Photos I pulled the trigger....

@mouse

Ya I wired the batteries in parallel. Wiring in parallel maintains voltage (12v) and increases Amp Hours so now I have a total of 125 AmH at 12 volts with the two batteries. Considering that these are sealed AGM batteries, I can only go down to >50% charge without damaging the batteries, so I needed 2 to achieve 125 AmH.

Not sure if that's what you were saying.
 
And ya, the flooring isint hardwood, its vinyl, so using a rolly chair probably would put dents in it. I'm planning on using almost all the space in the van except for a middle aisle, so I wont need to move around.

Im planning on a box bed/storage on drivers side, and a counter with water/propane/electrical on the passenger side.
 
I mean to say that in a parallel setup, depending on the wiring, one of the two batteries in the bank can be overworked and one (the daisy chained one) underworked. To make them work together like one big battery and last longer they are paralleled together but the wires leading to the rest of the system come from the Pos of one and the Neg of the other, as in the pic on the right above.

I don't know much about parallel setups, so yours may already be that way and I am too dunderheaded to see it. :)
 
No, you are right, but by doing that it would still introduce a series component.

That would be a Parallel in Series set up, but only with two batteries.

I dont know alot about that, I'll have to look it up. Mine is just straight up parallel.
 
So some updates. I've decided on a name for my beast:

Paladin, the knight of the open road

View attachment 53463

I have also put in a memory foam twin mattress and will be building a box storage/raised bed box for it soon.

I have tried my damndest to deplete my battery bank as much as I could, but I have yet to get it under 12.8 volts. However, I live in AZ with alot of sunlight, and only have my LED lights, fan, inverter, cell charger, and Nintendo Switch running for about 5 hours a night.
 

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SaltyCrew said:
Nice looking van, glad you finally got one! At 100,000 rounds, I'd be replacing all the spark plugs immediately. The 5.4 Triton is known for blowing plugs out of their holes, in which case you'd have to do a heli-coil repair, kit offered at any parts store. They are also known to sieze plugs, usually resulting in snapping a plug off when trying to remove them. So like o said, change the spark plugs sooner than later, before you have an issue. Good luck, have fun with the build!
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Had this exact thing happen on a work van with the triton 5.4 L
 
You will not regret the memory foam. I wish I'd started sleeping on that at a much younger age and am still holding out on it for my "glamper" ('89 Honda Accord).

JoAnn fabrics has some good sales if you can grab one of their 60% off coupons at the right time. I always seem to have coupon when I don't have money and money when I don't have coupon.

As far as the outside being stealth, it looks exactly like my romantic interest's van and he can sleep anywhere. This guy has it down to a science. He keeps the front passenger seat looking really messy for a reason, but I'm a chick so I like to make little homes and am enjoying the pictures and the process of your progress.
 

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Coywolf said:
Thanks man! I've lived in many vehicles, including the single cab of a 93' Toyota T100 with a broken rear window, so I feel that pain! This is definitely an upgrade 😁
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Oh yeah for sure, Im 5'6" so i get pretty scrunched up, especially with my gear in the cab with me. Currently searching for a bed cab, but the Dakota has a weird bed size, so they are scarce.

Im not sure if you're familiar with the stuff or not yet, but check out this stuff called "reflectix" (Maybe spelled wrong) Its a roll type insulation, and its reasonably cheap, get a can of spray on headliner adhesive, its great for insulating vehicles, Ill be putting it in my bed once I get the cap. Good luck with your build.
 
Ya, reflectix is great...IF you use it correctly. It needs at least a 1/2" airspace to actually do anything. Wrapping the inside of a truck camper would probably work well.

Alot of people seem to think reflectix works like regular Insulation, which it does not. It is a radiant heat barrier
 
Coywolf said:
Ya, reflectix is great...IF you use it correctly. It needs at least a 1/2" airspace to actually do anything. Wrapping the inside of a truck camper would probably work well.

Alot of people seem to think reflectix works like regular Insulation, which it does not. It is a radiant heat barrier
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That part about the 1/2" of airspace I wasnt aware of. So like it needs airspace between the reflectix and material or how do you mean? I was just planning on putting it over the metal bed as a barrier with these foam "fatigue" mats on top of that they have at harbor freight, then build my platform over that.
 
Hey Man, how's it going with the van? Have you done some of that conversion work? Love to see any pix you got. Since august been working on my own 97 step van conversion.
 
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