom stereo installations was make panels formed to the area where you have the foil insulation. It would tuck in underneath the carpeted panel and butt up against the glass and be formed to fit the van bodies contours. It sounds messy but its not if you take your time. But what you do is tape the whole area off in masking tape. Then cut the fiber glass mat to fit the Area you want to use as a mold. Once out the excess and then carefully lay it up over the taped area. Then once dry you pull the mess out tape and call. At this point its pretty weak and flimsy so you need to be careful. But once outside the van you can add layers and be generous with the next resin and fiberglass. After its dry you trim IIT to fit with a jigsaw and use some filler to smooth out the surface. If you want to go crazy this stage can be smoothed for paint or wrapped in a thin foam to hide imperfections and in fabric or carpet etc.when it's finished you'll have a panel that is only a cm or 2 proud of the insulated area made to fit.
Another option is if there was a factory panel that follows the contours by the window it can be trimmed to fit or used as a mold too. I haven't looked but UA-cam probably has a hundred videos, they're probably listed under things like making custom fiberglass speaker panels and pods etc. Just keep in mind most of the ones I've seen tend to use too much resin during the first step making a mess. Going light on the resin keeps things clean and easy,you can worry about strength when its out on the work bench.
Your videos are among the top 10 that I look forward to. Thanks. (Here are some of the company you keep on my computer: Sasnak, rusty78609, Intercity82, IndianaJack, campervankevin, RoadtrekRich)
avlisk he really puts out a quality video. Some of the stuff is produced better than the networks these days. Also its cool to see a Indiana Jack fan,he reminds me of my great uncle that drove a big rig. Also if you haven't yet go look at his boating channel.you won't be disappointed.
avlisk what about 'Humble Road' ...... George is the Man. Search for it now and tell me I'm wrong. 🚍
On your woodwork, prior to doing a final paint, relieve or round the edges of the wood to prevent the possibility of splinters or extra wear and tear on your beautiful cushions.
Realy looking great so far :)
But I think you are going to need a little rubber piece under the wooden lid on the fridge to stop it from ratteling when you drive over bumpy roads.
True! And loads of other things that rattle too!
Thule do a wind deflector which fits the front bar. If it's viable to install it may help with wind noise, as with most Thule stuff eye watering expensive.
Agreed about their prices - ooh my word, ouch!!!
looking good....put a label on the two plug sockets so anyone else knows which is which...great idea to use the fan controller...
Nobody else should be in my van, they can get out!
I wonder if the fan would switch direction if you switched the power wires around, + to - and vice versa? It depends on whether there’s any electronics in there and what kind of DC motor it is, but if it works you could wire a direction change switch right next to the speed control. (Double pole single throw, break before make, motor controller output to the center contacts, fan wires in an X configuration to the outside contacts)
Re the whining noise, that’s going to have to do with the frequency of PWM the two respective controllers do.
Oh,dear that fan .... a Turbo or Sterling?! BarbroSweden
Great vid,cheers. I have enjoyed them as it's come on. Bon voyage
Hi David, i recently decided to turn my vito into a campervan and have taken much useful information from your vlog on building your own camper. The electrics i have particularly found daunting, but have managed to muddle through it. I have installed a le mans low profile vent in my roof and it has a switch to either suck or blow air in the van, however as with yours, there is only one speed in or out and its fast and noisy. I came back to your vlog on the solar panels and behold you started talking about a speed controller switch. Can you advise how this would work in regard to a fan that blows in or out, Thanks in anticipation ........
You just wire the unit into the power feed to the fan and it controls the pulses of voltage to the fan. It doesn't matter that the fan has its own switch for direction. I think I put a link to the controller I bought in whichever vlog I talked about it, didn't I? (if not, I'll try to find it)
Ah ok got it, I have the controller as per your link.....many thanks for replying
What a clever chap using that speed controller for the fan . I know you like privacy so you are going to need curtains for the windows yes :-)
Interesting that you found a fan speed controller that works silently. Mine also makes a noise, I put it down the circuit producing 'rough' DC so I mucked about with smoothing capacitors and the like to no avail. So I have a two speed fan, full on and off. I may be tempted to try again.
Definitely worth trying different ones, from my experience. There's a link to the one I bought in the video description.
as the ladies would say " David, the "van-da-minium" is looking lovely!"
hi david i think youve got everthing covered.its a top campervan. iv,e had my campervan 12 years .and i,am sill doing stuff to it..
Haha, I suspect mine will be much the same, continuing on for years!
I am now up to date on Cruising the Cut (and loved every second) so I thought I'd try this vlog (ugly word) even though I have no interest in Vans, Campervans or do-it-yerself.
