This page is the van-specific installation sequence for getting the build from an empty shell and loose purchased parts to the current agreed MVP set.
It is not the full build. It is the shortest source-backed path to a van that can:
This page uses the current owner-page facts and keeps the still-open field items explicit instead of pretending the remaining fit and routing work is already closed.
The controlling MVP definition comes from Build Plan:
The current dependency chain is:
These can come later unless they become necessary to physically support one of the MVP items above:
12V completionTreat the van as MVP-complete only when all of the following are true:
This is the actual install order implied by the owner pages:
Do not skip to “wire the van” before the bed and garage geometry are honest and the floor is no longer a guessed future layer.
Use these rules throughout the MVP build:
This phase exists to prevent fake progress from scattered parts and undefined references.
Required outcome:
Do now:
Do not move on until:
This is the first real MVP build phase because the garage controls the bed and the bed controls the rear bays.
Required outcome:
Do now:
9x135mm fork mountsUse Bed Height and Bike Garage Planning Physical Mockup Procedure as the detailed measurement checklist.
Do not move on until:
The MVP bed is not a finish-carpentry phase. It is the minimum real sleeping platform that closes the geometry honestly.
Required outcome:
Do now:
Do not move on until:
The floor is a gating MVP step, not a finish-layer detail. The owner pages already treat it that way because the heated floor, the shower drain, and any underbody passes have to be coordinated before adhesive and before floor-adjacent anchors are trusted.
Required outcome:
Do now:
Use Build Plan Floor and Underbody Order of Operations, Climate and Insulation, and Rixen Combined Installation as the controlling floor-coordination references.
Do not move on until:
Required outcome:
Do now:
Do not move on until:
This is where the project stops being a generic “van with a bed” and becomes your actual MVP build package.
Required outcome:
Do now:
50 x 30 electrical backer still fits under the bed datum with service accessThis phase is complete when the bed, garage, electrical bay, and rear cooling zone no longer contradict each other.
This phase is intentionally narrow. It is not “finish the shell.”
Required outcome:
Do now:
8077Use Build Plan Required Floor / Body Penetration Matrix and Electrical Roof Entry Installation as the controlling execution references.
Do not move on until:
This is the electrical-first-power package, but it happens only after Phases 1 through 4 are honest.
Required outcome:
Use Electrical MVP Installation Instructions as the detailed subsystem procedure.
That page owns:
301EL-B -> 8077 -> MultiPlus -> 8027Cross-system rule:
Do not move on until:
Cooling is next only after the pre-cooling MVP is already real.
Required outcome:
Check now:
If any of those are false, the next task is not mini-split installation.
The mini-split remains the least source-closed major MVP subsystem, so the proof step matters.
Required outcome:
Do now:
Use Mini-Split Air Conditioner as the detailed owner page.
Do not move on until:
This is the last major phase required to reach the current MVP set.
Required outcome:
Do now:
Do not treat “mechanically mounted” as done. The MVP requires actual cooling performance.
The final phase is not subsystem-by-subsystem optimism. It is combined-use proof.
Required outcome:
Test now:
If those five are true together, the van has reached the current MVP set.
Use this matrix when deciding whether a phase is actually ready to start or close.
| Phase | Hardware / install inputs that should be in hand | Evidence to record before exiting the phase |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 0. Stage, audit, clear | bikes, RB tray kit, fork mounts, batteries, core rear electrical hardware, roof-solar hardware in hand/source-backed, mini-split kit, condenser support hardware direction | photos of staged MVP hardware and a clear rear work area; note any still-missing critical hardware |
| Phase 1. Mock garage | tray kit, fork mounts, real bikes, tape/measure tools, temporary fixture hardware | rear/side/overhead mockup photos; measured stored-bike height; tray-length note; rear-door clearance note |
| Phase 2. Set bed height | Phase 1 measurements, provisional bed-structure assumptions, mattress/top-thickness assumption | written bed underside datum; note of controlling bike case; short coexistence note for bed vs shower/garage |
| Phase 3. Floor map / penetration schedule | Rixen floor pieces, floor map/source docs, temporary marking supplies, underbody routing context, shower-drain routing context | floor dry-fit photos; engraved routing / exit photos; one no-drill note; one MVP penetration schedule note |
| Phase 4. Heated floor install / real floor datum | closed Phase 3 penetration schedule, floor install materials, any trim/edge assumptions needed to define the floor stack | installed-floor photos; one note confirming the real floor datum used by the bed and rear-bay package |
| Phase 5. Freeze rear under-bed packages | accepted bed datum, installed floor datum, rear backer size, battery footprint, rear utility/cooling package direction | sketch or photos showing rear electrical-bay envelope and passenger-side rear-zone coexistence; note any interference retired |
| Phase 6. Minimum penetrations / prep | backer material and mount method, shore-inlet hardware, roof-entry hardware, drill templates/manuals, mini-split penetration direction | marked locations or photos for shore-entry field, roof-entry field, and any MVP-only cooling penetration plan |
