Saturday, Mar 01, 2003 at 14:01
Blackie / Lou
With the van itself I fitted 7 leaf springs instead of the original 5 leaf complete with larger hanger bolts etc (16mm if I recall correctly).
I pulled the wheel bearings and repacked / re adjusted them and checked the spindles for damage.
Oher preps to the van included checking all bolts / wiring / hoses etc for security and assessing the potential for stone damage.
I also fitted a vinyl "dust" curtain across the van on the underside just in front of the axle to reduce the number of rocks bouncing around and damaging the underside.
Inside it is important to pack the gear to stop it moving around, especially from the effects of corrugations. Cans and jars can make a mess in the fridge just through shaking around. I use rubber matting in the drawers and fridge and try and pack things tightly. Tea towels and towels are good for this.
Preventing dust from entering the van (bearing in mind you will always get some dust !!) was achieved by fitting a full length vinyl cover between the car and the van. This keeps the dust / rocks under the van from the car and eliminates the risk of rocks hitting the rear window.
If you want to fit something similar do the following:
Connect the car to the van and measure the area between the rear bumper of the car and the first cross member of the van.
Prepare the material and put eyelets in each corner
Remove the gas bottle and jerry can holder(s) and lay the measured material in place and cut the appropriate holes for the brackets etc.
Secure the material to the front cross member of the van using a short "ockey" strap at each corner.
Using a longer strap the front of the cover can be secured to an appropriate point on the car.Do not stretch these straps too tight as they will break when turning. They should be just tight enough to support the weight of the cover.
I hope you can make sense of the "instructions" Believe me it is worth using as it certainly helps reduce the dust and rocks being thrown around
As for spares I carried, particular for the van was an emergency axle, wheel bearings, an extra tyre and inner tube (above the normal spare)
On the road I checked the van underneath every day and greased the tow hitch block and spring shackles on a regular baisis.
Take care in how you distribute the weight around your van so that it is reasonably balanced and use the electric brakes on a minimum setting on the dirt.
Hope this helps. If you need more info then follow up some more.
Regards
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