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Laura Collins
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2022
Hey there, I’m Laura! I recently purchased a Nissan NV2500 van to convert and I'm documenting my progress every step of the way. I love anything and everything outdoors and will be spending a lot of time at my family property in West Virginia doing all of the things I love; hiking, shooting, camping, etc. I created this page to have a place where I can be free to be authentically myself. This is my second TH-cam channel as I am a hairstylist and have a haircare blog. I hope you enjoy my videos as much as I enjoy creating them!
Installing Polyvinyl (Rubber-Like) Flooring In My Conversion Van
In this video I get one step closer to having my flooring completely finished. I begin by taking the sub flooring out and treating all of the wood in the van with a polyurethane sealant to protect the wood from moisture. After I reinstall the sub floor, I begin the vinyl flooring application process. This was very difficult to do and required a bit of prep work. The vinyl should be heated up before application so that it can be properly stretched to avoid air bubbles from forming in the future from heating up in the van. I used my Dyson hair dryer to help heat the flooring up as I applied it. I did run into some issues near the wheel wells that I’ll have to go back and stretch out. So far I am very happy with this flooring.
***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome content, so thanks! ***
Affiliate links:
Polyurethane Sealant (2 cans needed): amzn.to/3W2Fj8F
Flooring Material: amzn.to/3LlJ0Br
3M Adhesive (2 cans needed): amzn.to/3xVuEVi
IG: laurakcollinss
If you’re interested in haircare content, check out my other channel at: www.youtube.com/@haveagoodhairday
#conversionvan #vanlife #vanfloor #nissannv
***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome content, so thanks! ***
Affiliate links:
Polyurethane Sealant (2 cans needed): amzn.to/3W2Fj8F
Flooring Material: amzn.to/3LlJ0Br
3M Adhesive (2 cans needed): amzn.to/3xVuEVi
IG: laurakcollinss
If you’re interested in haircare content, check out my other channel at: www.youtube.com/@haveagoodhairday
#conversionvan #vanlife #vanfloor #nissannv
มุมมอง: 869
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My Electrical Set Up (4Patriots Vs. Bluetti Power Box)
มุมมอง 1.7Kหลายเดือนก่อน
In this video I talk about what I’m currently using in my van for my electrical system. Since I’m far from an electrician, I ended up choosing the power box method of powering my van rather than wiring it all myself and using a fuse box and inverter. Eventually I may end up switching over, but this is working well for now. My next upgrade to the electrical system will be purchasing solar panels...
Building A Bed Frame In My Nissan NV (Full Size Mattress)
มุมมอง 2.9K2 หลายเดือนก่อน
In this video my dad and I built the bed frame and fit the mattress for my conversion van. I purchased everything off of Amazon for this bed and everything is linked below. My dad did end up adding a few more wood slats than what came with the slats I’ve linked below. I’m out adventuring right now, and plan on giving updates on what’s working for me as well as what isn’t! Thanks for following m...
Maxx Air Fan Install (& 12Volt Conversion To Power Box)
มุมมอง 2.4K2 หลายเดือนก่อน
In this video I install my Maxx Air Fan AND convert the wiring to 12 volt so I can plug it into my power box. I was definitely terrified to do this since I have absolutely no experience and I was cutting such a large hole in the van. I also couldn’t find a ton of content on how to wire this fan to a power box, so I wanted to include that in my install video. I hope this was helpful! Affiliate l...
Building The Subfloor In My Nissan NV2500
มุมมอง 1.9K3 หลายเดือนก่อน
In this video I build the subfloor for my van with some help from my dad! I am extremely grateful for his help and expertise with woodworking because I couldn’t have done this without him. We first built the framing out of one piece of wood, insulated it, and then topped it with plywood. If you have any questions for my dad or I on anything that we did here, leave them in the comments! IG: inst...
Van Build Step 2: Patching Holes & Treating For Rust
มุมมอง 7473 หลายเดือนก่อน
After removing all of the old equipment from the van, it was time to patch the holes in the floor and treat the interior scratches for rust. I was lucky because there really wasn’t any rust at all, just some exposed metal. So I sanded over the previous scratches and began the rust treatment process. Along the way, I became slightly concerned that some of the bolts I removed were needed for stru...
Day 1: Intro To My Van Build (Nissan NV2500)
มุมมอง 3.1K4 หลายเดือนก่อน
Take a look at my latest project! I’m building this van into a camper and am documenting my progress for those interested. I don’t have any experience with van builds or building anything at all for that matter, but I will likely have some help from my dad for some of the woodworking. I would love to hear any recommendations you may have for me and I hope you enjoy watching my progress! IG: ins...
