hein
Van Guru
We've been living with an annoying rattle/buzz when crossing certain expansion joints. I finally traced it to the top bezel of our Norcold refrigerator. The top of the bezel rests against the face of the cabinet and is apparently prone to vibration. I needed to remove the top of the cabinet (it's attached with velcro) to remove the bezel and consider options to cure the rattle.
So to not let the opportunity go to waste, I decided to upgrade the LED indirect lighting and add a 12V socket for a nice low profile 12V portable fan we found on (you guessed it) Amazon. The result is a warmer interior look, imo. Culprit bezel is at the top of the fridge. I simply added a couple screws at the top to hold it more firmly against the cabinet. The dual fan works great in that position on top of the cabinet. These are the strip lights I am using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSF64JG
Each cabinet was originally wired with a large 12V supply cable which then splits off to the various electrical items in that cabinet. So just a matter of tapping into that supply and adding some smaller inline fuses for the light strips and 12V outlet circuits. Much easier than running more wires back to the main fuse panel. Still, it took 1/2 of a day to build the wire harnesses, rework the lights and add the 12v socket.
Rather than use a fuse block, buss or terminal post I bolt together a stack of crimped and soldered eyes with a 10-32 SS screw and nylock nut. Then wrap that with some cloth electrical tape leaving a tail should I need to unwrap for further upgrades or service. The positive connection bundle is then secured to a nonconductive surface. Not photos but could take some if more detail is needed.
I'd like to share another trick that I used when installing the air tank mounting....
There is more infra-structure under our van than most. I'm not shy about drilling holes (with some structural consideration) in the frame for thu-bolting brackets for components and numerous p-clamps to hold wiring, cables and plumbing. One convenience is the ample number of larger factory created holes to fish blind nuts through. The problem is getting and holding the nuts in position while threading in the bolt from the outside. The access hole is often far away from the bolt hole.
Some time ago a wise farmer friend gave me a roll of bailing wire and said simply, "keep this handy."
He may not have ever thought I would wrap it around a serrated flange nut, glue it with CA and then bend the wire tail to wiggle it into the bowels of the frame of my Mercedes Sprinter van. Works great but you need to hold your tongue just right. The wire is sufficient to hold the nut until its teeth grab.
All the best and happy van building,
Hein
So to not let the opportunity go to waste, I decided to upgrade the LED indirect lighting and add a 12V socket for a nice low profile 12V portable fan we found on (you guessed it) Amazon. The result is a warmer interior look, imo. Culprit bezel is at the top of the fridge. I simply added a couple screws at the top to hold it more firmly against the cabinet. The dual fan works great in that position on top of the cabinet. These are the strip lights I am using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSF64JG
Each cabinet was originally wired with a large 12V supply cable which then splits off to the various electrical items in that cabinet. So just a matter of tapping into that supply and adding some smaller inline fuses for the light strips and 12V outlet circuits. Much easier than running more wires back to the main fuse panel. Still, it took 1/2 of a day to build the wire harnesses, rework the lights and add the 12v socket.
Rather than use a fuse block, buss or terminal post I bolt together a stack of crimped and soldered eyes with a 10-32 SS screw and nylock nut. Then wrap that with some cloth electrical tape leaving a tail should I need to unwrap for further upgrades or service. The positive connection bundle is then secured to a nonconductive surface. Not photos but could take some if more detail is needed.
I'd like to share another trick that I used when installing the air tank mounting....
There is more infra-structure under our van than most. I'm not shy about drilling holes (with some structural consideration) in the frame for thu-bolting brackets for components and numerous p-clamps to hold wiring, cables and plumbing. One convenience is the ample number of larger factory created holes to fish blind nuts through. The problem is getting and holding the nuts in position while threading in the bolt from the outside. The access hole is often far away from the bolt hole.
Some time ago a wise farmer friend gave me a roll of bailing wire and said simply, "keep this handy."
He may not have ever thought I would wrap it around a serrated flange nut, glue it with CA and then bend the wire tail to wiggle it into the bowels of the frame of my Mercedes Sprinter van. Works great but you need to hold your tongue just right. The wire is sufficient to hold the nut until its teeth grab.
All the best and happy van building,
Hein
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