I have a couple burning questions, and no I don't need a doctor for this. Well... maybe a bus doctor.
This is a stupid question that's been bothering me for a long time. The two lower interior panels beneath the rear windows on either side of the back door have stayed attached to the floor. Those two steel interior panels are the only panels that aren't out in the scrap pile. I've tried pulling them out, pounding them with a hammer, kicking and even yelling at them, but no luck. Do those have to be cut off to get rid of them? I've left the panels attached to the floor since last summer with stuff stacked against them. I didn't want to deal with a bunch of jagged metal edges from cutting or grinding if I can help it. I'm finishing up my interior walls and at present my only option seems to be cutting them off with a grinder.
Second question; About ten months ago we were discussing how to safely disable the numerous safety switches going to the doors. I was against disabling the safety's back then because the alarm occasionally reminded me to secure a door. Since I've realized it's a real PITA to manually lock and unlock the rear door at every stop while in town. 3 or 4 stops at various stores means locking and unlocking the rear doors 6 or 8 times. Also I figure at some point someone will damage one of the sensor switches possibly making me unable to start the vehicle. The rear third of this van is a garage. I expect possible light damage from loading and unloading motorcycles, and the safety switches are the biggest danger of disabling this vehicle, excluding other acts of nature.
I don't play electrician because I'm so colorblind. It's rare for my electrical tampering to work out in a positive manner. However, if I know what to disconnect... I figure I can pull a few wires. Any TC owners know the right wires to pull to disable the safety switches and alarms?
Another thing; ECCB, you were correct about the top hatch. I should have plated over it before the foam insulation was sprayed last summer, but I like the ventilation. The hatch was broken into twice last summer. It still doesn't leak at all, but it's difficult to secure. I could have had a smooth ceiling, and I did such a nice job of trimming the plywood around that hatch. I told the neighbors I was going to rig a shotgun to the hatch so it would fire when someone opened it, and the breakins miraculously stopped, but I'm pretty sure that would make the hatch leak. Anybody know how to secure a top hatch so it can't be opened from the roof?
Guess I'll have to get out a little more often!
