David,

After my round of chemo a couple of years ago I could not lift the top...
until I thought to stand on the bench and grab the bar. Maybe that would
help and you wouldn't have to carry a stool.

Jim

On Thu, Jul 28, 2022 at 12:44 PM Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net> wrote:

> Hi David,
>
>         As I often say, there is more then one right way to approach
> things.
>
>         I’ve developed a habit of assessing things around me and trying to
> simplify or enhance things, but balance that with not over doing the
> changes.
>         I suspect this has to do with bing blind.  There was a time when I
> just tried to power through life saying  I can do anything as well and as
> fast as any sighted person.  Well that isn’t true and excepting that, then
> balancing activities with that I can do and that I need others to help with
> makes life much more fun.
>
>         So, keeping up your strength doing the pop top the same way is a
> perfectly good approach.  But, if with age, or strained muscles the only
> thing keeping you from using the top is struts you have an option.  If only
> other life challenges were so easily solved.
>
> Now to go back to pondering my engine stumble and high idle!
>
> Anyone have a GW Throttle body to send my way.  Every time I go to try and
> get one it says out of stock, even when I get the notification it is in
> stock!
>
> And Every time I try to reach Kyle for a engine harness order I get no
> answer and can’t get the web site to work.
>
> But, low stress as the 85 is still doing great, and the 84 is so close!
>
> Eric  C
>
>
> > On Jul 28, 2022, at 12:58 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
> >
> > Well, I considered adding lift struts.  A fellow in Idaho sells them,
> and I
> > thought about buying from him.  But eventually I concluded that it is
> like
> > having a house with stairs.  Some people move into one level houses when
> > they get older so as to stop walking up stairs.  I can still do this, and
> > it takes my muscle to do it. If it gets so I can't do it, I probably
> can't
> > do other things that are necessary for camping, anyway, and maybe it
> won't
> > be safe.  I haven't balanced the top on my  head, it seems to hold in
> place
> > well enough for me to do the tucking necessary.  I never camp alone,
> always
> > with my wife.  She goes around the outside with a stick and tucks canvas
> in
> > from there, and I catch it and tuck it from inside without resorting to
> the
> > head trick.
> >
> > Regarding wouldn't be safe, I once met an 88 yo man, camping alone in his
> > van (not a VW camper van) equipped with a wood stove.  That was in Big
> Bend
> > NP in far West Texas.  We got into a conversation about old folks in the
> > outdoors, and the worries that their families might have about it.  He
> > remarked that he would keep hiking (alone) until he fell off a cliff or
> > something, and his kids (old folks themselves, actually) just had to
> > understand that or live with it.  I guess my stubbonness about the pop
> top
> > is somehow distantly related to that.
> >
> > On Thu, Jul 28, 2022 at 7:31 AM Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Dave,
> >>
> >>        Have you ever tried someone’s pop top that has the lift assist?
> I
> >> only ask because I have almost forgotten the days without them.
> Recently I
> >> did a pop top on a friends van and had forgotten all my tricks for
> getting
> >> it up and down.  I managed, including balancing it on my head to tuck in
> >> fabric.
> >>
> >> We are not getting any younger.  A top that is super light feeling and
> >> rests where you need it might be that one upgrade to make life a lot
> >> easier.
> >>
> >> I use the light struts as I don’t have things on the roof.
> >>
> >> Eric Caron
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Jul 27, 2022, at 11:27 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
> >> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Original.  Works fine for me.  I do stand on a step stool to get better
> >>> leverage for the lift (I'm vertically challenged, and also don't have
> the
> >>> strength I used to).  But the lift works fine, and lowering is fine,
> too.
> >>>
> >>> On Wed, Jul 27, 2022 at 6:03 PM Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
> >> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Hi David,
> >>>>
> >>>> Too bad, I was hoping that would work for you.
> >>>> Do you have the pop top assist or still the original set up?
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Eric Caron
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> On Jul 27, 2022, at 6:30 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Eric, I cannot make the lift using the side bars.  There is not
> enough
> >>>>> leverage for me to do the lift that way, given the breadth of the
> >>>> reach.  I
> >>>>> do not wish to try lifting one side and then the other.  So, I stood
> in
> >>>> the
> >>>>> center of the floor, reached out to both sides to the side bars, and
> >>>> tried
> >>>>> lifting.  I can't budge the top, though I can easily lift it from the
> >>>>> center bar.  The Campmobile manual describes using the center bar for
> >> the
> >>>>> lift.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On Mon, Jul 25, 2022 at 8:05 AM Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Hi Dave,
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Did you try lifting from the side bars just under the round piece
> the
> >>>>>> horizontal bar connects to?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Again I have the assist struts so that may be a factor.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Eric Caron
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> On Jul 24, 2022, at 10:35 PM, David McNeely <
> davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
> >>>>>> wrote:
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Sounds like it does a good job.  Congratulations.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> On Sun, Jul 24, 2022 at 3:30 PM Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca>
> >> wrote:
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> Dave,
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> At home all day today, warm day now in the afternoon and I’m
> >> drenched
> >>>> in
> >>>>>>>> sweat from yard work.
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> But….
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> At noon I turned on the fridge , dc power. The inside van temp was
> >> 28,
> >>>>>> the
> >>>>>>>> inside fridge temp was 25. Van in the sun, fridge side of the van
> >>>> facing
> >>>>>>>> south.
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> At one o’clock , fridge temp was 3.0.  Of course this is empty
> >> fridge
> >>>>>> and
> >>>>>>>> not pulling down the temp of non pre chilled comestibles. The temp
> >> in
> >>>>>> the
> >>>>>>>> fridge seems to range from 0 to 3 at this setting. Again the temp
> >>>> swing
> >>>>>> due
> >>>>>>>> to no thermal mass inside.
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> But the point is, it cools down fairly fast.
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> Just another bit of anecdotal evidence :-)
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> Alistair
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> On Jul 23, 2022, at 9:11 PM, David McNeely <
> davmcneely40@gmail.com>
> >>>>>> wrote:
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> Alistair, What about fit?  Dimensions a close replacement for the
> >>>> stock
> >>>>>>>> refrigerator?  It is quite a bit bigger, inside volume (cooled
> >> space).
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> On Sat, Jul 23, 2022 at 6:55 PM Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca>
> >> wrote:
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>> Yeah I went over. I’ve installed a Dometic CRX-50 fridge. And I
> >>>>>>>>> repurposed the stock fridge vent .
> >>>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >> https://shufti.blog/2022/07/23/vanagon-stock-fridge-vent-delete-option/
> >>>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>> Alistair
> >>>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>
> >>
>