Date: Sun, 29 May 1994 22:57:28 -0500 (CDT)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Dean Paul Karpowicz <chinaski@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>
Subject: Story about my '84
Well, I just wanted to tell everyone about the changes that my '84 has gone
through in the last few weeks.
I will start by telling you about the stock vehicle. I have an '84
Wolfsburg Vanagon. This comes with P/S, screens and curtains and the bed.
I received a fold-up table from a ASI (I think) converted Bus friend of
mine, and wanted to install it in my '84. The only way that I could think
of was to remove the center seat, but I didn't want to lose the passenger
carrying capacity, not to mention the storage space under the middle seat!
I started by turning the middle seat around and bolting it to a piece of 3/4
plywood and then bolting the wood to the floor. The seat is now right
behind the drivers seat facing backward. I used the stock rails, so the
seat is still removeable.
I mounted the table to the wall (with big screws and backed wi a 2x4)
between the two seats. It swings up and down perfectly!!!
I bought some carpet padding and installed it over the newly butchered
origional VW underlayment, glued it down, and glued new van carpet over it.
I picked up one of those peltier type coolers (Igloo Thermoelectric) which
sits like a fridge right next to the rear facing seat.
I added two extra cigar lighter sockets below the dashboard (for the fridge
and the Game Gea:-) )
The last thing I found was an overhead light from an RV store. I
wiinstalled it in place of the rear dome light. It is damn bright!!!
The next (soon) project is the dual battery/isolator/rewiring project!!
I also adjusted the rear brakes.... Whew, what a nut!!! really!!! I had a
3/4 breaker bar with an eight foot piece of pipe on the end of it. The
breaker bar (craftsman) just bent!!! I had to apply tension and beat the
crap out of the bar by the nut with a hand sledge!!! Bottom line: It was
worth it!!! The brakes work great now ...
To anybody out there that has wired dual batteries: can I just wire certain
systems (at the fuse box) to the other battery? I want to put the cigar
lighter circuit (which also powers the stereo), the dome lights, and the
heater blower on the aux battery.
I think that I'll put some sort of relay between the batteries to connect
them when the car is running and disconnect them when it's off...
Thanks
Hank