Ruby on Wheels


A developer on the road

Building heating ventilation shafts

After laying the heating pipes and installing the radiators, I further refined the heating system by building ventilation shafts to facilitate airflow within the cabin. Cold air from the floor would be drawn into the shafts and warmed by the...


Installing a hydronic heating system

The wood stove that I installed into my Mercedes 508D did a great job keeping the van warm and cosy. However, when spending a few months in Northern Europe, I also noticed a few problems with the heating system in...


Building foldable stairs

Before setting up the electrical system, I used a simple wooden ladder to access the sleeping area of the truck. I didn’t like the ladder. It was quite steep, so leaving the sleeping area was a little inconvenient. It also...


Wiring the electrical devices

After installing the solar panels, I focused on the electrical system of the cabin. I envisioned a setup comparable to a regular house providing sufficient capacity during the winter, several 230V AC, 24V DC, 12V DC and USB power outlets...


Installing 2200W of solar power on the roof

The roof was renovated and equipped with custom mounting points for the solar panels. It was about time to install the panels that I had ordered during the winter when the prices and delivery times were still appropriate. The 500W...


Laminating and painting the cabin

After repairing the broken parts of the cabin, I was able to prepare the cabin for the first layer of epoxy resin. A seamless cover all around the cabin seemed more robust than local patches, so I wanted to follow...


Renovating the roof

While fixing the cabin, I also continued the work on the roof. To make sure that the front roof was properly protected, I decided to put another layer of epoxy resin on top of the fiberglas and epoxy resin that...


Repairing the cabin

During the winter I had to pause my attempt to fix the roof because the temperatures were too cold to work with epoxy resin. The weather was still quite cold at the beginning of April. However, in the middle of...


Cladding the living area with wood

After building the skeleton of the bathroom, I continued preparing the panels for the wall cladding. The temperatures were still quite low, so I took advantage of a sunny day to oil the panels. Similarly, as in the bedroom, I...


Building the skeleton of the bathroom

The wooden shower was one of my favorite features of my van. The space in the van was very limited, so I always had to move the wooden toilet out of the bathroom cabin before taking a shower. Luckily the...