The van build has been static for a long time now. In the relentless pursuit of perfection we have decided to do a few upgrades.
Firstly, Dream Girl wanted to change the kitchen storage. Why she would want to I don't know, I thought it was great as it was. The first post in the thread details how awesome and easy it was to get to. Nonetheless, D.G. wanted to tinker. So, she went into town looking for our friend Sarah. Sarah Ndipity . As is often the case when you look for ol' Sarah, there she was. D.G. found some totes that fit perfectly through the space in the center of the bed. So we built a frame that would contain the storage, preventing it from swashing around.
Now the utensils, pots and pans, etc. are even easier to get to. I'll miss taking everything off the stove, finding a place to put all the hot items and removing the stove itself then reversing the process but if it makes D.G. happy then I am all for it. We also installed the very latest in composting toilets. Dream Girl is a woman of fine sensibilities and exquisite taste so she wanted a deluxe toileting situation. Me, I say who needs toilet paper. Isn't that was sleeves are for? But once again, keeping her happy is my main priority. So, despite the huge effort and expense we put in a toilet.
Finally, we did some upgrades to the communications system. While it was near perfection as it was, I wanted to add the HF bands. 40 meters is great for looking for help in the middle of the desert, plus I can brag about how much fun I am having to my buddies back home. First thing I needed was a way to mount an antenna. So I called up my friends at RedNeckTech and had them fabricate a bracket that cunningly mounts to the top rear door hinge. It allows for opening and closing the door and doesn't scratch the paint. Some might have used hardware store "L" brackets and bodgered something together but I prefer to have the experts at RedNeckTech do the work. Once the hinge bracket was complete the antenna bracket was mounted to it and then the antenna itself added.
Next was figuring out a compact and secure mounting solution for the radio gear. Once again my friends at RedNeckTech came through. Introducing the Tacti-Cube! The Tacti-Cube is a tactical radio deployment capable of dealing with today's complex and ever changing rural environment. This tactical radio set up certainly makes you one step closer to being ready for the Zombie Apocalypse. Plus, it gives you the right to use the word "tactical" in every other sentence when discussing your van! I should finish the wiring and test the Tacti-Cube today.
I feel like we are better prepared than ever for a trip next week. As the nearest Ford dealer is a two hour drive away and we need to get some driveshaft recall done we are going to get that done and then head to some B.L.M. land that isn't too far. It always amazes me how many places there are near you to investigate. We will likely end up between 3-4k in elevation so we'll see if we beat the frost record.
Firstly, Dream Girl wanted to change the kitchen storage. Why she would want to I don't know, I thought it was great as it was. The first post in the thread details how awesome and easy it was to get to. Nonetheless, D.G. wanted to tinker. So, she went into town looking for our friend Sarah. Sarah Ndipity . As is often the case when you look for ol' Sarah, there she was. D.G. found some totes that fit perfectly through the space in the center of the bed. So we built a frame that would contain the storage, preventing it from swashing around.
Now the utensils, pots and pans, etc. are even easier to get to. I'll miss taking everything off the stove, finding a place to put all the hot items and removing the stove itself then reversing the process but if it makes D.G. happy then I am all for it. We also installed the very latest in composting toilets. Dream Girl is a woman of fine sensibilities and exquisite taste so she wanted a deluxe toileting situation. Me, I say who needs toilet paper. Isn't that was sleeves are for? But once again, keeping her happy is my main priority. So, despite the huge effort and expense we put in a toilet.
Finally, we did some upgrades to the communications system. While it was near perfection as it was, I wanted to add the HF bands. 40 meters is great for looking for help in the middle of the desert, plus I can brag about how much fun I am having to my buddies back home. First thing I needed was a way to mount an antenna. So I called up my friends at RedNeckTech and had them fabricate a bracket that cunningly mounts to the top rear door hinge. It allows for opening and closing the door and doesn't scratch the paint. Some might have used hardware store "L" brackets and bodgered something together but I prefer to have the experts at RedNeckTech do the work. Once the hinge bracket was complete the antenna bracket was mounted to it and then the antenna itself added.
Next was figuring out a compact and secure mounting solution for the radio gear. Once again my friends at RedNeckTech came through. Introducing the Tacti-Cube! The Tacti-Cube is a tactical radio deployment capable of dealing with today's complex and ever changing rural environment. This tactical radio set up certainly makes you one step closer to being ready for the Zombie Apocalypse. Plus, it gives you the right to use the word "tactical" in every other sentence when discussing your van! I should finish the wiring and test the Tacti-Cube today.
I feel like we are better prepared than ever for a trip next week. As the nearest Ford dealer is a two hour drive away and we need to get some driveshaft recall done we are going to get that done and then head to some B.L.M. land that isn't too far. It always amazes me how many places there are near you to investigate. We will likely end up between 3-4k in elevation so we'll see if we beat the frost record.
