Before I could even begin taking out the first screw, I needed to make a plan on what the end result will be. The plan needed to include what my requirements are. They will need to fit with the needs of my family. In my case, we are a family of 5, so first and foremost we need something that will sleep 5 with some reasonable level of comfort. This is the 144" Sprinter so we'll need to make the most of every inch. We also love going to the beach and playing in the snow. This means we need storage space for clothes and a way to wash up afterwards. And a toilet is obviously a must.
I started making some lists of what would be required and what would be a nice to have. I recommend making this list using some sort of software tool as this will be fluid and you'll find yourself changing this list often. (I use Trello and love it.)
An example of my list of requirements:
Bed - Platform; pullout; or folding
Electrical - 12v cooler; electric stove; usb charging
Toilet - portable toilet
Awning - for camping
Water - washing up; cooking
Storage - places to store stuff like blankets, jackets, tools, toys, etc.
I also made a list of nice to haves or optional things like a vent fan, swivel seats, or a window with air vents.
Now the research. Look at each of your requirements and see what it will take to install. Does it depend on having anything else installed? For example, I knew I wanted some solar panels and an awning. The best way to accommodate both plus have an option for more items on the roof would be to have a roof rack. Seemed simple enough. Well remember one of my requirements for this journey is that I had to do this myself (or with the help of my family). So that eliminated several major roof rack brands only because they ship the racks pre-made and I would need a lift to get the entire rack up on the roof in one piece. After more searching I thought I had the right rack, only to find out that it won’t be compatible with my roof because of the factory air conditioner. Eventually I found a rack that met my needs, it could support my requirements and I could assemble it while on the roof. The only catch is that the rack required the van to have roof rails to mount to (as do the majority of roof racks). My van did not have rails. So I had to add roof rails to my list of required items. Then I researched the rails to find out I need to access the ceiling above the headliner in order to mount the rails. (Something I hoped to avoid.) Now that I need to pull down the headliner, I might as well add insulation. This is basically just like the story “If you give a mouse a cookie”. Each item I wanted pulled me into another task. So do your homework and plan accordingly. A tool I used to help track these tasks and their dependencies is TaskHeat. I'm sure any project management tool will work. Anything to help you track dependencies before moving onto the next task.
Finally I got to the point where I felt my list was pretty locked down and I've done as much research into how to get things done and how to source the products needed, I was ready to physically start with the conversion. I ordered the parts that for sure I needed first, but there are components that I need to wait for other things to get done first. In those cases I held off on ordering because it's quite possible the plan will change once the first piece gets into place. Having said that, there are also some components that have long lead times, so expect that there will be times when the van is just sitting there for a few days while you wait on product shipping (or manufacturer backlog on products).
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