| Phase 7. Rear electrical backbone | all electrical MVP hardware, cable/lug/fuse families, roof-entry path, AC branch hardware needed for first use | commissioning notes proving DC backbone, shore path, fixed roof solar, and minimum AC output path |
| Phase 8. Re-audit before cooling | installed bed, installed floor, proven power backbone, still-valid rear utility/cooling package assumptions | one short pass/fail note that the van is ready for cooling install rather than still blocked on garage/bed/power/floor |
| Phase 9. Mini-split proof bundle | delivered unit, any manual/label evidence, planned condenser support package, branch-route access | photos of any label/lead markings, route notes, mounting-direction note, and branch-path note |
| Phase 10. Working cooling install | condenser support structure, evaporator mounting structure, final line/power/drain route, local disconnect hardware | install photos, branch-protection note, startup note, and cooling-performance note |
| Phase 11. Full MVP commissioning | all prior phases complete | one combined MVP record showing bike storage, bed usability, floor closure, CPAP/power use case, recharge path, and working AC |
These are the highest-value artifacts to save while working through the phases:
This handoff is complete only when:
This handoff is complete only when:
This handoff is complete only when:
These are the main remaining source-backed gaps that still sit inside the MVP path:
| Gap | Why it still matters to MVP |
|---|---|
| front-wheel-off real bike envelope not yet physically captured in the final tray/fork stack | bed height is still guess-prone without it |
| final bed orientation/height acceptance not yet closed on the owner pages | the rear bay package is downstream of that decision |
| heated-floor dry-fit / no-drill map / installed-floor datum not yet fully closed as one field package | the rear bay, shower-drain coordination, and floor-adjacent mounting assumptions all depend on it |
| exact rear Ford bond landing not yet field-captured | electrical MVP still depends on it |
| final rear-bay electrical cut lengths and service slack | current user physical direction is that the shore path stays behind the backer with the 8077 close to the MultiPlus and the total AC path staying within about 5 ft, the MultiPlus DC runs stay within about 3 ft, and the first GFCI stays local on the backer board; these are no longer treated as architecture blockers, but they still need ordinary install-time cut-length execution |
| delivered mini-split direct-source proof and final branch-route capture still incomplete | cooling MVP still depends on it |
Use this when you want the full project MVP boiled down to one ordered work sheet.
| Step | Action | Done when | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stage all current MVP hardware and clear the rear work area | nothing critical to the MVP chain is still missing from the work area or buried in storage | staged-hardware photos and one clear rear-cargo photo |
| 2 | Mock the RB tray and fork-mount package with the real bikes | the real stored-bike height, tray length, and rear-door loading clearance are known | rear/side/overhead mockup photos with a tape in frame |
| 3 | Set the MVP bed datum from the real front-wheel-off bike envelope | the bed underside height is no longer based on published bike geometry | one written bed-height datum and one simple sketch or photo annotation |
| 4 | Dry-fit the heated floor and build the MVP floor / underbody penetration schedule | the floor-loop exit, no-drill logic, and required MVP penetrations are documented before adhesive or blind drilling | floor dry-fit photos, engraved-routing photos, and one penetration-schedule note |
| 5 | Install the heated floor and confirm the real floor datum used by the MVP package | the build no longer depends on a guessed future floor thickness | installed-floor photos and one floor-datum note |
| 6 | Check the rear electrical-bay and passenger-side rear-zone coexistence against that bed datum and floor datum | both rear under-bed packages still fit with believable service access and no obvious tray conflict | one rear-bay packaging note plus dry-fit photos or a simple marked sketch |
| 7 | Install only the mounting surfaces and penetrations required for the MVP path | the backer field, shore-entry field, and roof-entry field are physically prepared without extra full-build holes | before/after photos of the rear backer area, shore-entry field, and roof-entry field |
| 8 | Build and commission the rear electrical MVP | the van can support the overnight CPAP use case and recharge through shore and fixed roof solar | electrical commissioning notes plus installed rear-electrical photos |
| 9 | Re-audit the van before cooling work | the build is no longer blocked on bed/garage/floor/power fundamentals and is honestly ready for cooling install | one short pass/fail readiness note |
| 10 | Capture the mini-split proof bundle | the unit's real route, branch path, and best available direct evidence are recorded well enough to support final install | label/lead/hose photos, route note, mounting-direction note |
| 11 | Install and energize the working cooling package | the mini-split is mounted, powered from the protected branch, and actually cools | install photos, startup note, cooling-performance note |
| 12 | Re-test the whole MVP as a combined use case | bike storage, bed usability, floor closure, CPAP power, recharge path, and AC all work together | final combined MVP photo set and one combined check note |
If you only need the shortest version of the worksheet above, the order is:
The existing Electrical MVP Installation Instructions page remains valid, but only as the electrical subsection of the larger MVP path.
Use this page to decide what happens before and after the electrical work.
Use the electrical procedure when the build reaches the actual rear power-backbone install.