Cabin Vents for Front Windows

The cabin can get extremely hot and airless, so I've looked for a few ways to securely vent that area. I've recently gotten some Overland Screens for the van, and they seem to work well, so far.

Note: I previously tried these and decided to not continue using them - - too much hassle to install and remove.

17-May-2021

Porch Lights in Black

It was finally time to convert the chrome porch lights to black ones, as they should have been all along. Some people like to repaint their existing lights, but I bought new ones in black, and applied the new black bezels to the old lights. I also cleaned up the rust areas underneath, following these nice video instructions from Owl Vans.

14-May-2021

Rolef Screen Cleaner

Rolef recommends using this stuff for cleaning their screens, and I can confirm that it does an excellent job at restoring them to like-new condition.

08-May-2021

WeBoost Antenna Mount

I recently added a WeBoost Drive Reach to our van, and wanted to mount the large roof antenna in a way that would allow me to easily raise & lower it.  Based on recommendations, I decided to use the Rhino Rack Folding Aerial Bracket for mounting the antenna. 

However, when mounted on the crossbars and folded down, the antenna still protruded too much, so I decided to invert the rear crossbar and mount it with a lower profile.

However, the antenna is now lower to the roof, and will bob up & down in the wind, tapping on the roof. To stop this, I created a simple cradle that clasps the antenna stalk. The cradle is a thin bar of aluminum that is bolted to the side rail with a 5/16" x 3/4" carriage bolt and a stop nut. The clasp is a plasticized wire clamp that is easily bent with one hand when I want to open and close it.

07-May-2021

Lithium Conversion

After 4 years with the original AGM batteries, it was becoming clear that we would need to replace them before our 5th winter. After considering our options, we decided to purchase the RoamRig system to convert our coach's power system from AGM to lithium. We started with Stage 1, and will monitor our usage for a year or so to see if we need to add more storage or charging capacity. With Stage 1, we are more than quadrupling our storage capacity, so this will allow us to use the van a bit differently than before. (Update Sept 2021: without a 2nd, dedicated alternator, our Sprinter alternator recharges our Stage 1 batteries at 9.25% per hour of driving. Solar also contributes to this in some small amount as well.)

The dinette bench is markedly cleaner, and built in a steel frame, as opposed to the wood & staples box that originally comprised it.

The new instrument panel is far superior to the hodge-podge from before. However, the items in red are inconsistent, so I'm going to fix that in the coming months.

07-May-2021