A Few More Small Projects
After our 3 week trip in northern CA, NV and Oregon, I came up with a few more small projects to complete.
First, was a door hook to hold open the 40 door. After building a prototype from 1/4” plywood, I used a piece of scrap UHMW plastic to make the hook. A nutsert in the door and a machine screw inside a 1/4” bushing was used to attach the hook to the door. A piece of adhesive back velcro is used to hold the hook to the door.
Second, in our search for a more comfortable bed, I decided to try a slat/spring base from IKEA.
The original CCV bed was made from 1 fixed and 3 separate plywood panels. On each panel was a 3” thick foam pad. This original design was a pain to set up and take down whenever you moved the top up or down, or set up the bed. Also, 3” of foam were not going to make it as an adequate mattress.
I made a modification to the panel bed, using 3 piano hinges and 2 gas struts. You can see the details in post #92 of my build thread.
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...-20698-10.html
I also replaced the 3” of foam with a 4” foam mattress from Amazon. The 4” foam was a big improvement, but by morning my shoulder and hip would be aching.
So I decided to try a IKEA Luroy slatted bed base. To get a good fit, I bought the queen size base ($90) and modified it to fit the CCV bed. I had to cut the base into sections to allow the folding action as I raise the bed. I also cut down the wooden base, so the overall height was about 2”.
It seems like a good modification. We are planning a 3 night trip on the White Rim Trail in a few weeks. That will be a good test of the comfort.
I also thought out a few hacks with the MaxxFan.
First, shut all the windows and doors and set the fan at 100% to exhaust the van. Then as I lower the CCV top, the resulting lower pressure in the van will suck in the fabric sides as the top lowers. I use to lower the top 80% and then go around the van with a stick to poke the fabric up under the top, as I lowered the top the rest of the way.
This got me thinking about the air pressure in the van. Like most vans, after a few miles on a dirt road, the dust works its way into the van. We get a layer of dust when ever we spend time on a dirt road. My theory is by using the MaxxFan to pump air into the van, this will give the van a higher internal air pressure. This pressure will keep the dust from coming into the van. We will need to keep the windows closed to keep the internal pressure higher. I have only tried this for a short section of dirt, so I am looking forward to try this on our WRT trip later this month.