Sorry this update has taken so long to make it out, but this happened:
Yeah. The van had an engine swap. There were a series of issues which made it more economical long-term to get a younger engine with fewer miles.
Issues were thus:
- The turbo was on its way out
- Oil leak
- Oil pressure warning
- Coolant leak
- The cam belt needed replacing, which requires dropping the engine anyway
So, given the engine was going to get dropped to replace the cam belt, I figured that replacing the engine was the route to go down given the other issues.
On top of this the gearbox also died on me and that needed replaced. I'd rather it didn't happen at the same time... Naturally having to organise this and source parts and stuff took quite a long time. Finding an engine was super hard and finding someone local to me to do the swap was a bit of a mission itself. So I basically made no progress for a good few months.
The Countertop
First thing to do was to measure up and put in the supporting structure
After cutting the countertop to size, I drew up where the sink and hob where to go.
Unfortunately after testing the layout for a bit, opting for space efficiency didn't work. There wasn't enough space at the back of the hob to use pans.
Thankfully this layout works. There's not as much space on the countertop, but with the induction hob being a usable surface when there's not a pan on it it doesn't actually impact too much.
Drawers and stuff
This next step wasn't very well documented, but I basically put some supporting walls in and a shelf for the microwave oven to sit, then built some drawers in. The fridge was also fitted as well, but I failed to picture that.
These next two shots are shit, but basically I filled the space under the microwave with one large drawer for pots and stuff.
I also added a backsplash with stick-on fake tiles
Also, safety first:
Microwave
The microwave is a standard kitchen combination microwave oven and grill. Not meant to be fitted in an enclosure, but I did it anyway. I have taken measures to keep it cool, as you'll see in a bit. But the first thing to take care of is making sure it doesn't have a party whilst driving around.
The black circles at the front are for the feet of the microwave to slot in, to ensure it doesn't slide about. The black bits at the sides are strap loops.
The exposed edges were then finished off with edge trim for the outside and paint for the inside. I used paint for the inside because edge trim is applied with hot melt glue, so could be prone to coming away when the oven function is in use.
To keep the oven cool whilst its enclosed, I opted to go for some active cooling.
The control board has a temperature probe on a wire which I've stuck to the side of the microwave. When the temperature goes above 40°C the fan turns on. The air is vented in to the garage.
Cabinets
To start I made the base. This will have an LED strip embedded into it for under-cabinet lighting
I then made and painted a frame to hold the base board and doors to the ceiling. I swear I took pictures of the process, but you'll have to settle for going straight to being fitted.
There is also some rivnuts attached to the van which I use to support the back of the cupboard.
As you may notice from the above pictures I also put up an aluminium corner, like that used on the shower. Like with the shower, I didn't want a sharp corner to bump my head. I also have another use in mind, which I'll touch on later.
Using an off-cut of some curtain rail and some 3D printing I was able to make a kitchen roll holder to place on the underside of the cabinet
And now for the finishing touch:
One of the reasons I picked the aluminium corner is to use it as a touch input for the under-cabinet lighting. It makes it super convenient to use because you can touch it anywhere along the length of the cabinet to toggle the light.