That ladder rack is over $2000 new. Ask me how I know.
Dad is a blessing.
She needs to figure out the dead center of the van ceiling and surprise surprise, it’s right just the middle of the center groove of the vans ceiling. Who’d have thought.
I measured to be safe! I was cutting a massive hole in the ceiling, it doesn’t hurt to measure the entirety of the van ceiling to be sure 🙂
@@laurakcollins you know what, ur absolutely correct and you are light years ahead of me, it was an ashole comment I’m sorry! If I’m lucky my build will get closer to yours.
just a bought a nv2500 2012 with 106k miles on it for $3400 its the cargo high top version with the v6 but i still think i got an excellent deal. I am going to convert it but what I want to do is create a Van conversion that can be easily removed or installed. For instance, think of the back of this van like a Drawer and the drawer will slide in and out freely and be able to be removed completely in i want to use the van for something else.
Congrats on your van! Making it removable is a great idea. That’s why I didn’t seal the flooring to the ground. You may need to access the bolts from the inside floor to remove the spare tire so removable is necessary!
@@laurakcollins thank you! theres a video on youtube called: My Old - Tricked out van with slide out tool storage by Dettmore101 that basically has the idea solidified.
You shouldn’t put the knife with the gun. Should pick a separate spot. Back or front pocket. Just in case
This was just for the video to show what all I can put in here. I don’t carry 2 magazines either!
Nice work mom!
Nice ♥️ I’d go with this floor too!
Builds coming along nicely. Really like your choice of flooring, Should be low maintenance, easy to clean and durable. Be careful traveling and see ya on your next video 😊
Thanks so much!
You’re most welcome😃
Really helpful vid, thank you! Your dad has amazing skills!
To each is own. My high top van supposedly has 7 foot headroom, inside. So I don't worry about headspace. But definitely will not do the floor as you did.
What other way is there even?? No framing or insulation?!
try the last 100 miles. not like that AT ALL. steep, craggy, slick, and mean.
So no monsters or weird sounds just a good time....okok 😅
Bahaha no not at all! I think those stories were made long ago to try to keep people away from it.
I live in Florida and in my research your floor will always be colder than the rest of the van so I installed my plywood directly to the floor. Me being 6’3” my head really appreciated that. Plus I was really attentive to how I insulated and did the wood ceiling giving be great insulation while giving the me the most head room possible.
4 Patriots is taking advantage of their “customers”. They are pure junk.
I have the Bluetti Ac200MAX and I use it for power outages or running AC too cool down my living room for my frenchies.
I use a Bluetti AC200Max (similar but older model) in my 27' boat, and I have the wall charger and a big folding solar panel, but I can 100% recommend that you look into a DC-DC charger for your van.... It's essentially a "fast charger" for your Bluetti that runs off the alternator while you're driving around (up to five times faster than the 12v cigarette lighter cable they give you). I got a Pecron 500w one from this video th-cam.com/video/NqnYaqMwktE/w-d-xo.html but there are other brands. No more hauling it in and out of the boat for charging is AWESOME!
I have heard of this but didn’t know exactly how it worked. Thanks! 👍🏻
Why not use the back door ? When undoing to the shelfs ?
👍dads
Yeah 4Patriots gives me big scammy vibes
Bluetti isn’t bad at all. I have an EcoFlow Delta Pro, Anker F1500 and a 521 for backup power. The “powered box”/solar generators are a great all in one option. 4Patriots products are dumpster juice.
I think the wrap is cute! I would’ve kept one shelf for storage
Get panels. Cigarette charging would take you 20 hours from 0 to full. Also pecron would give you more power for cheaper. You can use more solar with pecron
I want to do an NV, but single bed north/south. I think that would l3ave more room, but I haven't done any measurements.
I was going to do a north/south first but ultimately changed my mind once I started measuring and laying out the van. I felt like I was wasting space in the center/back of the van where there’d be a long isle. If you do choose that option look into a Murphy bed that folds into the wall!
@@laurakcollins Your dad is awesome!!
Totally confusing for me too, no matter how much I read about it....
Why a Nissan and not the Promaster or Transit?
Nissan is super reliable and the Promasters are not! I also got a smoking deal on this that I could not pass up!
@@laurakcollins so many mixed opinions... I'm still driving a 2012 Nissan Murano. Smoking deals are always always a bonus. So far so good Laura, I don't get all the technical stuff either, without alotta effort.. I've watched too many builds now and it really comes down to knowing your priorities.... Amazing what choices young people have now. Seniors like myself too but it sure is nice to have started out young even if the eventuality is a home base as well which Ii think makes a big difference. 👍🇨🇦
What guy is not going to help a tiny blonde.... lucky!
