Installing the Solar Panel and Rack

Installing a large 360W solar panel to the roof rack first required the roof rack mountings to be modified to fit centre and back positions. The rear rack and roller bar was modified to accept the Slot bolts through the extrusion and the roller bar mounts, to allow the panel to have a larger surface area to sit on the top of the van. The panel was fitted to the rear of the van to aid air flow across the van. Custom brackets were made to accommodate T-Slot bolts that would house 8 bolts on each front side, for a belt and braces secure fit. Cables were run down the side channels inside the van and connected to the battery supply. A test drive shows no added wind noise or handling changes. The large panel means an alternator charger is less necessary, as it provides the same 30amps fully charging the batteries from 0% to 100% in just over 3 hours.