Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 14:27:16 -0400
Reply-To: Derek Drew <derekdrew@DEREKMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Derek Drew <derekdrew@DEREKMAIL.COM>
Subject: Needed: DoubleCab Air Conditioning In Uganda
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
My son (and now me and my wife) are going to be driving a 2.1L Double
Cab 16" Syncro in Uganda, Africa, which lacks air conditioning,
starting in about a month.
The locals there say its unthinkable to drive without the AC because
of the amount of dust in the air, which would come into the cabin if
you try to drive with the windows open, but if you close the windows
at the locations we will be at, you can hardly survive the heat
buildup inside the vehicles due to the sun at the equator.
Is my best option to buy a generator and a window AC unit, and then
mount the AC unit in the rear window?
Or is there some more elegant way, such as to buy a factory used AC
setup from a dead doka?
The A/C setup unit has to be operating by July 1.
I know nothing about Dokas, so I don't even know if there is such a
thing as an OEM Doublecab 16" A/C setup.
Another route, which I know nothing about, is one of the after market
units that install under the dashboard in the USA. Would this be an option?
I am doubting that an evaporative AC unit would have enough BTUs, but
maybe one of those things that blows air across ice blocks would help
a little if all other ideas proved unfeasible.
The length of the trip is 3 weeks, driving through lions, elephants,
and extremely bad roads, testing some special VCs my son is working on.
We are going to try to drive around the riots, tear gas, and Ebola
outbreaks they are having in Uganda at the moment.
And we still have to figure out some way to keep humans and primates
from grabbing our bags out of the back of the Doka in the cities and
in the jungle.
I am going to bring some spare inner tubes and futz around with them
after the bald tires go flat in the bush.
Here is a picture of another Vanagon family in the bush, terrified,
after their van broke down in the middle of a pack of inquisitive
lions. A brave guy with a pickup truck tows them out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w73wIjdv9qE
Unfortunately, their rig looks a lot more luxurious than the work
truck we will be using, which is used to haul food to market.
It takes a week to send parts ahead for installation on the van
before we get there.
Any and all ideas welcomed.
_______________________________________________
Derek Drew
Founder, ConsumerSearch.com
Washington DC / New York
derekdrew@derekmail.com
202-966-7907 (Call the number at left normally)
(alt/cell for diligent calling only): 703-408-1532