14. Swivel Seats, Wall Partition, Bug Screen

Bug Screen – Something you just can’t survive without is a Bug Screen for the sliding door and the back doors.  There are some that sell these screens for over a thousand dollars, which is crazy.   It takes a little customizing, but you can do it yourself with standard screens from Amazon.  That’s what you will see in the video’s below:

Link to the screens we used:     Side Door          Back Doors

Now, one thing I will change in the future is the small screen at the right of the sliding door.  This screen area is less than three inches wide.  It would be better and more durable to make this out of cloth.   So, if I ever replace the screen, I will sew in a cloth piece over the screen.

While we are on the topic of screens, I made one for the skylight, hatch.  It has worked out very well and the way I did it may be useful in many applications.  So if you need to create any type of small screen check out the video below.  I expect it may provide you with a solution for your application.

Wall Partition – Very, very happy with our wall partition.  It provides, privacy, stealth, and blocks the heat from the front windows.  At night once we close the partition wall we look like a construction van.  Depending on our location few people would look at the van and think, there are people sleeping in there.

Also, when we are in a store shopping, closing that door again make it look like a construction or plumbing van.  That provides a small level of security.  We don’t stand out as an RV or camper so we are not a target for thieves.  These videos show the build and installation of the wall partition. If you’re interested in the step by step plans visit our Etsy store.

Grab Handle – This is a MUST DO.  Why?  Well if you don’t put in a grab handle at this location people will use the passenger seat headrest to help pull themselves into the van.   Over time that will damage the seat.  So follow the video below to make the installation.  This is what you will need:

Handle     

Magnet   

Foot Rest – Integrated with the wall partition is the foot rest.  The RAM Promaster van has a step down right behind the driver and passenger seats.  This footrest eliminates that drop down, and provides storage. Our foot rest provides a system for locking the partition open when driving and provides storage underneath.  It also provides a footrest when rotating the passenger seat around.  These videos show the design and installation of the foot rest.  If you’re interested in the step by step plans visit our Etsy store.    This is a link to the Kerf Spacing Calculator I used to bend the wood.

Hinges used for the foot rest   
Piano Hinge

Swivel Seats – Since we have a shower behind the driver, we only added one swivel seat.  The passenger seat swivels and there is a pull up table from the sink area.  This provides a nice workstation to do video editing etc….   We purchased our swivel from an ebay seller named “markwen11”.   The swivel has been functioning well for more than two years.

You will need these for the Swivel Seat installation:
Torx Sockets   
Socket adapters

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