It's been a while since I posted and I'm pleased to say the van has come a long way since my last post.
I found a very good mechanic who kept my van for 2 weeks. I won't bore you with all the details but he fixed every thing I asked for and a few nice extras. 619.00 dollars but worth every penny. I haven't had a bit of problems since !!! HAPPY
After that I went to work on the interior. I have the bed the way I want it with 5 inches of firm foam, 2 inches of memory foam, a thick down comforter and another 2 inches of memory foam. It's soft but not too squishy. Very comfortable.
I've added quite a bit to the electrical system. I do have solar on the roof and I rewired to controller to 1 single 12v deep cycle battery. 115 amp hours. It was wired to an additional starting battery under the hood. I had difficulty in finding a deep cycle battery in that space so I put the new 12v under the passenger seat combined with a dc plug and a 400w inverter.
I also have a small 200w inverter in the back for lights and a larger 800w inverter that I don't plan on using much but will be a great backup. I'm really working towards a total 12v system as these inverters need a good bit of juice to run themselves. Might as well avoid that if I can ?
I also finished the vinyl on the interior complete with insulation. I added Reflectix to most of the windows and MAN do I love that stuff. It blocks the ambient light but that's ok. I feel its a good trade off to avoid all that heat here in the steamy south.
I also hired someone to tint a few of the windows which looks great and will help with the heat also.
It's amazing how much time and effort it's taken to get this all done. I've enjoyed it mostly despite a couple of small setbacks.
My next focus will be on organization and comfort. I have more space than a normal size van but will have none to spare especially with my two large dogs.
I'm also trying to decide on the best air conditioning options when away from shore power. The Carrier Air-V works great but my honda 2000 generator wont quite run it. It will however run my smaller 10000 btu portable unit which will do for now. Takes up valuable space though and I don't like the noise. I'll come up with a better option, all it takes is MONEY !!!
Happy to report also that my leaks do seem to be plugged . Hard rain here in Atlanta tonight and I went out to check it. No moisture at all. LOVE It
Ok.. that's it for now.. Kenny OUT
