VanCraft Sprinter Campervan Conversion Build Series | EPISODE 2

Campervan Electrical System

A clean and organized wire framework is essential for any professional campervan conversion.

Wiring is one of the first things that we tackle on the interior of the van conversions. We use our in-house wiring template to cut all of the wire to length.

Once the wire has been cut to length, we mark the areas for holes to be cut into the interior of the chassis to minimize waste and allow our electrical system to seamlessly flow through the cabin.

As the wire reaches its final destination, it’s important to remember to label the end of every wire ensuring all final connections are correct.

We run all of the wire to one centralized utility bay, which is housed behind the bench seat. This is where you can find the solar charge controller, pure sine inverter, fuse circuit system, and bus bar.

The outcome is a wiring framework that is organized, protected, and intentional.

Campervan Conversion Insulation

Our 3-stage insulation process is designed to control the temperature of the cabin as well as prevent water and mold.

The primary insulation component is R-Tech foam board insulation.

We use a 2-in foam board for the walls and a 1.5-in foam board for the ceilings.

Once the foam board is cut and placed in the wall and ceiling panels, we secure the panels using woodblocks. Once secured, we trim the panels out using spray foam, which fills in any open gaps and helps lock the foam board into wall panels.

We make sure not to over-apply spray foam, which can result in warped side vehicle panels, as the foam expands rapidly.

Finally, we fill any remaining small, oddly-shaped crevices with recycled denim insulation.

Walls, Ceilings & Door Panels

Here at VanCraft, we’re all about the natural wood.

Our walls, ceilings, and door panels are covered with ¼-in maple, which gives a nice clean and natural feel to our cabins.

All of our panels are cut from a template that we have created with our CNC partner and installed by our master carpenter.

‘Fit and finish’ is EVERYTHING when it comes to designing and building a campervan conversion.

Fluidity and attention to detail is what separated a professional campervan build from a piecemeal “home-build”.

Beautiful Natural Wood Prep

VanCraft uses ½-in 7-ply Baltic Birch for all campervan conversion cabinetry and framework.

Our CNC partner cuts all of our pieces to spec from raw sheets, which our master carpenter is responsible for professionally processing and finishing.

The process starts with sanding the exposed surfaces, routering the exposed edges, and then placing pocket screw holes on the backside of the wood using a Kreg-machine.

Once the wood has fully been prepped, it moves into the stain tent, where the wood goes through an extensive finishing process.

The wood is stained and wiped before it has a chance to dry, leaving its beautiful natural wood grain peeking through.

Once dry, the wood is cleaned and prepped for two coats of polyurethane.

The wood is sanded in-between every coat to make sure we end up with that mirror-smooth finish.

There is something so satisfying about a freshly built natural wood interior. 

See You Next Episode!

This concludes the second episode of VanCraft’s, four-episode, behind the scenes build series.  In our next episode we will start to bring the entire build together and show you the assembly process.

You can find more information about San Diego campervan conversion rentals and join the Van-Fam by following us on your preferred social channels below!