You have a gift David...you make me laugh, you make me smile and you even, yes even, have germinated the merest hint, the tiniest tiddly tad, shall we agree on a miniscule, of interest the esoteric arts of DIY.
I'm loving it.
Haha thank you
The drop leaf access to the fridge and the fridge door itself opening in different directions will really work to your advantage. As it is located right at the back doors and the counter top door opens in, a little breeze from the back (with open doors) would slam that door right on your head. Opening the fridge in a different direction will actually prevent the top access from hitting you on the head when you are rummaging through your food. I will just presume that you were thinking ahead and this wasn’t a lucky accident. The aggravation you felt when the shelf didn’t fit would not compare to the aggravation one feels when the edge of a board whacks you on the forehead. Well done! A question...there were openings cut into the front of the cabinet near the fridge, though you said there would be garage access. What do you plan to do with the ‘holes’ at the interior front? Putting black speaker fabric in front of the fridge would allow ventilation while giving it a finished look. Finally, search for hemming a curved edge on UA-cam or online. The cutting they do will be the kind of cut you will need to do to wrap the carpet around the edges near the window. An exact cut (or notch, if you will) will make it sit smoothly and seamlessly. It might be worth looking at. Thanks for the video! R.
Not sure which "interior front" holes you mean.
My bad. I looked again to be able to communicate exactly where, and see that you had transitioned from inside the van to around the back. An alarm or something must have gone off and I looked up just as you moved around to the back. I watched the whole section wondering why you cut the holes in the facing of the cabinet (14:09). Watching again without interruption shows me that the ‘holes’ that I was referring to were actually access points in the ‘garage’ at the back door of the van. In the words of Roseanne Rosanna Danna, ‘never mind’. (An American reference to a Gilda Radner character from the early Saturday Night Live skits. If you aren’t familiar, maybe you might google it so that you see the way she does that. It is in that very way that I say ‘never mind’) Brilliant video. I shall tell husband to stop setting off the alarms in the remaining videos. Although it could have been a nurse. We’ll never know. Thanks
Cor blimey, you are a clever git aren't you! And a busy one too i'll wager. I noted your plan for hiatus, and sad I'll be to miss you, but you do deserve a break don"tcher? Good on you for all the (polished) sterling work you have done David.
Nice. It's really coming together. But you haven't shown us the loo recently. Where did you square the potty away?
Under the bed. I'll do a full tour soon.
It's looking great David, wondering have you weighed the van with all your additions? You have more timber in there than an Ikea showroom, those smallish vans would be roughly 500kg load I'm guessing?
All the best, Ray
Actually the load capacity on the LWB 2013 Proace is 1.2 tonnes!
That's truly amazing, puts a lot of much larger vehicles to shame!
We went into the 'sports utility' scene here in Australia, massive V8 engines with rocket ship interiors that could only carry 350kg, or roughly a good weekends beer supply ;-)
Regards, Ray
Really starting to come together now!
Good progress.
The ventilation fan is surprisingly noisy at full speed. Good call to get a speed control. These are typically a potentiometer (variable resistor) or a variable pulse control modulation. Your two units likely have different designs and the fan likes on but not the other. These units can fail without any notice. Since it was so inexpensive, I would get a second of the one which works to have on-hand in case of failure. You can quickly replace this, but if you do not have a replacement, "Murphy" will decide to cause the unit to fail in the middle of a hot steamy night.
Good idea to upgrade to add USB charging ports.
Consider covering the window frames in something other than the carpet. How about some fabric to match the cushions. Fabric will be so much easier to install.
Dave.
Good idea about the spare unit, I didn't know they were prone to failing. It was a lot noisier at full power on the controller than it was when I just plugged it into the battery, not sure why.
Wow that fan sounds like the van could have lift off! If you think the cushions are a little thin to sleep on have a look at a Duvalay. They were on dragons den and it’s a duvet with built in memory foam mattress. Very easy to roll up and store when not in use as well
I'd forgotten about Duvalay - great idea. I shall go and look for one now.
Vandemonium I use one on my boat. In the morning just roll it up and put it away. They are quite expensive but saves so much hassle with bedding
David.. looking great... the tee bolt track might be the source of the whistle when driving. Try some tape to close the gap.
It's already covered up with a rubber strip that goes in the gaps, came with the roofrack. Cheers
Howard MacCallum. Re vlog 22 you could usesome plack grill material to surround your fridge but like the cook top plywood you would cut a big hole so the surround would fit arround the fridge. But at lease you could use the cut out piece to cover over othe ventelation spaces. May be you have already found another solution