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Date:         Tue, 03 Dec 1996 13:20:00 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Forhan <tforhan@pipeline.com>
Subject:      Re: Propex installation: lazy man's armchair plan

Larry Johnson suggested:

>What if, I located the 3/8 inch (furnace/fridge) "T" under the van, by >the propane tank, right after the existing (fridge/stove) "T". Then I >could run a 3/8 inch line from the (furnace/fridge) "T" up to the >underside of the floor and back along the left side rocker panel. I >could cut a hole through the left frame rail, bend the line to go >through the hole, then route the line across under the van below the >floor of the back seat. I could cut a hole through the floor directly >below the furnace's 1/4 inch inlet, then bend the line to go up through >the floor and come out under the back seat directly to the furnace. I'd >locate the 3/8 inch to 1/4 inch reducer here.

I think this idea has great potential. Like mine, Larry's bus is a Syncro Westie, and as I imagine his plan my first question is how the gas line would be routed between the two frame members, where you also have the driveshaft, the skid plates, and a mess of hoses. This would argue for going as far up as possible, up against the floor pan. When the line passes through the longitudinal frame members (it would have to go through both, I think) it needs to be protected with some sort of rubber grommet so that the hard steel of the frame never cuts through the soft copper gas line.

A second reason to go high -especially for syncros- is vulnerablity to rocks and other off-road debris. I've had my syncro stuck up to the rockers in mud, by the way.

Ironically, most of the removal of partitions, the fridge, etc is for snaking the power lines (from the aux battery) and controller cable (from the furnace) back to the thermostat, which I mounted on the closet.

Now that I have seen it, you could run the gas line behind the fridge without removing it, and shucks, no reason the power line could not follow the same path. You will have less wire hanging around loose though, if you remove the fridge and snake the wire through along existing pathways directly to the water tank compartment. However, as Harry Yates has taught us, another good reason to remove the fridge is to inspect the panel behind it for rust.

As for the heater and brain, if you just move them out of the way (my recommendation now that I've been through it) its just a matter of loosening three screws and removing two- really a two minute job.

So while it will not save all the interior efforts, overall, I *like* it!

Tom F.


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