So, I re-plumbed it and now the drain is in front of my rear tire. All the plumbing is hidden except for the drain end to which a hose attaches.

The switch is so I can use the camera even when not in “reverse.” Now all the switches match.

Upper right, gps and scangauge. Lower left switches control turning lights (not activated in NAFTA Sprinters), both right and left. Switches on the right side control power to gps, bluetooth phone (Parrot), and the back-up camera.

I did not upgrade to the remote model. I upgraded to the temperature controlled model and in doing so got the rain sensor (will close the fan cover if it starts raining) and  a pop-out screen for easy cleaning. There are several places on the web that sell these upgrade kits so check for a good price.

The instructions are pretty simple except the one that tells you to install a new lift arm. Trying to follow that advice resulted in 5 or 6 trips up and down the ladder and a lot of wasted time. The arm is the same as the original except the nylon roller is on the opposite side. To adjust for that there is a new guide but it has larger screw holes than the brackets that are attached to the dome. I finally just used the original arm and guide and everything works fine.

Remove old Control Panel.	Install new Lift Arm.
Remove knockout and install Rain Sensor.	Install new control panel and lift motor.

I diddled (technical term for just thinking about a project) around a few months and finally made a prototype. I took that to a friendly machine shop and for $120 had my box. The box is made of .016 aluminum and measures 18x12x10 with the lip extending 5 inches.

Getting the box into the space was a little different than getting a cardboard prototype into the same space. I had to shorten the extended lip by an inch but finally got it in position. It is held up primarily by the same steel bracket that held the propane tank.

Now I have a good place to put the gray water hose and maybe even the black water hose as it’s storage location makes it difficult to get it in and out.

I cut a cardboard template just to check out the concept and when it went in ok it was time for the real thing. I cut a 16-1/2″ x 24″ piece of plywood and covered it will some wood grain paper I had left over from a disastrous idea. Cut three legs from a strip of plywood left over from the bathroom tile project (in the house, not the bus) and stuck everything together with some Elephant Glue. The whole thing took a little over an hour and I had to only cut the legs twice to get them right!

The shelf rests on the wheel well and has 5″ of clearance so holds the salad bowl and short pots and pans nicely. I doubled the space and have room now for my tiny crock pot (1-1/2 quarts) we can cook dinner in while heading down the highway. It will go into the sink when we are cooking in motion.

I am always sensitive to the weight and length of the bus. Just under 20 feet is an ideal length and the hitch was going to add over 2 feet to that – time for some changes. I picked up 2 inches by shortening the piece that goes into the hitch. Converting the four bike configuration to a two bike and drilling new mounting holes for the arms cut off more length. All in all I shortened everything down by about 14 inches and the total length of the bus is under 21 feet with the hitch and bikes attached.

I have ordered a hitch tightener to take the slack out of the hitch. I don’t understand the sloppy tolerances in hitches. You have a 2 inch receiver then you should have a piece 1-7/8 or 1-15/16 to go into it. Instead you don’t get anything close so the hitch has play in it. A 1/4 inch play at the receiver translates to about 6 inches at the top of the rack. This is one time it should be rocket science.

My first couple of tries I had gas leaking at the new fittings. It is pretty easy to see if you spray the fittings with Windex – you start getting soap bubbles. Finally I figured out the fittings had to be wrench tight not had tight and in checking had no more leaks.

BTW, the water heater you see is electrical powered.

Now the only thing to do is to test and see how long a 1-pound canister lasts with the stove on high.

The tank (1/2) full weighed about 49 pounds. I used a jack to hold it up while removing the bolts. I also pulled off the regulator thinking I might use it for the new set up but I don’t think so now. I also pulled all the copper tubing from underneath which on the open market, will probably get me a cup of coffee!

In the space left, since there is a door, I will mount a storage box that will hopefully hold my hoses and electrical cable. Then I can use the space where they are now stored (in the back doors) to store something else.