What Next?

Now that I've got the front cab nearing completion I've got to think about what to do next to the Vanagon. I've got a few thoughts but I'm going to have to stick to cheap/free projects for a bit after spending a decent chunk of change on my new interior. The only really urgent thing that I've got planned is to replace the fuel supply lines like I mentioned in a post a few days ago. My fuel lines don't look like they are in such great condition and I really don't want my van to burn down. I think I'll also try to figure out why I've got a bit of a surge in my idle. I'm at least going to do some of the more straight forward maintanence things just to make sure the surge isn't something simple. I've got a list that I was going to work through that I found on my new favorite site www.van-cafe.com. They got all sorts of handy kits that you can use to do common maintenance work. That is actually where I am getting my fuel line replacement supplies. They have a handy kit that includes all the stuff you need to do the job right.

As far as the interior, I recently discovered that many of the horrible looking metal parts in the van are actually stainless steel and can be cleaned up quite nicely. So far I've only done the poptop latch but there are several hinges, table parts, and other miscelaneous bits that are going to get the grind and polish treatment. I'm also going to see what I can do to make the stove/sink cabinet look better. I found a guy online who is talking about getting a bunch of vinyl letters made to replace the original decals on the cabinet. That will let me go to town with the grinder to remove all the surface rust and repaint. I may also consider replacing some of the trim pieces. The replacement stuff is fairly easy to get, cheap, and the original stuff has shrunk to the point where it doesn't fit very well.

I'm also thinking of plumbing. I'm going to soak my water reservoir with a bleech/water solution for a few days and then see about what it would take to get the plumbing working again. I'm also going to look into adding a second faucet in a place that is more easily accessible. Also, while I was removing the camping equipment before I completely ripped out all of the camping electric so I guess I'll rethink it and then get it back installed.

Of course there is the rust that I'm going to have to deal with eventually. I put a bunch of rust inhibitor on it before I put back in the camping equipment so hopefully I've at least slowed it down. At some point though I might as well do the work so I can be done with it. I'm also really looking forward to getting the van insulated and sound deadened all the way. One of my goals for this summer is to get the ride quiet. I've still got a long way to go at this point but I think it will make the van a lot easier to drive for long distances.

Finally there is my panel/headliner replacement project. After talking my original plans over with Allison we came up with an even better idea. The new plan is to cover all of the panels and headliner with a giant interstate atlas that would be positioned so that it is actually usable. I was thinking of those giant wall maps and how cool it would be to have the entire US interstate system right there on the roof. Just buying one of those wall maps would be several hundred bucks so I'm looking at other options. I may get access to a large format printer that I can use at cost in the not so distant future so I may just come up with my own using Google Maps.