Well, it runs + floor repair & Maxxair installation

I really feel like the van repairs will never end. I'm not going to go into it all now, but basically the van runs. I still need to have a couple issues looked at, which I'll either have my brother look at or a new vanlife friend. More on that in my next post.

Look up!

I picked up the van from Canadian Tire the Friday of the Canada Day long weekend. The weather was hella hot and humid, but that didn't stop work on the van. First order of business was to get the old and broken Fantastic Fan removed, and replaced with the Maxxair vent I'd purchased for the Astro. 

I went with the 5100k model for $370, which is a 10 speed two way (vent/exhaust) with a manual opening. There's a similar model with a remote, but I didn't want to pay extra for it with the van roof being relatively low compared to a RV or Sprinter. This model does have a programmable thermostat, which is probably what I'll leave it running on. 

First step was to remove the old fan. For this, I enlisted the help of my brother Shawn, who took the fan off the roof after removing the 16 rusted screws holding it in place. He also scraped off the caulking that had been there for the last 28 years. Now I had a nice hole in the roof.

My grandfather stepped in at this point to get the new vent put in. The wooden beam in the middle of the van was pretty weak due to the old vent leaking, so we cut some wood pieces to fit between the fibreglass and interior ceiling to beef it up a bit and have something for the screws on the new fan to bite into. 

Installing the fan was pretty easy. Once the hole was prepped, we followed the directions. After tracing the receiving flange onto the roof, we caulked the whole area with an automotive caulking, then fit the flange in. Another 16 screws held it in place, which we caulked the heads of, as well as a generous bead all around the flange itself. The actual vent unit fits onto this, with another four screws to keep it in place. That was it for the exterior installation. 

On the inside, we opted not to hook the fan up to the wiring inside yet, as I still need to investigate the lack of power to the house battery. Leaving the wiring free, I measured the interior piece, which a sizeable portion had to be removed from. It took a couple tries and shaving off more before it actually fit flush to the ceiling. This was probably the most difficult part, honestly. But soon, it was done! 

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. It looks great, though!

Meanwhile

In the midst of construction, I had to take some me time and get an MRI done on my brain to help investigate the issues I'm having. MRIs are freaky. They fit my head into this Hannibal Lectar-style face cage then put me in the machine with earplugs and earphones on, where I had to remain motionless for about 25 minutes. It was pretty uneventful, but I took this awkward photo in the change room anyway. I have a neurologist appointment next week to see what's what. 

Watch your step

Now that the vent was sorted, it was time to repair the damage the leak had done to the floor. My grandfather slid under the van to check if there was any damage that went beyond the interior, and it looked good underneath. After some humming and hawing, we decided to lay down some plywood and then cover that in the same peel and stick vinyl I'd used in the Astro as I had some left over. 

We cut an L-shaped piece of 3/8" plywood on the table saw, making sure the measurements were bang on. It was a tight squeeze, but eventually the wood went down. What a difference! It was damn HOT work though. The Instagram filter hides it well, but I was drenched by the time we were done. Humidity had the temperature feeling like 46C which is about 114F. Like I said - HOT.

The vinyl went down quickly, taking about 20 minutes to do the little piece I had to cover. If it were just me it would have went a bit quicker, but my grandfather is a real perfectionist. I'm glad he is though, as it looks amazing now! Annnd, again, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. :D Picture the above, but looking like dark hardwood, I guess. 

So that's about it for last week! Two projects down... seemingly endless ones to go!