I am so excited for this van build. Last week I shared the demo portion of the project and now it’s time to officially start work on building this van out into the luxury tiny home of my dreams. Before I can get started on the interior and all of the design elements I’m excited about, I have to get the exterior situated. We’re talking a roof rack for solar panels, climate control, and a fan that will live on top of the van, and we’re also adding window flares in the back. I am so ready to get this build going, let’s get started friends.
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Tools + Materials
Tools
Materials
Additional Resources
Let’s do this!
1. Assembling & Installing the Roof Rack
First up, I assembled this Unaka roof rack to mount the solar panels. Shoutout to Unaka Gear Co for their instructional video on how to assemble this because I put the video on in the shop while I put it together and it was so helpful. They also answered so many of my questions and helped me figure out exactly what I would need throughout this whole project.
I’m going to be powering up the van in a couple of different ways, but the first is with solar panels and this specific roof rack is actually made for the solar panels that I chose for the van so I know everything will fit together. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process.
The next day my dad came to help with the roof rack install. Honestly Unaka made this install so seamless, it really couldn’t have been any easier. They have printable diagrams and a YouTube video, we actually got it installed so quickly that we were able to move on to cutting holes in the van the same day.
2. Installing the 12V AC Unit
First we had to make the first hole in the van so I started by tracing out the cut and drilling holes in each corner.
I used a sawzall with a metal cutting blade to cut into the exterior of the cargo van. Honestly, cutting the first hole was exhilarating. I was so scared to do this, but after that first one it was way easier to keep cutting holes when we needed them.
We used an angle grinder to smooth over the edges of the cut.
I sprayed it with the same rust and primer I used in the demo video to prevent any rust spots from appearing. This was part of the process everytime we made a new cut into the exterior.
Without a doubt, the hardest part of this project was carrying the 80lb air conditioner up the ladder so we could mount it on the roof. One step at a time.
I used sealant to fix the gasket into place on the roof and to seal the AC unit to the gasket.
The install was a bit tricky but we got it on. Since we’re going to be traveling mostly in the warmer months with our dog it was non negotiable that the van would have an AC unit, and I’m so glad we do.
And once it was in it was time to add a bracket to the inside of the van to hold it in place. I did end up switching this bracket later on to something custom, but I’ll talk more about that in another blog.
I made sure to seal all of the brackets with sealant to prevent any leaks and potential rust.
3. Installing Van Flares
Since I got the van I was not a fan of the little submarine windows in the back and I knew they had to come out.
At this point I was a pro at cutting holes so I used my jigsaw to basically cut out both back panels of the van.
The install for these window flares was really simple, basically we just cleaned up the cut edges and used a ton of adhesive to seal them in.
We basically used masking tape, adhesive and a prayer to get these windows installed. This part of the build really intimidated me but it was such a relief for it to be done. There’s a bit more that will go into the windows when I build out the bedroom space so I’ll make a more in depth step by step when we get to that part of the process.
4. Installing the Ceiling Fan
Installing a fan was another non-negotiable for me, we need the air circulation so it was time to cut another hole in the roof.
I thought I’d need my dad’s help to install the fan but once again Unaka came through with a really easy install.
This is one of those times where I had to drill into the top of the van which totally sketched me out for potential leaking, but I made sure to apply a ton of sealant. Honestly anything that went on the top of the van got a ton of sealant.
5. Attaching Solar Panels
One of the last parts of the exterior were these two 200 watt solar panels from Unaka. Because I got them with the roof rack they fit perfectly, it was so satisfying to have them work so well.
So now we’ve got an AC unit, solar panels, and a fan all on the roof! Feeling very proud.
The last two holes that will go in the top of the van are for the solar panel’s electrical. I got electric wire housing so I could cap off the wires but they didn’t fit. So I’ll be getting the ones from my friends at Unaka that are made to fit perfectly.
6. Checking for Leaks
We got some rain which was great news for checking for leaks. The not so great news was that I found this little rust spot on the fan. I went back and sealed the fan again from the outside as well as the inside.
The actual windows weren’t in yet which made it a bit trickier but I ran my hand along the inside of the flare to check for moisture. At least we found the leaks around the fan before closing the walls up.
7. Installing Windows
It took me a bit to get to this step in the build but we had to install the back windows, and of course we had to do it on the coldest day ever.
Once they were installed the inside of the van got toasty quick. Now that the windows are in I’m able to drive the van again and the exterior of this build is officially done!
Next Steps
With that it’s about to be time to move to the interior of the van. Flooring will be the next step and I’m so excited to get the inside of this van going. Working on the exterior really stretched me outside of my comfort zone but I’m so excited about how we set it up, from the climate control to the solar panels and window flares, it’s going to be so rad when it’s all done. And I’m so glad to have my dad’s help with this project, I really don’t know what I would do without him. Before I can get to the next portion of this build I do have to pop over to my brother’s house to finish some weekend warrior projects for him, but we’ll be back in the van very soon. So stay tuned, and until then, Happy DIYing friends.
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