With temps in the mid 30's today and almost 50 tomorrow, I can get some work done on my mobile hangar. First task was getting the emission test done, a simple no-cost process as long as the vehicle is running properly (no check engine light, as example). When I got the van the Check Engine Light was always on and the oil pressure light would sometimes come on. My code reader directed me to a small evap leak for the CEL, most commonly from an old gas cap. I replaced the cap and removed a little surface rust around the lip of the filler so it would seal properly, and it cured the CEL for about $7.00. The oil pressure light would sometimes come on, but cycling power once was enough to turn it off. My Google-Fu told me it's a faulty sending unit, but the light hasn't come on for a while so maybe it decided to fix itself.
Next on the to-do list was to clean as much crap out of this kid-hauler as possible. The previous owner left it quite a mess, with wrappers, used spare parts, and other assorted garbage all over the place. It also appears he carried a very hairy dog (or ten) as there was white fur all over the back. A small shop vac took care of the bulk of the debris, but I still need to go back with a crevice tool to finish it up. Here she is in all her partially-cleaned kid-hauling glory, ready to seat 7.
Sliding doors on both sides is going to make loading/unloading my gear fairly easy. It kind of depresses me that I find this much joy in a mini-van....
In the pic below you can also see that I need to secure the weatherstripping around the door, an easy task for tomorrow.
It takes about 2 minutes to transform it into Hangar-Mode, with all seats folding flat for storage. I'm still thinking about removing the seats completely to give me additional storage space, but that creates other headaches and I'm not sure if it's worth it yet.
I measured before buying the van, it's got just enough open room for my bigger planes. In this case, a 1/3 scale Cessna 152. I have a couple planes a little longer, but I think they'll still fit. I also did some repair work to the big rear well that the back row folds down into. It looks like the previous owner high-sided the rear of the vehicle on something (snow bank?), which pushed the bottom of the well up about an inch. This kept the rear seats from folding completely flat. My "fix" was stomping it back down from inside the vehicle, and now the rear seats fold flat again.
Tomorrow is some bigger work when the temps are warmer. The front right strut is shot, and clunks badly every time you hit a bump. Replacing the strut is fairly easy, and if the right one goes without a problem I'll also do the left (I purchased both as a set). It'll also need front tires and a front-end alignment. The last issue I know of is that it leaks coolant, and it appears to be leaking from the pipes going to the rear heater. If that's the case I may just cut the lines and re-plumb the lines to only have front heat. Not a big deal as I don't plan on using the vehicle in the winter. We'll see what happens...
I also want to start measuring for the rack I'll need to carry multiple planes, wings, and supplies. That's going to be a fun project!