Van Conversion Build Order
This is the order we build vans in at our shop in Roanoke, Virginia — and the order you should buy parts in. Sequence matters more than people expect: half the expensive mistakes in a conversion are not wrong parts, they are right parts fitted at the wrong time, after something else has already covered them up.
Work down this list. At each stage we have said what it is, why it sits where it does, and what a mistake there costs you later.
Stage 1
Insulation and sound deadening
First, because everything else covers it up. Getting back to bare metal after the walls are on means undoing the whole build.
Insulate before a single panel goes up. In a steel box the enemy is condensation, not cold — warm damp air hits cold metal behind your walls and you never see it until there is rust. Choose a material that tolerates moisture and can be pulled back out in five years.
Read first: Van insulation compared: Thinsulate vs everything else
Stage 2
Wall framing
Before flooring, because framing anchors to the van’s ribs and you want clean access to them.
Framing is where most builds quietly go wrong. The common method screws furring strips straight through the van’s metal skin — every hole is a rust point where moisture wicks in behind the wall. A system that wraps the factory frame instead keeps penetrations to a handful.
Read first: The NVC Wall Framing Kit — only 7 screws penetrate the metal
Stage 3
Flooring
After framing, before cabinetry. The floor runs wall to wall, and anything built on top of it traps it.
Pre-cut flooring saves a day of templating and a lot of swearing. It is CNC-cut per chassis, so measure your wheelbase and roof height before ordering — cut-to-length material cannot be returned.
Stage 4
Electrical rough-in
While the walls are still open. Wire pulled after panelling means cutting panels you just fitted.
Size the system to a real duty cycle, not to nameplate wattage — a fridge draws its rated load for maybe 40% of the day, not 24 hours. Run every cable you might conceivably want now, including spares. Copper is cheap; opening a finished wall is not.
Read first: How to size a campervan electrical system
Stage 5
Roof penetrations: fans, vents and A/C
Cut all your holes in one session, on a dry day, with the van somewhere you can seal and leave it.
Ventilation beats insulation and beats heating for controlling moisture. A roof fan is the single highest-value hole you will cut. If you are adding rooftop air conditioning, plan its position against your roof rack and solar before anything is mounted.
Stage 6
Heating
After the roof work, while ducting runs are still reachable behind panels.
A fuel-fired air heater is the best comfort-per-amp upgrade in a van — 6 to 26 watts running, so you can heat all night on almost no battery. Fuel type is decided by your van, not your preference. Plan the ducting before you pick a mounting location, and treat the exhaust as a safety system.
Read first: Diesel vs gas air heaters for vans
Stage 7
Water
Before cabinetry closes in the tank locations.
Tanks are the constraint. Wheel-well and undercarriage tanks buy you floor space but are chassis-specific, so confirm fitment against your exact van before ordering. Plumb, pressure-test and find your leaks now, not after the galley is built on top.
Stage 8
Seating
Swivels go in before the cabinetry that has to clear them.
A swivel turns the cab into living space and roughly doubles the usable floor of a small van. Check clearance against your steering column and handbrake, and confirm your seat base is the model the swivel is cut for.
Stage 9
Panels, trim and storage
The stage where it stops looking like a cargo van.
Trim kits are cut per chassis and roof height, so they drop in without templating. Pillar covers and window trim rings are the difference between a finished interior and a DIY one.
Stage 10
Roof rack, ladder and exterior
Last, once you know where the roof penetrations and solar actually ended up.
Mount the rack after the fan, the A/C and the solar are placed, not before — otherwise you will be drilling around a rack you already paid to install. Racks and ladders are platform-specific.
Before you order anything
Two things save more money than any discount we could offer you.
Know your exact van. Year, platform, wheelbase and roof height. A part cut for a Sprinter 144 will not fit a 170, and a 2018 is not always a 2019. Start from Sprinter, Transit or ProMaster and you will only see parts that bolt to your van.
Ask before you buy. We answer fitment and sizing questions free, whether or not you order from us — battery bank against a real duty cycle, 2 kW versus 4 kW heater for your insulation level, whether a tank clears your wheel well. Email info@nokevanco.com. It costs nothing and it is cheaper than a return, especially on cut-to-length material that cannot be sent back.
We also build the parts we could not buy the way we wanted them — see Noke Van Co Originals (4) — and we install at our Roanoke shop if you would rather we fitted it.
Browse the full parts catalog or get in touch about a conversion.