Summer update #11, Curtains Tables, and Last Minute Maintenance

Jen has been slaving away sewing curtains (Inside, In the air conditioning). These are made using a multilayer insulating material that supposedly has very good R value. All of them have been treated with silicone water repellent. A variety of curtain tracks are being used, as well as some magnetic snaps and fiberglass rods.










The harmonic balancer on my van looked alright, but when I pulled on the outer ring, it moved visibly. So I ordered a replacement. Autohaus AZ had the best price on the Corteco replacement (supposedly OEM to Mercedes). Upon removal the original unit showed delamination on the back side. I estimate over 50% of the rubber was disbonded. The new part is rock solid.







One last upgrade to the van, that we could not resist, was Fox shocks. The guys over at Van Compass have put together a kit with replacement rears, and add-on fronts.

The rear shocks are an easy job, and no modifications are necessary. The fronts require drilling 3 holes per side, and attaching a bracket for the upper mount. The lower mount clamps to the sway bar. Some care needs to be taken when drilling the bolt holes as there is some equipment in the engine compartment which could be damaged.









After a few short trips, I can say the shocks have really firmed up the ride. Control is better, and body sway/rocking is much reduced. It basically drives like it did empty, despite all the conversion weight. Another bonus is that these shocks have external rebound adjustment, so additional damping can be added on road if needed.

Jen finished up work on the folding table. It came out quite nice.