If you ever decide to install a hard electrical system in your van, let me recommend that you take a look at this video from Explorist Life. . . th-cam.com/video/E5q7_4FH4LQ/w-d-xo.html. The guy knows his stuff and can make it real simple to understand what is going on. Another guy you might look into for electrical help is Will Prouse . . . www.youtube.com/@WillProwse
I greatly appreciate this! I definitely will be doing that in the future so I will save this. Thank you 🙏🏻
Max Air fans are woke.
Lol how
@@laurakcollins The white wire is the negative.
Your dad is the man! Subbed
Dad is a resourceful guy. Soak up all you can from his years of experience. Just subbed. We're about to start a build on a Promaster. Looking forward to watching your journey 👍
He really is! I love that I’m able to film his help with this project. Thanks for the sub and good luck on your pro master!
Nice job. We are just about to do the same thing on a Promaster
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing what else you do.
Honestly this is one of the best step-by-step demos that I’ve seen. Thank you for being SO detailed!
Of course!! So glad it was helpful!
I agree with you. I kinda like it. To bad you couldn't turn some into flowers somehow, I dont know. I like it, its a really good size
random af but I could not help but to notice the ADTR tattoo, heckyeah! lol
this is clean! have been considering doing this on my first gen nissan xterra but still unsure where to start lol
Getting started is the hardest part!!
Omg. Did you watch Tori's video when she installed one of those? I just watched hers about a week ago 😂. Looks like you did a good job
Hi Laura - when building with wood keep in mind it absorbs odors as well as moisture. You might consider sealing all wood with a water-based poly, like 2 to 3 coats if you have the time. All sides of the wood, even if it's not going to be exposed. A year from now it will prevent the dreaded, "hey, what's that smell?" and protect from high humidity and spills...
We were actually just talking about sealing the wood. Thanks for the tips!
You probably don't need help with layouts or finding what you need on TH-cam, but just in case you haven't run across George at Humble Road, maybe take a look - he's built maybe 5 or 6 "Mini-Me" camper vans on similar sized vans. Very practical advice on layouts, keeping the weight down, and much more. Keep up the good work - we're in the CLE and truly enjoyed the eclipse- hopefully it was great for you and your dad as well!
I will def check him out, thanks! We loved the eclipse, Cleveland is getting to see all kinds of cool stuff this year!
Hi Laura, What a great project you have... I too would like to convert a Nissan NV2500 into a camping van and your transformation work is inspiring. I can't wait to see what happens next. Good luck !
Great job The smoked top is awesome. Mine is white and is very hard to keep clean on the inside. Smoked would not need to cleaned as often.
Thanks! That’s good to know, I did the smoked top because it’s right over where the bed will be and I wanted it to shade the light some
I just purchased a 2020 Nissan NV 2500 for my part time ac business. I’ve already retired once already but I still have people calling me. I’ve already built out a Sprinter to a camper van and use it regularly to travel. So I needed another for some work. This NV didn’t come with any bins so now I’m already planning a wood upper cab project for parts but I’m planning to do it as if it’s a camper van. That’s what is so fun about having a van. So many possibilities. Thanks for the channel. I’ll keep watching.
I love it! There really is so much space above the cab in this van, I plan on building some shelving up there as well. I have seen some people put their bed up there!
My new van had that along the seams your good.
Phew good to know! I may go back and remove those screws and fill the holes then
I have the same van and am building it our aswell!! I have a few recommendations if you're open to them.
Awesome! Yes def would love recommendations. How far are you into the process?
Barely far enough to call it livable lol, got all the appliances and electronics systems. Went with a plug n play EcoFlow system. Also I would HIGHLY recommend a product called Lizard skin. It's a THERMAL Break NOT insulation BUT it works better that ANYTHING I have tried so far. I've used reflectix, Thinsulate And pink board. The Lizard skin spray on fought the cold the most.
Btw your van should have a 400 watt inverter in it already that you can only use while the van is on. That maybe an option for electric system charging while driving
My bags are packed and I’m ready for a roadtrip!
I think that stuff is from builder it is called seam sealer.
Oh this is great to know, thank you
Wow .. what a fun elbow clip dad made for the flooring aye!
Awww, I was thinking of ya earlier today Laura excited about the new upload.
We are making some progress!
Nice job, You cant go wrong with the primer and the oil based Rust-Oleum J-b weld is some strong Sh!t! keep up the great work new sub here 🙂
Thanks so much!
Awwww nice its my favorite van girl builder. Woo hoo.
🤗