Date:         Tue, 20 Jul 2004 20:20:55 -0600
Reply-To:     Simon Reinhardt <simon@FARRSIDE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Simon Reinhardt <simon@FARRSIDE.NET>
Subject:      Re: a home built camper that rocked 30 years ago. Re:      What
              is the worst design part in the Vanagon What a bunch of wimps,
              whiners, winers and complainers.
Comments: To: David Menche <dmenche914@HOTMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <BAY9-DAV6qTVzItsqlm00035c64@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

OK, that is just awesome. Your dad sounds like a hell of a guy!
Reading the whole thing actually made me start thinking in terms of
whether I actually need to be anywhere in the next week or so... or
whether the kids & I can just disappear over the continental divide...
Cool.

-Simon


On Jul 20, 2004, at 7:37 PM, David Menche wrote:

>   back in my childhood, my dad took the 1963 microbus (standard bus)
> and
> made a camper out of it, installed a sink (stainless steel) and a
> laminated
> counter top across rear of front seats, under the sink was an electric
> fridge/freezer, and a microwave oven, off to the side behind the
> driver seat
> was a Sears portapotty (that flushed)  He built a bed that dropped
> from the
> ceiling for the three kids, and he and mon slept  under on a second
> bed that
> he made to fold out of the rear seat, lots of modifications, and
> welding of
> brackets.
>
>   He installed a triple crank pulley, to power the stock 6 v
> generator, a 12
> alternator, and 120 v alternator.
>   he had an electric pump (12 v.) on the sink, just turn the knob to
> get
> water, and had a 12 v instant hot water heater he made from copper
> pipe and
> wires, the hot water would be steaming out of the sink!  The microwave
> worked great on the 120 Volt system either while driving, or parked at
> a
> slightly high idle, of course we could plug in if that was avalaible.
>
>   the five of us took a month long tour of Alaska/Yukon in 1974, 500
> miles
> of dirt logging roads included!  This was better than any wetsy back
> then,
> with the exception of no pop top (could have used that)  i remember my
> mom
> cooking for the Canadian boarder guard at the Northern most crossing to
> demonstrate the microwave, he had yet to see one, much less one in a
> car.
> But hey, Its not a car, its a VW.
>