Got me a Race Van

As I seem to find myself with a bit of free time lately, I figured I'd do some more tinkering on the old van. I mounted some hooks to carry my loading ramp, put in some more tie down points along the walls to secure gear, built a storage box under the rear seat, installed new front brakes, and for my crowing achievement........... installed a window mount air conditioner!

It looks "straight outta da trailer park" but this is going to make those hot summer nights at the track much more bearable.








It wasn't nearly as hard as I'd imagined it would be. I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist for a while now looking for a small unit in good shape and this one popped up last week for $70. I little scrap lumber, plywood, paint, and carpet, and we're in business.

 

I think you exhausted my laugh allowance for the day. Mostly, due to your warning/disclaimer.

Love the ingenuity, though.:up:

 

Ghettorific!

 

Ron, be careful with the water drain on that thing...it looks like it may run back down into the unit/window vs. out and off the wood.

 

I think that's how he plans on installing running water in the van for washing hands and brushing his teeth,.

 

Good point...hadn't thought about that. Ron is super smart like that...

Good work sir!

 

I've got to let the AC run for a couple of hours just to have enough water to flush the toilet. I have no idea how I'm going to fill this hot tub!

 

Have a friend who cut a board of insulation to fit in the side doorway of his trailer. He then cut a square out of the insulation so the a/c unit can fit in. He then wrapped the entire trailer with reflective insulation and taped it all up.

 

So do you have a sponsorship from Frigidaire?

 

excatly what ive been doing for a couple years... well with the old van anyway

 

Is that even legal to drive..?

 

Hopefully the a/c is removeable for the road trip to the track.

 

Cargo vans are great. However, high top conversion vans or sprinter vans are much much much better. It makes a world of difference when you can stand.

 

I've not had any trouble yet. I've got 7 other windows to see out of. The only hitch is the extension cord; I have all of the cords I could find linked together but I still can't get more than a half of a block away before it comes unplugged

I think the next evolution will be to mount a generator on the back to power the AC unit.

 

A sprinter will be next but not until I have a shop of my own to park it at. They're too "industrial" for my driveway.

 

Hmm, how do you see cross traffic on your right..? You'd get a ticket in heartbeat here in cali..

 

Usually when I've seen window unit air conditioners on vans it has been mounted in one of the back windows, not the front side window. That way you don't have to take it out to drive.

 

I've been using a window A/C unit in my VW Eurovan for many years. You made one large error on the installation. I can tell by the photos that you did not design the mounting platform with the A/C unit tilting out towards the ground. Condensation water will flow into the interior of your van the way you have it. Simply cut the top of your opening hole larger so you can tilt the unit and then use some small "L" clamps to mount the A/C to the wood in that position. You can thank me later.

Also, your A/C looks to be about the same size as mine. On a 90+ degree sunny day the unit will not completely cool the interior. It helps massively but don't expect it to get down to 70 in there. At night, without the sun, it get's meat locker cold.

 

I definitely need to fine tune it. When I pulled it out it of the window it peed all over me. It will sit at a different angle if I work with it a little. I really only put it in there for the nights. During the day most of the electricity I have available will go for tire warmer use but at night I absolutely cannot sleep when it's hot. If I do run it during the day, I've insulated the van really well and have made reflective sunscreens for the windows so it should do ok, and I could always run the vehicle ac for a few minutes to give it a boost.