The last of the insulation and ply panels and the start of the wiring

I had my three little helpers today. I say helpers, but they were more interested in bringing all their pillows down for an impromptu den in the pop-top. It was all fun and games until I felt dripping on my head from above when a bottle of water was knocked over! Kids movie time methinks.

Kids settled, it was time to get on with the last of the insulation and sound deadening and the myriad other little jobs prior to starting the carpeting tomorrow, my last day before going in for surgery. First things first - wire up the power for the reversing camera. I've already run the cables from the wiring loom behind the nearside rear light cluster up into the tailgate. I used a scotchlok tap connector to connect the live to the reversing cable live, the Green and Black cable in pin three of the loom (not the slightly confusing Black and Green!) The Haynes manual has the electrical diagrams so you can check your model to verify. The negative cable I fed up to earth point on the panel above the loom. I ran the AV cable down to bottom of the C panel and took a nick off the plastic trim to feed it out into the van. The plan is to run it under the side step of the sliding door and the passenger door before it goes up into the dash behind the radio.

Once the wiring was done and duct taped in place, the last bit of ThermaWrap was taped in and holes punched for the clips. The panels were countersunk the requisite 2mm and the hidden clips fitted, before finally, with prodigious use of the rubber mallet, the ply panels were fitted to the nearside panels.
Before Christmas I got a call from Callum at Rockinvans, who fitted our roof and will be fitting the bed, windows and electrics in January. He had phoned as he knew I was carpeting the van over Christmas and just wanted to suggest I run some two core cable up to the shelf above the drivers seat before carpeting, which could be used for some USB charge points up there. Cracking idea - wish I'd come up with it myself. I'd enough cable left from the reversing camera wiring, so I popped the pillar trims off slightly and ran the cable up. I've just left it coiled under the drivers seat at the minute until it's needed.

That's it for today. We've a couple of folks coming round for a Christmas Soiree this afternoon so work on the van is cut short, but I'm pleased with the progress. I've one more day left before my enforced break so if I get one side carpeted tomorrow I'll be well happy.