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Today's addition to the camper van goes along with the TV stand. It is a small 12 volt amplified antenna. I made a mount for it out of wood so that I could mount it on top of the van when we are camping. I discovered on the last camping outing that I get better reception with it on top of the van roof than I do with it just sitting in one of the van windows.
I used a piece of 2x6 cedar for the base and routered a space for two large plastic covered magnets to be recessed into it. The magnets will hold the antenna in position on the roof when camping so the wind does not blow it around.
Here it is mounted on the roof of my van during my last camping trip.
On this trip we picked up about a dozen good high definition channels. Even in some remote locations in SD I can usually pick up at least one channel to catch the local news. I mounted the 12 volt amplifier in the back of my kitchen unit inside the camper.
Last edited by Black'95; July 24th, 2019 at 4:35 PM.
Today's modification to the van camper was an upgrade to the lighting. I added another camper light on the right side. I made some special brackets from strap metal to fit under the plastic trim and bold to the metal body then ran the wires under the trim. My wife was pleased as it gave her more light for reading in bed. I also upgraded the bulbs in both this light and the one over the kitchen unit on the left side to LED bulbs. The old incandescent bulbs got really hot and the LED's use much less battery power.
One good thing about being retired is that I can be on the lookout for modifications and upgrades to my van camper and have the time to do them right away.
Last edited by Black'95; July 24th, 2019 at 4:41 PM.
Yup, looking good. Might want to check out the sportsmobile forums. Almost all people fixing up vans like this to camp in. Kinda leans towards the fords though.
Yup, looking good. Might want to check out the sportsmobile forums. Almost all people fixing up vans like this to camp in. Kinda leans towards the fords though.
Another modification I made to my camper van was the addition of an ignition controlled relay under the hood. It connects the van's battery to my auxiliary battery and other 12 volt powered accessories. When I turn off the ignition it disconnects everything from the main van battery to prevent discharging while using the camping accessories.
I also added a small wired fuse connection box under the dash of the van wired into this ignition controlled relay. I use this for connecting all my 12 volt accessories. Each one then has its own fuse to control it. I am currently using three of the slots and have room to expand two more circuits.
Last edited by Black'95; July 24th, 2019 at 9:09 PM.
Today's modification to my camper van was the addition of a backup camera. I used a Peak brand with the wireless sending unit so I would not have to run wires from the front to the back. The camera and wireless unit connects to the back up lights for power. I removed the door's interior trim and ran the wires through the wiring harness into the van then back out through the tail light wiring harness to the backup light.
The monitor was mounted on my dash beside my GPS unit. The monitor just needs 12 volt power to receive the signal from the wireless sending unit. I connected its 12 volt power to an ignition controlled circuit so that it only comes on when the ignition is turned on.
I used a metal L-bracket under the trim bolted to the metal underneath the trim so that no holes were drilled in the trim for the mounting.
Works great and gives me another degree of safety in the big van.
I recently moved the backup camera monitor to the driver's side sun visor. It is held in place with Velcro straps and accessible whenever I pull the visor down. I found this arrangement easier to see. I have been thinking about adding a 12 volt power switch to the rear camera to supply power to it whenever I want. That way I could see what the camera sees anytime and not just when I am in reverse with power from the backup lights.
Last edited by Black'95; July 24th, 2019 at 5:24 PM.
Today's latest modification to the camper van was the addition of an under hood service light. It was an old retractable reel model that I removed from an old Chevrolet Suburban.
Last edited by Black'95; July 24th, 2019 at 5:10 PM.
Today's modification to the Chevrolet Express camper van was to add a switch to the wire leading from the driver's door to the multi-function alarm under the dash. When we are vacationing, I often pull over and get out of the van to take pictures without shutting the engine off and pulling the keys so my wife can still enjoy the AC or heat. When ever I do this the annoying buzzer sounds because the door is open and the keys are still in the ignition. Using my copy of the GM shop service manual, I located the alarm buzzer. I had to remove the dash instrument trim panel to access it. I disconnected it and added jumper wires to each connection so that I could isolate which wire came from the door switch.
Multi-function alarm shown by the white arrow.
Another view of the multi-function alarm looking from the passenger side.
Once I located the correct wire (green wire in the wiring harness to the alarm) I cut it and added a switch so I could have the door alarm on or off when I was getting out a lot.
Switch for alarm mounted under the dash. It is much less annoying now when I want to quickly get out and snap a picture or two. My wife appreciates it also..
Last edited by Black'95; July 24th, 2019 at 8:55 PM.
April 24th, 2015, 9:41 AM
