Well shifter linkage seems to be holding up so far. Thanks guys!
We just got back from another long road trip last week. We did the 10hr drive to take our son to Disney World and so we could escape the gray for a little while and get some much needed warm weather and sunshine.
I decided some additional tweaks were needed. I ordered an Edgestar fp43 12v / 110 fridge so we have food and drinks for road trips.
I'm thinking of adding a sink and a cooktop too in the near future, along with some solar panels on the roof rack and a dedicated house battery. I noticed there was wasted space on either side of the bench that converts to a bed so I've rotated it 90 degrees and mounted it against the wall to make more of an aisle layout behind the four captains chairs. I'll put the fridge, cooktop and sink along the opposite wall on the passenger side. Looks like I'll need to add a little shelf to extend the length of the bench a bit so I can still put my feet up (the existing one no longer works with the bench rotated). I give up a small amount of bed by rotating it his way but have a much more functional layout for my needs and less wasted space on either side of the bed so I can add the sink and cooktop. For now I'm planning on making it so everything can be quickly removed when not needed.
Also on this trip I split the driving more with my wife. I noticed the ride towards the mid and rear of the van is very bouncy. That's going. To need fixing. I'm guessing its the suspension bottoming out on the bump stops. When we hit a bump there is a front to rear bounce which is much more noticeable as you move further from the front of the van. Doubt new shocks would fix this. Maybe the springs are worn out? I know the diesels are heavier. There's not a lot of clearance in the crossmember from what I can see. New springs maybe? More lift?
You should've seen the look on my wife's face when I told her the most likely fix was more lift.
