Air Springs(!) & Other Van Modifications

Since Quigley-fying our van is not really in our budget right now, George added air springs to our van to help pick up the back end of our van.  With all the weight already inside the van, plus the ~400lbs motorbike on the rack behind it, our van was a little saggy.  Now the van sets level with the weight of the motorcycle on the rear axle.

We added a Victron BMV-600S battery monitor to keep track of the status of our batteries.

The brass-colored resistor below, called a "shunt," does the measurement of the current inflow and outflow from the battery. 

We added a very necessary set of  dual trumpet "ship's horns" from a 1948 DeSoto. The 6V horns are wired to a 12V system - they are very LOUD!  So loud, in fact, we can't find a fuse that will handle more than a 1-2 second burst.

We can't wait for someone to pull out in front of us!  They sound like a cross between big-rig air horns and a train locomotive!

Finally, we installed much needed amber fog lights and fixed our windshield wipers.  In keeping with the vintage theme of our accessories, the lights are authentic Grote 211's produced from 1946-1956.  Bought on the DesMoines IA craigslist, they were cheaper than new replicas.  And if we ever need food money, we can sell them to a vintage car collector and double our money!  Same with the great horns!