Building camper vans with extruded aluminum is our bread and butter here at Engineers who Van Life. We have utilized it for all modules in both of our van buildouts. Why?
Looking for the best place to start?
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Building Camper Vans with Extruded Aluminum (80/20).
8020.net Discount
Clicking through any 80/20 link on our blog should add a 5% discount to your cart on 8020.net. Please reach out if you have issues! This is not the only place you can buy extruded aluminum, but it is where we chose for our van builds because of the quality and plethora of fastener options.
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We offer virtual DIY Van Build consulting and would love to help you personally with your extruded aluminum building needs.
Extruded aluminum is going to cost more than using wood in your van build. However, it must be noted that when using extruded aluminum your van will generally be lighter and more durable than if you choose to use wood. In our first conversion, we spent about $5,000 on extruded aluminum and fasteners. In our second conversion, we were able to get the cost down to about $3,000. The two ways we saved costs were by opting for 10 series, instead of 15 series, and ordering lengths cut to size instead of 8ft lengths that created waste. Plus, you found your way here and our community of van builders has an exclusive 5% discount on 8020.net. Just click through any link on our blog and the discount will be applied to your cart.
By designing your layout in a 3D software, you can order the proper sized lengths. Watch our YouTube video to learn how to use SketchUp to do this!
Plusnuts and bolts! It is a simple as that. We recommend anchoring all of your modules to your van chassis in at least 3 places by using plusnuts (1/4-20 or 5/16-18). You can install plusnuts into the existing holes in your chassis using a plusnut tool. The bolt can then go straight through the aluminum extrusion by a drilled hole, or you can utilize a corner bracket attached to the length.
Building with 80/20 aluminum framing is great because if you design your layout in a 3D software and order pieces cut to size, an Allen Wrench Set [ metric / SAE ] might be all that you need. However, additional tools that might come in handy for building with extruded aluminum include:
You are in the perfect place! We have built several camper vans fully out of extruded aluminum and are here to help! We’ve created guides for most of the modules you will build out of extruded aluminum in your camper van:
We also offer Virtual Consulting services and are happy to chat through anything DIY van building including 80/20!
