I keep thinking of the old saying about painting a car: as soon as you complete the project, you'll have learned enough to be ready to start it.
I've never sawed anything before buying this van and living in it. I've never built anything out of wood except for Junior High wood shop (a LONG time ago). Never worked with metal either. Never dealt with solar, or ran electrical for household use, though I have worked with electronics and low-voltage since I was tiny little kid. I've done lots of work on lots of different kinds of cars, so that part's not new to me, but that's also not what this project is about. This is a home improvement project-- really more like building a home from scratch.
Little things like knowing how to operate a drill and motorized screwdriver, I am just learning as part of this project (i.e. setting it properly to not strip the heads of screws, etc).
I've also been camping maybe five times in my whole life. My family was not outdoor people. So I'm totally new to living out of a cooler, cooking with propane, and general camping-type stuff.
This is, however, the way I do things. I jump in, feet first, totally unprepared, and learn as I go along. So far so good.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Wall insulation 75% complete
Only two more panels to go-- the small ones in the back.
I did one today-- the one where the battery box is. Took about 2 hours-- I had to remove the battery box mounting brackets, move the battery box around, and unscrew the inverter and then screw it back in.
The rails for the roll-up door in the back, attach to the panel via pop rivets, so I couldn't remove the whole panel. Instead I bought a circular saw, set it to 3/8", and just sawed the thing in half across the top, right under the rails. I slipped the insulation underneath and that's that. It's in. It's ugly but so what; there'll be a drop ceiling there hiding it. I covered it in aluminum tape for now.
It's a lot quieter but I still might need some more sound insulation. I'm thinking maybe cork, or some special cork-like stuff that a local lumberyard suggested. I bought a bunch of luan, and I'll throw some clear varnish on that, then put it on top as a finishing paneling whenever I get done with the insulation. Then I got my walls. On to the floor and ceiling next. When will this be done again?
I did one today-- the one where the battery box is. Took about 2 hours-- I had to remove the battery box mounting brackets, move the battery box around, and unscrew the inverter and then screw it back in.
The rails for the roll-up door in the back, attach to the panel via pop rivets, so I couldn't remove the whole panel. Instead I bought a circular saw, set it to 3/8", and just sawed the thing in half across the top, right under the rails. I slipped the insulation underneath and that's that. It's in. It's ugly but so what; there'll be a drop ceiling there hiding it. I covered it in aluminum tape for now.
It's a lot quieter but I still might need some more sound insulation. I'm thinking maybe cork, or some special cork-like stuff that a local lumberyard suggested. I bought a bunch of luan, and I'll throw some clear varnish on that, then put it on top as a finishing paneling whenever I get done with the insulation. Then I got my walls. On to the floor and ceiling next. When will this be done again?
WiFi-a-Rama
I bought an old Linksys WRT54G router, and loaded the OpenWRT Linux firmware on it. Then I loaded the kismet package, hooked the Linksys up to a 12dBi omni antenna, and set the antenna outside the van (it's eventually getting mounted on the roof; this was the proof of concept). Kismet just ran, and discovered tons and tons of networks! And, it uses a prism0 interface, not the wl0 interface, in "repeater" mode, so that I can probe for networks and get online in client mode, both at the same time. So I've got WiFi in a huge way.
The LED's on this router are under software control in OpenWRT, through a shell script. Since I'll only be plugging in my laptop, I don't need LED's for each switch port to flash whenever there's traffic on a port. So my next step is to write a script that lights up more LED's whenever it discovers open (unencrypted) networks. And maybe blinks them when it sees traffic on them-- a LED version of the Kismet client UI. And then sit the thing on the dash as I drive around. So I can pick a spot to work based on how many open networks are around. Kind of like one of those handheld WiFi monitors but smarter-- this one will only show open networks (if someone has locked their door, I don't want in). Maybe flash a different special LED whenever it discovers the Free the Net mesh, which is my preferred way of connecting.
The LED's on this router are under software control in OpenWRT, through a shell script. Since I'll only be plugging in my laptop, I don't need LED's for each switch port to flash whenever there's traffic on a port. So my next step is to write a script that lights up more LED's whenever it discovers open (unencrypted) networks. And maybe blinks them when it sees traffic on them-- a LED version of the Kismet client UI. And then sit the thing on the dash as I drive around. So I can pick a spot to work based on how many open networks are around. Kind of like one of those handheld WiFi monitors but smarter-- this one will only show open networks (if someone has locked their door, I don't want in). Maybe flash a different special LED whenever it discovers the Free the Net mesh, which is my preferred way of connecting.
