Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 15:15:24 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Needed: DoubleCab Air Conditioning In Uganda
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2011052914353064@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
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http://www.dcairco.com/index.php/products/trucks
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Derek Drew
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2011 2:27 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Needed: DoubleCab Air Conditioning In Uganda
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