Just in time for the holidays my odometer stopped working. Quick research pointed in the direction of the speed sensor and the van’s maintenance codes confirmed that. A visit to the auto shop resulted in a new replacement part. 5 Minutes under the van at the transmission completed the job. I have to remind myself… Continue reading Speed sensor repair
Category: Projects
Ladder repair
The rear ladder is more decoration than useful attribute, but over the years screws have gone missing and rust has appeared. As it is a small job, I could do it when I had an hour to spare. First removed the ladder by removing the old screws. The rust cleaned up quite nicely and in… Continue reading Ladder repair
Subfloor installation
One heavy piece of ½” plywood. Weight is always a consideration, both as in maximum payload and as in fuel economy. I estimate the weight of most items that I install and keep a total as a reminder. As for the plywood, I’ll need another sheet to finish the job. To size the plywood,… Continue reading Subfloor installation
Floor insulation
As a base for the interior, I decided to put in a ½” thick piece of plywood on top of ½” rigid insulation board. I started to fill in lengthwise indentations of the metal floor with strips of a thin insulation material, to maximize the R-value. Subsequently the insulation boards were applied. This… Continue reading Floor insulation
Rust and holes.
Now it is time to do some restoration work to the floor. A few areas had a some surface rust. A little sanding and some fresh paint took care of that. Now I had to fill the dozen or so holes in the floor, that were left after the removal of the bench, chairs and… Continue reading Rust and holes.
Wall panel take down
The rear passenger side wall panel and the narrow panel that covered the brake lights, were easily removed. They were mostly friction fit with a few additional (hidden) plastic plugs. It revealed a substantial amount of regular home insulation material, except for the narrow panel.
Rear door panels
Lately I am working on the van, whenever I have an hour available. This time I removed the rear door panels. They were mostly attached with hidden plastic plugs. I’m thinking of slightly enlarging the openings and creating some additional storage area inside the doors.
Subfloor removal
First thing I noticed was some water damage to the subfloor, which is to be expected after 20 years of use. It will be replaced with a regular ½ inch plywood panel. The wood is attached with a couple of metal screws to the metal floor. The rear 4 feet doesn’t have any insulation at… Continue reading Subfloor removal
Window frame & seat belts
Today’s first is the passenger side, large window frame. A fairly simple job, just a lot of screws. I’ll set this frame apart until I have the correct paint to redo it. Now we can see a little of the insulation used, some wire of the valance lighting which will be removed, and the… Continue reading Window frame & seat belts
More dismanteling
I have started preparing the wood for the bed in my workshop, which takes up one half of my garage. I’ll have to glue up thinner boards to get to the right thickness for the wood in the frame of the bed. In the meantime, I am getting the rear belt systems out. Removing the… Continue reading More dismanteling