A bit more progress
(this was posted to the Vandweller forum)
It's been a very rewarding and fun few days. I've done tons more
conversion work and will take pictures soon. I basically built a
"sliding door" and wall for the back of the box out of two 4'x8'x2"
isocryanote insulation slabs. I also bought some cheap shelving units
which have helped a lot. I found 1 1/2" webbing at a great hardware
store, and buckles for it, and tied everything down. Now I'm no longer
having to play Tetris with everything I own, all the time.
I got out into nature. That was a huge improvement. Vandwelling makes
a whole lot more sense and is a lot more fun out in a rural area (I
drove down the coast). I'm starting to look at it like I'm on a
4-year-long camping trip.
I think I figured out the safe parking thing too. The residential
neighborhoods out in west side are a lot safer and more
vandwelling-friendly. Downtown sucks for graffitti, crime, and parking
tickets, and "nightlife" oriented areas aren't any better. But the
purely residential districts (i.e. Sunset, Richmond, etc.) are great--
nobody notices.
I see vandwellers EVERYWHERE, all over the City. It's like when you
buy a Toyota, you notice how many Toyotas there are on the road. Well
now that I'm vandwelling I see people everywhere doing it.
My goodness, you are a busy bunch! I can't keep up with the messages.
What a great community. Thanks everyone for all your help and moral
support.
I found that onions, and dishes with lots of onions, make me sleepy.
Powdered garlic and dried minced onions are great for cooking.
I made a dish by accident and it was the perfect meal. I took some Pav
Bhaji powdered mix from an Indian grocery store, and prepared it as
directed (mix with water, then fry in Ghee), then instead of adding
fresh veggies I didn't have (tomatoes, potatoes) and boiled for a half
hour I didn't have, I dumped in a can of garbanzo beans and shredded
up some fresh Kale I had in the cooler. Delicious and nutritious. Kale
tastes like meat to me, it has that kind of filling-quality. That was
a dinner and a lunch the next day.
Quinoa with powdered garlic, powdered coriander, dried minced onions,
and some broccoli, worked for dinner tonight. All cooked in one pot,
on a Coleman one-burner. Food has so far been the easiest part of this
whole thing for me.
Hung out on the beach today and met some cool people. Too bad parking
isn't allowed overnight on the beaches around here.
It's been a very rewarding and fun few days. I've done tons more
conversion work and will take pictures soon. I basically built a
"sliding door" and wall for the back of the box out of two 4'x8'x2"
isocryanote insulation slabs. I also bought some cheap shelving units
which have helped a lot. I found 1 1/2" webbing at a great hardware
store, and buckles for it, and tied everything down. Now I'm no longer
having to play Tetris with everything I own, all the time.
I got out into nature. That was a huge improvement. Vandwelling makes
a whole lot more sense and is a lot more fun out in a rural area (I
drove down the coast). I'm starting to look at it like I'm on a
4-year-long camping trip.
I think I figured out the safe parking thing too. The residential
neighborhoods out in west side are a lot safer and more
vandwelling-friendly. Downtown sucks for graffitti, crime, and parking
tickets, and "nightlife" oriented areas aren't any better. But the
purely residential districts (i.e. Sunset, Richmond, etc.) are great--
nobody notices.
I see vandwellers EVERYWHERE, all over the City. It's like when you
buy a Toyota, you notice how many Toyotas there are on the road. Well
now that I'm vandwelling I see people everywhere doing it.
My goodness, you are a busy bunch! I can't keep up with the messages.
What a great community. Thanks everyone for all your help and moral
support.
I found that onions, and dishes with lots of onions, make me sleepy.
Powdered garlic and dried minced onions are great for cooking.
I made a dish by accident and it was the perfect meal. I took some Pav
Bhaji powdered mix from an Indian grocery store, and prepared it as
directed (mix with water, then fry in Ghee), then instead of adding
fresh veggies I didn't have (tomatoes, potatoes) and boiled for a half
hour I didn't have, I dumped in a can of garbanzo beans and shredded
up some fresh Kale I had in the cooler. Delicious and nutritious. Kale
tastes like meat to me, it has that kind of filling-quality. That was
a dinner and a lunch the next day.
Quinoa with powdered garlic, powdered coriander, dried minced onions,
and some broccoli, worked for dinner tonight. All cooked in one pot,
on a Coleman one-burner. Food has so far been the easiest part of this
whole thing for me.
Hung out on the beach today and met some cool people. Too bad parking
isn't allowed overnight on the beaches around here.
