Provankits custom van builds. Van Emily sold at a $21,000 profit.

VAN BUILD EMILY

Emily was rebuilt from an earlier Dodge Promaster 136" wheelbase conversion. Besides subpar carpentry, the van operated from a single 50 amp marine battery solely charged by shore power. Unless the van was "plugged in" there were no 120V appliances that worked. Limited battery capacity also required van to be plugged in every 3 days. The van required the user to stay at a RV or state park that had on-site power.

The design of this van is the typical rear bed with a storage space below. We replaced all the plywood facings with oak real-wood laminates and upgraded the cabinetry to hardwood cabinet doors. We rewired the van to add 300Ah of LiOn battery storage, a large 3000 Watt sinewave inverter and 220 Watt solar panel and DC to DC charging all in a limited space. The van can now be charged from AC shore power, the solar panel, and the van's alternator. With the batteries, inverter, and multiple charging sources the Emily currently has an operational 700W microwave, induction cooktop, and a Wynter freezer/refrigerator chest. We mounted the refigerator on a heavy duty slide system for easy access. At teh same time we added a large storage box on a 48" heavty duty slide system and a 48" long pullout table from the back gate.

Design philosphy:

This was a basic conversion van that was only practical for weekend use for stays at RV or places where AC shore power was available. By upgrading the capacity with offgrid capabilities, Emily was ready for cross country travel. Water storage was limited but easy to remove so the van can be filled up anywhere water is available. The 136" wheelbase has limited space, but the van's size means it can be driven and parked as easily as a SUV. The van's new owner wanted hot water. But because we could not find a practical hot water heater we contracted for a custom 200 Watt 12 volt unit that heats 3 gallons of water in 30 minutes. Emily, once complete, was easily sold for $20,000 above the build cost including the purchase of the vehicle. The owner wanted to use Emily for a cross country trip then sell it for a profit. The upgrade took approximately 10 days in total.

Some Specifications: