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Old 07-01-2019, 10:48 AM   #1481
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Originally Posted by Alex AVI View Post
WACHUKO - More KOKOPELLI stuff for you from Rockslide Brewery in downtown Grand Junction, CO

Seriously... I shared with my wife what that image meant/is and we just cracked up !! We have the full bathroom set... soap dispenser, trash can, towels, shower curtain, everything! Wished I could find a photo to share but all this is in one of the bathrooms in our house in PR...

Because of all of this and the fun we are having with our clueless and ignorance of its meaning, instead of a Hawaiian hula girl dashboard doll, I am going to try to find a Kokopelli equivalent for the dash of the AI...
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Old 07-01-2019, 10:54 AM   #1482
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They are beautiful.
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Old 07-01-2019, 06:19 PM   #1483
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WACHUKO - Very nice dash table. Can't even tell it's router-less-made. Opld school method & patience works just as well. When I did my bath acrylic, had to do it freehand due to 2 non-linear edges. I use a Dremel with router adapter kit instead for freehand. Easier control than the big router.

That one weird looking turtle. Still a nice design to put elsewhere.

Kokopelli bobble head dashboard doll - have not found (a decent one) yet either. But still looking.
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Old 07-02-2019, 12:26 PM   #1484
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...Kokopelli bobble head dashboard doll - have not found (a decent one) yet either. But still looking.
Does not look like they make one...

On another topic... going to capture this here until I find a thread that is already documenting this topic...


Triggered by some recent post from InterBlog, what I want to do is to start thinking of ways to optimize how the rear area of my AI is organized. Also will document a few ideas for the interior of the AI as well.


Sorry for the bad photo shopped image... realized that I did not have updated photos of what the trunk looks like with recent changes made.


Outside of the food stored in the ARB cooler (for the most part, we have been using it as a freezer) everything else in the back is stuff we use in an emergency, or a place to store the tables, fire pit, grill and its accessories, filter, hoses, electrical cords, tools


Whatever I do must allow the rear screen to remain functional.


List of the areas that I am looking at for the rear of the AI:
  1. Build slider for ARB cooler. This will allow me to slide it out without needing to put up the bed every time. Still requires that I go outside and open the rear doors. I have to build a slider, cannot buy the one that ARB sells because I need it to slide out as you see it in the photo. ARB's slider is designed to slide in a different direction. I also need it to slide only enough to clear the bed being down. Do not need it to slide all the way out. I also want the slider to be as close to the floor as possible since I cannot afford the complete setup to be any higher than what it is now. With the bed in seat/bench position, I can open the cooler from the inside, this is only for when the bed is set and I failed to plan for removing what I needed from the cooler.
  2. Build storage under the AI (near the front-driver side door) to store the leveling blocks. These suckers take a lot of precious space inside the AI…
  3. Replacing the bucket we have for a collapsible one.
  4. Above the cooler, I cannot plan to use any area for storage. Need all that area above it to be clear to be able to open it. There is something that I should be able to do on the side to maximize storage there. I liked what another owner did, he installed additional shelving there. Might look at doing something similar. Not lowering the side cushions is not an issue for us, we can keep those up if it allows for more storage, but I do not want to remove them either. The shelving can be built so that it is removable and allows for normal functionality of the side cushions when not in place.
  5. The bags to organize the hoses and electrical cords have worked extremely well. I need to get a couple more. These I will hang on the doors to use the gap that is between the door and the screen. I could hang them like Alex recently did for the rubber mats, but not sure if I want to place hangers in that nice looking panel overhead.
  6. Use a 1”x2”x Width of AI with a screen on it to place over the area where the cooler is… with the cooler in the back, the rear screen cannot go down all the way. So I want a flat and leveled surface where the screen can stop on and the rest be covered by an additional screen section… that is what you see roughly sketch in the photo…

List of the areas that I am looking at for the inside of the AI:
  1. Bar. Removing all the Lexan that makes an awful rattle when going down the road. Redoing the setup there. Will leave space for two bottles and the rest will be configured for Nespresso pods, spice rack, etc. Maybe changing the rear aluminum sheet for a metal one that would allow me to use items held in place with Neodymium magnets.
  2. When the bed is made, Mara would like something that she can slide in and out from under the bed… but I have a hard time coming up with something that can do that and then be able to store without taking up a lot of space… like a collapsible box with wheels… maybe the sides collapse and the bottom is an insert that is removable… still thinking about this one. All that space under the bed is not being used… well, right now we stuff the laundry back in there, or the extra water bottles…
  3. Creating a shelf inside some of the cabinets. We are currently using the microwave rack in one of them and it is great having two shelves inside... want to make a proper shelf for it... and see if we need to do the same in any other.


That is all that I got for now... need to go back in the AI and look for what other spaces are being misused
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Old 07-02-2019, 02:33 PM   #1485
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Got a few things done so updating the list again. Pending items and some additional improvements that I want to make to my AI:

Pending and improvements mods:
  • Make the covers for the side windows with Reflectix...with the blinds in the TB edition, shielding the inside from the heat is a challenge. Summer heat has started and I have not done this. Enough procrastinating. Wished I could do what InterBlog did with the better and fancier solution that involved two materials and some edging and sewing, but that is not going to happen... will be lucky if I even cut the Reflectix correctly
  • Install second Lagun base mount in front. This will require removing the front side wall to build a brace/structure behind it for holding the base plate...also thinking of making another table to replace the stock one. So it will be lighter. Even thinking about a folding table... why? because the arm of the Lagun mount is not that long and will not extend the table to the center of the AI... so a lighter table that is foldable might do the trick (looking at concealed cross hinges)... Table can be used close between driver and rear passenger seat and open when using it with all four chairs... This past weekend we used the dash table for lunch... that worked well, but will still want a larger table if we have company and want to eat inside or play table games
  • Reconfigure bar area. Leaving space for two bottles and re-purposing the rest for storage of spices, espresso pods, and witche's potions
  • Buy and install a drain valve for the fresh water tank. Need to get the parts:
    • Compact/low profile 90 degree elbow, and valve with water hose adapter
  • Look into a gravity drain system like another fellow AI owner did and shared in FB... just in case the macerator fails, to have a plan B... always looking ahead of problems we might face and to make our trips as problem free as possible.
  • Remove and replace chrome side trim. Parts arrived from Airstream have not had a chance to do this...
  • Install the ShowerMi$er...
  • Install cut-off switch for solar panels. Link
  • Build storage under AI for leveling blocks. Looking at some of those lift-top coffee table hinges to see if I can install those upside down and be able to pull down and out the base of where I store these... to make it easy to retrieve and store. Will still require a lock pin of some sort so it does not come down accidentally, but might work and make it easier for me...
  • Install some shield/protection for the drain system... concerned with road debris taking out the gray/black hoses...
  • Replace sink. Before this last trip, wife was asking me to hold off on this mod... well, she had it with it. Green light given to make the change. Parts needed (I have a gift card from Lowes that I will use, but easier to link from Amazon) :
Wishlist:
  • Quiet A/C from Advanced RV - got pricing information. Just need to decide when to pull the trigger
  • The less time I have to spend on the side of the dumping area the better… What I really want is to duplicate inside all the switches that control the dumping of the tanks... That way, if in the middle of the night or if it is raining outside, I see that the tank levels are high, I can dump black and gray tanks from the comfort of the inside of the AI. Why do we have to go outside to do that!!??
  • Add a light on the side where we have to do all the connections/hook ups (driver side). One just like what we have on the passenger side. LED patio light on the driver side that you turn on separately for when you have to deal with the hook ups or dumping in the middle of the night... Using an LED light with a magnet for now
  • RakAttach swing-away hitch - size large... to be able to swing away the Vespa...
  • Flexible solar panels replaced with more durable aluminum-framed and glass covered units. This will be done in a couple of years. For now just monitoring the output I get with them.
  • Replace inverter/charger with a Victron MultiPlus Compact 12/2000/80
  • Lithium batteries

That is all for now... and yeah, does not look like it will ever end...
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Old 07-02-2019, 03:02 PM   #1486
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Thank you Rich!



Once this is done, my next project is to eradicate the only remaining noise I have when going down the road... it comes from this:







It is a pita to get it to quiet down... I will be removing that slotted base (it has cracked in several places already) and replace it with wood panel covered in matching laminate.







Plan is to keep the space but make it a multi purpose pocket... wife saw something in IKEA of a configurable whatchamacallit... will keep space for two bottles (because, hey!, not like my religion prohibits drinking ...we enjoy wine from time to time and I like some Oban or Macallan every now and then as well, so space for just two bottles is enough... ).



So a configurable storage area that we can hang a spice rack, or her nespresso pods, etc.


Did someone say Macallan?
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Old 07-02-2019, 03:18 PM   #1487
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Did someone say Macallan?

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Old 07-02-2019, 03:31 PM   #1488
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Question

I wonder, for removing the bar, if it is as easy as removing those four screws and pulling out...





I know, I know... ...nothing in this AI can be that easy!
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Old 07-05-2019, 07:20 PM   #1489
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I got lazy...wanted to move on to the next project. Front dash table is done (only waiting on edging)...

I covered the supporting leg in laminate, but left the bottom without it. That will only get a coat of sealer and a coat of clear satin urethane. Insert in the dash was covered with black felt.

Done and moving on to the next project
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Old 07-05-2019, 07:50 PM   #1490
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Very nice. If I still had the Lounge, I would probably make one, as well.
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Old 07-05-2019, 09:34 PM   #1491
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WACHUKO, JOHN - Nice table. Jealous of you guys having this table - I can not have one, not for lack of tools or routering skills to make one - it's because we now exclusively use passenger door for ingress/egress. Slider is just too heavy for wife & daughter & me. Plus with grandkids, heavy slider slamming shut on slightest incline is always a concern. So that section/aisle always has to be clear. But on the bright side, both 2nd row captain's chairs get to keep using their individual airline-style flip down tables.
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Old 07-05-2019, 09:49 PM   #1492
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With the GT, the seats are always rotated when we are not under way. There would be very little chance for us to use such a table.

When I had the 2014.5 Lounge, the table would have been useful.
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Old 07-06-2019, 08:35 AM   #1493
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Slider is just too heavy for wife & daughter & me. Plus with grandkids, heavy slider slamming shut on slightest incline is always a concern.

Alex - For your sliding door, I highly recommend this nifty product that some of us have added. A bump stop that you install wherever you want the sliding door to stop and stay put, even on a significant incline. Also allows closing the door from inside the vehicle without much effort. Must have.

https://www.nortonfab.com/?product=s...-van-door-stop
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Old 07-06-2019, 08:43 AM   #1494
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Thanks for the link. I need one of those.
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Old 07-06-2019, 09:45 AM   #1495
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You will turn pale when you see the price of the sliding door stop. You will turn pale again when it arrives in the mail and you see what you have paid for. It is taped to a tongue depressor so that it doesn't get lost.

You will smile ear to ear when you have installed it. I opened my sliding door to the point that the front edge was just even to the retracted screen front edge and installed it at that point. I can now close the sliding door without getting out of the coach. For the first time, the sliding door will stay open in my sloping driveway, my sloping storage bay, and in a sloping camp site.

I can fully open the sliding door, past the stop, when I want to make full view out of the screened opening. Mostly, I just open the door to the new stop.

I had one on my 2014. I hesitated getting one for the 2018 because of price. I didn't know how much I missed it on the 2018 until we spent two weeks on a caravan. As soon as I returned home, I bit the bullet and ordered my second one. I wish now I had removed the one on the 2014, which can be done with a little work.
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Old 07-06-2019, 11:15 AM   #1496
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Alex - For your sliding door, I highly recommend this nifty product that some of us have added. A bump stop that you install wherever you want the sliding door to stop and stay put, even on a significant incline. Also allows closing the door from inside the vehicle without much effort. Must have.

https://www.nortonfab.com/?product=s...-van-door-stop
MARK, JOHN - Thank you for link. Seen this few times before from others. Just never got to it since fam got comfy using passenger door & we just pretend we have a miniature ClassA Will order
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Old 07-06-2019, 12:17 PM   #1497
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MARK, JOHN - Thank you for link. Seen this few times before from others. Just never got to it since fam got comfy using passenger door & we just pretend we have a miniature ClassA Will order
Intermediate Door Stop Kit for side sliding door in place. This is to be able to open the door midway (or wherever you install it) without closing on its own... this is a very small stop. Funny that they add a note letting you know that they did not forget to send it, lol... it is wrap around an ice cream stick, it is that small...

You fix it in place with some JB Weld.



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Old 07-08-2019, 04:20 PM   #1498
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Warranty replacement propane regulator arrived from Airstream. It came with all adapters installed. Great! Will store in the AI as a spare since I had already installed the one I purchased.



And the horn replacement... when I got it from the box, turns out I had ordered the Stebel and not the Wolo BadBoy... trying to remember, I think that I changed at the last minute when ordering because the Stebel was louder (139 dB vs. 118 dB)

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Old 07-08-2019, 10:53 PM   #1499
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And the horn replacement... when I got it from the box, turns out I had ordered the Stebel and not the Wolo BadBoy... trying to remember, I think that I changed at the last minute when ordering because the Stebel was louder (139 dB vs. 118 dB)
WACHUKO - Nice. Looks like my replacement horn will be the Stebel based on your & BEEMERMAN recommendation
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Old 07-13-2019, 08:04 PM   #1500
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The chairs that I usually have in my car broke some months ago and wife put them in the trash. Found out a few days ago when I was looking for them... it was the old foldable umbrella kind... served me well, bit bulky (but much less so than the Tommy chairs that came with the AI)...

I was going to order a new set of just the same ones that we have in the AI... but decided to order the ones with the higher back and headrest (link)... oh my... soooo much better. This set will stay in my daily driver, but I am ordering an additional pair for the AI. Just wanted to share

Photos of one chair and the table (link). Table is not good for placing your plate to eat... this works best for setting your drink down or having snacks, or whatnot on it... Much lower than the ones I have in the AI now (those fold flat but are higher when in use)... but this is just to have in my truck in case I need something while on the road:



Looking at the chair legs and the rubber feet... If they are the same diameter, I will remove the feet from the ones I have in the AI and install those on these... I think that these will dig into the sandy terrain that we have in the parks here in FL... the ones on the old chairs (came with two sets) have a larger footprint that avoids sinking into the ground.

Oh, and just noticed the gap in the table... that was user error... when correctly assembled, the slats are even and close to each other.
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