More Ford electrical woes
Just a few hours ago, I ran the winshield squirter (or tried to; it's
apparently dry) and the windsheild wipers. AND THE DASHBOARD LIGHT
WENT OUT AGAIN!!
You may recall (ahem) that the dashboard light dies right before the
ignition stops working. I expect in the morning that the POS will
refuse to start.
So, the Ford dealer was FOS. This has nothing to do with the freakin'
steering column. They wasted $1,000 of my money and a MONTH of my
time... for nothing. It is an ELECTRICAL problem.
Luckily, this time I have the schematics. Screw the dealer. I'll look
it up in the morning and see what-all else is connected to that fuse.
I have a hunch it's the windsheild squirter motor-- that's probably
fused or otherwise dead and is shorting out the fuse.
apparently dry) and the windsheild wipers. AND THE DASHBOARD LIGHT
WENT OUT AGAIN!!
You may recall (ahem) that the dashboard light dies right before the
ignition stops working. I expect in the morning that the POS will
refuse to start.
So, the Ford dealer was FOS. This has nothing to do with the freakin'
steering column. They wasted $1,000 of my money and a MONTH of my
time... for nothing. It is an ELECTRICAL problem.
Luckily, this time I have the schematics. Screw the dealer. I'll look
it up in the morning and see what-all else is connected to that fuse.
I have a hunch it's the windsheild squirter motor-- that's probably
fused or otherwise dead and is shorting out the fuse.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
The Old-Skool hardware store
I'm delighted to have found a hardware store like they used to make 'em. It's in the City, and I'm keeping it a secret (sorry).
In recent years, most ACE-style hardware stores feel to me either like 7-11's-- small and no selection-- or huge behemoths trying to be Home Depot.
Even though it's an ACE, the store I found felt noticably different, like hardware stores used to be when I was a kid: big enough to have everything I might need, but small enough to be able to get around in. And very well-organized. I found what I wanted, and then things that I definitely needed but would have forgotten to buy, were right there logically next to them, all in the same place. Sweet.
I also discovered a huge industrial supply store too-- a totally different beast but one which is also good to have around.
Now if only there were an electronics shop like Radio Shack used to be-- with actual useful parts and components and stuff, instead of cellphones and TV's and keyboards and radio-controlled cars. Sheesh.
In recent years, most ACE-style hardware stores feel to me either like 7-11's-- small and no selection-- or huge behemoths trying to be Home Depot.
Even though it's an ACE, the store I found felt noticably different, like hardware stores used to be when I was a kid: big enough to have everything I might need, but small enough to be able to get around in. And very well-organized. I found what I wanted, and then things that I definitely needed but would have forgotten to buy, were right there logically next to them, all in the same place. Sweet.
I also discovered a huge industrial supply store too-- a totally different beast but one which is also good to have around.
Now if only there were an electronics shop like Radio Shack used to be-- with actual useful parts and components and stuff, instead of cellphones and TV's and keyboards and radio-controlled cars. Sheesh.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Getting messed with
(this was posted to the Vandweller's Yahoo group)
My friend who was homeless for several years, warned me, "You're going
to get messed with. The cops will mess with you. Criminals will try to
rip you off. You'll get messed with. Just deal with it." Of course,
she used much stronger language than that. I thought I would be clever
and stealthy enough to escape. But so far, she has been right. I guess
I have to be more clever-- or more careful.
I've gotten tagged wtih graffitti three times so far. I found that
acetone is amazing, by the way. It takes off graffitti as easily as
wiping down your kitchen counter. Takes the underlying paint off too,
but, very nice anyway.
I actually caught someone spraying me, and stopped him a few nights
ago! I was in a nightlife-oriented area because I desperately needed
wireless access and I knew there'd be lots of it there. There was. At
around 2AM, I'd had enough and was deciding whether to stay or to go
find another parking spot to sleep in. Just then I heard "sssss". My
first thought was about the source of that "ssssss" having an
unhealthily close relationship with his mother. I was furious. Way too
angry to be scared. So I slid the door to the cab, and looked out via
the mirror. There was a white kid, about 20, totally clean-cut,
looking like he was straight from Indiana or something. I opened the
passenger door and shouted, "HEY!! CUT THAT OUT!!". He looked at me
sheepishly, like he'd just hit a foul ball through my living room
window. And said, "Ummm.... sorry". Then he put his spraypaint back in
his backpack and slinked away with his tail between his legs,
muttering, "Sorry... sorry", while I glared at him.
