Date:         Wed, 27 Sep 1995 00:35:48 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Jens Dominik Muller <muller@engin.umich.edu>
Subject:      Re: Bus Hibernation

>On 9\26 cheeses@arn.net wrote: 
[...]
> 4.  Fill the gas tank.
> 5.  Grab your fins, mask, snorkel, swimming suit, inflatable boat, etc.
> 6.  Pack up the van with travelin' stuff.
> 7.  Quit your job or take a long sabbatical.
> 7.  Start the bus and head for the Caribbean or Pacific coast of Mexico
>     and/or Central America (or Baja).

CU there? Ho'dya figure out my plan? 

But, seriously ;-), I stored my Bus just outside the past two winters,
off the road preferably. Since everything freezes shut, the clock stops
ticking for my van, too, pretty much. The first winter I asked a friend
of mine to take out the battery and recharge it (since I was too much
in a hurry to leave for Xmas and warmer climates), but, surprise, surprise,
he forgot. When I got back five months later and turned the key, it
started up like if I had parked it there the day before. (Praise fuel-
injection and contactless ignition). Thus, cheese isn't so off if he
tells you to tune up before storing.
  Forget about the gas thing. Your gas will be fine after a couple of
months of cold. You do plan to unwrap it in the Spring, do you? 
  I would add a couple of pounds of salt in a bowl or two in the
interior as a dessicant. It can smell pretty musty after a Winter. 
Checking on that every month or two wouldn't be a bad idea either, 
especially if you have a camper. And mice love that foam stuff, they
know how to camp in comfort, too, so a couple of mice/rat traps would
be in order as well.
  And, release the handbrake. Jens.