Iron Van

I bought a 1991 Chevy G20 conversion van for $1500 from an old man on Long Island and decided to remodel it into a portable living space. It features 200W of Renogy solar panels mounted to the roof which charge a 60AH CALB LiFePO4 battery bank. The power output is available in either 12V or 120V format, thanks to a MicroSolar 1000W Pure Sine Inverter.

I'll keep adding content as I have time; this ended up being a pretty big project.

You can view all the photos from this project here on flickr.

• In Which I Buy the Van and Sojourn to Ohio
• The Perils and Payoffs of Choosing a LiFePO4 Battery Chemistry
• Selecting and Programming the Morningstar Tristar Solar Charge Controller - Locating a LiFePO4 Compatible Charge Controller Proves Harder Than I Thought
• Installing the Renogy Solar Panels
• The Making of the Really Fancy Switch Panel
• Building the Power Shelf
• Taking the Van Apart
• Remodeling the Inside, Including the Creation of the Great Wall of Luan

As a bonus, this project writeup has also given me experience writing in the horror genre. Please enjoy the following:

• Who Needs Solder: Explorer Conversion Employees Embrace Their Inner YOLO, aka, Why Is It Ziptied to the Parking Brake? And Other Questionable Wiring Choices
• Why Are There SO MANY Pine Needles?