Then, the other night, someone tried to steal my van! I was in a
somewhat poorer residential neighborhood that had some industrial
shops around, figuring I'd blend in. I woke up at around 4AM to the
van being shaken, like someone was pushing on it. I can't do a Rebel
Yell, being a Yankee, so I did my best Joe Pesci voice, and hollered,
"HEY!" Silence. Nothing. I went back to sleep, thinking it might have
been the wind or someone just leaning up against the van. I woke up
the next morning to find that someone had drilled out my driver's side
lock! I guess the guy was pulling on the door to try to get in. That
was scary. Maybe he lived in the apartment building next to which I
was parked, and saw the solar panels on the roof, or something. Or
maybe he just thought the van might have something valuable in it, I
dunno.
Cops, of course, have ticketed me four times. My own fault for not
being an expert on the vehicle code. Once for parking on the street in
a town that didn't allow any commercial vehicles over 10,00 GVWR.
Three times for being on the wrong side of the street; in some areas
where I find myself, you aren't allowed to park on certain sides of
the street on certain nights because of street sweeping.
Bad things seem to happen around 4AM. 4AM-5AM seems to be Bad Time for
me vandwelling.
My safest nights so far have been in suburban strip-mall parking lots.
That seems to be the best spot. Nobody around, relatively quiet,
well-lit, no kids messing with me, too small to have private security
guards, and since it's private property there are no cops issuing
parking tickets. The box van blends in effortlessly there. Of course I
hate being in suburban areas or strip malls, but I'm discovering
that's the safest place to be at night.
It seems like the key is to be in a neighborhood too upscale for
desperate street criminals, but too grungy for the cops to monitor too
closely. It's a delicate balance.
My friend who was homeless for several years, warned me, "You're going
to get messed with. The cops will mess with you. Criminals will try to
rip you off. You'll get messed with. Just deal with it." Of course,
she used much stronger language than that. I thought I would be clever
and stealthy enough to escape. But so far, she has been right. I guess
I have to be more clever-- or more careful.
I've gotten tagged wtih graffitti three times so far. I found that
acetone is amazing, by the way. It takes off graffitti as easily as
wiping down your kitchen counter. Takes the underlying paint off too,
but, very nice anyway.
I actually caught someone spraying me, and stopped him a few nights
ago! I was in a nightlife-oriented area because I desperately needed
wireless access and I knew there'd be lots of it there. There was. At
around 2AM, I'd had enough and was deciding whether to stay or to go
find another parking spot to sleep in. Just then I heard "sssss". My
first thought was about the source of that "ssssss" having an
unhealthily close relationship with his mother. I was furious. Way too
angry to be scared. So I slid the door to the cab, and looked out via
the mirror. There was a white kid, about 20, totally clean-cut,
looking like he was straight from Indiana or something. I opened the
passenger door and shouted, "HEY!! CUT THAT OUT!!". He looked at me
sheepishly, like he'd just hit a foul ball through my living room
window. And said, "Ummm.... sorry". Then he put his spraypaint back in
his backpack and slinked away with his tail between his legs,
muttering, "Sorry... sorry", while I glared at him.
Then, the other night, someone tried to steal my van! I was in a
somewhat poorer residential neighborhood that had some industrial
shops around, figuring I'd blend in. I woke up at around 4AM to the
van being shaken, like someone was pushing on it. I can't do a Rebel
Yell, being a Yankee, so I did my best Joe Pesci voice, and hollered,
"HEY!" Silence. Nothing. I went back to sleep, thinking it might have
been the wind or someone just leaning up against the van. I woke up
the next morning to find that someone had drilled out my driver's side
lock! I guess the guy was pulling on the door to try to get in. That
was scary. Maybe he lived in the apartment building next to which I
was parked, and saw the solar panels on the roof, or something. Or
maybe he just thought the van might have something valuable in it, I
dunno.
Cops, of course, have ticketed me four times. My own fault for not
being an expert on the vehicle code. Once for parking on the street in
a town that didn't allow any commercial vehicles over 10,00 GVWR.
Three times for being on the wrong side of the street; in some areas
where I find myself, you aren't allowed to park on certain sides of
the street on certain nights because of street sweeping.
Bad things seem to happen around 4AM. 4AM-5AM seems to be Bad Time for
me vandwelling.
My safest nights so far have been in suburban strip-mall parking lots.
That seems to be the best spot. Nobody around, relatively quiet,
well-lit, no kids messing with me, too small to have private security
guards, and since it's private property there are no cops issuing
parking tickets. The box van blends in effortlessly there. Of course I
hate being in suburban areas or strip malls, but I'm discovering
that's the safest place to be at night.
It seems like the key is to be in a neighborhood too upscale for
desperate street criminals, but too grungy for the cops to monitor too
closely. It's a delicate balance.
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