oh well

So today I show up at my mechanic's shop all excited to pick up my van.  Well,  it broke down while waiting to get picked up.  Check engine light came on and ran really rough.  Thankfully Tim looked at and has a pretty good idea of what is wrong.   Unhappy of course but thankful it broke down at that moment instead of a 100 miles away on a camping trip.   OUCH

Repair update

OK,  I'm excited.  My van is almost ready to come home.  Lot of repairs including a new fuel pump, new transmission selector switch and a  couple of support brackets.   All the work is done and now it just needs to be put back together and road tested.  Been a long time coming but I hope to  be road worthy for a long time to come?  Fingers crossed !   

Not sure of the bill yet?  It will be expensive but not a bank breaker.  Hopefully worth it in the long run?  Weather is nice now in the south and I look forward to camping.   Open to suggestions of places to camp within a 100 miles of Atlanta.  Maybe Muscle Shoals ??  :)  GRIN

Van update

Bad news is that my van is still in the shop but good news is that the important repair was just a sensor and has been fixed.  My mechanic is working on a couple of other issues and will have my van for a few more days.   All is well and I look forward to getting my van back in good working order. 

Getting excited about starting another batch of improvements.   Went to the local army and navy store and purchased a few needed camping items.  That's about it...

Camping trip

Went camping this weekend with a bunch of van dwellers and had a blast.  Hickey Gap is a small free campsite up near Chatsworth GA.   Got to meet a fine group of people.  About half of them are full time dwellers so it was really interesting to see how it was done first hand.   Great fellowship and a good time was had by all.

Sadly my check engine light came on during the ride home.  That was pretty stressful but I got home safe and now the van is back in the shop.  ALWAYS something  I tell you.   My mechanical troubles did not damper the weekend though and I really did have a good time. 

Van Pics

A couple people have asked to see additional photos of my bus so here they are.   The silver coverings you see in some of the pics is Reflectix, a insulation covering that keeps heat in or out.  LOVE that stuff.

The curtains are old and will be replaced.  

Front seats 

Looking back

Queen Size bed

Looking forward

Bus doors open

Bus doors closed

Gull door open   Love that !!

Van update

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

Continue with van repair

The van is coming along nicely with a few setbacks but I can take them in stride.   Asked a friend to work on it for me and that was a mistake.  Somehow damage was done to the engine while in his care and it got a little ugly.  I was able to get the van to a repair shop and now it's back on the road.

Faulty wiring was found and now the next step is to have the electrical system checked out.  That should happen tomorrow.  

I was also able to add a new car stereo and also fixed my dash lights.  Very happy with both of those upgrades.

I am a bit worried about the electrical as it can be expensive.  All I can do is hope for the best !

Looking forward to putting the mechanical aspects of this thing behind me if that's possible?   Working on the interior will be much more enjoyable.