This is by no means an exhaustive list of tips, but I hope they help...

Heating

Basically you've got a lot of pipework on your van which allegedly carries warm air form you heat exchangers to your cab...

Hmmm problem is much of that pipe work is rusty and old and in need of attention. When it was new it was OK cus there were no holes or leaks of bits missing and the pipes were insulated.

So check the entire system from start to finish and see where you can make some gains. Make sure the concertina looking rubber hoses which are fitted to the front (front of the vehicle) of your heat exchangers are held in place. Use big jubilee clips if they are loose. Next follow the pipes up the center of the van and get some insulation on them.

(I've heard people use 3" PVC pipe this seems a bit of a fire risk to me, I'd reccomend trying to get hold of the stuff plumbers use for central heating pipes. At least this stuff is made to be hot, the only problem maybe getting it wide enough, but I still think a plumbers merchant is the best port of call.)

Heat exchangers are rarely the problem you can check this out by removing those concertina things and starting the engine, if you feel the heat your exchangers are neat.

Also check out your cables, but they never seem to be in working order on older buses and their replacement is a summer job! Hopefully the flaps are jammed open.

Finally a friend of mine has added an inline fan to the front pipe just under the cab floor. The fan was a simple 12 volt PC fan, but should definitely help the airflow. If you'd like details of how he did it mail me and I'll put you in touch with Dom.

Doors:

Make sure that all of your door seals are in good order. You can use silicon sealant to help fill the gaps, get someone to shine a torch at night around your doors and try and plug the gaps, it'll look messy but will warm you up, a nice fat bead does the trick.(Alternatively if yer feeling rich, replace the dodgy seals)

Front Grill:

Open up the front grill and tape over those air vents, you'll be amazed a the difference it makes.The blue lever is supposed to close them but invariably it doesn't work and the foam seals which go around them have usually rotted away.

Fuel Filters:

Change it! This is very important if you've been somewhere hot during the summer. The fuel filter traps the water which condenses in your fuel and tank. The water can freeze in the filter and stop the flow of petrol.

Washers:

Make sure they are working and refilled with some winter windscreen wash stuff.

Brakes:

Change your brake fluid. It collects water and all kinds of crap which can cause you problems. A good tip is to remove the fluid form the reservoir using a turkey baster and then refill it and bleed it out at each wheel.

Cables:

Lubricate your speedo cable.

Battery:

They have a tough job in the cold and wet, so make sure the terminals are greased and they are not furred up. (You can easily remove the fur by pouring hot water on it and then re-greasing)

Ok so there's some quick stuff you can do that's not too time consuming. If you are feeling particularly keen and have the time then make sure your front axle is greased up. Drop the axle on to some axles stands and then pump in the grease until the gunge coming out is nice and clean rather than black and horrible.

Well that's it if you've got anything to add please drop me a line