how to draw an owl

 

One common theme I've found in van building is Youtube videos showing the plans, the clean slate, the build, and the finished product. If you are new to van building as we are, it's a lot like those instructional videos on how to draw an owl, but they skip over the important stuff. If you bought a van like a Sprinter or Promaster, there are hundreds of plans to chose from. With the Chrysler Pacifica, not so much.

We've entered into the envisioning phase of the build. 

1. What do we need to carry?
2. Where does it fit?
3. How quickly can we access commonly accessed items?
4. Where is the pantry?
5. Where is the cooler?

As you can see, there are a lot of "circles" for building this "owl!"

The middle front-to-back 2x2 is the level bar. Our driveway is on a slope, so I premeasured the floor slope from front to back, and by having a leveling bar, I can quickly see clearances and what may or may not fit. The front starts out at 13", which is the height of the center console, and the rear is 17" from the bottom of the empty SnG cavity. Some of this I have in TurboCAD, but real world visualization is hard to match.

While the back of the Pacifica can hold 4x8 sheets of plywood, the floor itself is not flat. There is a rise aka "The Hump", where the 3rd-row SnG seats anchor, AND there are plastic airconditioning ducts under the rise. Because of the plastic ducts, I cannot use this area for any weight-bearing loads, so a standard platform would not work.

Instead, I will have a crossbeam using a 2x4 and existing bolt holes where the front of the rear SnG seats attach at "the hump." The height of the crossbar is 8". This crossbeam will take all loads off the plastic a/c ducts.

We also purchased a small ROCKPALS 350w portable solar generator, which is in the foreground. Right now, it's a glorified lantern, but it will come in handy to power all our electronic devices. I've provided a link below to Amazon if you want to take a look! This is an affiliate link that provides a small commission if this one provides for your needs too.

ROCKPALS 350W Portable Power Station, 288Wh Powered Generator Lithium Battery Pack Camping Generator with 110V AC Outlet, QC 3.0 USB, Type-C Port for Outdoor Camping, Home Emergency Power Supply

If you purchase this via Amazon, be sure to clip the $40 off coupon code in your cart for Black Friday savings! (11/19/2020)