Project Deli – Getting Ready for the Great Outdoors

Although my Delica Spacegear started out as an unusually clean import, I might want to take it camping one of these days. So, it’s time for a deep clean and some functional mods and add-ons.

A thorough shampoo of the floor mats revealed what great shape they are still in. The color pattern is still pretty crisp, and the only wear is a little heel mark from the driver’s matt (which is on the RIGHT side).

With the seats all up, I also gave the carpet a deep cleaning. There were only a few coffee stains between the front seats under the cup holder. However, everything ultimately returned to the Chamonix glory days and the style of the late 1990s.

May as well do the seats as well. There are a LOT of seats. All were pretty clean, except for some coffee stains that rose to the surface (some of which I had to treat 2-3 times). In the end, perfection.

I’ve got a couple of box fans, so just let everything air out for 24 hours, and all was good (better than good).

There was some nasty carpet that had been cut to fit the internal steps for climbing in and out of the van. I went down to Home Depot and got a heavy-duty welcome mat of matching color.

Cut it into appropriate sizes (with a bit of Velcro so they can be pulled out and cleaned), and that’s it. It came out better than factory (there was an option for Chamonix-branded carpet pads).

I cut and fit a custom rubber floor mat for the back. I’m thinking for when tossing in dirty and wet hiking gear.

When shampooing the seats with the headrests off, I discovered something. Not only do the back two rows fold flat for sleeping, but the front seats also fold flat! I guess I should have gotten a bigger screen on the JVC stereo headset because I’m pretty sure the Delica just became a movie theater on wheels!

While I had the seat down, it was a good opportunity to fit a screen attachment I had purchased from the Delica Garage in Australia. They know how to camp in these things down under. Essentially, this allows you to leave your hatch open for ventilation while simultaneously keeping out bugs. But wait, there’s more!

They also have custom-fit covers for the front doors. You can leave the window down the entire night in summer, as you sleep in the great outdoors sans bugs!

The sleeve has a cutout for the mirror and elastic to hold it securely in place. The cut fits so perfectly, you can actually close the doors.

So why is Australia in love with Delicas? Simple. Their import laws are different. They don’t have to wait 25 years like we do.

Individuals can import them brand new directly from Japan. The Assuies have been driving Deli’s for over 40 years and have lots of parts and amazing accessories.

I also picked up a dash mat from the DelicaGarage at the same time. The Delica’s dash is huge and can produce a lot of glare. I’ve had many dash mats over the years, but never one that fits this perfectly. The material is quality, thick, and actually molded into shape. Even a nice cutout for the airbag

I’ll admit, I’m still toying with this. The problem is that where I stay for the season at Glacier, there are a lot of trees. While they provide shade, they also drop a lot of sap.

If I can find a way to get it on and off with ease and speed, it could possibly save me a LOT of scrubbing and washing. I’ll have to wait and see.

A part of my roof rack design was to have some kind of awning. I sketched out numerous designs. Finally, I decided it was dumb to use the traditional roller tube and cover method; all that does is expose the material to constant wind and weather. And shade tarps are traditionally not used that much.

So, I went with a quick-clip concept—something I could install quickly but that would fold up and store small in the van.

My proof of concept worked well. The goal is to see if I can have it ready by the time I leave for the park this summer.

When not in use, the frame is nested into the primary structure of the roof rack. A couple of cam quick-release levers, and it almost vanishes. Best of all, NO wind noise when not in use!

That’s about it for now. I’m looking forward to using some of this stuff this summer. The Delica is definitely coming along.

GoatBoy out!